is alive!” Remember that movie?
My work bestie and I closed the library Thursday for lunch. I had a full day of lessons with eighth graders and another teacher was scheduled for checkouts. We rarely have lunch together because we try to keep the library open all day. I needed a breather and it’s nice not to have to eat alone.
I taught three full days of research lessons with this particular class and my anchor research topic was AI. I mentioned how we’re embracing AI every day (hello, MagicSchool, Chat GPT, Gemini and all you other invisible bots) and moving toward a Wall-E world, which creeped me out the first time I watched it years ago when E-now 22-was little, which led me to reminding her Wall-E is pretty much Number 5, the robot from the ’80s movie Short Circuit and did she ever watch it? which led to “Who was in that movie anyway, Matthew Broderick?” which led to a Google search (hers) while my brain search recalled Matthew Broderick in War Games, and “Did you ever watch that one?’ which led to an answer: Ally Sheedy and Steve Guttenberg (not how I’d spell it)–Steve Guttenberg? Wasn’t he older? Which made me stop to recalculate how old I actually was when I saw it (we lived in a rural town so that meant I watched it about two years after its release on HBO) which also reminded me I was still a young teen, so anyone over 18 was old in my mind’s eye, which then led to reminiscing and going down the 80s Week theme we’ve been tossing around for the library, ending with an 80s dance party. In the library. Before school. Which led to “Do you know how to dance?’ and I reply “If you call standing in one place bending your knees and swinging your hips to the beat actual dancing. 80s style dancing, so yeah, I know how to dance,” which led to the next class coming in and my brain trying to contain herself because in walked a student wearing…
a Wall-E t-shirt.
Today, it’s year 5 five for me. Number five is definitely alive, although my thoughts might short-circuit every now and then, which leads me to ask, anyone want to join me for an 80’s themed virtual dance party after 31 days of slicing?
Nerds Beget Nerds 
Oh my gosh, I love how you just wrote the way your brain flowed from topic to topic. And what a coincidence at the end bringing it all back to a circle story. 🙂
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Thanks, Debbie. Somehow we must have summoned Wall-E.
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Short circuiting brain, you say?! I AM WITH YOU! 😂 And I laughed when I read “number five is alive” in that choppy robot voice that one must access to read those particular words in that particular order. Thanks for the flashback! Happy writing.
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It’s been a while since I watched it. Time for 80s movie throwback watch parties with my kids.
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I love the refrain of “which led to…” I’m going to have to save this as a mentor text for the next time I want to write a train-of-thought post, because mine never come out so delightful. It’s a pleasure to read your writing, as always!
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Hi Natasha, thanks for your comment. I’m glad you can use it as well. Honestly, I didn’t want to mess with grammar rules, lol! And that really is what happened in the noggin’. Yikes!
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Forever Alice! The same young excited new teacher that I met years ago. Love you!
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Irene! Thank you. I feel like I’m losing steam here and there though. Writing is still my favorite thing to teach.
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Fun stream-of-consciousness! I listened to an 80s Youtube music channel on the flatscreen while I was packing up my book fair yesterday evening–that dance music really helps get things done. I’m glad you have a work bestie; being the only one in your position can be lonely sometimes, though it helps to work with fabulous teachers like I do–and fabulous colleagues like you.
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Cheers to fabulous colleagues and teachers. We do have a great time, but wish her position was full time. We’d get in trouble like a bunch of middle schoolers.
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Fellow 80s slicer here! I loved being taken along your thought process! 🙂
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Yay! Can’t get the 80s out of us. Fun times!
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Whoa, great slice, I just about kept up with your trains of thought, I think!
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Thanks for coming along for the ride!
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Cheers to Year 5! Your thoughts about AI and the connection to Wall-E and Number 5 felt like a Keyser Soze moment. Slicing allows those threads to connect!
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Thanks! I must admit, I’m going down my rabbit hole researching a Keyser Soze moment…
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