Iceberg, Dead Ahead!

While reading a narrative nonfiction piece about Titanic (the ship, not the movie) today:

• Why didn't they just call in a helicopter?
• Did they have night-vision goggles?
• Couldn't they have made a spotlight using aluminum foil and lightbulbs?
• If the watertight doors were closed, what would happen if someone was standing under them?
• Why did they leave the watertight doors open normally?  Wouldn't that let water in?  (they thought the doors were on the hull of the ship)
• If the water was so cold, how did Jack survive for so long? (mind you, we spent the first five minutes of class discussing the difference between narrative nonfiction and historical fiction)
• They had seven iceberg warnings?  Seven?  This really irritates me!  I need to call someone about this!

Spelling Test Shenanigans

A student gets up during the spelling test today to blow his nose.  Before he does the deed, he contemplates the (blue) tissue and says, "Is this tissue blueberry flavored?"  He proceeds to lick the tissue and then announces, "Nope, it's just regular flavor."

Several minutes later, the spelling word is likable, and I always use the word in a sentence for context.  Please be aware that much of the time the sentences are made up for my personal amusement rather than using the boring ones from the book.  So the sentence I give is, "Ms. Whiston is a very likable person.  But she is not lickable."  Because I told them at the beginning of the week that someone would confuse the two words. This, of course, led to a barrage of items that could be considered lickable, such as popsicles, candy canes, and apparently unicorns.

Then a voice from the back of the room intones, deadpan, "So are tissues."

Aaaaaaand we're all through here.