I’m at the airport, specifically in the Delta terminal, waiting for my flight.

Can I tell you that the person who named the waiting areas “terminals” needs undergo psychiatric evaluation? What kind of sicko makes you think about the end when you’re sitting around waiting for the beginning?

Too many rhetorical questions, I know.

Where am I going you ask?

Daytona, Florida. Year 4 as a reader for the English Language and Composition Advanced Placement Exam. Are you breathless yet?  Well, this should push you over the edge. Starting tomorrow, about 600 or so of us will gather to start “the reading.” We assemble in an auditorium across the street from the hotel. In Daytona, apparently any street is a raceway. And more than a few of us still don’t understand the concept that CARS ARE BIGGER THAN PEOPLE and insist on attempting to outrun them.

After the yaddayaddayadda welcome back, we find the question to which we’ve been assigned. Students sit for the AP test in May. They answer 55 mutiple-choice questions written by borderline sadistic personalities, then have Then, they’re given two hours to answer three free-response questions, once of which is a synthesis question. Just fr fun, here’s the question WITHOUT the accompanying sources:

Directions: The following prompt is based on the accompanying seven sources.
This question requires you to synthesize a variety of sources into a coherent, well-written essay.When you
synthesize sources you refer to them to develop your position and cite them accurately. Your argument should be central; the sources should support this argument. Avoid merely summarizing sources.
Remember to attribute both direct and indirect citations.
Introduction
In 2001 United States Representative Jim Kolbe introduced legislation to Congress to eliminate the penny coin in most transactions. Although this legislation failed, there are still consistent calls to eliminate the penny as the smallest-denomination United States coin.
Assignment
Read the following sources (including the introductory information) carefully. Then write an essay in which you develop a position on whether or not the penny coin should be eliminated. Synthesize at least three of the sources for support. You may refer to the sources by their titles (Source A, Source B, etc.) or by the descriptions in the parentheses.
Source A (Lewis)
Source B (Kahn)
Source C (Safire)
Source D (Weller)
Source E (Harris Poll)
Source F (Press Release)
Source G (Penny Visual)

Keep in mind, these kids are generally juniors in high school. This is ONE question. I’ll save you apoplexy by not posting the other two.

So, we’re assigned to one of these, most of us praying it’s not the one above. Then, we’ll spend tomorrow through Tuesday of next week scoring the essays the kids wrote. We start at 8:30 and end at 4:30, with two 15 minute breaks and an hour for lunch (yes, they feed us…more about that later).

During the week, I’ll read about 1,200 essays.

But…gotta board…more later…