There are approximately 6 weeks of teaching left, and we have not filled any of our 6 math openings for next year. When classes end we take the risk of not being able to see the applicants do “demo lessons,” which was why we hired a teacher two years ago who was absolutely abysmal. The problem is that math teachers are in such high demand every person we offer a job also receives another half-dozen job offers, some of them offering much higher starting salaries than we do. Our salary guide is a very short one, only 11 steps, but most new teachers prefer higher starting salary to higher wages ten years down the road.

As the weather gets warmer, I start making my summer plans, which usually means what I will be writing, and which books I would like to read. My current reading list is as follows:

• Inheritor, by C.J. Cherryh
• The Rosetta Codex, by Richard Paul Russo
• The Last Witchfinder, by James Morrow
• Best Short Novels 2007, edited by Jonathan Strahan
• The New Space Opera, edited by Gardner Dozois and Jonathan Strahan
• Ilium / Olympos, a two-volume series by Dan Simmons

*wow* I can't wait to get started!