I'll gladly be the shrimp to your grits and the ice to your bourbon!
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
"You're the shrimp to my grits"
"You're the shrimp to my grits and the ice to my bourbon." My heart swelled as a delivery of warm, gooey, and delicious cookies were brought to my room. I can't stand forced love on Valentine's Day, so he sent me some love the day after in another way! As a response to my numerous thank you's, he told me this. I bursted out laughing and realized how thankful I am for his hilarious and clever responses.
I'll gladly be the shrimp to your grits and the ice to your bourbon!
I'll gladly be the shrimp to your grits and the ice to your bourbon!
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Dreaming
Do you dream in color? Do you remember your dreams? Do you have any recurring dreams? Lots of questions arose.
More questions to make you think. Yes, I dream in color, but more specifically I remember the color of certain objects that is striking or makes an imprint on my memory. And I remember many dreams, but not all. When I was in middle school, I tried to write some of my dreams in a journal. I recall finding this journal while cleaning out my closet in my parent's house after college and laughing a whole bunch! Ricky Martin, my neighbor Marcos, surfing, and animals were some of the subjects of my dreams that graced the pages of that journal. How different my dreams are now!
I did have one frightening, recurring dream though. The thought of it sends shivers down my spine! For several years when I was a child, I would have a dream about my mother becoming possessed while driving our "cherry ice" (or pink depending who you asked) colored Suburban and drive off bridges, settings varied. I can still remember the feeling of the car sinking into the water, deeper and deeper almost to Davy Jones' locker, struggling to get my seatbelt off! Every time I would wake up right before I tried to open the suburban door to escape. I have no clue if the fact that I passed over bridges frequently due to living on the coast/beach or if it was something else. Sorry Mom! You tended to be the host of the evil spirit! But, I love you despite my dreams!
Michael has recurring "chase scene" dreams. Maybe we should research a little more about dream interpretations, turning that into another subject for another "muttering" session.
Monday, February 13, 2017
Ch Ch Ch Changes
I'm singing 2pac's song, "Changes" even though the song has nothing to do with our conversation, except for the fact that the title is called Changes. Sing with me now!
He asks me these questions that catch me off guard and force me to be introspective, and sometimes it's harder (especially as a teacher) to answer questions than it is to ask them. He queried, "What is one thing you would change about yourself?"
When I was younger, I would have had no problem answering this question. But, as a strong, independent woman the qualities I would change about myself are totally different than the shallow statements I would have given before. This is a really personal question, Michael! Geez, what are you thinking putting me on the spot?!
I decided to take the easy way out and say some attributes I would physically change about myself, such as not having severe allergies nor endometriosis (horrific periods suck the life out of you!). But really, it was just a distraction so I wouldn't have to face my imperfections and I could choose more judiciously which imperfections are the easiest to throw out there (I've been saying "like" way more than usual!).
And now that I'm writing this, I'll be expecting to be asked this question again. This time I'll buckle down, move my pride out of the way, and answer honestly.
He asks me these questions that catch me off guard and force me to be introspective, and sometimes it's harder (especially as a teacher) to answer questions than it is to ask them. He queried, "What is one thing you would change about yourself?"
When I was younger, I would have had no problem answering this question. But, as a strong, independent woman the qualities I would change about myself are totally different than the shallow statements I would have given before. This is a really personal question, Michael! Geez, what are you thinking putting me on the spot?!
I decided to take the easy way out and say some attributes I would physically change about myself, such as not having severe allergies nor endometriosis (horrific periods suck the life out of you!). But really, it was just a distraction so I wouldn't have to face my imperfections and I could choose more judiciously which imperfections are the easiest to throw out there (I've been saying "like" way more than usual!).
And now that I'm writing this, I'll be expecting to be asked this question again. This time I'll buckle down, move my pride out of the way, and answer honestly.
To Smart or not to Smart?
Tonight, Michael and I discussed our personal preferences of using Smartboards in our classrooms or not. I LOOOOVVVEEEE using my Smartboard, and it was pretty difficult to go back to teaching in Spain with chalkboards (ugh, I had forgotten how awful the dust is!). If you don't know, Smartboards are electronic whiteboards that are interactive! I like to create interactive anchor charts that can be reset every period, instead of creating brand new paper ones. I create a paper anchor chart with my last class and will reference the anchor chart during lessons with my other classes. Plus, I'm not the best artist so downloading pictures from the internet to use for the digital anchor chart is great! And then I just print it! Wahoo!
Michael, on the other hand, likes to use whiteboards. During his classes, discussions of opinions of events in history evolve to form a final conclusion to which the students then compare with their own lives. He records all of these thoughts and important points on the whiteboards in his classroom that expand both lengths of his room. How I'd love to be a fly on the wall to observe his students reflecting and forming educated opinions! I'm sure it's very interesting to look back over these notes and review the thought processes of the students. All to be erased for the next period! This ensures that the students in the next period will experience the same "revelations" to then come up with their own conclusions. I love it!
We both agreed that one method is not better than the other, except that it mainly depends on a teacher's preference and "how his/her brain works." I prefer an interactive, kinesthetic board, while he may prefer one that is more visual, where the whole lesson can be seen. I like it, I love it!
Michael, on the other hand, likes to use whiteboards. During his classes, discussions of opinions of events in history evolve to form a final conclusion to which the students then compare with their own lives. He records all of these thoughts and important points on the whiteboards in his classroom that expand both lengths of his room. How I'd love to be a fly on the wall to observe his students reflecting and forming educated opinions! I'm sure it's very interesting to look back over these notes and review the thought processes of the students. All to be erased for the next period! This ensures that the students in the next period will experience the same "revelations" to then come up with their own conclusions. I love it!
We both agreed that one method is not better than the other, except that it mainly depends on a teacher's preference and "how his/her brain works." I prefer an interactive, kinesthetic board, while he may prefer one that is more visual, where the whole lesson can be seen. I like it, I love it!
Sunday, February 12, 2017
"This could be your thesis!"
I've decided to return to school and get a graduate degree. Pursuing a Master's has been on my mind for several years, however, I was unsure if I should continue my education career or totally change careers. I have decided to not only stay in the education realm, but possibly earn higher degrees to then teach other teachers how to teach in the university setting.
So this afternoon, I mentioned to Michael how I needed to write the essay portion of my application. It has to be a statement of purpose "describing my field of interest" of the graduate program and my professional career. One of my favorite parts of talking with Michael is that we bounce ideas off each other, accepting each other's opinions and thoughts without judgement. Thus creating fantastic, engaging, and thought-provoking conversations.
I am a passionate world traveler, and more importantly, a world citizen. I lived and taught English in Spain for a year, and I have traveled to numerous cities and countries around the world. My favorite part of traveling is experiencing new cultures by meeting people and hearing their stories. That being said, one "objective" of the graduate program I am interested in is about a school's social climate and students' well-being. The program incorporates techniques that ensure school-wide respect of linguistic and cultural diversity of students and their families. This particular objective sparked my interest!
Especially with the social climate around the world today, I feel that accepting and embracing other cultures is a necessary part of education, especially in America. Michael pointed out that the research for the need of multicultural education in the classroom has already been completed to answer the big question of "Why?" However, through experience of sitting through hours of professional development and undergrad classes that explain WHY it's needed, most teachers walk away asking each other, "Now HOW do we do it?" As a teacher, don't waste all of my time explaining why! Just tell me what are some research based techniques of how to incorporate the information.
We volleyed ideas of bringing in the community, the need for teachers and students to feel that they are a part of the same culture to be open and accepting of the lessons being taught, and how the fear of "unknown cultures and thoughts" causes students and teachers to be unaccepting. One thing all teachers learn quickly is that we cannot help what happens outside of our classroom walls. Everything we have control of is in our classrooms. The environment, the quality of lessons, the expectations are all set by the teacher.
This led to more speculations and thoughts. Michael remembered how he felt disconnected to the African American students during his student teaching in Alabama. Is it because of different cultures and his lack of exposure to their culture? Is it because he was white and the students did not feel a connection with him? How do you get students to respond to teachers who are from a different culture? From asian, european, african, south american, or american cultures. Human nature inclines you to connect with your own "kind." So how does a teacher tackle this?
I feel that because everything starts with the teacher, the teacher as a person must be introspective. Is s/he accepting of all cultures? What language and word choice does one use in lessons and throughout his/her day? What are the natural reactions and instincts that happen when a certain topic is brought up? What are the biases that we walk in the door with already? Helping the teacher dispel biases and expose them to many cultures needs to be a priority for districts through professional development. Ultimately, everything a teacher says has an effect on students in a good or bad way. Are we as teachers doing the best we can to foster acceptance and multiculturalism?
So this afternoon, I mentioned to Michael how I needed to write the essay portion of my application. It has to be a statement of purpose "describing my field of interest" of the graduate program and my professional career. One of my favorite parts of talking with Michael is that we bounce ideas off each other, accepting each other's opinions and thoughts without judgement. Thus creating fantastic, engaging, and thought-provoking conversations.
I am a passionate world traveler, and more importantly, a world citizen. I lived and taught English in Spain for a year, and I have traveled to numerous cities and countries around the world. My favorite part of traveling is experiencing new cultures by meeting people and hearing their stories. That being said, one "objective" of the graduate program I am interested in is about a school's social climate and students' well-being. The program incorporates techniques that ensure school-wide respect of linguistic and cultural diversity of students and their families. This particular objective sparked my interest!
Especially with the social climate around the world today, I feel that accepting and embracing other cultures is a necessary part of education, especially in America. Michael pointed out that the research for the need of multicultural education in the classroom has already been completed to answer the big question of "Why?" However, through experience of sitting through hours of professional development and undergrad classes that explain WHY it's needed, most teachers walk away asking each other, "Now HOW do we do it?" As a teacher, don't waste all of my time explaining why! Just tell me what are some research based techniques of how to incorporate the information.
We volleyed ideas of bringing in the community, the need for teachers and students to feel that they are a part of the same culture to be open and accepting of the lessons being taught, and how the fear of "unknown cultures and thoughts" causes students and teachers to be unaccepting. One thing all teachers learn quickly is that we cannot help what happens outside of our classroom walls. Everything we have control of is in our classrooms. The environment, the quality of lessons, the expectations are all set by the teacher.
This led to more speculations and thoughts. Michael remembered how he felt disconnected to the African American students during his student teaching in Alabama. Is it because of different cultures and his lack of exposure to their culture? Is it because he was white and the students did not feel a connection with him? How do you get students to respond to teachers who are from a different culture? From asian, european, african, south american, or american cultures. Human nature inclines you to connect with your own "kind." So how does a teacher tackle this?
I feel that because everything starts with the teacher, the teacher as a person must be introspective. Is s/he accepting of all cultures? What language and word choice does one use in lessons and throughout his/her day? What are the natural reactions and instincts that happen when a certain topic is brought up? What are the biases that we walk in the door with already? Helping the teacher dispel biases and expose them to many cultures needs to be a priority for districts through professional development. Ultimately, everything a teacher says has an effect on students in a good or bad way. Are we as teachers doing the best we can to foster acceptance and multiculturalism?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)