Having been told by my Assistant Principal that including pictures of my dog in PowerPoints is distracting, I will omit the dogs, the memes, the funny cartoons, etc. We are not to waste any minutes on noninstructional material, he says.

Well, O.K. I will comply. I certainly am not going to war over this issue. The kids always seemed to like the memes and puppies, but I guess I will take the straightforward nothing-but-the-facts-ma’am approach. At this point, I expect I will just scout out a PowerPoint online that fits the standard and the topic.

Eduhonesty: I will save a great deal of time with this latest decree.

But my PowerPoints have been part of my art. I took time to make them original and funny, when I could find time anyway. Finding and making memes has always made my evening’s prep work more enjoyable. Lando Calrissian in the “Empire Strikes Back” expressed my feelings about teaching under my Assistant Principal’s new regime perfectly: “This deal is getting worse all the time!”

Most likely, my students’ pleasure in the new system of taking notes on the Chromebooks will make up for any loss of artistry or humor in my presentation. I hope.