Dear Portable Computing

Dear Portable Computing,

You has come a long way, no? Just look at the photo I am enclosing with this letter - that was you back in the day. You was UGLY. Nothing like how you looks these days. Nothing like it at all.

But it's not the looks that I'm writing about (although laptops are pretty hot these days), but the portability of you. Because, right now, I'm sitting on my couch and writing this letter while watching Monday Night Football. It's not the most exciting game, really (but what pro football games ever are?) - but the CONCEPT is quite exciting, indeed. Why? Well - it's not really because I'm doing my blog right now. Been there done that (at least in terms of Multi-tasking). It's because of what I was doing BEFORE I got side-tracked and started writing this letter. And that - my friend - is my grades.

My school is on a trimester system. And we divide each trimester into 6-week grading periods. Which means that - as it has been six weeks since school started - this week is the last week of the first term. And THAT means that it is time to do grades.

"Doing grades" at my school doesn't necessarily mean grading papers (although it does, at times). What it means is writing personal comments for each and every student in each and every class that speak to their actual behavior and work in class. This is a relationship-based school, see. And that means I have to write meaningful comments - that give students their strengths but also supplies them with things to improve on. For EVERY class.

Yup - a big pain in the ass. It takes forever. It means a lot of long days and late nights throughout this week. And I hate that. But there's no getting around it, so I had to come up with a plan. Some way to get my grades done without feeling like I was stuck at school with no escape in sight. And so I turned to you, Portable Computing.

That's right - you was my savior. I went home (after doing grades at school for about an hour) and got out the old laptop, sat down on my couch, turned on the tv, and got to work. And so, for the last hour and a half, I have been knocking out the grades while enjoying some professional football. It's almost relaxing. I mean, there's multi-tasking, and then there's Multi-Tasking.

So now I'm going to have an hour and a half less work to do later in the week when I'm more tired and want to do anything but stay at school typing comments. And that's a wonderful thing. You is a wonderful thing, Portable Computing.

And the crazy thing is - just a few years ago, I wouldn't have been able to do this. Without modern laptop technology (which allows me to have gotten a five year-old computer that can do this stuff) and wi-fi capabilities, I'd be spending an extra hour and a half at school tomorrow. My brain would then be oozing out of my ears as I tried to bash my head through my desk, and my comments would be rude and insight-less. And then what?

The children would suffer. And we don't want the children to suffer, do we? Of course not.

And so I thank you, Portable Computing, for making this all possible. The people thank you, as well. And the children. Always the children. But now my thighs are getting too hot (and I'm wondering about the "grandchildren"), so I'm going to sign off now.

Thinking About Cup o' Noodles,
CVT