The 8th graders are having a bit of a learning curve. But they will adjust, as shall I. My largest disappointment is that the 8th grade classes seem pretty slow on the uptake when it comes to random questions. I say, "Ask anything," and they just stare at me. Alas. Hopefully they'll catch on.
But while I miss Hufford, and all my former students, I think I will do well here. I'm getting along well with most other teachers and students, and I think I'll be able to make a positive difference.
So, back to some unanswered questions and comments!
It is accurate to say that T-rexes have tiny forearms. It is also accurate to say that they retein the juvenile characteristic for those forearms. That is to say, the rest of the t-rex grows, but the forearms don't, at least not much. But this is not really a "flaw" of evolution, as much as a feature. T-rexes were descended from ancestors who had begun to specialize in bipedal hunting: by running on two powerful hind legs, counterbalanced by a large tail, they were more successful at hunting for prey. In many cases where animals begin to specialize, features that were helpful to their ancestors become...less helpful. In some cases, those features become irrelevant. Like "arms" to a t-rex. Or legs to a snake or whale. In those cases, the energy spent building the unnecessary structures is wasted, since it doesn't help the organism survive. In that case, in a population of t-rexes, the most successful ones are probably those that inherit the likelihood of of not growing large arms, saving the energy for more important things like growing large legs, or teeth, or saving the energy for hunting. The ones that use energy on useless structures are more likely to die, and therefore less likely to pass on their genes. So over time, less used structures tend to disappear from populations. That is why we've lost the keen sense of smell our ancestors likely had. OR why whales have remnants of legs, but no real legs. Or why Kangaroos or T-rexes have tiny little arms. In the long run, evolution can do some very weird things.
Melanie, your ears hurt when descending because at high altitude, there is less air pressure. The higher pressure air in your head/ears slowly escapes as you swallow and chew when taking off. Increasing altitude is typically pretty slower, so there is more time for your ears to adjust. Descending for a landing is frequently faster. In that case, the denser air at lower altitudes is trying to force its way back into the low pressure areas in your ears. This can painfully and literally press in on your eardrums. It mainly depends on how fast you are flying up or down. It can also be affected by nasal congestion, which can slow how easily air moves in and out of your head.
And otherwise, thanks to everyone: Djuan, Hunter, That One Blonde, Fabian, Mel, and everyone else. I hope you have a fantastic year. If you ever have the chance to check in and/or ask a question, I'd love to hear it!