Sometimes, writing with my Honors students was just plain fun. In this entry, I respond to one of their impromptu journal suggestions.

On this particular morning in June of 2012, one of my sophomores had challenged the class to explain in their journal why a classmate, Lexie, had arrived late. Lexie was (and still is, I’m sure) a mature, thoughtful, and outgoing young woman; therefore, she did not seem at all dismayed by this proposal which emerged unexpectedly from one of her peers.

Having heard the challenge, I dutifully responded — with the intention that I would read the completed entry to my sleepy-eyed students. And that is exactly what I did.

6-12-12  Reasons why Lexie is late:

1. She works as a crossing guard, and is unable to get the little kids across the street fast enough.
2. To enhance her cardiovascular performance, she runs to school — along M-24 — every morning.
3. She sings every song on Queen’s greatest hits album in the shower, #### and is unable to leave the house until she finishes the last verse.
4. She eats her bowl of cereal one flake at a time, and this slows her down.
5. She feeds every pet at the #### Auburn Hills Humane Society branch each morning.
6. UFOs
7. [Her] household is in another time zone, so she is always an hour behind.
8. #### It takes 45 minutes for her to attach all of her bracelets.
9. Choosing a hair-band can be a very time-consuming task.