Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Pool Bound
Kenzie took her first trip to the pool last week. Despite Dad letting her get a taste of too much chlorine, she loved every second of it.
I usually despise forwards . . .
But this was too good not to post.
Twelve signs the economy is bad
12. CEO's are now playing miniature golf.
11. I got a pre-declined credit card in the mail.
10. I went to buy a toaster oven and they gave me a bank.
9. Hot wheels and Matchbox car companies are now trading higher than GM in the stock market.
8. Obama met with small businesses - GE, Pfizer, Chrysler, Citigroup and GM, to discuss their Stimulus Package.
7. McDonalds is selling a 1/4 ouncer.
6. People in Beverly Hills fired their nannies and are learning their
children's names.
5. The most highly-paid job is now jury duty.
4. People in Africa are donating money to Americans. Mothers in Ethiopia are telling their kids, "finish your plate; do you know how many kids are starving in America?"
3. Motel Six won't leave the lights on anymore.
2. The Mafia is laying off judges.
1. If the bank returns your check marked as "insufficient funds," you have
to call them and ask if they meant you or them.
Twelve signs the economy is bad
12. CEO's are now playing miniature golf.
11. I got a pre-declined credit card in the mail.
10. I went to buy a toaster oven and they gave me a bank.
9. Hot wheels and Matchbox car companies are now trading higher than GM in the stock market.
8. Obama met with small businesses - GE, Pfizer, Chrysler, Citigroup and GM, to discuss their Stimulus Package.
7. McDonalds is selling a 1/4 ouncer.
6. People in Beverly Hills fired their nannies and are learning their
children's names.
5. The most highly-paid job is now jury duty.
4. People in Africa are donating money to Americans. Mothers in Ethiopia are telling their kids, "finish your plate; do you know how many kids are starving in America?"
3. Motel Six won't leave the lights on anymore.
2. The Mafia is laying off judges.
1. If the bank returns your check marked as "insufficient funds," you have
to call them and ask if they meant you or them.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Great Clip
I finished Ken Robinson's The Element a couple of weeks ago. I've been meaning to blog about it for some time but just haven't found the time to get anything written.
This brief clip summarizes some key points from the book.
First, Robinson notes how schools - and really our culture - tends to squash - quite ruthlessly - creativity in children.
Why do you think so many people love early elementary school? Nap time. Story time. Painting. Trips to the library. Recess. Reading time. It's all about having fun, creating, and learning.
Now contrast that with middle or high school.
Exactly.
Where did the fun go?
Just watch how children love to create. Then watch what teenagers love to create. Outside of drama and text messaging (wonder if there could possibly be a link there?), it's pretty rare to see a sense of wonder and creativity in the classroom.
I'm as guilty of this as anyone.
Too many standards, assignments, tests, and so on.
More often than not, though, the students are just as guilty - though not necessarily through no fault of their own - and it's no wonder. Look at how we feel about creating after having our imaginations thoroughly drubbed and beaten out of us throughout much of high school.
Several years ago I taught journalism. I gave the students a choice: they could write their articles for the upcoming student newspaper or they could stuff envelops that were to go out to senior parents notifying them of when the yearbook would go on sale.
Every single one chose to stuff envelops. It takes energy and thought to create a story. But it doesn't take anything to stuff envelops. And the students worked diligently printing, folding, stuffing, and sealing the envelops for 90 minutes!
It was one of the saddest days of my career.
Early elementary seems to be the last refuge for creativity, where it is okay for kids to try and fail and to explore their talents and interests.
Don't tell me that happens at high school. In 12 years of teaching there I cannot begin to tell you how many kids don't care what they learn (let alone enjoy what they learn or see value or relevance in it). Instead, they are hellbent on getting the "A" and maintaining that precious 4.0 GPA. Off the top of my head I can think of a dozen students over the past couple years who have stressed to me how important it is that they NEVER get a B!
How insane is that?
I stress to them to have fun and enjoy what they learn rather than just "doing school" (see Denise Clark Pope's excellent text on the issue) and getting that 4.0 while learning very little. But it rarely makes a difference.
Where did such a foolish view of education develop? Well, Robinson takes a thorough look at that in The Elementt.
One problem is that most - if not all - of what we have been doing in school for the past century or so has been based on the Industrial Revolution model. The workforce at that time demanded people who could be productive in standardized shifts of time (such as a 45 minute work session - ever wonder why most classes are that long?), who could read and write and do some math, who could handle a new task ever 45 minutes or so . . . these are all benchmarks of the industrial revolution. Our schools were designed to produce mostly workers who would be doing manual labor.
So when a student made it to high school, they were pushed away from the arts (drama, music, art) because "you'll never find a job in that area." And that was mostly true . . . 50 years ago.
But thanks to the technological revolution and globalization, we no longer need a school system based on the industrial revolution. The majority of our students will not work in factories. I recall what Congressman George Miller told the Press Club when he was speaking about the recent report "A Democracy at Risk," that the only sustainable sources of economic growth in our flat world are innovation and discovery.
Yet we often steer kids away from what they are passionate about (the arts) and emphasize the sciences instead. No wonder so many kids dislike school and struggle while they are there. No wonder so many never develop a broad range of skills to make them well rounded citizens. We need to develop their imaginations and creative capacities if we are to keep up with China and India in terms of innovation and discovery.
Again, the industrial model of education didn't need citizens. They needed workers.
While we still need workers today, we cannot afford - in a flat, globalized world where China and India both produce more honor students than we have students - to turn out people who lack imagination and problem solving skills - and those are the very skills that many businesses are complaining that their workers don't have. It's because we focus too much on math and science and not on developing a well rounded student.
Now Robinson does not claim that arts are superior to the sciences. They are both important. But we need to rethink how we approach this. Why force a kid who loves and is passionate about art, for example, to struggle through chemistry and trigonometry? What school system on earth today makes a kid who is passionate and gifted in science and math struggle through art or choir? Let the kids follow their passions.
Maybe then I'd never hear the words, "Why do I have to learn this" or "When will I ever use any of this?"
I honestly think that if you allow kids to develop their passions and the skills that they are gifted in, you will also see them excel in other areas (this happened with me and math in college. I loathed it in high school and struggled mightily. Part of it was due that I neglected my math work to read and write instead. However, in college, where I really began to excel in my English courses, I also really began to enjoy my college algebra class). I think you'll see them begin to enjoy the process of learning. Which often does not happen now.
I like the story Robinson tells both in the clip above and in the book about a music teacher in Liverpool, where Robinson grew up, who not only had Paul McCartney in his class, but he also had George Harrison. That's right. One music teacher had HALF of the Beatles in his music class. Guess what? He never saw any talent in either, and they both left school thinking they had no musical talent.
And they formed the Beatles! The greatest band in the history of the world!
How could the teacher not recognize their talents? How could McCartney and Harrison not have found their love for music? Isn't that what schools are supposed to do - find talent and cultivate it?
Well, part of it was the teacher (who left the kids to spin records while he smoked in the teacher's lounge) and part of it was the students (they would play cards until a few minutes before class was over when they knew the teacher would return. Then they'd put the record on and skip to the last few notes and tell him how great it was).
A good portion of The Element involves Robinson interviewing some of the most talented people in their respective professions - who hated school (Mick Fleetwood and Matt Groening and Gordon Parks). He strives to answer why.
Robinson offers the example of Gillian Lynn. You probably have never heard of her. However, when she was a child in England in the early 1930's, her school called a meeting with Gillian's mother and explained that they thought there was something wrong with Gillian. She couldn't sit still and was a distraction. Thus, Gillian's mother took her to a doctor who listened to the list of behavioral problems.
Then he told Gillian that he and her mother were going to step outside for a moment. She should just sit tight and wait for them.
Then on his way out he flipped on a radio he had on his desk.
He left the door open and stood outside in the hallway with Gillian's mother. "Just watch her," he said.
Sure enough, in a moment Gillian was up, dancing all around the room to the music.
"There's nothing wrong with your daughter, Mrs. Lynn," the doctor said. "She's a dancer. Put her in dance school."
That is exactly what her mother did. And Gillian excelled. On the first day she felt at home. She said, "Everyone there was just like me. They had to move to think." They had to move to think.
How often do we allow our kinesthetic learners to do that in our classes?
Lynn excelled in dance school. She founded her own dance company and school. She met Andrew Lloyd Webber. She did the choreography for Cats and Phantom of the Opera. She has brought joy and beauty to millions of people. She is an expert in her field. She leads a productive life. Oh and she is a multi-millionaire.
Now, how many people today would put her on meds and tell her to calm down?
That brings us to Robinson's second problem with education and our culture: we are - as he states in the video - in a "false epidemic" of prescribing drugs for behavioral disorders and labeling kids.
He observes how kids of his generation routinely had their tonsils removed (I was one as well . . . and I wrote an essay about it, using it as a metaphor for the removal of the imagination via school systems. I'll track it down and post it later). That was the accepted treatment for tonsillitis . . . cut those suckers out.
Yet, if you ask kids today if they have their tonsils, a majority will still have them.
Why?
It was a false epidemic. This isn't to say that some cases don't warrant having tonsils removed. But not the vast majority of cases! It was an easy fix and over prescribed.
The false epidemic we are plagued with today is ADHD and plopping kids in special ed.
This, of course, is a billion dollar boon for the drug companies. Yet, you can't tell me we need so many kids on meds and in special ed.
Like with tonsils, this does not mean NO kids should be on meds or in special ed. Some warrant that. But not so many.
This is our new false epidemic.
Where were these ADHD and special ed kids 50 years ago? Many people wonder.
Well, first it wasn't an available condition 50 years ago. People didn't know they could have it. Second, kids today live in the most stimulating environment in the history of earth.
Think about it, how much information does a typical teenager take in by 10 am?
KoKo wakes up with her cell phone in her hand ready to text (or at least within four feet of her).
By 10 am, I'm guessing she has sent 100 texts.
She is up at 5:30 three times a week to go to sports excel.
As soon as she gets home, she is on Facebook. She is on there until she has to go to softball practice at 9:30.
Oh, yeah, she isn't just on Facebook. She has MSN going and Youtube (watching videos made and produced by her peers) and her cell phone going off. She is also monitoring yahoo news or msn to see if any more celebrities have bit the dust (she is fascinated by the fact that so many have died so recently). She also has her ipod plugged in to her ears.
Now, I'm not saying this is all good. But it's the routine of millions of kids just like her. They are living in the most stimulating environment ever.
They are taking in more information and creating more information than any generation in history.
Yet, we think there is something wrong with them when they get bored with an education system that is outdated by 50 years! Then we put them on meds or in special ed because they can't focus.
It's not the kids that have to calm down. It's the teachers that have to speed up. I like what Full Sail has now, it's a slogan for teachers to use technology in their classrooms: "No Teacher Left Behind."
This brief clip summarizes some key points from the book.
First, Robinson notes how schools - and really our culture - tends to squash - quite ruthlessly - creativity in children.
Why do you think so many people love early elementary school? Nap time. Story time. Painting. Trips to the library. Recess. Reading time. It's all about having fun, creating, and learning.
Now contrast that with middle or high school.
Exactly.
Where did the fun go?
Just watch how children love to create. Then watch what teenagers love to create. Outside of drama and text messaging (wonder if there could possibly be a link there?), it's pretty rare to see a sense of wonder and creativity in the classroom.
I'm as guilty of this as anyone.
Too many standards, assignments, tests, and so on.
More often than not, though, the students are just as guilty - though not necessarily through no fault of their own - and it's no wonder. Look at how we feel about creating after having our imaginations thoroughly drubbed and beaten out of us throughout much of high school.
Several years ago I taught journalism. I gave the students a choice: they could write their articles for the upcoming student newspaper or they could stuff envelops that were to go out to senior parents notifying them of when the yearbook would go on sale.
Every single one chose to stuff envelops. It takes energy and thought to create a story. But it doesn't take anything to stuff envelops. And the students worked diligently printing, folding, stuffing, and sealing the envelops for 90 minutes!
It was one of the saddest days of my career.
Early elementary seems to be the last refuge for creativity, where it is okay for kids to try and fail and to explore their talents and interests.
Don't tell me that happens at high school. In 12 years of teaching there I cannot begin to tell you how many kids don't care what they learn (let alone enjoy what they learn or see value or relevance in it). Instead, they are hellbent on getting the "A" and maintaining that precious 4.0 GPA. Off the top of my head I can think of a dozen students over the past couple years who have stressed to me how important it is that they NEVER get a B!
How insane is that?
I stress to them to have fun and enjoy what they learn rather than just "doing school" (see Denise Clark Pope's excellent text on the issue) and getting that 4.0 while learning very little. But it rarely makes a difference.
Where did such a foolish view of education develop? Well, Robinson takes a thorough look at that in The Elementt.
One problem is that most - if not all - of what we have been doing in school for the past century or so has been based on the Industrial Revolution model. The workforce at that time demanded people who could be productive in standardized shifts of time (such as a 45 minute work session - ever wonder why most classes are that long?), who could read and write and do some math, who could handle a new task ever 45 minutes or so . . . these are all benchmarks of the industrial revolution. Our schools were designed to produce mostly workers who would be doing manual labor.
So when a student made it to high school, they were pushed away from the arts (drama, music, art) because "you'll never find a job in that area." And that was mostly true . . . 50 years ago.
But thanks to the technological revolution and globalization, we no longer need a school system based on the industrial revolution. The majority of our students will not work in factories. I recall what Congressman George Miller told the Press Club when he was speaking about the recent report "A Democracy at Risk," that the only sustainable sources of economic growth in our flat world are innovation and discovery.
Yet we often steer kids away from what they are passionate about (the arts) and emphasize the sciences instead. No wonder so many kids dislike school and struggle while they are there. No wonder so many never develop a broad range of skills to make them well rounded citizens. We need to develop their imaginations and creative capacities if we are to keep up with China and India in terms of innovation and discovery.
Again, the industrial model of education didn't need citizens. They needed workers.
While we still need workers today, we cannot afford - in a flat, globalized world where China and India both produce more honor students than we have students - to turn out people who lack imagination and problem solving skills - and those are the very skills that many businesses are complaining that their workers don't have. It's because we focus too much on math and science and not on developing a well rounded student.
Now Robinson does not claim that arts are superior to the sciences. They are both important. But we need to rethink how we approach this. Why force a kid who loves and is passionate about art, for example, to struggle through chemistry and trigonometry? What school system on earth today makes a kid who is passionate and gifted in science and math struggle through art or choir? Let the kids follow their passions.
Maybe then I'd never hear the words, "Why do I have to learn this" or "When will I ever use any of this?"
I honestly think that if you allow kids to develop their passions and the skills that they are gifted in, you will also see them excel in other areas (this happened with me and math in college. I loathed it in high school and struggled mightily. Part of it was due that I neglected my math work to read and write instead. However, in college, where I really began to excel in my English courses, I also really began to enjoy my college algebra class). I think you'll see them begin to enjoy the process of learning. Which often does not happen now.
I like the story Robinson tells both in the clip above and in the book about a music teacher in Liverpool, where Robinson grew up, who not only had Paul McCartney in his class, but he also had George Harrison. That's right. One music teacher had HALF of the Beatles in his music class. Guess what? He never saw any talent in either, and they both left school thinking they had no musical talent.
And they formed the Beatles! The greatest band in the history of the world!
How could the teacher not recognize their talents? How could McCartney and Harrison not have found their love for music? Isn't that what schools are supposed to do - find talent and cultivate it?
Well, part of it was the teacher (who left the kids to spin records while he smoked in the teacher's lounge) and part of it was the students (they would play cards until a few minutes before class was over when they knew the teacher would return. Then they'd put the record on and skip to the last few notes and tell him how great it was).
A good portion of The Element involves Robinson interviewing some of the most talented people in their respective professions - who hated school (Mick Fleetwood and Matt Groening and Gordon Parks). He strives to answer why.
Robinson offers the example of Gillian Lynn. You probably have never heard of her. However, when she was a child in England in the early 1930's, her school called a meeting with Gillian's mother and explained that they thought there was something wrong with Gillian. She couldn't sit still and was a distraction. Thus, Gillian's mother took her to a doctor who listened to the list of behavioral problems.
Then he told Gillian that he and her mother were going to step outside for a moment. She should just sit tight and wait for them.
Then on his way out he flipped on a radio he had on his desk.
He left the door open and stood outside in the hallway with Gillian's mother. "Just watch her," he said.
Sure enough, in a moment Gillian was up, dancing all around the room to the music.
"There's nothing wrong with your daughter, Mrs. Lynn," the doctor said. "She's a dancer. Put her in dance school."
That is exactly what her mother did. And Gillian excelled. On the first day she felt at home. She said, "Everyone there was just like me. They had to move to think." They had to move to think.
How often do we allow our kinesthetic learners to do that in our classes?
Lynn excelled in dance school. She founded her own dance company and school. She met Andrew Lloyd Webber. She did the choreography for Cats and Phantom of the Opera. She has brought joy and beauty to millions of people. She is an expert in her field. She leads a productive life. Oh and she is a multi-millionaire.
Now, how many people today would put her on meds and tell her to calm down?
That brings us to Robinson's second problem with education and our culture: we are - as he states in the video - in a "false epidemic" of prescribing drugs for behavioral disorders and labeling kids.
He observes how kids of his generation routinely had their tonsils removed (I was one as well . . . and I wrote an essay about it, using it as a metaphor for the removal of the imagination via school systems. I'll track it down and post it later). That was the accepted treatment for tonsillitis . . . cut those suckers out.
Yet, if you ask kids today if they have their tonsils, a majority will still have them.
Why?
It was a false epidemic. This isn't to say that some cases don't warrant having tonsils removed. But not the vast majority of cases! It was an easy fix and over prescribed.
The false epidemic we are plagued with today is ADHD and plopping kids in special ed.
This, of course, is a billion dollar boon for the drug companies. Yet, you can't tell me we need so many kids on meds and in special ed.
Like with tonsils, this does not mean NO kids should be on meds or in special ed. Some warrant that. But not so many.
This is our new false epidemic.
Where were these ADHD and special ed kids 50 years ago? Many people wonder.
Well, first it wasn't an available condition 50 years ago. People didn't know they could have it. Second, kids today live in the most stimulating environment in the history of earth.
Think about it, how much information does a typical teenager take in by 10 am?
KoKo wakes up with her cell phone in her hand ready to text (or at least within four feet of her).
By 10 am, I'm guessing she has sent 100 texts.
She is up at 5:30 three times a week to go to sports excel.
As soon as she gets home, she is on Facebook. She is on there until she has to go to softball practice at 9:30.
Oh, yeah, she isn't just on Facebook. She has MSN going and Youtube (watching videos made and produced by her peers) and her cell phone going off. She is also monitoring yahoo news or msn to see if any more celebrities have bit the dust (she is fascinated by the fact that so many have died so recently). She also has her ipod plugged in to her ears.
Now, I'm not saying this is all good. But it's the routine of millions of kids just like her. They are living in the most stimulating environment ever.
They are taking in more information and creating more information than any generation in history.
Yet, we think there is something wrong with them when they get bored with an education system that is outdated by 50 years! Then we put them on meds or in special ed because they can't focus.
It's not the kids that have to calm down. It's the teachers that have to speed up. I like what Full Sail has now, it's a slogan for teachers to use technology in their classrooms: "No Teacher Left Behind."
Friday, June 26, 2009
Turkey Drop
This is maybe the funniest scene in all of 80's sitcoms. My mom and I used to love WKRP in Cincinnati. In fact, that might have been an early reason why I loved the Bengals so much.
This is the climax to the greatest episode in which the station owner devises a brilliant scheme to garner the station some publicity on Thanksgiving. His idea? Well, you'll see.
Here is the owner's explanation for the 'stunt.'
Mom just about fell off the couch laughing.
This is the climax to the greatest episode in which the station owner devises a brilliant scheme to garner the station some publicity on Thanksgiving. His idea? Well, you'll see.
Here is the owner's explanation for the 'stunt.'
Mom just about fell off the couch laughing.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Caution
Kristie couldn't help but laugh when she saw the sign KoKo put up on her door the other day. We knew her room was gettin messy (this is NOTHING new), but why it warranted a sign (as well as a second language) is beyond us!
Math
Saw this video yesterday at a training session. Since math is Greek to me, I can relate to the confusion in here.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
The Rubber Room
This story - at first - disgusted me. What a disgrace to teachers and what a black eye to our wonderful profession.
I first heard of "the Rubber Room" from ABC's documentary "Stupid in America" which really attacked the public school system, especially the teacher's union. Now, I won't try to debate the fact that tenure does defend terrible teachers. But both the story and ABC's documentary just make it seem that NYC's schools are just full of terrible teachers.
The whole system should shoulder some of the blame. Barely more than half of all students graduate on time. While 35-37 million is spent on paying the full salaries of teachers in the Rubber Room, that amounts to approximately .25 percent of the NYC school budget. That's right. It's the largest school system in the world and has a budget on par with NASA.
The onus of the blame can't rest just on teachers. After just viewing the trailer of a documentary on the Rubber Room makes me glad I don't teach in a large urban district.
In fact, it makes me quite pleased that my biggest complaints about my school are rather trivial.
But as with everything, there is always more to the story. This trailer of a documentary delves further into the issue, and shows both sides, unlike this article.
I first heard of "the Rubber Room" from ABC's documentary "Stupid in America" which really attacked the public school system, especially the teacher's union. Now, I won't try to debate the fact that tenure does defend terrible teachers. But both the story and ABC's documentary just make it seem that NYC's schools are just full of terrible teachers.
The whole system should shoulder some of the blame. Barely more than half of all students graduate on time. While 35-37 million is spent on paying the full salaries of teachers in the Rubber Room, that amounts to approximately .25 percent of the NYC school budget. That's right. It's the largest school system in the world and has a budget on par with NASA.
The onus of the blame can't rest just on teachers. After just viewing the trailer of a documentary on the Rubber Room makes me glad I don't teach in a large urban district.
In fact, it makes me quite pleased that my biggest complaints about my school are rather trivial.
But as with everything, there is always more to the story. This trailer of a documentary delves further into the issue, and shows both sides, unlike this article.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
This was the site that greeted me when I pulled up to Gail's last week. Not only did she have the Geek Squad over, but she also had two Polar vans parked in her drive way!
Welcome to the 21st Century, indeed.
It took awhile, the Polar guys were working on getting her internet and TV hooked up (she switched phone companies). I believe they were there for about four hours.
While the worked, the Geek Squad tech guy got Gail's laptop and printer up and running.
Gail was a little unfamiliar with some of the terminology. She asked about getting 'sound boxes' (speakers) for her computer. She also referred to her printer as her "picture machine."
However, once all was hooked up and running well, Gail had herself an email account, a Facebook page, and had Word up and running on her computer.
This weekend Gail brought her laptop over to our house and Kristie was able to help her work out some of the kinks when working with her Facebook page (I didn't really know what I was doing when I set her page up since I'm so 20th century and don't have a Facebook page).
Now we just have to get her pictured downloaded from her digital camera to her computer. Gail forgot her camera here. However, I was to bring it to her when I helped her get used to her computer, but I forgot the camera! We thought we had everything we needed on Sunday, but Gail forgot her USB cable for her camera and the one we use for our cameras doesn't fit hers. Figures.
I can only imagine the overload of information Gail is dealing with. I'm still fumbling my way through some features on this blog. And I've been doing this blogging stuff now for three years.
Gail is doing phenomenally well for using her laptop for the first time.
Now we just have get her on Twitter and an iPhone!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
What a mess
Since it was a gorgeous Saturday, Kristie decided to spend it in one of her favorite ways: doing yard work. I hid out in the house and watched Kenzie.
After she mowed the lawn, swept and washed the sidewalk and patio, and filled in sand between the flagstone and swept the excess off again (Don't I have the perfect wife? And she loves football!), we decided to take Kenzie for a ride out to Dad's. Since I pulled up the sidewalk that ran around our house, we are in need of several pick up loads of black dirt (luckily, Minn-Dak, who rents the pit, pushed up quite a bit of dirt and topsoil. It will work perfectly).
We loaded Joker and Kozy into Casey's truck, which has now become out truck since he moved out, and took 32 south.
On the way, Kristie gave Kenzie some cookies. She looks pretty excited to see the gravel pit and to dip her toes in the water.
After she mowed the lawn, swept and washed the sidewalk and patio, and filled in sand between the flagstone and swept the excess off again (Don't I have the perfect wife? And she loves football!), we decided to take Kenzie for a ride out to Dad's. Since I pulled up the sidewalk that ran around our house, we are in need of several pick up loads of black dirt (luckily, Minn-Dak, who rents the pit, pushed up quite a bit of dirt and topsoil. It will work perfectly).
We loaded Joker and Kozy into Casey's truck, which has now become out truck since he moved out, and took 32 south.
On the way, Kristie gave Kenzie some cookies. She looks pretty excited to see the gravel pit and to dip her toes in the water.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Kenzie's best friend
Out of all of our animals, we figured the one to take the least interest in Kenzie would be Mischa. She is meek and mild and rather skittish.
However, she has latched on to Kenzie like one of her own. Whenever we set Kenzie down, there's Mischa right by her side.
However, she has latched on to Kenzie like one of her own. Whenever we set Kenzie down, there's Mischa right by her side.
Who knew?
Yesterday I had to run to the post office to send out Ed's Father's Day present as well as a package for Casey.
While I waited, I looked around and realized that the post office had some pretty cool things. Like this. Our local office was all out of Edgar Allan Poe stamps, but they gave me a couple of catalogs and told me to check out the usps store on line.
Who knew the post office (at least on line) was such a fun place to shop. I even found Star Wars stamps.
While I waited, I looked around and realized that the post office had some pretty cool things. Like this. Our local office was all out of Edgar Allan Poe stamps, but they gave me a couple of catalogs and told me to check out the usps store on line.
Who knew the post office (at least on line) was such a fun place to shop. I even found Star Wars stamps.
Nine month check up
Kenzers had her nine month check up with Dr. Connelly (who is the best in the business as far as we are concerned) yesterday.
They always measure her height and head size and weigh her. Then Dr. Connelly has this computer program that shows her percentile and where she stacks up against other babies her age.
So far she is in the 97th percentile for height and in the 66th for weight and head size. Now I have no illusions that Kenzers will be playing in the WNBA one day. After all, I stopped growing pretty much after ninth grade. But it sure is fun to wonder where she gets her "height"!
I couldn't help but think the first time I saw all of the measureless up on the screen how similar it all was to the NWEA results we get during the year from our students' test scores.
Then I couldn't help but think that maybe if we (I mean parents) paid more attention to our children at this time in their lives and their first 'test' scores, then maybe we wouldn't have the high stakes testing insanity that is en vogue in our current public education.
They always measure her height and head size and weigh her. Then Dr. Connelly has this computer program that shows her percentile and where she stacks up against other babies her age.
So far she is in the 97th percentile for height and in the 66th for weight and head size. Now I have no illusions that Kenzers will be playing in the WNBA one day. After all, I stopped growing pretty much after ninth grade. But it sure is fun to wonder where she gets her "height"!
I couldn't help but think the first time I saw all of the measureless up on the screen how similar it all was to the NWEA results we get during the year from our students' test scores.
Then I couldn't help but think that maybe if we (I mean parents) paid more attention to our children at this time in their lives and their first 'test' scores, then maybe we wouldn't have the high stakes testing insanity that is en vogue in our current public education.
Just plain stupid
Now I'm an animal lover/tree hugger. KoKo is too. If she finds a dead bird, bat, or any such thing in the yard, she has to give it a proper burial. She is kind to all things. I am guilty of even picking worms off the sidewalk after a rain and tossing them into the grace to at least give them a fighting chance. If either of us find a lady bug or Asian beetle, if at all possible, we chuck it outside. When we found bats roosting in our chimney, we let them be. When I found those monstrous spiders in the garage, I watched them with glee (smaller versions are back this summer. It will be interesting to see how large they get) instead of squashing them right away.
But this is just plain stupid. No wonder so many people hate PETA.
But this is just plain stupid. No wonder so many people hate PETA.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Dance Night
We started to tear into redecorating Casey's room into our new family/TV room, but then Kristie and KoKo got the dancing bug - thanks mostly to this song.
See if you can do it. My frond Jason in TRF has all the moves down.
See if you can do it. My frond Jason in TRF has all the moves down.
To say something or not to say something . . .
That is the question.
It's funny how you notice new things. When Kristie was pregnant, I suddenly started noticing pregnant women everywhere. Then when Kenzie was born, I spotted people with babies left and right. Now, though, that we have begun to take Kenzers out in public more and sometimes have to deal with her becoming frustrated or a bit cranky (albeit this has rarely happened but I won't be a fool and think that it won't in the future), now I see disciplining their kids often.
The question I'd like to hear from you, faithful reader, is when should I say something? Or should I just keep my mouth shut?
Here are some examples.
At the art fest last Sunday we found a nice shady spot down by the river to cool and change Kenzie. It was not long before others began to seek similar shady spots. One mother laid her young child down - it had to be under 18 months for it was still in diapers and had a pacifier in. However, when the child wouldn't hold still to have her diaper changed the mother grew angry and began spanking and scolding the child.
Do you say something? It's not like the child was throwing a full blown tantrum. I mean it was a baby!
A few minutes later a father pulled up on his bike with a few children in a pull along cart. One of the kids was insisting on wanting to go to one of the large blow up castles on either side of the river to jump around. The catch was that it was a dollar to enter.
"No. I told you no. I don't want to hear you ask again. You have a trampoline at home. Jump on that," he said.
I could see his point. Then Kristie commented, "If you know your kid is going to want to go on the ride, why bike them right past them? Why even bring them to this type of event."
I thought that was an excellent point. I mean why would you take you kids to the movie and not them get any popcorn? Why didn't he just choose another bike path or keep his kids at home and play with them on the trampoline?
Finally, after our doctor's visit, Kenzers and I made a stop of Playland. As I was getting her situated, I noticed two young boys (around four or five) playing Legos (my kind of kids!). Their grandfather and grandmother sat at a table a little ways away.
"Let's go," the grandfather stated in a tone that, as an adult, I knew that he meant business.
They, however, continued to play.
Finally, he stomped over to them and cornered one of the boys, who said that he didn't want to go, and the grandfather growled, "Do you want me to smack you in the mouth? Now let's go!"
Now, these are all taken out of context. We don't know if these instances were straws that broke the camel's back, so to speak.
But should I have said anything?
Part of me wanted to say something to the grandfather, but I held back. I could hear my father in the back of my mind, "Well, the boys should have got a move on" or "maybe it would have done them some good."
I couldn't help but think back to how Dad disciplined me. I can probably count on one hand the times I've been spanked (likewise, I can count on one hand the times Mom washed my mouth out with soap). Did either modify my behavior? I'm not sure. But I do know that Mom and Dad were loathe to discipline children in public. Or at least they were that way with me (I'm sure my older brother and sister pushed them to their limits, but I never did!!!).
I recall the last time Dad really disciplined me. It was the first summer on the farm (1984) and I had yet to turn 11.
It was our first time baling hay. Mom drove the tractor while Dad and I handled the bales. Well, I was never one to enjoy getting dirty, so when we finished a trailer, I hopped off to shake all the alfalfa leaves from my shirt and pants and other uncomfortable areas.
I didn't know that Dad was in a hurry and wanted to hook up another trailer right away and keep baling.
When he didn't see me, he stormed around to the back of the trailer and saw me there and shook me around some and yelled at me to get back to work.
Well, I was mad and embarrassed. It was the first time I ever swore at my dad. I tried not to cry - knowing Mom was watching from the tractor - but I cursed Dad under my breath but loud enough for him to hear.
Later he apologized saying how he was in a hurry and had I explained to him what I was doing, he would not have reacted that way. I understood his point. Had I just helped him hook up another trailer, we could have taken a quick break.
I got over it. But Dad never really did. Numerous times when he and I would be talking about baling hay or getting into trouble he would bring up how bad he felt about that incident. The last time he did was when we were going to one of his doctor appointments. I was telling him about some trouble Casey and KoKo got into and how well Kristie had handled it. Then Dad again brought up the baling hay incident and expressed his sorrow.
Dad might have defended the grandfather threatening to smack the boy in the mouth, but Dad was also haunted by what he actually did to me.
Had I said something, would it have made any difference? Or would it have shamed them into realizing how bad they were treating their kids? Or if they treat their kids like this in public, what do they do in private? Or is this all making a mountain out of a mole hill?
Let me know what you think and offer any of your own experiences or examples.
It's funny how you notice new things. When Kristie was pregnant, I suddenly started noticing pregnant women everywhere. Then when Kenzie was born, I spotted people with babies left and right. Now, though, that we have begun to take Kenzers out in public more and sometimes have to deal with her becoming frustrated or a bit cranky (albeit this has rarely happened but I won't be a fool and think that it won't in the future), now I see disciplining their kids often.
The question I'd like to hear from you, faithful reader, is when should I say something? Or should I just keep my mouth shut?
Here are some examples.
At the art fest last Sunday we found a nice shady spot down by the river to cool and change Kenzie. It was not long before others began to seek similar shady spots. One mother laid her young child down - it had to be under 18 months for it was still in diapers and had a pacifier in. However, when the child wouldn't hold still to have her diaper changed the mother grew angry and began spanking and scolding the child.
Do you say something? It's not like the child was throwing a full blown tantrum. I mean it was a baby!
A few minutes later a father pulled up on his bike with a few children in a pull along cart. One of the kids was insisting on wanting to go to one of the large blow up castles on either side of the river to jump around. The catch was that it was a dollar to enter.
"No. I told you no. I don't want to hear you ask again. You have a trampoline at home. Jump on that," he said.
I could see his point. Then Kristie commented, "If you know your kid is going to want to go on the ride, why bike them right past them? Why even bring them to this type of event."
I thought that was an excellent point. I mean why would you take you kids to the movie and not them get any popcorn? Why didn't he just choose another bike path or keep his kids at home and play with them on the trampoline?
Finally, after our doctor's visit, Kenzers and I made a stop of Playland. As I was getting her situated, I noticed two young boys (around four or five) playing Legos (my kind of kids!). Their grandfather and grandmother sat at a table a little ways away.
"Let's go," the grandfather stated in a tone that, as an adult, I knew that he meant business.
They, however, continued to play.
Finally, he stomped over to them and cornered one of the boys, who said that he didn't want to go, and the grandfather growled, "Do you want me to smack you in the mouth? Now let's go!"
Now, these are all taken out of context. We don't know if these instances were straws that broke the camel's back, so to speak.
But should I have said anything?
Part of me wanted to say something to the grandfather, but I held back. I could hear my father in the back of my mind, "Well, the boys should have got a move on" or "maybe it would have done them some good."
I couldn't help but think back to how Dad disciplined me. I can probably count on one hand the times I've been spanked (likewise, I can count on one hand the times Mom washed my mouth out with soap). Did either modify my behavior? I'm not sure. But I do know that Mom and Dad were loathe to discipline children in public. Or at least they were that way with me (I'm sure my older brother and sister pushed them to their limits, but I never did!!!).
I recall the last time Dad really disciplined me. It was the first summer on the farm (1984) and I had yet to turn 11.
It was our first time baling hay. Mom drove the tractor while Dad and I handled the bales. Well, I was never one to enjoy getting dirty, so when we finished a trailer, I hopped off to shake all the alfalfa leaves from my shirt and pants and other uncomfortable areas.
I didn't know that Dad was in a hurry and wanted to hook up another trailer right away and keep baling.
When he didn't see me, he stormed around to the back of the trailer and saw me there and shook me around some and yelled at me to get back to work.
Well, I was mad and embarrassed. It was the first time I ever swore at my dad. I tried not to cry - knowing Mom was watching from the tractor - but I cursed Dad under my breath but loud enough for him to hear.
Later he apologized saying how he was in a hurry and had I explained to him what I was doing, he would not have reacted that way. I understood his point. Had I just helped him hook up another trailer, we could have taken a quick break.
I got over it. But Dad never really did. Numerous times when he and I would be talking about baling hay or getting into trouble he would bring up how bad he felt about that incident. The last time he did was when we were going to one of his doctor appointments. I was telling him about some trouble Casey and KoKo got into and how well Kristie had handled it. Then Dad again brought up the baling hay incident and expressed his sorrow.
Dad might have defended the grandfather threatening to smack the boy in the mouth, but Dad was also haunted by what he actually did to me.
Had I said something, would it have made any difference? Or would it have shamed them into realizing how bad they were treating their kids? Or if they treat their kids like this in public, what do they do in private? Or is this all making a mountain out of a mole hill?
Let me know what you think and offer any of your own experiences or examples.
Lots of humor and personality
Just found this short clip from Transformers 2
I'm glad they kept the humor and personality of the first film.
Transformers Revenge of the Fallen: Your Worst Nightmare from Bay Films/Michael Bay Dot Com on Vimeo.
I'm glad they kept the humor and personality of the first film.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
This one is for you Michael
I don't know if you read this over the summer, but when I watched this 'mathemagician," I couldn't help but think of you.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Fan Boys, roll out!!
Well, it's almost here. And by it's, I mean Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen.
Three summers ago when I saw the first one, I was blown away. It was like I was 12 again. When Bumblebee rescues Sam from Barracuda, I was so thrilled I had to choke back a tear and keep from gleefully bouncing in my seat. Sad. I know.
Now it's a Michael Bay film, so we know a few things: lots of stuff will blow up, plenty of action (at the expense of plot and character), and the military will be involved. Oh yeah, and even more stuff will blow up.
But that's what's great about the Transformers, unlike the newest Terminator or even some of the Star Trek films, this franchise doesn't take itself too seriously. I mean we're talking about a whole story line built from toys (and they are the coolest toys ever invented).
This was the spot that previewed during the Super Bowl.
Again, when Optimus leaped onto that thing's head, I almost fell off the couch (in the picture below, he is outlined in red). I thought, that has to be devastator (the giant robot that the Constructicons can combine into), but it seems I was wrong. That giant robot is just ONE of the Constructicons. So just imagine how huge Devastator is! (and one early review I was reading said this was just the first scene!)
Here is the second trailer for the film, where Devastator makes his debut. He is the large monstrosity scene scaling a pyramid and then sucking up the whole damn desert in the final clip.
Here are some leaked photos of the new toy line featuring the Constructicons individually and combined into Bay's version of Devastator.
Now, what you ask, could possibly defeat this?
Well, it just might be this
It seems that Optimus will be able to combine with Jetire (who used to be Skyfire in the cartoon series). Impressive.
They sure have come a long way from my own original line of Transformers (Mom ordered me several, but the catalog was sold out of them, so I got GI Joe's instead. They were okay, but everyone had the Transformers . . . and if you were really lucky you had Optimus Prime. Since I had zero Transformers, the best thing I could do was create my own line of them!)
Can't wait for the big premiere. My best friend Lon has already devised his costume for the big night.
Just kidding. That is not Lon nor is it his costume. Sorry Sara, thought I'd have a little fun there!
Three summers ago when I saw the first one, I was blown away. It was like I was 12 again. When Bumblebee rescues Sam from Barracuda, I was so thrilled I had to choke back a tear and keep from gleefully bouncing in my seat. Sad. I know.
Now it's a Michael Bay film, so we know a few things: lots of stuff will blow up, plenty of action (at the expense of plot and character), and the military will be involved. Oh yeah, and even more stuff will blow up.
But that's what's great about the Transformers, unlike the newest Terminator or even some of the Star Trek films, this franchise doesn't take itself too seriously. I mean we're talking about a whole story line built from toys (and they are the coolest toys ever invented).
This was the spot that previewed during the Super Bowl.
Again, when Optimus leaped onto that thing's head, I almost fell off the couch (in the picture below, he is outlined in red). I thought, that has to be devastator (the giant robot that the Constructicons can combine into), but it seems I was wrong. That giant robot is just ONE of the Constructicons. So just imagine how huge Devastator is! (and one early review I was reading said this was just the first scene!)
Here is the second trailer for the film, where Devastator makes his debut. He is the large monstrosity scene scaling a pyramid and then sucking up the whole damn desert in the final clip.
Here are some leaked photos of the new toy line featuring the Constructicons individually and combined into Bay's version of Devastator.
Now, what you ask, could possibly defeat this?
Well, it just might be this
It seems that Optimus will be able to combine with Jetire (who used to be Skyfire in the cartoon series). Impressive.
They sure have come a long way from my own original line of Transformers (Mom ordered me several, but the catalog was sold out of them, so I got GI Joe's instead. They were okay, but everyone had the Transformers . . . and if you were really lucky you had Optimus Prime. Since I had zero Transformers, the best thing I could do was create my own line of them!)
Can't wait for the big premiere. My best friend Lon has already devised his costume for the big night.
Just kidding. That is not Lon nor is it his costume. Sorry Sara, thought I'd have a little fun there!
Welcome to the 21st Century Gail!
Well, Gail is about to enter the 21st century.
Last week we met her at Best Buy to pick out a laptop and set her up with wireless internet.
It will only be a matter of time before she is on facebook and emailing and blogging her little heart's content.
Well, I don't know about all of that, but she'll love facebook.
So Tuesday the Geek Squad is scheduled to visit her in Mayville and get her all hooked up. I'm going over there to help her get to know her laptop and set up an email account and get her used to running some of the apps on her computer . . . If I can, that is. She bought a PC and I'm proudly Mac through and through. But I should be able to help her get acclimated to it.
I can't wait to add a link to Guildascribe from this blog since she often gives me a hard time over some of the stories and pictures I put on here about her. Now she has a chance to retaliate! I'm looking forward to it Gail! (I'll have to have her read this post tomorrow and see what she thinks).
Last week we met her at Best Buy to pick out a laptop and set her up with wireless internet.
It will only be a matter of time before she is on facebook and emailing and blogging her little heart's content.
Well, I don't know about all of that, but she'll love facebook.
So Tuesday the Geek Squad is scheduled to visit her in Mayville and get her all hooked up. I'm going over there to help her get to know her laptop and set up an email account and get her used to running some of the apps on her computer . . . If I can, that is. She bought a PC and I'm proudly Mac through and through. But I should be able to help her get acclimated to it.
I can't wait to add a link to Guildascribe from this blog since she often gives me a hard time over some of the stories and pictures I put on here about her. Now she has a chance to retaliate! I'm looking forward to it Gail! (I'll have to have her read this post tomorrow and see what she thinks).
Art Fest '09
We finally attended the art fest in the Grand Cities last weekend. Kristie and I always say that we will and make plans to attend, but something comes up . . . or it rains, which I think it has on the date for the past three years now.
But yesterday was beautiful - I dare say our first real day of summer.
Kristie gave me a choice: begin working on turning Casey's room into a family room or going to the art fair. It took less than a nano second to make that call.
I was really pushing my luck too because Kristie has some pretty big plans around here. Unfortunately those plans call for work, which I loathe during the summer.
She's already gotten me to put together our dog kennel and tear up a good section of the side walk that runs along the west side of our house. I thought that was good enough until August, but no. There's more to do.
So when Saturday dawned beautiful, we decided to spend the day outside reading and playing with Kenzers. Then our neighbors, Steph and Spencer, stopped over and we visited for at least five hours. By the time they left, it was pretty much time to call it a day - no chance to tear up any side walk or begin painting.
So when Sunday dawned even more gorgeous (if that's correct English), we couldn't resist putting Kenzers in a sun dress, slathering on the sun block, and heading over to Grand Forks.
It was an event. KoKo, as usual, made out like a bandit. She got a personalized ring with "KoKo" on it from one vendor while she got a tie dye skirt at another booth.
There were some incredible displays there. I loved a framed abstract photograph, but since it was an original work, I couldn't imagine forking over the $700 for it. But it would have been a great piece to have.
We did find a rather interesting addition for our back yard, though. One of the vendors, Francis Metal Works, used iron and a field stone to create sculptures of geese, egrets, ibises, and cranes. They are quite solid and most have a long spike beneath their feet that help fasten them. We settled on a crane. Gail, who met us at the fair, settled on an egret.
To escape the heat - hey it might have only been the mid 80's but it was the first real nice day we've had all year and we weren't used to this kind of weather so it felt like 105 degrees - we crossed over the bridge to EGF and sought shelter in Mike's Pizza, the best pizza I've ever had since Dave's pizza in Bemidji.
We filled up on pizza while Kenzers gobbled up some chicken strips and french fries.
Then it was back out into the heat for some more shopping before making the obligatory trips to Target and the Dairy Queen.
Kenzie was pretty tired from her day out in the sun, but poor Kristie was exhausted. When we got home, KoKo and I were ready to crank up the central air, but Kristie had the chills and was looking for a blanket and the space heater! She maybe had a case of heat exhaustion. So while KoKo and I sat around in shorts and t-shirts, Kristie was bundled up.
To cap the evening off, I let the dogs out one last time and saw Steph and her two dogs, well, technically just one, but they are babysitting another puppy. So she stopped over with Boomer and Daisy, the dogs, and we began visiting. Soon Kristie came out with Kenzie and we had another good two hour conversation with our neighbor.
It was a pleasant end to a very pleasant weekend.
Now, though, I have to get back to that side walk . . .
But yesterday was beautiful - I dare say our first real day of summer.
Kristie gave me a choice: begin working on turning Casey's room into a family room or going to the art fair. It took less than a nano second to make that call.
I was really pushing my luck too because Kristie has some pretty big plans around here. Unfortunately those plans call for work, which I loathe during the summer.
She's already gotten me to put together our dog kennel and tear up a good section of the side walk that runs along the west side of our house. I thought that was good enough until August, but no. There's more to do.
So when Saturday dawned beautiful, we decided to spend the day outside reading and playing with Kenzers. Then our neighbors, Steph and Spencer, stopped over and we visited for at least five hours. By the time they left, it was pretty much time to call it a day - no chance to tear up any side walk or begin painting.
So when Sunday dawned even more gorgeous (if that's correct English), we couldn't resist putting Kenzers in a sun dress, slathering on the sun block, and heading over to Grand Forks.
It was an event. KoKo, as usual, made out like a bandit. She got a personalized ring with "KoKo" on it from one vendor while she got a tie dye skirt at another booth.
There were some incredible displays there. I loved a framed abstract photograph, but since it was an original work, I couldn't imagine forking over the $700 for it. But it would have been a great piece to have.
We did find a rather interesting addition for our back yard, though. One of the vendors, Francis Metal Works, used iron and a field stone to create sculptures of geese, egrets, ibises, and cranes. They are quite solid and most have a long spike beneath their feet that help fasten them. We settled on a crane. Gail, who met us at the fair, settled on an egret.
To escape the heat - hey it might have only been the mid 80's but it was the first real nice day we've had all year and we weren't used to this kind of weather so it felt like 105 degrees - we crossed over the bridge to EGF and sought shelter in Mike's Pizza, the best pizza I've ever had since Dave's pizza in Bemidji.
We filled up on pizza while Kenzers gobbled up some chicken strips and french fries.
Then it was back out into the heat for some more shopping before making the obligatory trips to Target and the Dairy Queen.
Kenzie was pretty tired from her day out in the sun, but poor Kristie was exhausted. When we got home, KoKo and I were ready to crank up the central air, but Kristie had the chills and was looking for a blanket and the space heater! She maybe had a case of heat exhaustion. So while KoKo and I sat around in shorts and t-shirts, Kristie was bundled up.
To cap the evening off, I let the dogs out one last time and saw Steph and her two dogs, well, technically just one, but they are babysitting another puppy. So she stopped over with Boomer and Daisy, the dogs, and we began visiting. Soon Kristie came out with Kenzie and we had another good two hour conversation with our neighbor.
It was a pleasant end to a very pleasant weekend.
Now, though, I have to get back to that side walk . . .
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Bob Ross
When I was a kid, I would watch this guy on PBS with my grandmother. I was amazed at how he could take plain white canvas and in a few minutes sketch an entire world on there. Of course, he always invited his viewers to paint a long with him. Granny always kept art supplies and an inexhaustible supply of finger paints. So while Mr. Ross sketched his artwork, I'd sketch mine.
Somehow, though, mine never seemed to look like his.
Granny never cared though. She preferred mine, but what grandmother wouldn't.
But I never forgot how frustrating it was to watch Mr. Ross so effortlessly create a work of art.
Years later it dawned on me that making something so difficult seem effortless is one of the hallmarks of being an artist. It doesn't matter if you are painting, writing, drawing, overhauling an engine, or plowing a field. All are difficult tasks, yet an artist can make each look effortless.
Enjoy this clip. Maybe it will take you back like it did with me.
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNzg0NTEyMzI=.html
I tried to include video but it appears youtube is full of parodies and spoofs. The other videos are from aol and won't allow me to embed them on my blog. So I had to include a link. Sorry.
Somehow, though, mine never seemed to look like his.
Granny never cared though. She preferred mine, but what grandmother wouldn't.
But I never forgot how frustrating it was to watch Mr. Ross so effortlessly create a work of art.
Years later it dawned on me that making something so difficult seem effortless is one of the hallmarks of being an artist. It doesn't matter if you are painting, writing, drawing, overhauling an engine, or plowing a field. All are difficult tasks, yet an artist can make each look effortless.
Enjoy this clip. Maybe it will take you back like it did with me.
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNzg0NTEyMzI=.html
I tried to include video but it appears youtube is full of parodies and spoofs. The other videos are from aol and won't allow me to embed them on my blog. So I had to include a link. Sorry.
Friday, June 12, 2009
THIS summer's reading list
To be honest, I didn't quite get through last summer's reading list. In fact, much of it is still in the back seat of my car in a large box. I had the best of intentions of bringing all of that up to my room after Kristie made me get it out of dinning room at the end of last summer. But it ended up spending the past 10 months in the back seat. Perhaps, that explains why the class schedule still taped to my door is from first quarter!
Well, here is what I'd LIKE to read (and in some cases re-read) if I had the time --
in no particular order - The Element and Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative by Ken Robinson, Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing with Organizations by Clay Shirky, Everything Bad is Good For You: How Today's Popular Culture is Actually Making us Smarter by Steven Johnson, Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen, several essays of Richard Selzer, Dimensions of Learning by Robert J. Marzano and Debra J. Pickering, Talking in Class: Using Discussion to Enhance Teaching and Learning, The Art of Discussion-Based Teaching by John E. Henning, Blending Genre, Altering Style: Writing Multigenre Papers by Tom Romano, Pirates on the Prairie by Eric Bergerson, A Writer Teaches Writing by Donald M. Murray, The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Teaching Powerful Personal Narratives by Mary Jane Reed, Beyond Standards and Cohesive Writing by Carol Jago, Choosing Excellence: "Good Enough" Schools are Not Good Enough by John Merrow, and Narrative Writing: Learning a New Model for Teaching by George Hillocks Jr.
Well, here is what I'd LIKE to read (and in some cases re-read) if I had the time --
in no particular order - The Element and Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative by Ken Robinson, Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing with Organizations by Clay Shirky, Everything Bad is Good For You: How Today's Popular Culture is Actually Making us Smarter by Steven Johnson, Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen, several essays of Richard Selzer, Dimensions of Learning by Robert J. Marzano and Debra J. Pickering, Talking in Class: Using Discussion to Enhance Teaching and Learning, The Art of Discussion-Based Teaching by John E. Henning, Blending Genre, Altering Style: Writing Multigenre Papers by Tom Romano, Pirates on the Prairie by Eric Bergerson, A Writer Teaches Writing by Donald M. Murray, The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Teaching Powerful Personal Narratives by Mary Jane Reed, Beyond Standards and Cohesive Writing by Carol Jago, Choosing Excellence: "Good Enough" Schools are Not Good Enough by John Merrow, and Narrative Writing: Learning a New Model for Teaching by George Hillocks Jr.
Summer reading
I blogged about spending entire afternoons reading with Mom during past summers. Mom loved her Agatha Christie novels and Harlequin romances.
I had no interest in those, but I did devour Stephen King, Dean Koontz, John Farris, and Peter Straub, Clive Barker, Ray Bradbury, and even H.P. Lovecraft
Had the internet and amazon existed back then, I'd have been drowning in books. But as it was, I had to rely on our library's inter-library loan system. Which kept me supplied with plenty of reading material.
You see I found a list of the most influential books in horror fiction at the back of King's non-fiction classic on the horror field, Danse Macabre.
Since I wanted to be a writer, I decided that reading some of the 'heavies' in the field would be a great way to study the craft of writing.
And that is pretty much what I did.
That summer, Mom and I devoured stacks of books. She would read in the recliner or at the kitchen table (listening to whatever game she could find on the radio) while I was out on the front porch in my favorite chair with my Walkman cassette player.
Those are some of my strongest memories of Mom.
And all that reading helped craft me into the person I am today.
I just hope KoKo's love for reading can be sparked like that.
I suggested that she read Twilight.
"No way. I can't read a book that long," she responded.
I think that's a bit of a phobia young readers have to get over.
I thought that too. But then I bought King's The Tommyknockers on the way to the cities one year and tore into it. After that, I took a sense of pride in walking around with a Bible sized book under my arm.
"You're going to read all of that?" my friends would ask.
"Of course!"
And it was great.
I had no interest in those, but I did devour Stephen King, Dean Koontz, John Farris, and Peter Straub, Clive Barker, Ray Bradbury, and even H.P. Lovecraft
Had the internet and amazon existed back then, I'd have been drowning in books. But as it was, I had to rely on our library's inter-library loan system. Which kept me supplied with plenty of reading material.
You see I found a list of the most influential books in horror fiction at the back of King's non-fiction classic on the horror field, Danse Macabre.
Since I wanted to be a writer, I decided that reading some of the 'heavies' in the field would be a great way to study the craft of writing.
And that is pretty much what I did.
That summer, Mom and I devoured stacks of books. She would read in the recliner or at the kitchen table (listening to whatever game she could find on the radio) while I was out on the front porch in my favorite chair with my Walkman cassette player.
Those are some of my strongest memories of Mom.
And all that reading helped craft me into the person I am today.
I just hope KoKo's love for reading can be sparked like that.
I suggested that she read Twilight.
"No way. I can't read a book that long," she responded.
I think that's a bit of a phobia young readers have to get over.
I thought that too. But then I bought King's The Tommyknockers on the way to the cities one year and tore into it. After that, I took a sense of pride in walking around with a Bible sized book under my arm.
"You're going to read all of that?" my friends would ask.
"Of course!"
And it was great.
The importance of play
And people make fun of me for my childlike passion for Legos, and Star Wars, and Harry Potter, and Transformers, and werewolves!
I knew what I was doing all along!
I knew what I was doing all along!
Summer?
Whatever happened to summer?
I'm not talking about the weather either.
Whatever happened to a kid having the summer off to do kid things? Bike around. Swim at the pool. Hang out at a friend's house. Read a book. Get into mischief. All the things a kid is suppose to do.
Suddenly, we want to train them as if they were going to be serious athletes, rather than high school athletes.
Here's KoKo's schedule: 6-7:30 am M-W-F Sports Excel; Softball practice 9:30-11:30 am M-W with games on Thursday evenings. Now she just got a text stating that if she wanted to be in basketball she should seriously consider going to the gym to shoot three nights a week.
No wonder a significant amount of parents in RLF are wondering, when did sports stop being fun?
An excellent point.
I think part of it is that sports have stopped being about play (see the TED video I'll attach to an upcoming blog post). I loved every single day of practice for two reasons. One, I got to work on becoming better at my craft (and that is the one single life skill I took away from sports - I'd focus on getting better with each rep) and horsing around with my friends and coaches. Man, that was fun! But a lot of the credit there has to go to the coaches who actually made practice fun - or at least allowed us to make it fun. I'll never forget going to the pool one day for football practice and doing about a dozen back flops off the diving board as I tried to do a flip, or ending summer practice by having to 'crush' the entire field - from the back of one end zone to another - the only 'break' we got was that once we passed the 50 yard line we could begin to take off our pads. I'll never forget Colin stripping down to just his jock! That was hilarious. In hockey, after coming back from a two goal deficit to beat DL, our coach piped music in to our next practice. And these are just a couple things off the top of my head. But they made practice fun.
That is something that is sorely missing these days. Maybe it's because coaches treat practice like it's college. Well, very few if any of these athletes are going on to college. To put it bluntly, very few of these kids have even played on winning teams. Why not let them have a bit of fun at least.
As Kristie pointed out to me, why did the team that lost the most games (the boys basketball team) seem to have the most fun. There's only one answer here: the coach. He made it fun.
Do our kids need to devote so much time to sports?
Now to be fair, I'd rather have KoKo involved in a plethora of activities than sitting on the computer or watching TV all day. But then it becomes my job as a parent (a job that it seems many are not qualified for given how they want to use summer rec as a baby sitting service) to make sure that she does something constructive and meaningful (like spending several weeks in SD with her grandparents last summer).
But I can't blame kids for backing out of being in so many things.
We were out walking Kenzie one night and KoKo's softball coach stopped us to sign some papers for an upcoming tournament.
Kristie inquired as to why so few were out for sports excell, to which he replied, "Ahh, some of those girls just don't want to do anything."
Well, last night we got the other side of the story as Kristie talked to some of those girls who weren't out for sports excell. Their resposne? "We want to have a life. It's summer. Basketball season doesn't run all year long."
To which I say, "Amen!"
Now, again, to be fair I've been guilty of urging Casey in summers past to get up and go to sports excel. "Do you know how lucky you are? I wish they would have had these types of programs when I was young. We had to sneak into the weight room in the afternoons because they couldn't even afford someone to open it and then supervise us."
And that's true.
But on the other hand, I lived 10 miles out in the country. I had nothing else going on. Given the chance to go to sports excel or bale hay. Well, that would have been an easy choice. Rather, it would have been no choice at all, for I would have had to go to sports excel and then bale hay in the afternoon. I'm not sure, if I'm being totally honest here, how wild I would have been about that.
I enjoyed my afternoons - when Dad was gone on the road in the truck and the farm work was all done (or rather, again if I'm being totally honest, pushed off to the very last minute) reading on the porch, taking trips to town to pick up new library books with Mom, and writing the afternoons away up in my room.
Which skills am I still using in my life every day? Which passions have made an impact on my life? What skills have allowed me to find a job that is perfect for me and feels like no work at all?
I know coaches, and remember I am one (well, barely. I just coach freshmen) will say we have to have these summer programs to keep up with the competition.
I know that's true. But how nice would it be for the whole competition to go back to the good old days when you had fall sports JUST in the fall, winter sports JUST in the winter, and spring sports JUST in the spring?
This week there is a basketball camp going on thirty yards from my house. Now I know the kids love it. We probably have dozens of kids from RLF there. Yet, if basketball is such a great, important, life changing activity, why will there only be two or three of those players on the team when they are seniors?
I can't help but think two things when I see the coaches and kids over there - if they only matched the work and passion they pour into that camp with the work and passion they put into teaching or studying, what would they really be able to accomplish? What real skills and passions would they develop that would actually have an impact on their lives 20 years from now?
Just think how concerned parents and coaches are that athletes will lose their edge in the off season. But when are they ever concerned that students will lose their edge in academics over the summer?
That, of course, is part of the problem with our education system. We (teachers, parents, and students) don't focus enough on the education part.
I'm not talking about the weather either.
Whatever happened to a kid having the summer off to do kid things? Bike around. Swim at the pool. Hang out at a friend's house. Read a book. Get into mischief. All the things a kid is suppose to do.
Suddenly, we want to train them as if they were going to be serious athletes, rather than high school athletes.
Here's KoKo's schedule: 6-7:30 am M-W-F Sports Excel; Softball practice 9:30-11:30 am M-W with games on Thursday evenings. Now she just got a text stating that if she wanted to be in basketball she should seriously consider going to the gym to shoot three nights a week.
No wonder a significant amount of parents in RLF are wondering, when did sports stop being fun?
An excellent point.
I think part of it is that sports have stopped being about play (see the TED video I'll attach to an upcoming blog post). I loved every single day of practice for two reasons. One, I got to work on becoming better at my craft (and that is the one single life skill I took away from sports - I'd focus on getting better with each rep) and horsing around with my friends and coaches. Man, that was fun! But a lot of the credit there has to go to the coaches who actually made practice fun - or at least allowed us to make it fun. I'll never forget going to the pool one day for football practice and doing about a dozen back flops off the diving board as I tried to do a flip, or ending summer practice by having to 'crush' the entire field - from the back of one end zone to another - the only 'break' we got was that once we passed the 50 yard line we could begin to take off our pads. I'll never forget Colin stripping down to just his jock! That was hilarious. In hockey, after coming back from a two goal deficit to beat DL, our coach piped music in to our next practice. And these are just a couple things off the top of my head. But they made practice fun.
That is something that is sorely missing these days. Maybe it's because coaches treat practice like it's college. Well, very few if any of these athletes are going on to college. To put it bluntly, very few of these kids have even played on winning teams. Why not let them have a bit of fun at least.
As Kristie pointed out to me, why did the team that lost the most games (the boys basketball team) seem to have the most fun. There's only one answer here: the coach. He made it fun.
Do our kids need to devote so much time to sports?
Now to be fair, I'd rather have KoKo involved in a plethora of activities than sitting on the computer or watching TV all day. But then it becomes my job as a parent (a job that it seems many are not qualified for given how they want to use summer rec as a baby sitting service) to make sure that she does something constructive and meaningful (like spending several weeks in SD with her grandparents last summer).
But I can't blame kids for backing out of being in so many things.
We were out walking Kenzie one night and KoKo's softball coach stopped us to sign some papers for an upcoming tournament.
Kristie inquired as to why so few were out for sports excell, to which he replied, "Ahh, some of those girls just don't want to do anything."
Well, last night we got the other side of the story as Kristie talked to some of those girls who weren't out for sports excell. Their resposne? "We want to have a life. It's summer. Basketball season doesn't run all year long."
To which I say, "Amen!"
Now, again, to be fair I've been guilty of urging Casey in summers past to get up and go to sports excel. "Do you know how lucky you are? I wish they would have had these types of programs when I was young. We had to sneak into the weight room in the afternoons because they couldn't even afford someone to open it and then supervise us."
And that's true.
But on the other hand, I lived 10 miles out in the country. I had nothing else going on. Given the chance to go to sports excel or bale hay. Well, that would have been an easy choice. Rather, it would have been no choice at all, for I would have had to go to sports excel and then bale hay in the afternoon. I'm not sure, if I'm being totally honest here, how wild I would have been about that.
I enjoyed my afternoons - when Dad was gone on the road in the truck and the farm work was all done (or rather, again if I'm being totally honest, pushed off to the very last minute) reading on the porch, taking trips to town to pick up new library books with Mom, and writing the afternoons away up in my room.
Which skills am I still using in my life every day? Which passions have made an impact on my life? What skills have allowed me to find a job that is perfect for me and feels like no work at all?
I know coaches, and remember I am one (well, barely. I just coach freshmen) will say we have to have these summer programs to keep up with the competition.
I know that's true. But how nice would it be for the whole competition to go back to the good old days when you had fall sports JUST in the fall, winter sports JUST in the winter, and spring sports JUST in the spring?
This week there is a basketball camp going on thirty yards from my house. Now I know the kids love it. We probably have dozens of kids from RLF there. Yet, if basketball is such a great, important, life changing activity, why will there only be two or three of those players on the team when they are seniors?
I can't help but think two things when I see the coaches and kids over there - if they only matched the work and passion they pour into that camp with the work and passion they put into teaching or studying, what would they really be able to accomplish? What real skills and passions would they develop that would actually have an impact on their lives 20 years from now?
Just think how concerned parents and coaches are that athletes will lose their edge in the off season. But when are they ever concerned that students will lose their edge in academics over the summer?
That, of course, is part of the problem with our education system. We (teachers, parents, and students) don't focus enough on the education part.
Runs in the Family
If you've followed this blog, you should be well aware of my absentmindedness.
Well, it seems it runs in the family. My brother trumps me in this category.
We decided to take turns mowing the lawn out of Dad's. I volunteered for June (get it over with was my thinking). However, I'm the only one without a riding lawn mower. Late last week he left a message stating that the lawn mower was just inside his garage if I wanted to use it to go out to Dad's and mow.
Well, Saturday and Sunday were busy. Monday was dreadful. Tuesday was another busy day. Wednesday I had Kenzie. I decided to make a special arrangement to send Kenzie to day care on Thursday so I could get Dad's lawn mowed.
So the night before I called over to Kev's and talked to his wife, Deann, who asked if I needed Kevin to leave the pick up, which has the ramps Kevin uses to load the lawn mower.
I said no since I could use Casey's - just make sure Kevin leaves the ramps for me.
I should have known better! I mean Kevin was the one who I asked a few years ago to come over and water and feed our cats while we visited Kristie's father in South Dakota over Easter. He forgot! So the cats were left without water for at least three days! Oh yeah, and they pissed in our stove. But that's another story.
Still, I should have known better!
Yesterday I stopped over to Kev's. I filled up a container with gas, updated my iPod, grabbed the mosquito spray. I was all ready.
However, upon entering his garage, I saw the lawn mower but no ramps.
So I knocked on the door and Deann, to no one's surprise, said the Kev forgot to leave the ramps before he took the truck to work!
I should have known better!
Well, it seems it runs in the family. My brother trumps me in this category.
We decided to take turns mowing the lawn out of Dad's. I volunteered for June (get it over with was my thinking). However, I'm the only one without a riding lawn mower. Late last week he left a message stating that the lawn mower was just inside his garage if I wanted to use it to go out to Dad's and mow.
Well, Saturday and Sunday were busy. Monday was dreadful. Tuesday was another busy day. Wednesday I had Kenzie. I decided to make a special arrangement to send Kenzie to day care on Thursday so I could get Dad's lawn mowed.
So the night before I called over to Kev's and talked to his wife, Deann, who asked if I needed Kevin to leave the pick up, which has the ramps Kevin uses to load the lawn mower.
I said no since I could use Casey's - just make sure Kevin leaves the ramps for me.
I should have known better! I mean Kevin was the one who I asked a few years ago to come over and water and feed our cats while we visited Kristie's father in South Dakota over Easter. He forgot! So the cats were left without water for at least three days! Oh yeah, and they pissed in our stove. But that's another story.
Still, I should have known better!
Yesterday I stopped over to Kev's. I filled up a container with gas, updated my iPod, grabbed the mosquito spray. I was all ready.
However, upon entering his garage, I saw the lawn mower but no ramps.
So I knocked on the door and Deann, to no one's surprise, said the Kev forgot to leave the ramps before he took the truck to work!
I should have known better!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
A Hero of Mine
Gary Weiland has my utmost respect, as do all of the people at McNair elementary school.
I can't imagine having kids ask me if their parents will survive. What Mr. Weiland does with Tedrick is powerful. There is an extended version of the interviews on the iTunes link below. Go to Education Podcast with John Merrow. It's podcast #63.
I can't imagine having kids ask me if their parents will survive. What Mr. Weiland does with Tedrick is powerful. There is an extended version of the interviews on the iTunes link below. Go to Education Podcast with John Merrow. It's podcast #63.
Another great resource
Learning Matters used to be sponsored through PBS, but it has gone on its own now. John Merrow is an excellent host.
You can listen to the podcasts and watch the videos on line.
You can download some of the older ones at itunes:
Here is another great education podcast called "Teachercast | NewsHour with Jim Lehrer:
You can listen to the podcasts and watch the videos on line.
You can download some of the older ones at itunes:
Here is another great education podcast called "Teachercast | NewsHour with Jim Lehrer:
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
No Handlebars
A student wrote an essay on this song in College Comp. It was part of an essay exploring the abstract concept of evil.
What I find interesting about this song is how it explores the potential each of us has for good and evil. What causes one to become Hitler while another becomes an Einstein?
What I find interesting about this song is how it explores the potential each of us has for good and evil. What causes one to become Hitler while another becomes an Einstein?
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
The Spike
It's tough to see in this shot, but Kenzers has a pretty good spiked mohawk going on after her bath.
She has begun to talk - or at least Kristie thinks so since she says the worlds often when she sees me.
Her first words? "Hi Dad."
That's my girl.
Now, before I get too carried away, I should say that she says it really quick and it comes out sounding more like "hi da," but after she was a Mommie's girl for the first six months of her life, I'll take what I can get.
Brilliant
This is one of the best things I've read in quite some time.
Sad thing is, I know people like Hank. They too send me those same emails.
Like The one post-9/11 where all we should have done was listen to Al Gore when he said the main threat the US had to fear was Bin Laden. Then there was the one a year or two ago where all we should have done was listen to Oliver North (Oliver North! Of all the people they could have chosen! And they had to choose good old Oliver North who I haven't heard from since the whole Iran Contra affair was televised) when he said he would spend all of his money on a home protection plan because of nuts like Bin Laden.
Or the one where Obama supposedly isn't saluting the flag. Or the one where they show McCain as a war hero and a young Obama as a radical Islam. Or the one . . . well, you get the idea.
I don't care what side of the political debate you fall on, these emails are for morons.
Kind of like the one that talks about HIV positive drug needles planted by gang members in movie theater seats or the one about not letting anyone in a Walmart parking lot offer to spray any cologne samples in your face (it's really a knock out gas they use before they rob you) or the one about Chinese organ thieves!
But this stupidity is only part of the brilliant satire of this piece.
The other part is the angry old men who "used to matter" and their frustration.
I recall a Magnet Arts trip I was chaperoning several years ago. I was sitting up front next to a student, John. We were listening to the old man who "used to matter" who was driving the bus. He was bitching about all the problems in the world today and how the young people were not stepping up to the plate and doing anything about them.
It was at this moment that John spoke up and said, "I don't think we were the ones to create the atomic bomb or Chernobyl or get involved in the Gulf War."
That shut the old geezer up!
This is why Ken Robinson's work on creativity and the ability to find your passions is so vital. How many people retire - thinking they're going to enjoy sitting on their asses in hot and sweaty Florida or Arizona - yet hate it. But by the time they realize retirement is not what they thought it would be, it's too late. They can't go back to their previous way of life. Sure they can greet people at Walmart or bag groceries, but that was not what they had in mind when they retired. Before you know it, you see their obit in the paper.
You have to develop your passions - no matter what teachers or counselors or parents say about them being worthless.
We don't live in the world of the '40 and '50's where a young kid could drop out of school and get a job sweeping and doing odds and ends at a local business and through sheer determination and persistence after 20 years the kid has worked his way to the top.
You can have all the determination and persistence you want at Arctic or Digi Key or Lincoln High School, but the pay scale is pretty much set.
But if a kid has a passion for music - and all his life his parents and teachers and others have hit him with, oh get serious. You'll never win American Idol. You'll never make a living playing music. Get serious and go into science or math or computers.
Now, I was guilty of this. Before Ken Robinson kicked my ass and showed me how foolish I had been.
In a flat world, a kid with some talent and luck, can now create a video on his MacBook and upload it to youtube and get thousands of hits. The days of forming a bar band and being relegated to playing to the same 25 drunks at the Crusty Nail every weekend are over.
Just look what happened to a nerdy white kid name Bo Burnham. Casey and KoKo would always watch his videos on youtube. Well, it wasn't long before he had his own record deal and they were downloading his songs on iTunes.
I realize that this doesn't happen to every single musician with a dream. But the odds are much better than they were 40 years ago. Plus, not every college graduate is landing jobs left and right, either.
So the point is find your passions. Develop them and enjoy them. Even if they don't bring you financial gain. Develop them. At least you won't be stuck in your basement degenerating into a fear monger like poor old Hank. If you have a dream and pursue it, maybe you'll end up like Larry instead. Or Walter.
Sad thing is, I know people like Hank. They too send me those same emails.
Like The one post-9/11 where all we should have done was listen to Al Gore when he said the main threat the US had to fear was Bin Laden. Then there was the one a year or two ago where all we should have done was listen to Oliver North (Oliver North! Of all the people they could have chosen! And they had to choose good old Oliver North who I haven't heard from since the whole Iran Contra affair was televised) when he said he would spend all of his money on a home protection plan because of nuts like Bin Laden.
Or the one where Obama supposedly isn't saluting the flag. Or the one where they show McCain as a war hero and a young Obama as a radical Islam. Or the one . . . well, you get the idea.
I don't care what side of the political debate you fall on, these emails are for morons.
Kind of like the one that talks about HIV positive drug needles planted by gang members in movie theater seats or the one about not letting anyone in a Walmart parking lot offer to spray any cologne samples in your face (it's really a knock out gas they use before they rob you) or the one about Chinese organ thieves!
But this stupidity is only part of the brilliant satire of this piece.
The other part is the angry old men who "used to matter" and their frustration.
I recall a Magnet Arts trip I was chaperoning several years ago. I was sitting up front next to a student, John. We were listening to the old man who "used to matter" who was driving the bus. He was bitching about all the problems in the world today and how the young people were not stepping up to the plate and doing anything about them.
It was at this moment that John spoke up and said, "I don't think we were the ones to create the atomic bomb or Chernobyl or get involved in the Gulf War."
That shut the old geezer up!
This is why Ken Robinson's work on creativity and the ability to find your passions is so vital. How many people retire - thinking they're going to enjoy sitting on their asses in hot and sweaty Florida or Arizona - yet hate it. But by the time they realize retirement is not what they thought it would be, it's too late. They can't go back to their previous way of life. Sure they can greet people at Walmart or bag groceries, but that was not what they had in mind when they retired. Before you know it, you see their obit in the paper.
You have to develop your passions - no matter what teachers or counselors or parents say about them being worthless.
We don't live in the world of the '40 and '50's where a young kid could drop out of school and get a job sweeping and doing odds and ends at a local business and through sheer determination and persistence after 20 years the kid has worked his way to the top.
You can have all the determination and persistence you want at Arctic or Digi Key or Lincoln High School, but the pay scale is pretty much set.
But if a kid has a passion for music - and all his life his parents and teachers and others have hit him with, oh get serious. You'll never win American Idol. You'll never make a living playing music. Get serious and go into science or math or computers.
Now, I was guilty of this. Before Ken Robinson kicked my ass and showed me how foolish I had been.
In a flat world, a kid with some talent and luck, can now create a video on his MacBook and upload it to youtube and get thousands of hits. The days of forming a bar band and being relegated to playing to the same 25 drunks at the Crusty Nail every weekend are over.
Just look what happened to a nerdy white kid name Bo Burnham. Casey and KoKo would always watch his videos on youtube. Well, it wasn't long before he had his own record deal and they were downloading his songs on iTunes.
I realize that this doesn't happen to every single musician with a dream. But the odds are much better than they were 40 years ago. Plus, not every college graduate is landing jobs left and right, either.
So the point is find your passions. Develop them and enjoy them. Even if they don't bring you financial gain. Develop them. At least you won't be stuck in your basement degenerating into a fear monger like poor old Hank. If you have a dream and pursue it, maybe you'll end up like Larry instead. Or Walter.
Sunday, June 07, 2009
13 Reasons Why
Who cares how many reasons there are. I'm just amazed our little KoKo Beaner is reading on a Sunday afternoon.
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Star Trek
Kristie and I went to the new Star Trek movie Friday night.
We both had read good reviews in Entertainment Weekly, which is usually a good sign. And the film surely didn't disappoint.
In fact, it was quite excellent.
It was an odd experience though. We were maybe the third couple in the small theater. But soon more arrived. However, we had to be the youngest couple there. That doesn't happen that often. I suppose all the younger viewers caught it the first few days when it came out in early May. So it was just left to the elder statesmen to catch it. At least there were no trekkies in attendance. It's bad enough that RLF was once home to the Klingon (not sure if I'm spelling that right) language festival. One of my former high school teachers was fluent in Klingon and helped host it. All I really recall of the nonsense was one night while I was jogging I saw a Jeep drive by with several people dressed as Klingons hanging all over it. Damn near gave me a heart attack. You just don't expect to see a Jeep full of people dressed up as alien monsters around 9 o clock in the evening in a town the size of RLF.
J.J. Abrams, the director, did a magnificent job choosing the cast. I thought the actors who played Kirk and Spock were excellent choices. In fact, the whole crew was great. The plot got a little confusing at points with the time travel element. But the action and suspense kept those finer plot details in the back of our minds.
I recall watching the Star Trek movies when I was younger, and they all were pretty disastrous. This, though, was what Star Trek should have looked like all along.
Things certainly have come a long way since the late '80s when I used to watch re-runs of the TV series Star Trek on old KVRR. Hey, there wasn't much else to watch given that we lived in the country and got roughly five channels. Mom and I spent quite a few late winter afternoons watching that series.
I think the one with the furry little Tribbles was our favorite.
The one where Kirk had to battle the lizard guy on a desert planet was pretty good too.
Of course, as Mom and I caught on, you never wanted to be the sorry no-name officer beamed down to a planet with Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. You just knew that none of the named actors were going to get blasted by an enemy or gobbled up by some exotic alien species. But that poor unknown officer was doomed.
Watching the updated version has me feeling a bit nostalgic. I might just have to download a couple of those old Star Trek episodes from iTunes and watch them late in the afternoon this winter (which could be next week given how cold it has been).
We both had read good reviews in Entertainment Weekly, which is usually a good sign. And the film surely didn't disappoint.
In fact, it was quite excellent.
It was an odd experience though. We were maybe the third couple in the small theater. But soon more arrived. However, we had to be the youngest couple there. That doesn't happen that often. I suppose all the younger viewers caught it the first few days when it came out in early May. So it was just left to the elder statesmen to catch it. At least there were no trekkies in attendance. It's bad enough that RLF was once home to the Klingon (not sure if I'm spelling that right) language festival. One of my former high school teachers was fluent in Klingon and helped host it. All I really recall of the nonsense was one night while I was jogging I saw a Jeep drive by with several people dressed as Klingons hanging all over it. Damn near gave me a heart attack. You just don't expect to see a Jeep full of people dressed up as alien monsters around 9 o clock in the evening in a town the size of RLF.
J.J. Abrams, the director, did a magnificent job choosing the cast. I thought the actors who played Kirk and Spock were excellent choices. In fact, the whole crew was great. The plot got a little confusing at points with the time travel element. But the action and suspense kept those finer plot details in the back of our minds.
I recall watching the Star Trek movies when I was younger, and they all were pretty disastrous. This, though, was what Star Trek should have looked like all along.
Things certainly have come a long way since the late '80s when I used to watch re-runs of the TV series Star Trek on old KVRR. Hey, there wasn't much else to watch given that we lived in the country and got roughly five channels. Mom and I spent quite a few late winter afternoons watching that series.
I think the one with the furry little Tribbles was our favorite.
The one where Kirk had to battle the lizard guy on a desert planet was pretty good too.
Of course, as Mom and I caught on, you never wanted to be the sorry no-name officer beamed down to a planet with Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. You just knew that none of the named actors were going to get blasted by an enemy or gobbled up by some exotic alien species. But that poor unknown officer was doomed.
Watching the updated version has me feeling a bit nostalgic. I might just have to download a couple of those old Star Trek episodes from iTunes and watch them late in the afternoon this winter (which could be next week given how cold it has been).
A new trick
Kenzers has learned to sit up now. When I put her down for a nap, I heard her whimpering and whining so I thought I better check on her. Instead of finding her tossing and turning - or even flipped over - there she was sitting up in the middle of her crib waiting for me to check on her.
I think it won't be long before she is standing up and walking. She can already pull herself up with a little help from the book shelf or ottoman.
I think it won't be long before she is standing up and walking. She can already pull herself up with a little help from the book shelf or ottoman.
Friday, June 05, 2009
It starts early
Now I know where the 'bad name' females get for their lack of driving skills comes from! How Kenzie managed to park her walker right between the walls like this escapes me.
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Rockwell
Norman Rockwell's painting serve as an interesting contrast to the photos that changed the world that I blogged about earlier.
Great Site
If you teach or love to learn, visit this site. I could spend hours on there. Luckily, I download the videos to iTunes and I can listen to them at my leisure. There's a lot of great stuff on there.
Great Day with Kenzers
Today was my first day with Kenzie this summer. She spent the past three days in daycare, but today it was just dad and his little girl.
We headed to TRF to get some shopping done. At Walmart I ran into Lon, with his girls. My how times have changed. Gone are the days when we'd run into each other and then go for a beer or two. Now we talked about going over to McDonald's for Happy Meals and Play Land!
We headed to TRF to get some shopping done. At Walmart I ran into Lon, with his girls. My how times have changed. Gone are the days when we'd run into each other and then go for a beer or two. Now we talked about going over to McDonald's for Happy Meals and Play Land!
How fun would it be to have a science class from this guy
When researching Ken Robinson, I came across a presentation from this guy. How much could I have learned had I had him for science.
Hang on because it's a wild ride. But an entertaining one. If I could teach with just a modicum of his enthusiasm, I'd be proud.
Hang on because it's a wild ride. But an entertaining one. If I could teach with just a modicum of his enthusiasm, I'd be proud.
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Yo Face Mutha!
That is a retort I came up with quite awhile ago.
I don't remember exactly when but I think Casey was trying to say some smart and I just piped up and declared "Yo face mutha!" in my best gangster accent.
Well, it has become a signature piece of mine.
Whenever a student complains, I let them have it with "Yo face mutha!" most of the laugh while some look at me like they can't believe I just said that and others aren't sure what to think.
Well, a couple of students from my first semester Lit & Language 11 class were taking pictures and they aimed their camera at me. So I gave them my best "West Coast" gang sign and said "Yo face mutha."
Then one day not too terribly long ago, I walked in to my room to find that picture printed out with the words "Thug Life" running vertically down the left side while "Yo Face Mutha" ran horizontally across the bottom.
KoKo saw that picture when she went to school with me on our last day. Obviously, she was inspired, for I asked her yesterday if she wanted me to get her anything from GF (our dog kennel panels finally came in!).
She asked for some canvases to do some painting on.
This is the first thing she completed. She even used the Prowler colors and logo. It's going up in my room this fall.
I don't remember exactly when but I think Casey was trying to say some smart and I just piped up and declared "Yo face mutha!" in my best gangster accent.
Well, it has become a signature piece of mine.
Whenever a student complains, I let them have it with "Yo face mutha!" most of the laugh while some look at me like they can't believe I just said that and others aren't sure what to think.
Well, a couple of students from my first semester Lit & Language 11 class were taking pictures and they aimed their camera at me. So I gave them my best "West Coast" gang sign and said "Yo face mutha."
Then one day not too terribly long ago, I walked in to my room to find that picture printed out with the words "Thug Life" running vertically down the left side while "Yo Face Mutha" ran horizontally across the bottom.
KoKo saw that picture when she went to school with me on our last day. Obviously, she was inspired, for I asked her yesterday if she wanted me to get her anything from GF (our dog kennel panels finally came in!).
She asked for some canvases to do some painting on.
This is the first thing she completed. She even used the Prowler colors and logo. It's going up in my room this fall.
Everything seems trivial in light of the last entry
Last night Kristie and I were wiped out. We finally get Kenzers to bed (they assured me at daycare that she was very tired and ready for a nap - yet by the time I got her home and fed and just about to does off on my shoulder, Kristie came home from work. I don't know how Kenzie does it, but she has Mommy radar. For as soon as Kristie set foot in the back door, Kenzie's head popped up and she started craning her neck around. Then later I fed her again and had her out. So I carried her upstairs but as soon as I laid her down, she woke up and was having none of this nap stuff) around 10.
We brought our books upstairs to bed but we both were too tired. We turned off the lights and the next thing we knew there was a knock on our door and it was 6:00 am. KoKo wanted to know why we didn't get her up at 5:30 for sports excel! Then we realized that we hadn't turned on the baby monitor either!
I went to check on Kenzie and she was fine and sleeping soundly.
I guess we must still be recovering from all that yard work on Saturday.
We brought our books upstairs to bed but we both were too tired. We turned off the lights and the next thing we knew there was a knock on our door and it was 6:00 am. KoKo wanted to know why we didn't get her up at 5:30 for sports excel! Then we realized that we hadn't turned on the baby monitor either!
I went to check on Kenzie and she was fine and sleeping soundly.
I guess we must still be recovering from all that yard work on Saturday.
Powerful site
I don't know how I stumbled on it.
Oh wait. I do too. I saw a picture from Tienanmen on the history widget on my blog. I clicked on it, and before I knew it, I was on a blog that featured photos that changed the world. After a little more searching I found this site.
Be warned. Many of the pictures are disturbing. But they are supposed to be.
I know I sure hugged Kenzie a little tighter when I picked her up from daycare today as a result of some of them. But that's a good thing.
Don't bother to read the commentary by viewers. They're mostly morons and idiots. But the pictures. Well, they're powerful. I don't know if they changed the world. But viewing them changed me.
I was familiar with many. I used the burning monk picture in my College Comp II class. Then we began discussing famous photographs and both the migrant mother with her children and the soldier kissing the girl as he steps ashore were other famous photos that students mentioned as powerful.
If you don't click on the link above, I've included some of the most powerful are offered below.
One of the most disturbing photos I've ever seen. The photograph, Kevin Carter, won a Pulitzer, but he killed himself shortly after taking the picture.
There are several stories regarding the photo. Most agree that the starving child crawled to a United Nations food camp. Most agree that Carter set the camera down and chased the vulture away. Most agree that the government warned journalists not to touch any of the starving people for fear of disease.
One can only imagine the guilt Carter must have felt and what that must have done to him in order for him to take his own life.
It's tragic that he never intervened. But then, what could he have done? Had he carried the child to the food camp, would they have been able to save the child or was it too far gone?
More importantly, I think, this picture reminds me to think about all the things I don't do for others in a single day. How can I criticize this man when I don't always go out of my way to help others in my day to day life.
The last Jew in Vinnitsa. There is no doubt this poor man's fate. To think that such atrocities happened - and continue to happen - is sickening. This is why we read Night and this is why we read Kaffir Boy. The photo below this one depicts a Ruwanda Hutu who was mutilated for supposedly sympathising with rebels.
Atrocities happen but the human spirit can prevail.
Doing the Lord's work in hell. This man is a saint in my book. He braved sniper fire to offer this dying soldier his last rights. Thy will be done . . . indeed.
When fighting monsters one should remember not to become one, right?
This http://www.countryscribe.com/weblog/2009_05_10_archive.html">article says more about the torture policies of the US.
Just scroll down to "Drip, drip, drip."
Burial of an unknown child. I don't how you can't be haunted by this one. I believe this was the result of an industrial accident. When I first saw it, I thought it was from the turn of the century or maybe from the '50s. It conjured up images I had imagined while reading The Jungle.
I was horrified to learn that this occurred in 1984.
Here is a link to a story on the http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/nightmare-in-bhopal">accident.
Oh wait. I do too. I saw a picture from Tienanmen on the history widget on my blog. I clicked on it, and before I knew it, I was on a blog that featured photos that changed the world. After a little more searching I found this site.
Be warned. Many of the pictures are disturbing. But they are supposed to be.
I know I sure hugged Kenzie a little tighter when I picked her up from daycare today as a result of some of them. But that's a good thing.
Don't bother to read the commentary by viewers. They're mostly morons and idiots. But the pictures. Well, they're powerful. I don't know if they changed the world. But viewing them changed me.
I was familiar with many. I used the burning monk picture in my College Comp II class. Then we began discussing famous photographs and both the migrant mother with her children and the soldier kissing the girl as he steps ashore were other famous photos that students mentioned as powerful.
If you don't click on the link above, I've included some of the most powerful are offered below.
One of the most disturbing photos I've ever seen. The photograph, Kevin Carter, won a Pulitzer, but he killed himself shortly after taking the picture.
There are several stories regarding the photo. Most agree that the starving child crawled to a United Nations food camp. Most agree that Carter set the camera down and chased the vulture away. Most agree that the government warned journalists not to touch any of the starving people for fear of disease.
One can only imagine the guilt Carter must have felt and what that must have done to him in order for him to take his own life.
It's tragic that he never intervened. But then, what could he have done? Had he carried the child to the food camp, would they have been able to save the child or was it too far gone?
More importantly, I think, this picture reminds me to think about all the things I don't do for others in a single day. How can I criticize this man when I don't always go out of my way to help others in my day to day life.
The last Jew in Vinnitsa. There is no doubt this poor man's fate. To think that such atrocities happened - and continue to happen - is sickening. This is why we read Night and this is why we read Kaffir Boy. The photo below this one depicts a Ruwanda Hutu who was mutilated for supposedly sympathising with rebels.
Atrocities happen but the human spirit can prevail.
Doing the Lord's work in hell. This man is a saint in my book. He braved sniper fire to offer this dying soldier his last rights. Thy will be done . . . indeed.
When fighting monsters one should remember not to become one, right?
This http://www.countryscribe.com/weblog/2009_05_10_archive.html">article says more about the torture policies of the US.
Just scroll down to "Drip, drip, drip."
Burial of an unknown child. I don't how you can't be haunted by this one. I believe this was the result of an industrial accident. When I first saw it, I thought it was from the turn of the century or maybe from the '50s. It conjured up images I had imagined while reading The Jungle.
I was horrified to learn that this occurred in 1984.
Here is a link to a story on the http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/nightmare-in-bhopal">accident.
What a patch of sunlight can do
This is how I want to spend my summer afternoons. Einer has the right idea.
Now that school is over - at least for a month and a half until I begin teaching at the ALC in the middle of July - I can revert to my summer ways - not wearing a watch or socks or shoes. No schedules to follow - other than getting Kenzie to daycare (twice a week) and KoKo to softball practice. No routines. Maybe I can work in a couple naps on our porch. A stroll in the early evening (well, given how fast Kristie walks . . . no, it isn't even a walk, it's a hyper-walk) with Kenzie. Maybe find time to squeeze in some water aerobics. Barbequing in the back yard. Evenings spent out on the patio with a fire and watching the bats swoop about.
Now, those are a few of the things I love about summer.
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
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