30 January 2009

Way cool Web sites and news about me (sort of)

After listening to an story on NPR about the old IBM Model M keyboards (which I did love for their typewriter like feel), I did a little surfing online for the company that makes them today. The IBM Selectric-like feel of those old keybaords was wonderfully reminiscent of my 7th grade typing class with Mrs. Weesa (not sure of the spelling on that name anymore, so forgive me Mrs. Weesa). I didn't do well at the time in that class, but I did learn to touch type, and I don't peek at the keys. Although I love all the extra media and application keys on my Microsoft Wireless Multimedia Keyboard, I do miss that clickety-clack of a real, spring loaded, heavy duty, built to last keyboard.

After checking out that bit of retrotechno, I decided to hunt for more cool tech. I found Steampunk. These are beautiful works of art that, alas, are not for sale. That keyboard is downright beautiful. I've always been fascinated by the aesthetic of cyberpunk: analogue and digital coming together in such crafted elegance. [post scriptum: I found a site where a man makes keyboards like these for sale - Datamancer.net. Heck, the name of the site alone requires a little creative loafing on my part!)

In other news (look around a bit, you'll see me standing out from the crowd), the high school where I teach is now award winning. I wish the recognition weren't merely for high test scores because so much more happens at Northgate than simple standardized achievement. I work with some very inspired teachers, and I have students that impress me every day. I'm proud to be a teacher at NGHS. Go Vikings!

25 January 2009

Inauguration of a New America

Tuesday at school, we watched President Obama's inauguration on CNN. My upper level French classes most often tend to be filled with the most liberal students in the school. Because we are in the Bible belt, that tends to be the entire population of 11 liberal high school students. Being who I am, I think that may be why they're attracted to my courses.

During the new president's address, we commented to each other, and when the address ended, we commented more. My favorite part, right now anyway, was "To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist." That call for peace, for the end to the anger in the world, it was the line that touched me.

As a teacher in a public school, the next portion of the speech that touched me was this passage: "What is demanded, then, is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition on the part of every American that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world; duties that we do not grudgingly accept, but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character than giving our all to a difficult task." Making this nation great requires hard work on the part of all Americans. For years I have heard criticisms of thrown at our country, our people and our schools--by Americans! The only way to improve our country is to get off "our" critical backside, take off the necktie or high heels, roll up your sleeves and get to work on making the United States a better country. I believe in public schools, so that's where I teach. I believe that public school teachers are great people, so I work hard to be a great teacher and to help my colleagues to the same. Thank you, Mr. President, for the reminder that each and every one of us is responsible for our success or failure in the world.

Although our previous president was not necessarily my favorite, I do not envy the hard tasks he faced during the last eight years. In all, I feel hopeful for this new administration. I'm grateful that this new president has a very different vision for the United States, and I look forward to the changes to come.

17 January 2009

Things to do

Finally, with the Eastern Orthodox Christmas just around the corner, my little Episcopalean tribe is taking down the Christmas tree.

I've also decided to clear off my Stephen King collection of hardbacks and rare paperbacks. If this link works, you can see my Amazon storefront. Maybe if you're looking to update your collection, I might have the book you need.

I plan to sleep a little extra this weekend because of the Monday federal holiday.

Tuesday, my school system is authorizing classes to have students watch the Inauguration during the school day. I'm glad; it's an important experience to witness.

10 January 2009

New semesters all around

It's 2009, and with the new year came a new semester for my high school and a new quarter for my online degree program. My teaching course load includes an art class and three French classes. I'm glad that this term I have one advanced French class with students who really want to work on the material. My art class is smaller this term, too. It looks to be a good semester.

For my online courses, I've enrolled in one course in collaborative professional settings. The other is in curriculum development. The courses seem to be off to a good start. I've got all of this week's work done, and tomorrow I will dig into the next unit.

My kids are enjoying their new school terms. Both have had positive comments on their teachers and classes, but I'm sure each would have enjoyed a few more days for Christmas break. I think I would have as well.

20 December 2008

Face at rest


Relaxed (adapted from National Geographic, January 2009) [Graphite on paper]

The Bear



The Grizzly (adapted from National Geographic, January 2009) [Graphite on paper]

15 December 2008

Round one of online classes is over!

Although that course on educational funding about gave me the worst nightmares of my life, I finished it successfully. Grades won't come out for a few more days, but so far, it looks good there. With regard to my class on historical foundations of public schools, I received top grades for all my papers. I feel especially good about that course.

Page and Marie have done well this year, too. My son's struggle with 9th grade has proved that parental support is essential in that first year of high school. He's pulling himself together to meet the academic and scheduling challenges. I'm proud of him. My daughter has been bitten by the drama bug. She's in love with her drama class this term. Who'd have guessed?

John, the love of my life, is working hard in New York to supply the people of Long Island with plenty of electricity. At least he'll be home for Christmas.

For New Year's Eve, the whole bunch will be with John on Long Island. A New England New Year, my first, and I'm excited to be there for it, a little scared to drive in the winter for fear of deep snow somewhere on route though.

08 December 2008

Frustration with higher education

I'm only one week away from finishing my first full term with Capella University online. It's been a very bumpy start. The course I have enjoyed the most was historical foundations in American education. For that one, I did some in-depth study of the content and was able to apply the skills I was learning to the research I did. One drawback was that the professor experiences a personal problem just before the midway point of the course. At that time, his feedback (that had been otherwise timely, engaging and helpful) all but disappeared.

The leadership course that was the beginning of my program did prepare me to be a more analytical thinker regarding leadership decisions. It also encouraged me that any teacher can take a leadership role in his or her work environment. Still, some of the content seemed redundant and not well structured over the ten weeks.

Educational funding was the nightmare before Christmas! The instructor provided feedback so late in the game that frequently I found myself having missed the mark on assignments or discussions. He seemed to assume that everyone coming into the course should already have an extensive knowledge of the complexities of federal, state and local educational funding as well as of litigation and legislation about equity and adequacy in education. Asking him for help was not unlike asking my socks for help. You know: six weeks after you got rid of the solo sock, you found the mate behind the dryer. Unless Capella goes to significant lengths to restructure the presentation and study of course content, I would not recommend it to anyone. Unfortunately, modified or not, it still is a core class for the EdS in Curriculum and Instruction.

Fortunately, in all my classes I stayed engaged in all the weekly discussions no matter how confused or frustrated I became. I've turned in all my assignments on time and did my very best to include all the points of discussion based on rubrics and checklists provided in the course rooms by the instructors.

According to my academic counselor, my future courses will allow me to tailor my research more closely to my teaching field (art education and French/foreign languages). I do hope that will be the case.

01 December 2008

Thankful for Thanksgiving

This past Thanksgiving was wonderful. My mother came from Nevada; my boyfriend came from New York; my children were with me all week. With the slightly crowded apartment, we managed not to step on each others' toes, to enjoy family time together in a relaxed manner and to stock up a few memories for years to come.

We also put our Christmas tree. Since most of the time there's only my son and I here, it was nice to have family all around to decorate the tree together. This makes my son's 14th Christmas and my daughter's 12th. Counting Christmases seems just so silly on one hand, but on the other, each one is important. I wish I could distinguish one from the other, but basically they all sort of run together. Happy lights on the Christmas tree that is my brain...very bad analogy, but I don't care.

Only 24 more days are left until Christmas. That one and Thanksgiving are my favorites though today they do not compare to the holidays I spent as a child in Nevada. The constant flow of relatives in and out of our home and my grandmother's (who lived just down the street) gave me a great sense of connection. It's a connection I try hard every year to recreate, and given the challenges my family faces in geography alone, that task is no easy one.

15 November 2008

Notes for the week

Band is finally done for Page. Northgate made it to the first round of state playoffs, but alas, we lost against the Marist War Eagles, 42-0. Looks like the War Eagles plucked the Vikings. At least Page will be able to have some weekends to himself again.

My leadership class toward my EdS has come to an end. Fortunately, this conclusion means a little less stress during the work week for me. I've got plenty to do still though with two classes ongoing; both have heavy reading requirements. At least we're coming up on some vacation time in my teaching schedule, so I'll be able to deal with the reading because I won't have as many teaching obligations.

Last week, my mother's dog passed away. Tommy had been her faithful Yorkie for more than 16 years. She's affected for sure, and she will wait a while before considering adopting a new dog. She still has her cats, and I'm sure she'll be ok, but I feel for her.

At her school, my daughter is pursuing the drama career of her dreams. In her class, Marie is auditioning for all the fun parts in her class plays. I think she may have been bitten by the showbiz bug.

07 November 2008

Wochenrückblick

Now that it's Friday night, I'm resting on the sofa watching SciFi Channel's Stargate Atlantis. I suppose that at heart I will always be a scifi nerd. I can't help but wonder if that has any bearing on my ability to make friends? This past week, my asthma has been a real challenge for me. I've been using my inhalers as much as dosage will allow, and finally my symptoms are returning to normal manageable levels. Whew.

Election day was long. I waited in line for 90 minutes before casting my vote, and I had arrived at the polls by 6:45 AM. My vote made little difference in my state, but I felt accomplished as part of the democratic process. I'm glad to see our country move in a new direction, and I'll be hoping for more progress. The constitutional ballot initiatives in Florida, California and Arizona leave me in a state of grief, but I'm hopeful for revised initiatives in future elections.

Today was my sister's 37th birthday. John and I sent her an iPod Nano. She had a baby last month, and I think with the typical hullabaloo around a new baby, mom can get a little forgotten. I look forward to seeing my new niece as soon as I can, but in the meantime, I wanted my sister Kristie to know just how special she is. When I talked to her on the phone today, she was incredibly surprised and happy about her present. She wants to play movies on it while she exercises. I hope she doesn't forget about the baby.

My son has had a lot less stress since marching band finished its busiest season. Our high school went to regional playoffs tonight, so the band still had a show. However, the rehearsal schedule he faces is greatly reduced. I'm glad because he's getting more sleep, but he's also trying to parlay his free time into video game play. I won't go for it.

While at her mother's house, my daughter had a blast on Halloween. She filled a pillowcase with candy when she went trick-or-treating. Apparently in the last week she has halved what remained from her treats that night. Her mother has since made me the warden of the candy, and now somehow I'm to develop will power enough of my own not to eat it all myself. Quel dilemme!

Beau, my lovely dog, has been a bit goofy this week. I think he's feeling a little stir crazy with being indoors too much. More walks, more walks, more walks. We both need the exercise.

02 November 2008

Election only two days away

Well, decision day is almost here. If not for Page's hectic schedule for marching band, I might have voted early. Instead I'll go early to my polling place Tuesday morning to cast my ballot. We'll be up late watching returns. This looks to be an intense and exciting election day.

Yesterday Page had the last band competition of the season.  Unfortunately, they lost the grand champion spot by 0.8 points.  They did win best marching and best visual effect.  The show really was good.  They still have a play-off game to perform.  Who knows?  Football could go to state (knock on wood).

26 October 2008

Weekend with my daughter

Going back to school for another degree takes a lot of time. One of my concerns apart from too little sleep and too much homework is taking time away from my children. I'm home because I'm doing the courses online, but I'm also absent because I am spending all my time reading and writing for classes.

Yesterday after finishing a paper for my class on educational finance, I took a needed break. My daughter Marie and I went to lunch at Five Guys (Damn, those fries are tasty!), and then I took her to see High School Musical 3. She and I had a great time. Really, the choreography is top notch in that movie, and the songs are Disney pop-perfect as usual. Frankly, that's not a bad thing. Milk Duds and Swedish Fish made for great snacks. She's so glad that her braces are off her teeth.

Take time out with your kids. They won't be little for long.

19 October 2008

Busy Sunday morning

  • walk Beau
  • get Saturday's mail
  • make coffee
  • prepare bread dough to rise
  • prepare crock pot to make black bean soup
  • do Page's laundry
  • back up files from Page's computer
  • back up assignments from my laptop
  • make oatmeal
  • run the dishwasher
  • shop @ Target
  • shop @ Publix

02 October 2008

TiVo...OH NO!

Last Saturday, it was a nightmare.

There I was trying to finish homework for the week for my online course Leadership Innovation. Suddenly, my son says to me "Papa, the something's wrong with TiVo." The infrared on the remote just shone red. The TV kept making that electronic thud sound. TiVo would not advance correctly to any of the right menus nor would it command the cable box to turn to the channels I chose. After consulting troubleshooting guides online and after calling tech support, the answer was to order a new remote control, as this one was definitely dead.

Thursday, the new remote came. Yay! Because of my homework schedule, I'm not watching broadcast TV whenever programs air. Instead, I'm banking shows on TiVo to scan when studies are light or my discussion questions are finished. I need that remote to work. Ah, sure, some of you would just say throw out the TV. But, then I actually might go crazy. I need my Ugly Betty, Heroes, Smallville, Pushing Daisies, CSI, etc. etc. Even if it's only background noise from the other room, it reminds me that the fascinating study of educational funding will eventually come to an end, and my life can be a little more normal.

This Saturday has been a little more pleasant. Although my daughter is with her mother this weekend, and my son is at a band competition all day, I have a working remote control for my TiVo!

21 September 2008

Setting small goals while watching TV online

Ok. Doing all this work means setting a million small goals. I can't look at the big picture too much: teaching, learning, fathering, personal growth.. Trying to fit it all together in one scene is too much like trying to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in my head. So instead, I'm going to work on one sketch at a time until somewhere down the line I have a finished picture. Once in a while I'll stand back to make sure it's not becoming too surreal.

For today: I finished one of three readings and posted a discussion topic entry for the first of three due this week. Hooray for me! Now I'm grading journals for French III & IV while I let Fringe play on Fox.com. (I caught part of the pilot, and it intrigued me. However, why do we need so many British or Australian [etc.] actors on TV pretending to be American?) It's something like a 21st century X-files. I don't know if it's meant to have the same cachet, but it was worth a second look. The first episode did freak me out with the whole liquefied flesh business. It's not a show for the kids!

One journal left, and then it's off to marking some homework papers and checking art projects. Believe it or not, I do work my whole planning period. I'm going to have to cut back on preparations...someday.

20 September 2008

Posts will be less frequent

Because I'm engaged in pursuit of higher learning, the frequency of these entries will most likely diminish. As often as I can, I'll post an update here or there, but expect them to be largely about my course work and progress.

13 September 2008

eLearning is on!

After finishing the first week of course material in my education specialist program at Capella, I feel a bit more secure in my ability to finish the program.  Having a collegue at school enrolled in the same program is very helpful.  We're able to discuss topics together in a way that neither of us could in a purely online format.  In addition to the offline discussions, I have logged into the course room daily to check discussion threads and to see if there are any messages or announcements from my instructor.  That has helped me, too, to see whether I am making appropriate progress in the class.

What's funny?  My students love asking whether I have been doing my homework.

Note to self: I need to squeeze yoga into my routine again.

01 September 2008

Waiting on the dough

Brioche-like dough rises in the breadpan.
Soon enough it will be a freshly baked loaf
Of delicious bread
Great for jam and tea.
Yum

30 August 2008

Marching band delights my son

He's hooked!
He is in love with marching band.  Last night at the season opening football game for Northgate, the band rocked and executed all their drills impressively.  Page didn't miss a step or a beat and made me very proud last night.  He played his heart out, marched like a pro.

In the car he said to me, "Papa, this is like being on the football team.  I have to go to all the practices, and I have to be at all the games."  He also said, "That makes my band class like going to weight training."

What capped it all?  Our team won!

What will make his mom cheer?  He asked to get his hair cut, so he won't be so hot in his uniform!

Will wonders never cease?