Weeks Twenty-Four and Twenty-Five
27 February-9 March 2012

Quote of the Year
"When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt." Henry J. Kaiser

Scripture of the Week:
"...You will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed.” I Timothy 4:5-7

My wife finds gardening to be a relaxing and enjoyable activity. Whenever she is feeling stressed and overwhelmed by the responsibilities of life, I can always find her somewhere in the yard, pulling weeds and watering. Born and raised in the rural Nebraska countryside, it's no surprise that she returns to her roots (and yes, I meant to make this pun!) to recharge and re-energize herself.

The other day, my wife mentioned that she was a little concerned about one of the rose bushes that she has been tending lately. After years of being located in a specific area of the yard, my wife decided a few months ago to transplant the bush in another place in order to help it grow stronger and more healthy.

The transplant, apparently, went quite well. Under my wife's attention, the rose grew stronger and more productive, creating a wealth of buds that would, in time, blossom into truly beautiful roses.

Our busy lives interfered, however.

Responsibilities and activities clogged our schedules. The weather turned unseasonably hot. Evening darkness seems to come early. Somehow, my wife's opportunities to tend the roses as she would have liked disappeared. They were left on their own.

Naturally, the newly-transplanted rose bush didn't handle being ignored well. The leaves turned brown. The buds that were to produce beautiful roses shriveled. The branches drooped. My wife notice the plant's distress and took immediate action, but the damage was done. The buds were dead; there will be no blossoms anytime soon. Fortunately, the plant itself was saved. Under my wife's tender care, there will someday be rose blossoms again.

The application is clear. We all yearn to better ourselves. Improved grades, better attitudes, greater tolerance, stronger faith - we realize our shortcomings acutely and truly desire to amend them. These intentions lead us to make significant changes. Yet, if the best of intentions is all the effort that we make, our attention is diverted and we lack the follow-through necessary to make real change. As my wife's rose plant demonstrates, even benign neglect can cause catastrophic results.

Thanks be to God that Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, not only encourages our desire for betterment, but also provides the Holy Spirit to assist us in making positive movement toward attaining it. We walk, side-by-side, with Him.

Let's learn!

Together, with you, in His service,
KGSmith
k.smith@crystalcathedral.org

PS: For your convenience, downloadable PDF forms of syllabi, calendars, and major assignments for for each class are posted below.

Eighth Grade Language Arts

Monday (2/27): Grammar
Tuesday (2/28): Oliver Twist
Wednesday (2/29): Oliver Twist
Thursday (3/1): Oliver Twist
Friday (3/2): Oliver Twist

Monday (3/5): Be sure to have read Dillard (L: 440-447); Quiz
Tuesday (3/6): Fine Arts Festival (No School)
Wednesday (3/7): Be sure to have read Twain & Ackerman (L: 450-462); Quiz
Thursday (3/8): Be sure to have read Various Poets (L: 464-470); Quiz
Friday (3/9): Research Paper

Literary Genre (English I)

Monday (2/27): Grammar Review
Tuesday (2/28): Be sure to have read Thurber (L: 296-304); Quiz
Wednesday (2/29): Be sure to have read Chekhov (L: 308-313); Quiz
Thursday (3/1): Be sure to have read Cosby (L: 316-323); Quiz
Friday (3/2): Grammar Review

Monday (3/5): Grammar Review
Tuesday (3/6): Fine Arts Festival (No School)
Wednesday (3/7): Be sure to have read Helfer (L: 324-327); Quiz
Thursday (3/8): Be sure to have read Volk (L: 332-336); Quiz
Friday (3/9): Be sure to have read Various Poets (L: 344-353); Quiz

American Literature (English II)

Monday (2/27): Be sure to have read Huckleberry Finn, Chapters 34-36; Quiz
Tuesday (2/28): Be sure to have read Huckleberry Finn, Chapters 37-39; Quiz
Wednesday (2/29): Composition
Thursday (3/1): Be sure to have read Huckleberry Finn, Chapters 40-43; Quiz
Friday (3/2): Huckleberry Finn Wrap-Up

Monday (3/5): Research Paper
Tuesday (3/6): Fine Arts Festival (No School)
Wednesday (3/7): Examination: Huckleberry Finn
Thursday (3/8): Be sure to have read Division...Etc. (L: 462-472); Quiz
Friday (3/9): Be sure to have read Crane and Foster (L: 474-482); Quiz

British Literature (English III)

Monday (2/27): Be sure to have read Frankenstein, Chapters 6-8; Quiz
Tuesday (2/28): Be sure to have read Frankenstein, Chapters 9-11; Quiz
Wednesday (2/29): Composition
Thursday (3/1): Be sure to have read Frankenstein, Chapters 12-14; Quiz
Friday (3/2): Be sure to have read Frankenstein, Chapters 15-17; Quiz

Monday (3/5): Be sure to have read Frankenstein, Chapters 18-20; Quiz
Tuesday (3/6): Fine Arts Festival (No School)
Wednesday (3/7): Be sure to have read Frankenstein, Chapters 21-23; Quiz
Thursday (3/8): Be sure to have read Frankenstein, Chapters 24-Epilogue; Quiz
Friday (3/9): Be sure to have read Frankenstein, Chapters 24-Epilogue; Quiz

World Literature (English IV)

Monday (2/27): Be sure to have read Petrarch (L: 927-929); Quiz
Tuesday (2/28): Be sure to have read Federigo's Falcon (Handout); Quiz
Wednesday (2/29): Be sure to have read Ronsard (L: 974-975); Quiz
Thursday (3/1): Be sure to have read Cervantes (L: 1002-1007); Quiz
Friday (3/2): Be sure to have read Cervantes (L: 1002-1007); Quiz

Monday (3/5): Be sure to have read Focus on Culture (L: 644-647); Quiz
Tuesday (3/6): Fine Arts Festival (No School)
Wednesday (3/7): Be sure to have read A Problem (L: 648-655); Quiz
Thursday (3/8): Be sure to have read A Problem (L: 648-655)
Friday (3/9): Be sure to have read A Problem (L: 648-655)

Advanced Placement English

Monday (2/27): Be sure to have read "Speak, Memory" (L: 305-308); Quiz
Tuesday (2/28): Synthesis Essays
Wednesday (2/29): A.P. M/C
Thursday (3/1): Wild Card Day
Friday (3/2): Pressure Essay

Monday (3/5): Be sure to have read "Mali" (L: 968-969); Quiz
Tuesday (3/6): Fine Arts Festival (No School)
Wednesday (3/7): A.P. M/C
Thursday (3/8): Wild Card Day
Friday (3/9): Pressure Essay

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