Smells llike teen spirit...

A requirement for all teachers is to obtain 60 hours of professional development during the year. Sometimes this involves trips to conferences in exciting destinations like Las Vegas, San Diego, Seattle, etc. For me, however, my destination is the sprawling urban metropolis of Beebe, Arkansas. I'm pretty sure I saw a subway and a gas station on the way in, and yes, that is the end of the list of things I saw on my way into "town". I took a wrong turn on my way to the high school and began realizing I was headed in the wrong direction when I noticed that the only thing on either side of my car was grass and cows...and grass...and cows. I did eventually make it to my destination. I've heard it said that smell is one of the most powerful senses. The odor that I encountered when I stepped into Beebe High School was not one that sent my mind reeling into a sunny memory of my childhood...no...I had just one thought.... "this place totally smells like cat food". And it did, smell exactly like cat food, wet cat food to be exact. Lovely. It really set the tone for the entire day. Did you know there are 11 different kinds of addition problems?? Nope, I didn't either.