How Do You Measure, Measure a Year?

At the beginning of the school year, when Target rolled out its shiny, fun school supplies, I treated myself to a $1 pack of Diet Coke pencils. I kept one of those Diet Coke pencils on my homework clipboard and I used it every day when I checked homework. It lost its pencil-cap eraser and it got shorter, but it hung in there for 174 days.

Yesterday, a student forgot to bring a pencil to class, stole my homework pencil and lost it. I think that sums up the kind of school year it's been.