Last time, dear reader, I reported I would be following up about the next set of plans in my life that promised to ring in more crazy.  Today’s episode: AP Psych crazy.  And by that I mean Advanced Placement Psychology Exam reading:

My dear friend, Caitlin, is a reader for the Advanced Placement exam in psychology.  This is the exam for high school students who take an advanced class and hope to get college credit by scoring a particular score on a standardized test.  Caitlin shows up for a week every year and grades exams until she needs a new eyeglass prescription.  And this year she convinced me that this was EXACTLY what I needed to do to round out my academic year.  (She was only able to compell me because I was motivated by the money, needing to fund a certain excursion that will be detailed in the next installment.)

So last Thursday afternoon she and I boarded a plane and flew to Louisville, Kentucky…on the self-same day that the fine city buried its hometown hero (Mohammed Ali: it was an honor to witness the thousands who came to pay respects)

We arrived too late to get tickets to the memorial service but the testimonials were broadcast on outdoor televisions all around our hotel and conference site.

It wasn’t too long until I realized that I was being inducted into a freakin’ CULT!  Seriously…all the cult indoctrination techniques were in evidence.  Taking a group of relative strangers to a place outside their normal environment; restricting their access to media by insisting we actually TURN OFF our phones during the eight hours we are cloistered into frigid rooms lit only with horrid florescents; surrounding us with hyper-enthusiastic leaders/cheerleaders whose job it is to keep us in line and ALL GRADING THE EXACT SAME WAY.  A cult!  Wait until I tell my students…

But along the way I met with some really cool high school AP teachers whose devotion to their profession/students is without compare.  I found an old friend from more than 20 years ago who is also a grader (“reader” — we’re actually called “readers”).  I played my first game of Cards Against Humanity (and I was pretty darned good at it!)  Several of my “young” friends tease me UNMERCIFULLY because I keep calling it Crimes Against Humanity.

We’re trying to take really good care of ourselves (hydration, sleep, protein) because, my people, this work is GRUELING.  The effort that goes in to eight hours of focus, consistency, alignment with the rubric, etc., does not permit staying up to close down the bar or subsisting on donuts and Snickers bars.

More evidence of my entry into a cult?  Secret handshakes in the form of honorary titles for various roles: *I* am an “acorn” (a first-year).  “Aliens” are people who can plow through piles of essays with superhuman speed and maintain excellent consistency scores (oh yes, we are being evaluated on our evaluations).

Will I do this again next year?  I haven’t decided.  Dinner last night with five really great people, most of whom were new to me, at a fabulous Southern Smokehouse, after a day putting in REAL work was pretty fabulous.  Let’s see how the next three days pan out…