Happy Thanksgiving

Once a month I schedule a voluntary A.P. Chemistry review session for Sunday morning. Today was our November meeting and 32 of my 39 A.P. students showed up to do chemistry problems with me for 90 minutes. While the sessions are voluntary, I do give 5 points extra credit for showing up—15 points if you come to both each quarter. I stopped and picked up 100 Dunkin Donuts Munchkins before arriving at school; all of which were eaten by the students in the first 20 minutes of the review. At the review sessions we go over questions from old AP exams. The idea has worked out well for the past 6 years, and I think it has improved the chances of my students on the exam. Today we worked gas phase equilibrium problems from old exams. Several years ago I attended a workshop where we were all given a CD with sets of AP test questions organized by topic. I have found these files invaluable as a source of actual AP problems to review.
After the students left I made student copies of several things I need for class next week; two work sheets, an exam for Wednesday, and the Semester I Exam review. I am going to be at a technology conference Monday after Thanksgiving and my students will be given copies of the semester exam review to begin working on; three weeks before exams begin. To make the review I had to write the exam first. Since we got a new text book this year I needed to write a new semester exam and review. Both tasks were finished last week. Wednesday, both the Honors Chemistry and AP Chemistry students have an exam; the idea being that they can take the Thanksgiving break off from Chemistry.
My wife and I host Thanksgiving dinner for the family; a total of 19 people this year—though it can be as many as 25 some years. Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays—possibly because I associate it with family. My family does Holidays together whenever possible. My wife and I do Thanksgiving, my brother Christmas Eve, and my youngest sister Easter. Christmas day is usually spent at my cousins with my mother’s side of the family, about 30 strong, but this year they will be in Memphis with in-laws so my other sister is having everyone. Sometimes someone is missing because of out of town in-laws, but that won’t be the case this Thanksgiving. The only one missing will be my nephew who lives on the east coast and is spending the holiday with cousins in New York; though he will be home for Christmas.
Except for children, my family has never been one that spends extensively on gifts at Christmas. We always spend time together but we have stopped exchanging gifts. I know this may be unpatriotic, but gifts have never been the focus of our holiday festivities. I will buy for my wife and daughter, and for my younger nieces and nephews, but that is the extent of our holiday shopping. Our money will go for lavish holiday meals we share together as we continue to resist the commercialization of our holiday season. Because we do not focus on shopping, our holidays are more relaxed and pleasant—unless you enjoy shopping in crowds.
In terms of my job, semester exams are given before Christmas break so the two weeks off are a real break from school. At this point in the school year I find myself counting down the days till my time off begins.