Working on it......

Out to the tall grass

2011-09-27T17:13:00.000-05:00

Away we went on Monday to the tall grass north of town... out by the baseball field. We did what my science teacher hubby referred to as Vegetation Plot Samples. The English teacher will tell you that we looked at, picked, and counted the stuff that grows in a meter square.
I had my hesitation until I found a batch of milkweed that had recently opened. I remember loving them when I was little. The innards are soft and fluffy. Yes, I know that there are farmers out there wielding a heavy club at me right now.
We also had a student pick up a fruit pod of some sort... curious enough he opened it and smelled it and shared the experience with those around. Oddly enough we all smelled something different. I thought it smelled like rhubarb. The student thought pumpkin. I was excited that he simply did that on his own and then shared. Yeah!!!!
We also had a pile of..... hmmmm.. to put it delicately... animal droppings. I wanted to collect and examine to see what the animal had eaten... but alas, I was outvoted. Probably a good thing.
The students got right to work and worked well in their groups. They were documenting in their lab notebooks and were actively engaged in the activity. The next class period they will attempt to identify the samples of vegetation they collected. Then we'll move on to classifying animals and plants by genus/species/etc.
Today those same students worked on reading for detail in a non-fiction text. They catch on soooo quickly.
It's homecoming week here at AHS. Coronation was last night and we crowned a very happy couple King and Queen for the week. Tonight the VB team plays in Parkston and Thursday at home. Then Friday is the Big game against Marty. Then homecoming is done!!!! Yeah.
So.. our student council arranges and organizes the parade and all the compnents. With guiding influences from the administration. Do you suppose they know that they are learning along the way?
Our seniors are ankle deep in their senior ventures. Their first deadline is October 7 and that is the proposal. I think they are believing that if they don't start, then the whole process isn't really going to happen. This is our 4th year and every year has been a new journey. They will do just fine on this whole process once they begin... now to get them to begin. :)
My freshmen are writing a story... one step at a time. They all believe that they can just simply jump in and the story will come out without any prior planning. Well... we may have a few Ernest Hemingways in the class, but for now.. I want to know how they will do.. one step at a time.

And so it continues

2011-09-20T19:48:00.000-05:00

It has definitely been a good year so far. I'm not going to say that our students all of a sudden want to be in school rather than doing just about anything else, but sooo many things have been going right some of us are curious about which anchor is going to drop first.
Our sophomores are in the process of their first presentations. They are rough, but that's OK as they need to begin somewhere and improve. I am afraid that too many of them still feel as if their first attempts have to be perfect. We had several students who got the opportunity to replant their peas. Either their medium didn't work (and smelled up the science room--who will forget the great flour experiment of 2011) or maybe something went wrong with the seed or maybe they overwatered... any number of things could be the issue. Thankfully, those who have replanted (almost all) have now started growing.
We are working on reading for details in English II--the other half of this PBL experience. I have to agree with the kids that picking up a book like The Notebook is more interesting, but this has to be accomplished as well.
We also picked up a class pet the other day thanks to a friend. We were at Wagner Lake in Wagner and the kids fishing were catching a lot of crawfish. So, we found a bucket and collected some water and brought one home.

He's a fun character to watch and has a personality. He was very black when we got him, but he's slowly eating the "stuff" that was on him and is almost a pretty blue.
English IV is working on Packer Press and their first interviews. It's always a challenge to get them curious enough to want to write newspaper articles. But I always have to remind myself, too, that in a small town the "news" isn't always fit to print. They also are creating a children's version of Beowulf. I love the story and I'm anxious to see what they come up with. I've sneaked a peek at a few and they have the right idea.
Business English is working awful hard on a portfolio--resume, letters, etc. Again... a great group of kids if I can keep their attention. They get along well enough that I'd be a little afraid if they ever decided to gang up on me.
English III is also working on a presentation. What would they be seeing if they walked across the land that is currently SD in the 17th century. They are finding that many of the preconceived notions about this area are not founded in fact. I threw a quote at them to think about over the next couple of days. "It takes a whole lot of history to create a little bit of literature." I'd love for them to walk away from this class with the understanding that history and literature never meld so well as it does in America.
Novels class is also doing well. It's nice to have the opportunity to talk to kids simply about the joy of the book.

So.... it's been interesting and busy. I've got ideas and thoughts going through my head every night. Too many.

Week_2_Vocabulary

2011-08-29T19:22:00.001-05:00

So I introduced our attempt at making learning vocabulary a relevant and practical application rather than the mundane... definition and rote quiz approach. It is the first time that I felt as if the students were looking for a cookie cutter box to climb into and feel comfortable.
I imagine that the freedom they are feeling can be overwhelming. I feel apprehension from the students that a pop quiz may be thrown out at them and they'll feel unprepared.
Here's the reality.... they have the world at their fingertips. They need to learn to understand that much information not memorize it. Learning the words will come with usage. They need a reference to help them understand the words and make connections. I'm discovering that those connections are scary for the kids.
The first day of real class some of the students informed me that many of them burn old Christmas tree lights on their campfires and the wires inside then, of course, create multi-colored smoke. Hmmmm.... who would have thought that those old lights could be "recycled". It seemed so absurd when I first heard it, but they didn't initially see the connection to science or anything else "academic".
Are we all missing connections on a grand scale everyday? Maybe we all need to slow down and find out what is around us and how everything connects to everything else.
Working on it... M

Week One

2011-08-28T13:24:00.000-05:00

I imagine that I should be posting everyday what our students are doing, but this week has been a long, adventurous one and I wanted to ponder the week before committing to ink.
We made it through our first shared teaching experience with PBL and sophomores. It reminds me a little of being at the plate and having to adjust to the pitches being thrown. There is a definite learning curve.
But, so far, I think we've already seen small tidbits of success. Remembering that our students direct the class and we have to give them an opportunity to question and follow seems to be the largest challenge at the moment.
I want this to be successful, but I've already seen a few roadblocks. Mostly from those who aren't necessarily against the process, but simply don't understand how this problem based learning approach can be successful.
I'm not a big fan of having new things thrown at me, but I'm willing to try what I know will, in the end, be the best things for our students.
I foresee a future where our students learn that their natural curiosity is not only what they need to embrace, but will be what ultimately leads them to a future filled with wonder and new experiences.
I read an article yesterday (http://neatoday.org/2011/05/17/here-come-the-common-core-standards/) where a classroom needed to determine the appropriate force, etc. that a bungee cord needs in order to keep a Barbie doll from hitting the floor from a great height. Of course, they were using rubber bands. Such a simple visual that should be considered standard. What I'm hearing rumblings of is... "these kids will then try to go do this." So, if that has become the fear in education... aren't we doomed? Don't we want our students to go do things? Try things? Test things? Imagine things? Do we want them to blow up buildings in their pursuit? NO. But when did we become so scared that our students would do the wrong thing?
And personally, if a 15 year old tries to jump off a building using only rubber bands to stop his/her progress, I need to resign tomorrow. I have a little more faith in their common sense.
Our sophomores had to go away this weekend and develop an experiment using the design cycle. It all begins with a question. Why? What happens if? To some it came easy and others needed a little more direction. But before they left class most had a great start. And they wanted to know if they could test their hypotheses and do the experiment. That seems like progress to me. Students wanting to do the work.
So... ends our first week. As for everybody else? I feel as if they are a little shortchanged because they aren't doing PBL... but that will change this week. It will become habitual.
Working on it.... M

PAST

2011-07-07T07:41:00.002-05:00

OK... so Monday begins a new era in Armour High School's approach to education. PBL (Project Based Learning) is not new to education, but combining classes, awarding credit for two classes while only attending one, and alternative assessments being the norm are new.
It will be an electric moment when what we know should be taught and how it is taught---is actually how it is taught.

2011-06-27T22:31:00.001-05:00

It's summer and I find myself with the same dilemma of which book do I read first? I try to read them all. If only that was a possibility.
125th celebration here this weekend. Soooo much history in that amount of time. Is it all written down? Have the ghosts all had their say?

Mary Elizabeth

Dr_Jekyll_Mr_Hyde_Victorian London

2011-02-22T14:16:00.000-06:00

2011-02-22T10:52:00.002-06:00

a new year....

2011-01-11T20:21:00.001-06:00

Everyone always takes a new year as a chance to "start new" or as so many resolutions show... to make a change in their life. Richard Paul Evans The Walk showed those same changes but as a result of losing everything that the main character felt was important: money, house, job, stuff.
The gist of the story mimics so many others... main character loses wife to horrendous accident, business partner steals business while he cares for ailing and soon to be dead wife, bank forecloses on house and it's sold... etc... The idea is cliche and a little trite.
The main character in The Walk however, decides to go on a walk. He leaves his personal affairs to be "cleaned up" by his secretary (who is secretly in love with him)and he walks. His plan is to go to Key West from Washington--the state. Yes, we know when he begins that he won't make it as there aren't enough pages in the book to cover that entire journey.
Along the way he meets interesting people who help him discover that life is actually worth living and ultimately save his life.
Now, my skepticism shows through, but I have to admit that I like Evans' stories: The Christmas Box, The Christmas Box Miracle, The Gift... etc. but at the beginning of a new year and home from school due to an unexpected blizzard it simply didn't uplift me the way his other novels have.
I know that the message isn't always ours to know and that everything happens for a reason, but even in novels sometimes that just seems like too big a stretch..
Until the next novel.....
M

2010-12-10T21:51:00.001-06:00

Unstoppable reminded me of the last few chapters of a book. Can't put it down and exciting!!

Santa

2010-12-05T16:17:00.000-06:00

With less than three weeks until Christmas, I feel a burning desire to weigh in on Santa. I have many students who simply don't believe in Santa. In fact, I have several neices who don't believe that Santa exists. Now, don't get me wrong. I believe that Santa exists, but not the "put presents under my tree" Santa in which so many young people want to believe, but a bigger, more important Santa.
I'm rereading a series of books that Santa brought me when I was 9. THey were all "classic" pieces of literature--Heidi, The Black Stallion, The Wizard of Oz, etc. The box contained 12 treasures that I read and reread throughout my life. And, they were all paperback, so they are not in as good of condition as most Kindle editions would be after... so many years. The books were delivered by my parents, but the joy that they've brought could only be from Santa.
My grandparents house had a slippery set of stairs to the second floor--where the kids slept on our visits. And at Christmas, we would show up and find three containers of Chex Mix sitting on the stairs--one for each of us. Grandma had Chex Mix everywhere in the house, but she always claimed that those containers were not put there by her. Santa?

O Pioneers

2010-12-03T15:29:00.000-06:00

It's nice when students read Cather's works. Her natural way with words and descriptions of the land and people bring a smile to my face. And the Hallmark movie isn't too bad either. It is not my favorite of her novels... It would be The Profesor's House. All too often, I feel like Outland, the main character. Outland's complications with his relationships reminds me of those in everyday, ordinary life. I guess that's why Cather's work has survived as long as it has.

Holidays

2010-11-13T08:27:00.000-06:00

I have never been a really big fan of November 1 through January 2. And now with stores putting out Christmas paraphernalia sometime in October, the season just lasts way too long. I've purchased a wreath this year. A way for a local youth group to raise money for some service project or bonding trip. I've never purchased a wreath before. I don't decorate very often and truth be told, there has been years that I haven't put a tree up.
The food is what I remember most from my childhood. Mom's homemade rolls.. now a staple in my own freezer. My grandmother's pies...that my sister has learned so well. Now my aunt-in-law's nut pudding. The only true traditions that have been passed down center around those foods that have been passed down on soiled recipe cards. I'm grateful that WalMart doesn't sell those traditions. They seem untouched through the years.
When my grandmother passed away, the only real thing anyone fought over was her recipe box. My mom has gathered her favorites and created a family cookbook that sits on my shelf. But my own recipe box now has stained and smeared recipes handwritten on 3x5 cards hopefully fought over when I go. If those cards could only talk.
Is it any wonder that the novels I find so "fun" to read are those that integrate food into the storyline and place recipes to begin every chapter.

The Book of Eli

2010-09-05T10:58:00.002-05:00

The Book of Eli begins very similar to all post-end of world stories--man searching for food, stealing shoes off those departed, taking pleasure in those familiar things like music. What would life really be like?
Lonely.
As much as we like to be within our own thoughts, we relish human contact--whether in crowds or our own home. Reading Stephen King's newest gargantuan novel- Under the Dome--the world reacts to suddenly being under a dome. Some are in and some are out. I'm pondering which I would prefer. Regardless--whichever one I would end up I would probably want the other. But isn't that what life is truly about? Choices? Lack of making a choice is still a choice. And then learning to live with them? So in these post worlds--do we choose to be lonely? Or are we simply not making a choice and accepting the easiest path?
I'd like to believe that I would want to continue to exist if our world drastically changed such as in Book of Eli, Mad Max, Under the Dome, but I'm not sure. I've explained to my students many times that I hope this isn't the end. If the life we are living right now is the end we've been fooled. But, alas, I have faith and even with the world being minimized to a technological fiasco, I still believe there's more.
The one consistent factor in all of the works mentioned? Someone begins to care for someone else and would give up the world for him/ her. No longer are they lonely. In fact, they are willing to give up what is best of themselves for someone else.

Mary EK Schneider

Blog_1

2010-08-31T11:42:00.003-05:00

Im excited to have a dog.

Firegirl

2010-06-23T21:35:00.002-05:00

I have always disliked the perception that I will react one way or another in any situation. My experience has shown me, anyway, that the one perceiving my reaction is more often than not incorrect. As far back as I can remember, I have been misperceived. And frankly, I'm tired of it.

Firegirl by Tom Abbot shows the perserverance of Jessica, a student burned in a fire and now attending a private school while she heals. She has visible scars and in true teenage fashion, those in her classes can't easily identify with her. In most young adult literature, the story ends on a happier note than most of the story, and this one proves that rule.

But whose wrong here? The girl with the visible scars trying to protect herself? Or those who honestly show their fear and misunderstanding of her?

I've struggled with this idea all day. I feel as if I am being perceived in one manner and in truth with a little conversation, one would find out that the perception is inaccurate. I changed my hair color today--drastic action for me. And those who know me (very small in number), understand that. I don't like change. I do, however, like to rattle the cage that I am in occasionally to remind myself that I am alive. I'm not the same individual I was when I was 18, 25, 32, or even a year ago and I'm OK with that. I'm not sure that I even liked the person I was at 18. I know there were many things that I did that I would not do today. I like that I can walk away when I want to today and not be devastated that what I perceived to be the end of the world--actually isn't. When one thing doesn't happen I know that something else can and could be salvaged from it.

So, back to the story. She persists for acceptance--not blatant acceptance, but acceptance. So what does that mean for the rest of us? We stick to our misperceptions in an attempt to shelter us. To maintain a boundary that too often doesn't need to be created. We simply don't believe that those we choose to surround ourselves with actually mean what they say. We don't take people at their voice and we choose to believe something else. All in a manner to protect ourself.

I learned this year that honesty--not just telling the truth--is key to everything. I stopped playing games a long time ago in my life and started accepting that people are fallible. And that's OK. I know that when people just simply state what they mean rather than trying to allow a perception to be made life is so much easier.

I was at a very dark point this year. I felt like my whole world had ended and when I didn't think I could handle anymore I received a phone call from a friend very late at night because they were having a bad day. In fact they felt comfortable enough to tell me that they just needed someone to talk to at that moment. Someone not to judge them. They knew what I was going through and still called me during it. That's what a true friend does. That's when I knew that no matter our perceptions we would always be there for the other one.

Which is what Firegirl needed. Someone to look beyond the surface and understand that honesty is key and having someone to look beyond and understand that honesty is the most important element in any relationship albeit friendship or something else.

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2010-06-17T09:19:00.001-05:00

So this is what a long dry creek looks like after 7-11 inches of rain. Holy cow!
Mary EK Schneider

Day 2 of sunshine

2010-06-17T08:58:00.002-05:00

Second day in a row I woke to sun streaming in the window instead of gloomy clouds. Logically I know that the rain brings good crops, flowers, and green lawns, but I also know that a lack of Vitamin D leaves me a little gloomy.
I'm reading a book called A Stain on the Silence by Andrew Taylor. Only a few pages in but so far it seems to be a good mystery. I'm weary of James Patterson these days as he is now becoming predictable and well.... cliche. He has yet another new novel out. They seem to come in threes--a month. Can he truly have that many good plots or is he simply now writing to produce? So, I will try Andrew Taylor who sets most of his stories in Britian and I love stories set in Britain.
Will I be disappointed? Maybe. Disappointment.... has its own meanderings.
I'm going to have to spray for ants today. My counter has increased from one at a time to two at a time...
I crave a smore and a campfire.

100 Days and 99 Nights

2010-06-16T14:21:00.001-05:00

A cute book concerned with the sacrifices of those that soldiers leave behind--on the homefront. Made me tear up a little by the end. Silly I know... I'm not sure that it's completely normal to cry at books, but I do.

From the road....

2010-06-15T20:15:00.001-05:00

Testing my phone to make sure that this system still works. Enough regrets at letting things get away from me and I don't want that to happen again.
Mary EK Schneider

I'm always learning....

2010-06-15T20:06:00.003-05:00

Every summer I spend a short amount of time reflecting on what I've done and what I want to accomplish. It's short because as I get older I also realize that what has passed can't be changed. Going forward is the only direction to go.
Armour recently suffered through a flood. The entire middle section of town and several outlying areas suffered losses from flooded basements. The city and county will need to work on fixing roads and culverts. It's a devastating thing--flooding.
It's amazing what you learn about people when things like a natural disaster occurs. Granted, it doesn't rank in the same category as a BP oil spill, but for a small town with limited funds right now it just feels that way. It's the things you learn that make coming out on the other side worth it. We should take more time to learn those things before a disaster occurs. I find that people surprise me more and more as it's the things we don't know that make others worth knowing.

2009-10-27T22:52:00.001-05:00

I sleep, but my mind is awake.
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the Game by Diana Wynne Jones

2009-10-25T18:46:00.003-05:00

Young adult literature is truly at a high point right now with the cult following of Twilight and the others in the trilogy. And, I like to read some YAL occassionally so I can give some suggestions to students... The Game was an interesting, albeit, short read.
The gist of the story is that another layer of the world exists and only certain individuals--mythological creatures-- have access to the mythosphere. OK, I have to admit that I like the name of this otherworld.
What an idea. I could compare to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but I won't be tedious because the stories share similarities, but Lewis would probably not agree with the punishments doled out over illicit marriages, etc. that occur in The Game. It's tame enough. And one should know that I could care less how raunchy it would get. Doesn't seem to affect me a whole lot.
It does remind me of Dungeons and Dragons a little. Yes, I am from that era, but not a player. The characters play a game that involves going into the mythosphere to accomplish small tasks.
Would I reread the story? No... it was enjoyable for the hour or so it took to read, but not something that I'm going to continue to write about beyond right now!

The Scarlet Letter

2009-10-23T13:39:00.002-05:00

As I reread the Scarlet Letter, as I mentioned before, I always find something new in the story. In Chapter 13, I am reminded of Hawthorne's view of women as they grow older. Now, I imagine I'm not afraid to say that I will be 41 next week. Not a milestone--that was last year. But I never really accepted that I was 40, so I imagine that I now need to get over that idea.
Hawthorne says:
"Some attribute had departed from her, the permanence of which had been essential to keep her a woman. Such is frequently the fate, and such the stern development of the feminine character and person, when the woman has encountered, and lived through, an experience of peculiar severity. If she be all tenderness, she will die. If she survive, the tenderness will either be crushed out of her, or--and the outward semblance is the same--crushed so deeply into her heart that it can never show itself more. The latter is perhaps the truest theory. She who has once been woman, and ceased to be so, might at any moment become a woman again, if there were only the magic touch to effect the transfiguration."

OK. I have a few comments on this. First, I believe that there is some essential part of each of us that makes us male or female. Genetics, nurture? I don't know. I know that as a female, I have the capabiliities of many things that my male counterparts do not. I also believe that if a woman does not have some stamina, the hard parts of life will break them. They may become weak; they may become non-existent; they may become something less than what they were before the hard parts of life. I don't necessarily believe that the tenderness would be crushed out of her.

Now, that being said, I do believe that women can become the woman that they were if the right magic touch is available.
I'm a scorpion. I feel passionately and wholeheartedly about most things. I don't really believe in grey areas. If you're going to believe in something--believe in something... And believe wholeheartedly. Now, saying that is one thing and behaving on that are different stories.
What if Hester's tenderness has been "crushed out of her"? Was it the adultery with Dimmesdale or being alone for two months as Roger Chillingworth galavanted around with the American Indians? She does appear more cold, but can we blame her for that behavior?

"Much of the marble coldness of Hester's impression was to be attributed to the circumstance that her life had turned, in a great measure, from passion and feeling, to thought. Standing alone in the world..."

Hawthorne goes on to explain that women's thoughts can not overcome problems--not necessarily a dig against women't intelligence as he's talking about the soul and a woman's passion. He goes on to say that if a woman's heart is put first, then problems "vanish". And Hester.. has turned to thought.. not her heart.

"There was a wild and ghastly scenery all around her, and a home and comfort nowhere. At times a fearful doubt strove to possess her soul, whether it were not better to send Pearl at once to heaven, and go herself to such futurity as Eternal Justice should provide."

Wow. The choice between killing your own child, committing suicide or being happy and following your heart? Doesn't seem a fair choice. Or a realistic one. Even during the 16th century women were fighting for the simple right to be happy?

Nicholas Sparks, author of great stories like: The Notebook, The Rescue, etc., is often applauded for his ability to write for the female audience with such grace and accuracy. Is Hawthorne the prelude to Sparks? Or is Hawthorne just lucky? I'm going to stick with him being a genius.

Wow... Hawthorne hits so many ideas straight on the head!!!

Blogging

2009-10-21T19:33:00.003-05:00

I have my students blog. Varying amounts, but a minimum of 5 times every week. Some feel as if this assignment is a burden to their otherwise busy lives. I want my students to enjoy reading and writing. I want my students to feel the pleasure in reading a novel and learning about the characters and passions and ideas that they don't already have access to. HMMMMM... I am pondering a solution....

Research and the Scarlet Letter

2009-10-15T19:25:00.003-05:00

I love research. I imagine that it has a little to do with my snoopy, Scorpion nature, but when it comes down to it... I just love to find new information. My juniors and seniors are struggling with research right now. Research runs colleges. It's trial and error. It's try and fail and try and fail and try and fail and when you are about ready to give up... try and fail and work towards success. One way does not usually accomplish the task and as most scientists will tell you... it needs to be replicated. That's usually the toughest part.
It also takes a lot of organization... one has to keep track of where one has been and where one has succeeded and that is usually the time-taking toil of research. I enjoy the organization now that I have a computer at my fingertips 24/7. I am debating allowing my students to not use notecards this year during their research project. However.... that so goes against the grain of even my thought, that I'm not sure I want to allow that. I may have to ask for their opinion. I've tried to keep it all organized electronically before and It wasn't as easy as I had anticipated. We'll see. Until then, students, keep at it and enjoy the search. I mean really, what else do you have to do during those minutes you are sitting and staring at the wall.

Have a little faith

2009-10-08T19:45:00.001-05:00

Mitch Alboms newest venture came to my doorstep yesterday and it will be late this weekend before I dive into its life changing words.
I've enjoyed his previous works and always found a smile and a occassionally a tear. I imagine that this will bring about the same kind of heart-wrenching theme that will make me question my current mindset.
Which makes me wonder--what is my current mindset? Where am I now in my thoughts? My actions? What am I thinking before I go in to this novel? And how can my point of view change so often if I'm reading several different things at once?
For example, the Scarlet Letter--will be so different in theme and idea than the Albom novel. I will respond after I finish this weekend. Maybe--just maybe--I will have a different attitude. Or maybe I will find out that I'm not so far-off than I think.
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2009-10-06T12:18:00.002-05:00

National teacher of the year! It's all about the students. He reminded us all that for some of the students, school is not only a respite, but their family. We get so caught up in the test scores and grades and parents and all the peripheral material that gets in the way, that all too often we forget that we are there for the kids. How many times have we heard from someone that the reason they are in education is because they like that "Ah-ha" moment in a kid's eye. We need to remember that everyday, not just those days that it fits. Can you believe he was a New York City detective? Teaching was a second career for him. It's never too late for those who can teach to teach.
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2009-10-06T11:59:00.001-05:00

Governor Rounds at the conference!
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2009-10-06T08:38:00.002-05:00

They're 18, let them believe for a while. Paul Kuhlman (right) demonstrated the importance of mass and force to a group who cherish the opportunity to go to the restroom. Paul was the SD Teacher of the Year_2009. He was vivacious and the '80s music was a plus. I will never listen to Tom Petty in quite the same way again.
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2009-10-05T19:11:00.002-05:00

Janie Walters_AMEN!!!!!
Janie Walters.... that's all I have to say. Outstanding speaker with an infectious laugh. If we could have a Janie Walters alarm clock, our classrooms would begin very differently every day.

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2009-10-05T18:47:00.003-05:00

It's all about the kids! Yeah and outstanding job to the Pierre Gov drum corp. They did an outstanding job and demonstrated how important everything the students do is important.

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2009-10-05T12:37:00.002-05:00

Never send 20 language arts teachers in a room to discuss. Around 20 language arts teachers K-12, were sent to the hallway to define what parents, teachers, students and business leaders would expect or be defined as 20 years from now. The only thing we could all agree on is that the hokey pokey would not be our demonstration. (My idea, but I was willing to give it up for the good of the group.) Micro-fiction, symbolic language, and from the token male--a return to the caveman way of communication.
Many of us agreed that the teen speak so popular today--text messaging, tweeting, etc.--is OK. We had one self-proclaimed grammar nazi who foretold of a future without formal language as the end all be all of her world. Another was concerned that we would fall even further behind in the global economy as everyone else in the world is learning formal English and we r lrning to shrtct.
I imagine it to be a combination of the two. I hate to believe that the language I love portrayed through generations of authors and poets and essayists who manipulated it to their advantage... wait a minute.
The multitude of writers and speaker before us manipulated the language? NO, how can that be? Does this mean that our student's manipulation of the language will be accepted and revered hundreds of years from now.
One teacher referred to a novel--Feed--which I had read, but dug out again in order to better understand some of the points my colleagues were making. I don't think we'll be behind the rest of the world, but I know that people will be communicating differently.
This blog, for example. A random set of thoughts going out to the worldwide web and any reader who is willing to listen. Before this technology, the words may have been lost on the random stray farm animal willing to listen, or to myself as I sit at a stop sign. Today, my thoughts might be read by more than one or two people. That's an increase in communication. And isn't that the goal?
I should mention that our intention was to present a skit or some other equally as creative presentation to demonstrate our thoughts, and as English teachers, we assign that type of assignment a lot. We presented, but not creatively, in fact, and I know you'll be surprised here.... we ended up talking the entire time and... communicating. With words, real English words....

Squishy objects

2009-10-05T08:23:00.002-05:00

I just learned that as a teacher I work with squishy objects. The speaker at the Teacher Leadership Conference in Pierre informed us that our students need to be thought of as squishy objects. The students are never static individuals, they are malleable, emotional, and always changing. I imagine that there is some truth to that. In order to make any day successful, the lesson needs to be flexible and squishy in order to accomodate any changes in the personalities and lives of the students. Squishy, huh? I like that. I'm not sure it's the most flattering description, but it definitely a description.

Back from the movie

2009-10-02T21:25:00.002-05:00

The film won't make cinema history, but if you are a fan of The Time Traveler, the film does a decent job of accomodating the viewer. I cried when I read the book and didn't quite feel that same emotion at the film, but it tugs at the heartstrings a little. I recommend it!!!

At the movies

2009-10-02T19:17:00.001-05:00

I love to see how directors and screenwriters change or, I imagine from their perspective, improve the film. I enjoyed reading the Time Travelers Wife as a novel. Now alas, I wait for the film and see what they have changed.
The glory of the film was the idea that the main character fell in love with an unattainable man. Not a novel idea. In fact, I'm sure that the storyline is one that is way too common in film and written history.
But in this particular storyline she knows when she will lose him. Now that's intriguing!
We all hope to find that soul mate and hope as well that it lasts but imagine if you knew ahead of time that it was going to end ahead of time.
It begs the question that everyone ponders and writes rock ballads on.... What if you knew this was your last day? Alive. Together. Whatever it may be. What would you do and would it ultimately have more significance? Would we treasure the moments more? Or would we do what we are already doing? And why would we need that impetus to make us do something that we should already be doing?
I will report on the film as I sit here waiting for it to start on the big screen. And how well the directors did in their translation.
Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

An Echo in the Bone

2009-09-29T20:19:00.002-05:00

It's here!!!
It's here!!! It's here!!! It's here!!! It's here!!! It's here!!! It's here!!! It's here!!! It's here!!! It's here!!! It's here!!! It's here!!! It's here!!! It's here!!!

Diana Gabaldon's 7th in the series has arrived in my mailbox. Now do I read the last chapter first as the message boards are telling me? Or do I start at the beginning and not sleep for a day and a half as I finish the novel? I may dispense with all teaching tomorrow. Im just saying.

I also want to mention that it was a joyous day when I found someone who loves The Notebook as much as I do......

Charles Kuralt's America by Charles Kuralt

2009-09-27T19:17:00.002-05:00

if you're not aware of who Charles Kuralt is, he's a reporter who spends a great deal of time traveling the country and introducing different locales to his readers and viewers. His anthology of hot spots across the country and narratives and connections to the locations brings out a sense of travel that doesn't exist in me naturally.
I always enjoy the journey once it starts. It's the starting that is my problem. I will fight and fidget and do everything in my power to avoid the starting. I'm also one who likes to return. Something about returning home after any kind of a journey is comforting.
My dad was a driver. We would get up early and drive----well it seems until we got there. No matter where the there was. We drove straight through to the Texas border once. Quite a feat until I repeated that trip straight through to San Antonio.
He talks about New Orleans. I loved Louisiana. I was 14 and everything intrigued me and amazed me. Everything was new and undiscovered to my naive eyes. I wonder if it's that naivete that has gone and now mars my traveling eyes.

2009-09-27T11:51:00.000-05:00

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.
THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
FOUR. When you say, 'I love you ,' mean it.
FIVE. When you say, 'I'm sorry,' look the person in the eye.
SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.
SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.
EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dream. People who don't have dreams don't have much.
NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.
TEN. . In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.
ELEVEN.. Don't judge people by their relatives.
TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.
THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, 'Why do you want to know?'
FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
FIFTEEN. Say 'bless you' when you hear someone sneeze.
SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson !
SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and responsibility for all your actions.
EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship..
NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it. TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.
TWENTY-ONE. Spend some time alone..

Always Looking Up

2009-09-20T19:51:00.002-05:00

I read Michael J Fox's new book, Always Looking Up, this morning. As the title gives allusion to, he is an optimistic feller. The title derives from his attitude and his height. He claims that along with his sister he was always fighting elbows and having to look up. His book is split into what Fox considers the four parts of his life: politics, work, family, ?. I can't remember the last one.
Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and the book chronicles how he felt the need to rebuild his life when he was pretty OK with the last one.
I'd like to develop an optimistic attitude prior to something like a major disease or tragic life circumstance happening to me. I have been told that happiness is an illusion so I imagine that this would also fall under that realm, but it's something that I'm working towards. Fox has been working towards researching Parkinsons since he was diagnosed. So much of what he talks about in the story is about how he keeps himself busy and necessary. I wonder if that is the key... finding something necessary.

The Noticer by Andy Andrews

2009-09-20T07:28:00.002-05:00

Andy Andrews' The Traveler's Gift was an excellent novel and I expected nothing less when I picked up The Noticer. Andrews puts the gist of the novel on the cover: Sometimes all you need is a little perspective.
The novellette describes a series of circumstances in which a man who goes by the moniker "Jones"--not Mr. Jones--just "Jones"--assists what seems like everyone in a small town (Orange Beach, Alabama) with problems ranging from bankruptcy to divorce to homelessness. Jones comes and goes in the town and no one can quite decide how old he is, however, many people have stories in which this already ancient person helped parents and grandparents before them. I imagine in some degree it lends to the mystery surrounding the man.
Jones carries a suitcase with him that is explained at the end of the novellette. I won't ruin the story for those who don't like to know the end of the story before they discover it on their own, but suffice it to say that Jones has a unique perspective on life.
Anyway, The Noticer, is meant to make one think about the opportunities that are essentially right in front of each of us. Jones entire belief is that he "notices" things that others don't. Often those things that if we each took a little more perspective we would each see. Jones reminds each of us that if we simply look at things in a different way--our choice--then we would see that life isn't necessarily a bad thing.
I hate to simply put the novel into a cliche of glass half full or half empty, but that is what it comes down to. Andrews reminds the reader that ultimately, our own happiness comes down to our own perspective. How we look at things determines how we look at things.
I will warn all readers of Andrews however, that this is a quick 176 page read and one that once started is difficult to put down. I also read the library's copy and wish now that I had the novellette to refer back to as it has many small quotes throughout that could/should be referred to:
"Remember, what you focus on increases.” (p. 13)
“It’s time to stop letting your history control your destiny.” (p. 13)
“People are either in a crisis, coming out of one, or headed for one.” (p. 31)
“Worry is just imagination used in an unproductive way.” (p. 51)
“Wisdom is the ability to see the future consequences of our choices.” (p. 65)
“It takes wisdom to discern that oh-so-thin line between good and best.” (p. 65)
“Many of life’s treasures remain hidden because we never search for them.” (p. 83)
“If you are still here, then you have not completed your life’s purpose.” (p. 83)
“Big stuff is made up of small stuff, so you better sweat the small stuff!” (p. 103)
“We often judge ourselves by our intentions but others by their actions.” (p. 111)
“If you want folks to believe in you, then it really helps if they like you.” (p. 136)
“Life is a little like dessert. Keep your fork; the best is yet to come!” (p. 149)
“In desperate times, much more than anything else, folks need perspective.” (p. 154)
OK, so I may have noted some as I was reading.

Journalism

2009-09-17T13:22:00.000-05:00

Journalism. It’s a difficult word to describe. Obviously we have the big news organizations on television and the ever-growing popularity of cable news who all claim to be unbiased. The bias more often than not comes from the money that runs the news organization. One shouldn’t anger the gods that pay the bills. So, where is the news of yesteryears? Or is this the same thing we just have a different perspective on it?
The glamorous age of turn of the 20th century journalism seemed to have a purity to it. “Just the facts.” Journalism though hasn’t changed. World news is more immediate. The computer generation has changed the way that we receive world news events. And even in some larger communities, the “community news” information is more immediate. I write for small town, weekly news. So when I think about those things that make items newsworthy like timely and proximal, it tends to become more blurred. It’s not possible to be timely. Often the news is definitely hours, absolutely days and more often than not weeks and months behind. And, all too often, the societally important information isn’t printed at all for fear of bringing attention to individuals in a small town that—I’ll say it—have power, money. Or ultimately the fear that a newspaper editor may let something go to print that may not be factually accurate and slip through an already overworked staffs fact-checking capabilities. Small town news is not known for its large fact checking staff.
It’s that battle that I’ve recently been debating. I know of at least two incidences where “damaging” information has been written about well after the initial event. My thoughts have been challenged as to whether the information should have been written about at all. My nosey newspaper nose tells me that if it’s public information, it should be written about. My personal attachment to the story tells me that maybe if a small town weekly newspaper can’t write about the information in a timely fashion, it shouldn’t be written about at all. Walking away from a story is never easy for a journalist. Especially if the story could bring prominence to the journalist.
Does a delay of news today indicate to the reader a different viewpoint than the delay of the 20th century? News is not unbiased. Journalists are in fact human. They have a responsibility to report the facts, but all too often, those facts are from the perspective on which the journalist wishes to center. So does printing a story months after the event lead the reader to render a different opinion than if it was more immediate? After all, if the news is now being written about only two things could have happened (note my fallacy in logic there):it just happened or the journalist has been researching and writing a factually accurate story so it must be true. Does the reader know the difference? Or care to know the difference? Or does the reader simply read the article to find out the dastardly details about someone else’s life? Maybe ultimately the reader doesn’t care if the story is true or not.
I walked away from a story once for a large publication that would have been impossible for me to write without a biased opinion. And, very honestly, knew that to find the true story would have closed doors tightly. The story would have furthered my career and brought me prominence, but I decided that the opportunity for both would happen again and knew that the other door would never be reopened. And it all came down to the slant. The publisher was looking for one kind of story and I believed that the truth couldn’t be written to fit that profile. I now know that my gut was correct and walking away was the right thing to do. But what if I hadn’t walked away? Would I have believed the same thing? Or would I have simply written it the way they wanted? And if the journalists aren’t sure how can we ever be sure that the reader will question what we write? And as a reader that’s their job in any kind of journalism today.
That ultimately, is the difference. Early journalism was accepted as fact and rarely questioned. But with the quick to print of today’s news, what can the reader trust? There has to be a happy medium between the small town wait and the immediacy of others.

Hester__Coward or Admirable?

2009-09-16T11:46:00.001-05:00

My juniors are anxiously reading The Scarlet Letter. OK, so anxiously may not be the right word. They are reluctantly, apprehensively, unwillingly reading The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne’s tale has had it’s critics throughout the years, but I find that every time I reread it, I am older and perhaps gain a greater sense of understanding from his text. When I first read his novel, I was a teenager and intrigued by the fact that this Puritan race had the nerve to brand someone simply based on what they considered a wrongdoing--branding for life. Forever marked with a mistake of the past.
Today as a 40-something, I wonder when my views on Hawthorne’s novel changed. I have read this novel maybe fourteen times throughout my life. I find new hope in the description and inner conflict in what remains a very quiet Hester Prynne. Today I appreciate Hester’s quiet demeanor. Her willingness to accept her fate as her own rather than place blame. Even at the beginning when she first sees her husband staring at her from the ground in front of the pillory, I remember as a teenager being very certain that I would have pointed at him and screamed to the world that he was the one who left her to her own devices. Selfish man leaving his wife alone for so long that she found solace in another man’s comforting arms.
Yeah, even as I read that, I know that I no longer feel the same way. Hester had choices. Even in the Puritan era she lived in, she had choices. She ultimately lived with what she chose. It’s actually a very brave woman who can know the consequences and live with them. It’s the rest of the world that wouldn’t allow her to live with the choices she made. And before you think I ‘m letting Reverend Dimmesdale (the father of Hester’s baby and not her husband) off with a pass, I’m not. I still have very clear feelings on his role in Hester’s punishment.
I find less tolerance in my 40-somethings for people who can’t own up to their responsibility. It’s a big word, I know. It weighs heavy on the tongue and even heavier on the heart. What people tend to not take responsibility for is oftentimes something minor and obscure. A student who gets busy and doesn’t do their homework. A little white lie to protect someone’s feelings. And before the heavy hitters come at me, yes, adultery today is bad and really bad during the Puritan era—not the little white lie of the day.
I admire Hester today. When I was a teenager, I found her weak and cowardly. Today I find her choices wrong, but the way she lived with them admirable. I’d like to have her strength and fortitude. I’d like to say that no matter what I do, I’d have the strength that Hester had. And yes, I know some might say that it’s a fine line between hiding one’s shame and taking responsibility for it, I believe Hester now shows me that she takes responsibility. That’s a Hester I can get behind.

History....

2009-09-15T20:23:00.000-05:00

Anyone who knows me, knows that I appreciate history. I have a passion for finding out what and why something occurred and too quickly wonder what and I all too often ponder what would have happened if things had occurred another way.
Diana Gabaldon’s new book, An Echo in the Bone, already has a cherished place on my shelf and it isn’t set to be published until September 22. Its number 7 in the series. Claire, the main character in the series, has the unique opportunity to travel through time and change things. Of course, her love interest, Jaime, is her motivation for the travel, but she also is attempting to discover who she is and where she fits in with the rest of the world. It’s set in Europe and the mysteries surrounding the European countryside abound throughout all of her novels.
I first read Outlander, the first book in the series, and was immediately hooked. I’ve told my students that it is a perfect mixture of mystery, romance, and history that the series has become oft read and cherished for it’s story. Gabaldon is Scottish and my desire albeit fear to travel to the lands I read about helps in my passion for the series.
On a grander scale, I’ve recently discovered that changing history is not something one should take lightly. History is supposed to be left to the past. We should revere and learn from, but leave it alone. I’m not convinced of that even as I write it, but I believe it’s the expected and most accepted belief.
But what if we could change history, by tackling it new today. Can we change history by revisiting the past and create ultimately a new history? Probably not. Reliving history all too often just harbors pain, but I believe it’s good to do. I think there are elements that need to be looked at with fresh eyes. Or at least given an opportunity for a fresh approach—a chance to show that what once was is no longer or maybe it is.
I never used to like tomatoes. I didn’t mind ketchup, spaghetti sauce, etc., but to eat a homegrown, fresh off the vine tomato would not have been an option. Today, I can’t get enough of a fresh tomato. So much so that I could probably be called a tomato snob in that December tomatoes are not in my fridge.
The connection? I truly believe that history is not. I don’t believe it’s in the past. I believe that every decision one makes has some basis in history. Our history dictates our decision today and ultimately what we do or don’t do. My dislike of tomatoes just needed to be looked at with fresh eyes. Given another opportunity if you will. Ultimately our history is our present.
On another note—RIP Patrick Swayze. His line in Dirty Dancing, “Nobody puts Baby in the corner” remains one of my favorite of all time. Right behind, Clark Gable’s “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn” in Gone with the Wind. A scary theme emerges from both those lines.

Choices cont.

2009-09-15T18:53:00.001-05:00

I'm trying out the mail to blogger feature on my phone. Again, another choice that may or may not make me happy. I like the features on my phone but someone recently accused me of being addicted to my berry. So, this is a test and I'm going to post....right now!

Choices

2009-09-13T20:00:00.002-05:00

Another week to start and an end to another. I finished a book by Nicholas Sparks Choices this morning. It was a quick read, but one that I've been putting off. Sparks writes novels that appeal a sense of romanticism, surprise, lust, and second chances. This particular novel has one of the main charactes choosing between a fiancee with whom she's grown bored and the lovely (her word) next door neighbor who likes to do everything without his shirt on. The reader knows immediately who she's going to choose, but alas, like all of Sparks' novels, a twist ensues at the end. And it's happy. Granted, I cried buckets of tears at the end of Message in a Bottle. This one disappointed me a little.
I like the idea of living with choices that one has to make. Ultimately, everything in life comes down to choices that we make. The trick is learning to live with them. That's the hard part. I'd love to be able to tell my students and kids that second chances exist and any choice made can be rectified, but that isn't always the case. This novel gave the impression that choices work out even if they are the wrong one. Maybe I'm a little pessimistic tonight. At least it sounds that way as I reread this.

Connections

2009-09-09T21:14:00.002-05:00

I spend a great deal of my teaching time trying to get my students to make connections to the world and real life. An attempt to personalize information that unfortunately too many find outdated and unnecessary. Yet, in the same breath I know many of them are making connections in social networking sites. I personally share with many the novels that I am reading and love to understand and see other's perspectives on the same novels I am reading. I like the idea behind making connections. I want my students to appreciate the connections they can make and search for those that aren't so readily accessible. I want it to become a lifelong goal rather than one just done for the assignment or the day. Look for ideas that transpire in the novels read that can be applied to everyday life.

Doug Johnson is a genius

2009-09-02T21:25:00.002-05:00

more expectations

2009-08-27T13:33:00.003-05:00

I wrote yesterday about expectations and their intended and often unintended consequences. Rhett, in Rhett Butler's People, (the only authorized prequel to Gone with the Wind) did not intend to listen to Scarlett O'Hara spill her guts about her misguided and fatal attraction, but he did. And he chose not to torture her for it. OK. Well he tortured her a little. The part that gets me is that Rhett knew immediately that he loved "this dashing creature". Yet he didn't tell her.

It's evening now and it's a Big Brother night. I've been a loyal fan of the show even though I'm not a big fan of the drama. OK. I am a big fan. It's interesting to eavesdrop on other's lives. As long as the result of what I'm watching is OK in the end.

slowly but surely I learn the truth

2009-08-26T20:26:00.003-05:00

Expectations are among one of human's greatest assets and greatest downfalls. We expect and inevitably either receive or are denied. It's the process of expecting that is the greatest. We hope and we wait and we worry and we get nervous and we.... the list goes on. Expecting does things to a human's psyche that I've found very little else compares to it. What would happen if, as humans, we simply stopped expecting. What if we never felt the happiness or sadness from the result of the expectation? I expect certain things to be true in my life. I expect certain things to fail me. I also expect certain things to make me very happy. It's when what I expect doesn't happen that the "problem" exists. I watch Gone With the Wind and inevitably expect Rhett to wrap his arms around Scarlett and whisk her away regardless of what she says. He knows that she loves him and yet, he makes her live with what she says and he lets her go. I've read the novel and watched the movie more than I can count and yet I still expect a different result than what I know will happen. The enduring nature of the human spirit, I guess. We should fight for what we want, I imagine, rather than waiting for what we expect to happen to happen.

Shakespeare

2009-08-23T07:58:00.004-05:00

I look to Shakespeare's plays and poetry and the Bible to define those things that go beyond my basic understanding. In Shakespeare and the Bible I find characters who feel and experience those things that I may be. This time it's unanswered. Esther Greenwood from The Bell Jar had life figured out even if it was from the confines of a mental institution. She had a perspective that we don't often get to see. Or are we afraid to see?

I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story. From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked. One fig was a husband and a happy home and children, and another fig was a famous poet and another fig was a brilliant professor, and another fig was Ee Gee, the amazing editor, and another fig was Europe and Africa and South America, and another fig was Constantin and Socrates and Attila and a pack of other lovers with queer names and offbeat professions, and another fig was an Olympic lady crew champion, and beyond and above these figs were many more figs I couldn't quite make out. I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn't make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet. ~Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar, Chapter 7

Beginnings

2009-08-22T12:53:00.003-05:00

As a student, I always looked forward to the first day of school. One of those students who couldn't sleep the night before the first day. As a teacher, and now an adult, I'm still that same way. But now I know it's because I like the beginning.
If I truly think about it, I've loved beginnings all of my life. It's only when something is in the middle or the end that I become frustrated. But beginnings are special.
For example, the seasons. I love the beginning of each season. I can't wait for the old one to end. But two months into winter, I want a new beginning--even when they are old. It's a new beginning for me.
Books--they are fresh, untouched, and smell like a new beginning.
Ironically, I don't like change. So how does one bring together the idea that beginnings are awesome, without integrating change? Can I have both?
Sylvia Plath's gravestone has an inscription:
"Even amidst fierce flames the golden lotus can be planted."
I know that Plath loved beginnings without change as much as I do. True beginnings require change. So how to rectify those two ideas?

Black rhinos

2009-06-10T23:11:00.002-05:00

I found out tonight that black rhinos are solitary creatures. White rhinos will pair up with another rhino to "keep each other company". I wonder how many other creatures in our world mimic both of these magnificent creatures. Now, before you begin to think that I am some sort of animal observer, I'm not. I enjoy animals, but I've found that I like the aggressive animals better than the passive, look at me animals.
For examples, who knew that blue jays would drive off every other bird in your yard? I didn't, but I do now and I'm proud to say that I enjoy blue jays dominating behaivor. However, I always see two blue jays, not just one. Bunnies? enough said? Mice? Rats? Spiders are always alone, but if you notice they are always pregnant. So they as well are communal, we just don't see it.
Why do I question? We mimic the animal kingdom. We are too similar for it to be a coincidence. Are we suppose to be solitary or are we suppose to be social? One only needs to watch any episode of any Housewives of New Jersey, Orange County, New York, Atlanta to discover that social is not all it's cracked up to be. However, can we survive without the social? Can we be solitary?

Which search is better?

2009-06-09T06:50:00.003-05:00

I subscribe to an application website called makeuseof.com. It essentially brings apps to me that are supposed to make my life easier, make my computer work better, and probably a mixture of both.
I use Dogpile almost exclusively. My husband uses Google almost exclusively. I like Pepsi. He likes Coke. You get the picture.
http://blindsearch.fejus.com/ allows me to do one search and pick the results that I feel are best without knowing which search engine did it until I hit the button and tell it which search engine did the best job. I will be crushed if Bing or Yahoo come up as I simply don't believe they are. I should tell you that since it is a Web2.0 app and it is in beta form it is having some issues right now, but trust me, it does do what it promises to do.
Search engines are a little like an old vehicle. If you know how to work it, it works fine. It's only when you try to make it do something that you know it can't or allow someone who doesn't know or appreciate the small nuances associated with the way to run the vehicle does it let you down.

Reconsidering the way I write

2009-06-08T07:05:00.002-05:00

Good morning,
I am an early riser. I once had someone equate me to a particular type of bird, but I don't remember what kind of bird gets up early. I'm only certain that it isn't an owl.
It is raining and cold here again. Which is OK as in a little less than a week, I'm sure I will complain that it is too hot and we need rain.
Tornadoes in Colorado. Seems a little strange to me.
Air France crash has now recovered 17 bodies from the ocean. I have pondered whether I would want to be recovered. It seems that a "watery grave" is a little more romantic.
Computer classes start at school today. I am not partaking. I looked at the class descriptions and found them to be material that I am already incorporating or have taken classes on before. I find my time to be too valuable to repeat or sit in a classroom for a cheap credit.

I clean in the summer. I also write... a lot. I use to do it in a journal. A notebook that had texture, smell, smudges, storage. I prefer the journal. I don't prefer the ability to have something that I wrote available for all to touch. I wonder if someone looks at an online journal and sees the same emotions? It's the thought that what is on paper has some sort of tactile connection to the writer whereas something written on the computer is cold, lacking emotion.
Philip Greenspun has a great blog on how the computer has changed our writing habits and ultimately our reading habits. http://philip.greenspun.com/writing/changed-by-web-and-weblog
An interesting set of ideas.