Thankful.

In honor of Thanksgiving Day next week, I had all the 8th graders write, "I am thankful for _____ because _____" on these construction paper turkey feathers I made. Not only were the feathers mistaken for sausages by my vice principal, but the turkey-in-progress was mistaken for an octupus by another teacher. Despite such insults, I think the final product turned out quite cute! When I'm done with all five (one for each class), we'll put them up in the hallway and it will be awesomeness. (I imagine many of the teachers think I'm crazy because I've been cutting out and gluing 200 turkey feathers like a madman this past week).

One student wrote, "I am thankful for Mr. Elliot because he came to Japan from America." So what if I forced him to write it??

Mr. Kobayashi at his chaotic desk. He's one of the most thoughtful, wonderful people I know, but I think this portrait characterizes him in many ways. As he said, "It's part of my personality. I just can't throw anything away until the term is over."