Rip Van Winkle Awakes

One of my favorite blogs just posted this video, and I think most of us in the public school system would agree with it.    For more great videos from Mathew Needleman, go here:  http://www.needleworkspictures.com/ocr/blog/ 

Learning new things

Today I went to the Apple store for my podcast lesson. I had been planning this for a couple of weeks but I just kept rescheduling due to all sorts of interruptions in my routine. I have discovered that I really do like my routine during these weeks of nonroutine.

The lesson with Garageband went well, and I found out it’s not as simple as some have made it out to be. I am going to have to practice with Garageband to get comfortable. The young man who worked with me on the lesson showed me a great microphone that I think my students will enjoy working with too. It’s called a Snowball, and it looks much like the microphones used for radio. I bought one and will work with it for a few weeks and then return to learn the next step in podcasting.

I love these one to one classes at Apple. If you are anywhere near an Apple store, I highly recommend the sessions as they can help you learn a lot of technology. I may have to teach the multimedia class in our department next year, and if so, I plan to be in the Apple store every week, learning as much as I can.

Next Saturday is a CUE (computer using educators) conference at a local high school so I can’t do another Apple lesson for at least another week afterwards. That should give me time to get some recordings made.

Time to celebrate

Today I shipped the last 8 pages of the yearbook. We are done, and it is time to celebrate. My yearbook class has been great this year. Not only have we not lost any production time, but the whole book got turned in a day before the final deadline set by the printer. They’ve done some pretty good layouts, too.

Not only do my students get graded for their deadlines, we celebrate in other ways too. It’s pretty much always with food, and this final deadline is no exception. I will order Chinese food for the class at my favorite Chinese restaurant, my wonderful husband will pick it up and deliver it to school one day next week, and we will feast and tell ourselves how great we are.

I am a big believer in celebrating accomplishments of all kinds. Because all of my students were in attendance for the CaHSEE, we will have a pizza party to reward them. Last year, when we got the CaHSEE scores back, and almost everyone of the kids passed, we took them out to breakfast at a small restaurant that had just opened across the street from the school. My students don’t get a lot of pats on the back, so I figure any time I can say, “job well done,” I will do so.

Stopping at the mission

Today we headed for San Diego as I must attend a conference here for the next 3 days.  And yes, it is MUST.  I did not come willingly as it is a 6 hour drive from my house to the hotel on the water’s edge.  I am not fond of southern California, and going through LA makes my head hurt (all the stinky air).  The site is pleasant, and the conference is not bad, it’s just that after a week’s vacation, I would really prefer to go back to school with my kids rather than prepare for a sub.   On our way to San Diego, we stopped at San Juan Capistrano and walked around the mission for awhile.  It was a wonderful afternoon–high 70s, sunny, light breeze, and with it being Easter, many families dressed in their finery were touring the mission. These were blooming along a path. 

Irony

I just received a news update that had this leading article: California adds 25,800 jobs in February

(AP) — California employers added 25,800 payroll jobs in February compared to a month earlier as information, hospitality and education jobs increased, while construction jobs shrank, state officials said Friday. How funny, and how ironic, that just when things look up, and more educations jobs are added to the State’s payroll, all these teachers are getting their layoff notices.   

A taxing time (not really)

When we were newlyweds, I worked with a woman who recommended a tax preparer who would come to our home to do our taxes. She had gotten his name from some people in our building whom she trusted and she was very pleased with the work Clyde did for her. We too found him to be very trustworthy and a well educated tax preparer. For almost 30 years Clyde would come to our home, take our paperwork and put it all together into both state and federal tax returns. He had one of the first laptop computers we ever saw that he used in his business. He was reluctant to take any deduction that he thought might be questioned by the IRS. We trusted his advice and all was well for nearly 3 decades.

Then, one year when I tried to call Clyde to set up our appointment, I got a message saying the phone had been disconnected. I could no longer contact him and was very unsure of what to do. No one else had ever done our taxes. Somewhere along the line I had met, online, a woman in San Francisco who did taxes. I voiced my lament in the forum we belonged to, and she offered to do my taxes. Just mail the paperwork to her and she would take care of it. So, for the last 3 years that is exactly what I do, and she does an excellent job. My refunds just hit my checking account today and I had hardly thought about the preparation. Just like those 30 years with Clyde, just a few miles farther away. My own kind of outsourcing.

As for the guy who had done our taxes so meticulously all those years, he was sent to prison for running an investment scam. I could hardly believe that someone who wouldn’t let me take a questionable deduction would do something like that.

Hey, cupcake

A few weeks ago I bought a copy of Bon Appetit just because of the picture of cupcakes on the cover.  They looked so yummy and I thought the recipe sounded fairly simple.  If only I would have some time to bake.  Today was the day.  I made these wonderful raspberry lemon cupcakes.

 

 My neighbors across the street are cleaning out their garage, so I took them some cupcakes to have for a snack break.  I intend to take a couple to another neighbor who so graciously brought us dinner last night–really good enchiladas.  Maybe, with a week off, I can do some more baking.  And sharing.

Let Easter week begin

It is the beginning of Easter break (we still call it that here in the conservative Central Valley), and I am so excited. I have minimal plans for this time away from school, and the best part is in that last phrase–away from school, or maybe better yet, away from students.

Today was chaotic in that the seniors had to turn in their portfolios, a required piece for graduation. They had 8 hours this week alone to work on the project while the sophomores were taking the CaHSEE. Some of my seniors deigned to take the two days off and do other things. Do you think I had sympathy for them today when they whined about needing more time? Hah. I also refused to sign any work sample summaries today as I had sat for 8 hours, waiting for them to bring me these pieces of paper. Many did, especially at my prompting to get it done, but some waited untll today to even show me the work sample summary (I had an earlier checkpoint for everyone to turn in the darn things and get them proofread). Besides, I had a huge deadline for yearbook today so that was taking up my brains and energy. I only have so much of either one to go around.

I had assigned these portfolios in January, building in 3 checkpoints along the way, leading up to the final due date of today. Why do kids procrastinate, waiting until the day it’s due to really put forth any effort? I told them that had they put out this amount of effort each day that I was seeing today, they not only would have them finished, but their portfolio would be outstanding. This class of seniors does not seem to care.

I am not a procrastinator, never have been. When in college, as soon as I got an assignment, I hightailed it to the library to begin research. I wrote, rewrote, edited, and wrote again. And all this on a manual typewriter. Kids today have the wonders of the Internet and computers with which to write and edit. Such luxury to me.

The yearbook is almost finished–8 more pages and we can literally close the book. I am really excited about that as it is such a huge undertaking each year. Every fall, I think to myself, what have I gotten into? How can we get this done? This is impossible. And then, it all comes together.

I am grateful for the next week away. I can sleep in, go to lunch, have my car serviced, read, and I’m taking an Apple class on podcasting. Such luxury to me.

A challenge

>>This challenge? Find, make or pull from the ether a picture which represents what you most want your students to take from your class. Share this picture and a brief explanation, then pass on the responsibility to five other bloggers.<<This challenge comes from a student teacher at a neighboring school who is much smarter and more tech savvy than me.  As those who read my blog probably notice, I am not adept at the technicalities of these blogs.  Just getting the writing on the page is pretty major for me.  So, this challenge really shook me.  I read it to my students and asked them what picture I should use, and they came up with weird answers.  One girl even said she was going to take all my supplies when she leaves the class.  Another kid said something about a picture of the printer in the room (which is huge because it’s a color laser that we use for yearbook).  After reading the student teacher’s entry to my class, they finally got it and said to use a tall building.   So, I chose the Empire State Building. I want my students to stand out, to be head and shoulders above others, to be strong, able to withstand the winds and storms that will blow against their lives.  I want them to stand confident, assured that they will be there for many years, and will look good, and will be a landmark for others who come after them.   As for sending this challenge on to others, I don’t have anyone who might accept except CertainAbsurdity.  Hey, just getting this photo in here has overextended my brain and abilities.

The tide turns

There it is, on the front page of today’s San Francisco Chronicle, empty nesters are moving to SoMa.  Which is exactly what this empty nester wants to do in two more years.  In the past, if the Zodys were doing something, no one else was interested.  When I wanted to buy a certain type of clothing, or furniture, or even car, no on was making what I wanted.  If we liked a certain TV program, it was cancelled.  Every time I found a new food product that we really enjoyed, the manufacturer got wind of that and stopped making it.  It was a joke with us, “Oh, the Zodys like that, we must halt all production.”  Now, when I want to move to some of the most expensive real estate in the world, so does everyone else.  What the heck is going on here?  This is the one time I want everyone to run the other way.