Things I've Learned at the AP US History Reading

For those of you who are "unfamiliar" with the world of AP, I am currently in Louisville at the AP US History Reading which means that I have joined 1400 of my closest friends to read about 1.4 million U.S. history exams. It was a spur of the moment decision since they only called me on Wednesday of last week. I have always wanted to attend so that I could learn more about how to help my students do well on the exam and now I am here. So I have learned (so far) 1. That I really, really, really miss my family 2. That I will never again complain about grading my students' essays. Today, alone, I've graded 200 exams. ARGH. 3. That I cannot sleep in a bed (I need my recliner) 4. That no matter how bad my students write, they write 10x better than any essay I've read so far. 5. That this experience is something I should probably only do once. 6. That AP US History teachers are a terrific group of people, passionate about their subject and their students. 7. That Louisville is an awesome city with lots to see and do and that I don't really want to see any of it or do any of it. 8. That my family can survive just fine without me (for a while). 9. That having a roommate is not as much fun as it was in college (although she's really nice) 10. That I need to walk more. 11. That feeding 2000 teachers requires food that is not necessarily delicious (although it's filling). 12. That AP teachers really, really enjoy the cocktail reception. 13. That AP US History is being "resigned" and that we better teach our students to WRITE, WRITE, WRITE. 14. That I love my hometown of KC. 15. That reading student papers for 8 hours a day is NO FUN. 16. That I likely have ADD as I cannot sit still.