My newest Facebook tag.... A - Age: 34 B - Bed size: Queen C - Chore you hate: Cleaning the bathroom D - Dog's name: Brandy E - Essential start to your day item: Soy green tea latte F - Favorite color: Purple G - Gold or Silver: Silver H - Height: 5'2" I - Instruments you play(ed): Yeah, right. Although, there was that classical guitar class that was part of my liberal studies degree.... J - Job title: Fourth grade teacher K - Kid(s): 25 or so new ones every August! L - Living arrangements: My own little 600 sf apartment, with my sweet doggy and kitty as roomates M - Mom's name: Karen N - Nicknames: Jen, Jenny O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: Never P - Pet Peeve: When people write "could of" instead of "could've" Q - Quote from a movie: "Well, I believe in the soul, the cock, the pussy, the small of a woman's back, the hanging curve ball, high fiber, good scotch, that the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, overrated crap. I believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter. I believe in the sweet spot, soft-core pornography, opening your presents Christmas morning rather than Christmas Eve and I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days."
R - Right or left handed: Right S - Siblings: My little brother, Jeff T - Time you wake up: 5:00 in the morning U- Underwear: Depends on my mood V - Vegetable you dislike: Brussels sprouts - I really think that they were never meant to be eaten W - Ways you run late: If I'm lost X - X-rays you've had: Nose, foot, spine Y - Yummy food you make: Tamales Z - Zoo favorite: Polar bears
At recess today, some of my coworkers and I were discussing President Obama's proposals regarding merit pay for teachers, our statewide standardized testing coming up next week, and how different our teaching experience is in Del Mar versus more impoverished districts around the nation. One of my wise colleagues said, "Take our beautiful school and all of the amazing teachers and plop it down in the middle of Washington, D.C. I don't know that we'd help those inner-city kids do much better than they're doing right now." And that is the fundamental problem, I believe, with merit pay. It won't help. Study after study has shown a direct correlation between parent income/educational level and student test scores. I don't believe that offering monetary bonuses will help teachers boost their students' achievement. Here's what I do believe:- Standardized tests do not accurately measure intelligence, learning, or problem-solving skills. They do not tell you how well a student will achieve in life.
- All the teachers I know take very seriously their calling to educate all children. Merit pay could lead to a lot of bickering about who gets troubled kids, special education students, or English-language learners in their class.
- Financial rewards would most likely promote competition among teachers. I don't know where I would be without the help of my colleagues over the years. I can't imagine what would happen if that collaborative spirit went away.
However, I also believe the system is broken. Children all over this nation are dropping out or exiting public school with very few of the skills they need to make a decent or honest living. Low-income, mostly minority neighborhoods have been caught cycles of poverty and violence for decades. And I believe there is a path that will lead to success.In September I was listening to my beloved "This American Life" weekly podcast, when I heard about a man named Geoffrey Canada, who has been running the Harlem Children's Zone program for the past 20 years. And he is seeing real, documentable results. The Harlem Children's Zone operates under the basic philosophy that every child's success begins before birth. Beginning with the Baby College program, HCZ teaches soon-to-be parents in Harlem how to read to, talk to, and interact with their babies, building the vocabulary and experiental knowledge that is the very foundation of learning. Families who begin in the Baby College can continue receiving services and training from HCZ through the college years. I was blown away by the ambition and successes of this program and am excited to read the book Whatever It Takes by Paul Tough this summer.If our president could take all of that merit pay money and pour it into the establishment of programs like HCZ in cities all over the county, I believe that in 5-10 years, we'd begin to see some amazing results. Problem is, does any government official have the courage to support a long-term solution such as this? It's much more pleasing to the public to offer up a knee-jerk, short term option such as merit pay, vouchers, bussing, or sanctions. There are people out there who are getting to the root of the problem, and it's working. It would be an understatement to say that the "powers that be" ignorance of this is frustrating.As I think about entering my doctoral program this summer and my career future after that, I am so inspired by the revolutionary work of the Harlem Children's Zone. Where my studies will lead me, I don't yet know, but stay tuned, as I am unable to get this early education idea out of my head.
I am so thrilled to present my long-awaited, complete Monkey Socks!!
I made these socks using this free knitting pattern. I've been laboring over these monkeys since late January and I am very proud of them for several reasons:1. They are my first adult-sized socks. I've made baby socks before, but those are so much less risky as they are tiny and stretchy and the baby will surely fit into them at one point or another. Adult socks need to come out a certain size, and I was a little afraid whether this would actually happen.
2. They do actually fit!
3. Besides being my first socks, this is really the first wearable garment I've ever knitted for myself. I tend to knit a lot of blankets and other square objects, and I've made baby and dog clothes, but for the first time, I have created something I will actually proudly put on. And go out in public. I promise!Who knows where this momentum will lead me...maybe I'll make myself a sweater next. At the rate I've been going, it should be ready just in time for winter!
I just received my Summer Movie Preview issue of Entertainment Weekly in the mail: my favorite issue of the year! I get all excited about summer blockbusters, beginning with the intense trailers around Christmas time. I'm looking forward to the warm weather as well as Johnny, Christian, Shia, and Hugh on the big screen and in surround sound. Here's my "to see" list for the upcoming months:- May 1: Wolverine
- May 8: Star Trek
- May 21: Terminator
- June 5: The Hangover
- June 19: Year One
- June 24: Transformers
- July 1: Public Enemies
- July 10: Bruno
- July 15: Harry Potter
- July 31: Funny People
Then, on August 14, a film version of The Time Traveler's Wife will be released. This is one of the most incredible books ever written - it's my favorite love story in print. Now, some of the books I adore have been made into marvelous movies: Like Water for Chocolate, Harry Potter, Field of Dreams, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Color Purple to name a few.But, based on the poor reviews, I never saw the movie versions of Beloved, The Kite Runner or The DaVinci Code. I thought The Joy Luck Club and Interview With a Vampire movies were just okay, and I really did not like the screen versions of Memoirs of a Geisha, Hannibal, and most everything written by Stephen King (of course Stand By Me and The Shawshank Redemption are notable exceptions)
. What's more, The Time Traveler's Wife will star Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana, two fairly one-dimensional actors in my opinion. So, since I don't want this narrative ruined by a crappy movie, I think I'll leave The Time Traveler's Wife off my must-see list for now, with an option to revise my list should it receive really stellar reviews!
A couple of weeks ago, we had a little bridal shower at work for Stephanie. Unfortunately, the cake decorator was a little confused and wrote "Congratulations, Staphanie," on the top of the cake. I thought this was pretty hilarious, but it's nothing compared to Cake Wrecks.This blog cracks me up big time. The commentary makes me laugh until my stomach hurts. Check it out at your own risk, and be sure to swallow your beverage first...
I got tagged on this one today by both Stephanie and Jen....
1. What color is your toothbrush? Lime green and white. 2. Name one person who made you smile today:Linda - we had breakfast today and it seems her career is really coming together!
3. What were you doing at 8 am this morning?
I was on my way to the Hash House for breakfast.
4. What were you doing 45 minutes ago?
Sadly, I was at work!
5. What is your favorite candy?
Reese's Pieces.
6. Have you ever been to a strip club?
Um, yeah.
7. What is the last thing you said aloud?
"Bye, Donnie!" as I was leaving work.
8. What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
Quarterback Crunch.
9. What was the last thing you had to drink?
SmartWater.
10. Do you like your wallet?
Yes! It says "I'm bad and you love it," which is a daily reminder that I don't have to always be good ;-)
11. What was the last thing you ate?
Shrimp Scampi/Pasta from Dream Dinners.
12. Have you bought any new clothing items this week?
I went through some hand-me-downs from Meg and added to my wardrobe.
13. The last sporting event you watched:
Tuesday night's Padres game.
14. What is your favorite flavor of popcorn?
Regular flavor, I guess.
15. Who is the last person you sent a text message to?
Jared.
16. Ever go camping?
Sure, but not in a long time.
17. Do you take vitamins daily?
Yes.
18. Do you go to church every Sunday?
No.
19. Do you have a tan?
Hahahahahaha....no.
20. Do you prefer Chinese food over pizza?
No, I prefer pizza.
21. Do you drink your soda with a straw?
Yes, at restaurants.
22. What did your last text message say?
Uhhh....I'll keep that between me and the recipient.
23. What are you doing tomorrow?
Knitting group, lunch at Karla's, dinner with my boy.
25. Look to your left, what do you see?
The wall. It is white.
26. What color is your watch?
I haven't owned a watch in years.
27. What do you think of when you think of Australia?
My high school boyfriend.
28. Look up-what is there?
Jeez, who thinks of these questions?! I see my popcorn ceiling.
29. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru?
Drive-thru.
30. What is your favorite number?
Twenty-three.
31. Who's the last person you talked to on the phone?
Jared.
32. Any plans today?
I'm done with my tasks for today, so I'll spend the afternoon reading and relaxing.
33. How many states have you lived in?
Just the one.
34. Biggest annoyance right now?
It's raining and I really wanted a sunny spring break!
35. Last song listened to?
It's by Coldplay, but I don't know the name. The one where he says, "So you take a picture of something you see....."
36. Can you say the alphabet backwards?
Yes, but not very fast.
37. Do you have a maid service clean your house?
No, I can generally handle these 600 square feet.
38. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time?
Flip flops - I buy new ones about as often as I get my hair cut.
39. Are you jealous of anyone?
Nope. I am so grateful for what I have!
40. Is anyone jealous of you?
I don't think so.
41. Do you love anyone?
Yes.
42. Do any of your friends have children?
Yes.
43. What do you usually do during the day?
Play with fourth graders.
44. Do you hate anyone that you know right now?
No.
45. Do you use the word 'hello' daily?
I think I'm more of a "hi" person.
46. What color is your car?
Dark gray.
47. Do you like cats?
Yes.
48. Are you thinking about someone right now?
I wasn't, until I read the question!!
49. Have you ever been to Six Flags?
Yes, Magic Mountain.
50. How did you get your worst scar?
I have one from foot surgery and one from my cat!
