There's no doubt about it. The iPod is a game changer. I was one of the lucky ones in my school district. I got in early. I got in before the dark times. I got in before [COLOR="Red"][B]THE EMPIRE[/B][/COLOR]. [COLOR="red"][B](DA, DA, DA, DUM, DE, DA, DUM, DE, DA)[/B][/COLOR].

Let me explain. When the iPhone first came out, I was in awe. I've always been a Mac guy. My wife totally surprised me with an iPhone that Christmas. As soon as I started tooling around with that baby, I knew that I had a special education classroom game changer in my hands. Knowing that there were also devices called iPod Touch out there fueled my fire even more. I had to have them for my classroom.

Why? Let me tell you.

1. [B]Cost[/B]. How many computers do you think the special education department purchased for me in 15 years of self containment? I'll give you a hint. It's more than -1 and less than 1. $250 is a lot less than $999 at the time....

It's 4 a.m. and I can't sleep. Usually insomnia rears its ugly head when a new school year approaches, which is kind of the gist of this round of sleeplessness, but it's the late 40s school children who are on my mind this time.<!--break-->

Tonight was my high school reunion. Thirty-one years to be exact. Actually, I don't really feel that old. I guess my failure to mature in early adulthood is reaping its benefits now in middle age. My body may be forty-eight, but my mind is an early thirty-something.

Remember in the late 80s when David Letterman had Sonny and Cher as guests on his show? Everyone wanted to see that reunion happen. As I recall, Letterman pushed it quite a bit further by insisting that they perform just one song together. If you've seen this clip, you might remember that Cher wasn't real keen on the idea, and was kind of peer pressured into it. So, they start singing that famous song, but it's not without its tears. I think I recall Cher...

I called my classroom attendant during lunch today. It just so happens that today was an inside lunch recess day, so I was able to talk to each and every one of my students too. What I intended to be a motivator for them while I was away actually turned into a pick-me-up for myself. Bless their hearts. To say that I miss those children is an understatement. :D

When it comes to the little things involved in running a classroom, there are certain activities I'd rather just handle myself. You'll never catch me calling the custodian to open a window, or submitting a work order to put up a projector screen. It just isn't done. Heck, I'll even borrow the dolly and move file cabinets around if I have to. Chalk it up to the monster we call male pride. Still, there's a lot of assumption when you're the token male in the building.<!--break-->

That fact is most evident when it comes to the [COLOR="Red"][B]CRISIS PLAN[/B][/COLOR]. In the days following Columbine, like many schools across the country, my principal drafted such a plan in case a crazed, gun-toting meth head found his way into our hallways. Everyone else had jobs like "[I]Public Relations Contac[/I]t" and "[I]Authority Notification[/I]". My job was to "[I][B][COLOR="SeaGreen"]secure classroom doors and locate the intruder[/COLOR][/B][/I]"....