For dear Chava, who tagged me:
Time for the MeMe... :-) The rules state that you must answer each question with only one word, so here goes:
1. Where is your cell phone? Bookbag
2. Where is your significant other? Computer
3. Your hair color? Boring
4. Your mother? Catholic
5. Your father? To-the-point
6. Your favorite thing? Food
7. Your dream last night? None
8. Your dream/goal? Improvement
9. The room you’re in? Bedroom
11. Your fear? Boredom
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Canada
13. Where were you last night? Sleep
14. What you’re not? Touchy-feely
15. One of your wish-list items? Warmth
16. Where you grew up? Ohio
17. The last thing you did? Reading
18. What are you wearing? Slippers
19. Your TV? Off
20. Your pet? None
21. Your computer? Lifeline
22. Your mood? Weekend!
23. Missing someone? Family
24. Your car? Eloise
25. Something you’re not wearing? Cheese
26. Favorite store? Target
27. Your summer? Beautiful
28. Love someone? Yes
29. Your favorite color? Green
30. When is the last time you laughed? Cribbage
31. Last time you cried? Hmmm
I'm supposed to tag five blogs. I don't know five blogs. So, I tag Sarah and Ann, and remind Ann that her blog was really wonderful for the month is lasted and perhaps it should start up again. :)
Friday, December 5, 2008
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Pro-Life and the Election
I don't keep up with many blogs, but I have a gateway into the Catholic blogosphere through dear Mimsy and Sarah. I enjoy the weekly Catholic Carnival (although I rarely have the time to read it thoroughly), and have found some good posts through it.
But one thing that has consistently irked me throughout the past election season are the Pro-Life/Pro-McCain/Anti-Obama-on-the-basis-of-his-pro-choice-stand posts that turn up again and again. Now, to lay it honestly on the table...I personally would consider myself to be pro-life in the sense that I hope and pray that abortion would end. But most Catholics would disagree with my self-label, because I don't think abortion should be illegal. I think this presents a host of tough logistical issues (i.e. more "back-room" and even more unsafe abortions inevitably happening with less quality medical care and safety for mothers/patients), and I also think it's a bad band-aid for the problems of people having unwanted pregnancies (such as lack of education, poverty, etc.). I know I'm liberal on this, and I know many Catholics disagree, and I'm ok with that. There it is.
Having said that, the aspect of this whole thing that bothers me, is that the bloggers who post about their pro-McCain status and claim the pro-life issue as the most important issue ignore a crucial fact: Both the candidates were pro-death penalty. It frustrates me to no end that the pro-life movement consistently ignores this facet of the "life" issue when painting McCain as a rosy pro-lifer because he opposes abortion. Abortion is not the only life issue at hand. One of the anthems of the pro-life movement is "respect for life at all stages, from conception to natural death." Lethal injection, electric chair, etc = unnatural death.
I'm not saying, by any means, that Obama was a better candidate for the life issue. He wasn't, and isn't. But I get very angry at the selective filter that I so often see Catholics apply to the information they receive and share, and this was a huge instance of that. I think it makes us look ignorant and inconsistent, and the world needs to see a better sense of logic from us, or at the very least an acknowledgement that some matters are far more grey than we care to admit; in this case, that so many Catholic's pro-life candidate isn't a perfect pro-lifer.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Stuffing
A friend who, God knows, knows her way around the kitchen, asked for my stuffing recipe. To be fair, it is Dad's stuffing recipe, and, to be more fair, to call it a "recipe" seems generous. It is, rather, a "throw-together" of ingredients in quantities to suit ones needs and tastes.
George was not the primary cook in our house growing up. He did, however, have a few staples he contributed on an occasional basis i.e. chili, grilled cheese and tomato soup, biscuits and gravy, and all things grilled. In my adulthood, I have called home several times to request his recipes, and I get a vague list of ingredients and a set of the aforementioned "throw together" directions. This generally suits me just fine, as I tend to care little for measuring and precision in my cooking (I have learned throughout time that these virtues are more important to baking, however, and try to stick to them).
So, for dear Astra Libris, here is George's Thanksgiving Stuffing.
George's Stuffing
Some celery
Some onions
Some (lots of) butter
Some (more than you think you need) toast
Some (chicken) broth
Some salt
Some pepper
Some poultry seasoning
Directions:
1. Toast bread to light golden. Or charred burniness. Or slight crispness with mushy insides. It doesn't really matter. Let sit for awhile. Break or cut into cubes or small pieces and soak in chicken broth. (I added an old stale corn muffin to my bread "crumbs." It was good. I also used all bread heels since Andy and I tend not to like them for usual bread use.)
2. Sautee some celery and some onions in butter (lots if it's Thanksgiving and you're going for flavor, less if you're watching your figure). Let cook to desired crunchiness (totally soggy for me).
3. Drain excess broth from bread crumbs, or don't, if you like really moist stuffing. Mix veggies into bread. Add liberal amounts of salt or pepper, and more than liberal amounts of poultry seasoning.
4. Bake inside or outside bird. Consume in mass quantities.
George was not the primary cook in our house growing up. He did, however, have a few staples he contributed on an occasional basis i.e. chili, grilled cheese and tomato soup, biscuits and gravy, and all things grilled. In my adulthood, I have called home several times to request his recipes, and I get a vague list of ingredients and a set of the aforementioned "throw together" directions. This generally suits me just fine, as I tend to care little for measuring and precision in my cooking (I have learned throughout time that these virtues are more important to baking, however, and try to stick to them).
So, for dear Astra Libris, here is George's Thanksgiving Stuffing.
George's Stuffing
Some celery
Some onions
Some (lots of) butter
Some (more than you think you need) toast
Some (chicken) broth
Some salt
Some pepper
Some poultry seasoning
Directions:
1. Toast bread to light golden. Or charred burniness. Or slight crispness with mushy insides. It doesn't really matter. Let sit for awhile. Break or cut into cubes or small pieces and soak in chicken broth. (I added an old stale corn muffin to my bread "crumbs." It was good. I also used all bread heels since Andy and I tend not to like them for usual bread use.)
2. Sautee some celery and some onions in butter (lots if it's Thanksgiving and you're going for flavor, less if you're watching your figure). Let cook to desired crunchiness (totally soggy for me).
3. Drain excess broth from bread crumbs, or don't, if you like really moist stuffing. Mix veggies into bread. Add liberal amounts of salt or pepper, and more than liberal amounts of poultry seasoning.
4. Bake inside or outside bird. Consume in mass quantities.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Thanksgiving
When I was growing up, I remember getting up "early" on Thanksgiving (which is relative when you have a father that rises at 6:00 am regardless of day of the week), and smelling toast. It was Dad's beginning of homemade stuffing, and it was my favorite thing to help with when I was younger.
Today is my first Thanksgiving alone, and although it's kind of sad in some ways, it's also my first chance to cook a Thanksgiving meal by myself, too, which is kind of exciting. I'm not going all out -- I bought Turkey fillets instead of a bird or breast, and, frankly, my mashed potatoes are coming from a box. But I did do the homemade stuffing thing, and it's smelling pretty awesome in the oven right now.
It's also nice because today I have the chance to make Thanksgiving anything I want it to be. I got up this morning to go to Mass, which was lovely. After the homily, everyone in the church brought up the bags of groceries they had brought to church as an offering for the needy, which was a really nice symbolic thing for Thanksgiving. I felt like a bum because I hadn't brought anything, but the giving tree is up in the back of the church, so I think Andy and I will take a couple of the family needs from there this weekend to buy for Christmas.
After Mass, I put on my iPod, queued up George Winston's Winter album, and went for a walk in the park. The weather here in Thanksgiving-perfect. Chilly, but not cold at all, a bit windy, and a little overcast. The park was pretty empty, but really nice, and I felt very autumnal.
And now, the mini-pies are in the oven, the turkey and stuffing are baking, and I'm awaiting a phone call from the extended fam at home. Life is good.
Today is my first Thanksgiving alone, and although it's kind of sad in some ways, it's also my first chance to cook a Thanksgiving meal by myself, too, which is kind of exciting. I'm not going all out -- I bought Turkey fillets instead of a bird or breast, and, frankly, my mashed potatoes are coming from a box. But I did do the homemade stuffing thing, and it's smelling pretty awesome in the oven right now.
It's also nice because today I have the chance to make Thanksgiving anything I want it to be. I got up this morning to go to Mass, which was lovely. After the homily, everyone in the church brought up the bags of groceries they had brought to church as an offering for the needy, which was a really nice symbolic thing for Thanksgiving. I felt like a bum because I hadn't brought anything, but the giving tree is up in the back of the church, so I think Andy and I will take a couple of the family needs from there this weekend to buy for Christmas.
After Mass, I put on my iPod, queued up George Winston's Winter album, and went for a walk in the park. The weather here in Thanksgiving-perfect. Chilly, but not cold at all, a bit windy, and a little overcast. The park was pretty empty, but really nice, and I felt very autumnal.
And now, the mini-pies are in the oven, the turkey and stuffing are baking, and I'm awaiting a phone call from the extended fam at home. Life is good.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Flex class
Today at work, we got our new schedules for the next trimester. This is an exciting thing, because we learn not only what we're going to be teaching (very broadly), but who we're going to be working with as far as students are concerned. My schedule this time had a big cool surprise: I get to work in a couple of flex classes, which are small, interdisciplinary classes with groups of students and teachers.
This is unusual for our school. Generally, the work we do with students is strictly one-on-one, but as students become comfortable being in groups and develop the skills to handle such interactions appropriately, they might move into one of these classes. Today, as I sat with two of the other three teachers and worked on planning out the first day of class, I was struck by how "intentional" we had to be as far as creating a group was concerned.
Now, "intentional" is a word that gets thrown around a lot at our school, to the point where it sometimes begins to feel meaningless. But being intentional is a big part of the work we do. We try to make sure that our students have intentional interactions with other students, as opposed to unplanned interactions. We try to make sure that the ways we speak to our students and the things we teach them are intentional, that we've thought them through in terms of their academic and therapeutic needs. It doesn't always play out to be quite as intense as it sounds, but it's a good overarching idea to keep in the back of our mind as we go through a day working with students who have the kinds of needs that our students do.
With this flex class, though, we did have to be exceptionally intentional about building up the idea of a group with these students. Luckily, all of them have had group learning experiences in the past, but in building relationship with one another in this context, we had to really think through the way we were going to address thinking of ourselves as a class; how we were going to help students' come to realizations about what they can expect from the group and what they can do to contribute to the group. It was an interesting process, and it really made me stop and think about why we do things as slowly and, yes, intentionally, as we do in our school.
It also made me realize how exceptionally lucky most of us are that we can build these types of relationships with one another without such intense guidance; but also how it really IS possible for our students to make progress (even when they seem like they can't) as long as someone is willing to take the time to break things down for them. Working in this job has really given me an appreciation of "individual differences," as we call it in education, and of the benefits of taking things slow. I've really had some epiphanies about what kind of person I am (quick thinking and quick moving and always busy with my hands in something) and the benefits of being another type of person with different kinds of gifts. I feel like I've done as much work on myself in this job as I've done with the students, which is hard but also very gratifying.
This is unusual for our school. Generally, the work we do with students is strictly one-on-one, but as students become comfortable being in groups and develop the skills to handle such interactions appropriately, they might move into one of these classes. Today, as I sat with two of the other three teachers and worked on planning out the first day of class, I was struck by how "intentional" we had to be as far as creating a group was concerned.
Now, "intentional" is a word that gets thrown around a lot at our school, to the point where it sometimes begins to feel meaningless. But being intentional is a big part of the work we do. We try to make sure that our students have intentional interactions with other students, as opposed to unplanned interactions. We try to make sure that the ways we speak to our students and the things we teach them are intentional, that we've thought them through in terms of their academic and therapeutic needs. It doesn't always play out to be quite as intense as it sounds, but it's a good overarching idea to keep in the back of our mind as we go through a day working with students who have the kinds of needs that our students do.
With this flex class, though, we did have to be exceptionally intentional about building up the idea of a group with these students. Luckily, all of them have had group learning experiences in the past, but in building relationship with one another in this context, we had to really think through the way we were going to address thinking of ourselves as a class; how we were going to help students' come to realizations about what they can expect from the group and what they can do to contribute to the group. It was an interesting process, and it really made me stop and think about why we do things as slowly and, yes, intentionally, as we do in our school.
It also made me realize how exceptionally lucky most of us are that we can build these types of relationships with one another without such intense guidance; but also how it really IS possible for our students to make progress (even when they seem like they can't) as long as someone is willing to take the time to break things down for them. Working in this job has really given me an appreciation of "individual differences," as we call it in education, and of the benefits of taking things slow. I've really had some epiphanies about what kind of person I am (quick thinking and quick moving and always busy with my hands in something) and the benefits of being another type of person with different kinds of gifts. I feel like I've done as much work on myself in this job as I've done with the students, which is hard but also very gratifying.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Name change update
Today, I was talking to George, and he asked, "Hey, what's your last name?"
Clearly, it is still WXXXXX, but he was asking about the post-wedding name decision.
"It's undecided," I told him.
"Well, that's less decisive that the last time I talked. Look at you, turning traditional and anti-Vermont on us."
While that sunk in, I realized he thought I was deciding between hyphenating or taking the Affianced's name. "Uh, no...the decision is between hyphenating or not changing at all."
"Oh...so you are going all Vermont on us."
"Yeah."
"Well, good luck with that.
Clearly, it is still WXXXXX, but he was asking about the post-wedding name decision.
"It's undecided," I told him.
"Well, that's less decisive that the last time I talked. Look at you, turning traditional and anti-Vermont on us."
While that sunk in, I realized he thought I was deciding between hyphenating or taking the Affianced's name. "Uh, no...the decision is between hyphenating or not changing at all."
"Oh...so you are going all Vermont on us."
"Yeah."
"Well, good luck with that.
Trimester Fair
Thursday was the Trimester Fair at school, which was a really awesome celebration of all the work that our students have been doing over the past few months. On this day, all of the teachers hang up or set out our students' final project, which range from posters to drawing to cartoon to photographs to essays to webpages to construction projects and furniture. It was a really beautiful display of diverse interests and learning, and I was so thankful to be able to see all of the student work. At the end of the day, our students' families and "teams" (people like social workers or guardians) came to see the work as well, and the students led a tour of the buildings, showing their team their projects. It was so awesome to see some of my very quiet students interacting with their families in an almost ranbunctious (and certainly very proud) manner as they showed off the work they did. I was so proud of them! I also got several compliments on one of the projects my student did especially, the one about Islam and Terrorism. It was really cool to see my students come to important concluions (i.e. Islam does not equal terrorism) on his own.
I'm thankful that the school takes the time to recognize these student achievements, as it would be very easy to just move through to the next trimester without taking the time to bask and celebrate. But that time was so important, and I'm very thankful to have been a part of it.
I'm thankful that the school takes the time to recognize these student achievements, as it would be very easy to just move through to the next trimester without taking the time to bask and celebrate. But that time was so important, and I'm very thankful to have been a part of it.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Get the ball rolling
An assortment of random information/stories to get the blogging-ball rolling again.
Touched base with an old high school friend the other day, which was really wonderful, as I hadn't talked to her in ages and ages. We weren't super close, but she's a kind soul, and we've had a nice exchange of e-mails.
Tomorrow is the trimester fair, where our students display the projects they've been working on throughout the trimester. I put up all of my students' projects today, and my room is beautiful and full of accomplishment. I'm proud of the work we've done.
Funny school story: Last week, one of my students was making a poster of his "dairy farm," for which he had "bought equipment" the following week. "You still need to draw the tractor, and wagon, and pick-up trucks," I told him.
"They're there...they're invisible," he replied.
"Oh...well, tell you what. I won't make you draw them again, but could you just trace over the invisible ones so I can see them a little better."
(*Score one genius point for me.)
Next week, we get new work schedules -- new kids, new classes, new projects -- which I am looking forward to with equal parts trepidation and excitement. More work, but at least something different.
Andy is leaving me for Thanksgiving. I am sad to have him gone, but happy to have the apartment to myself. Also, I am making myself Thanksgiving dinner anyway. So there. Thank you to Mammy's care package of boxes of mashed potatoes and stuffing!
Wedding RSVPs are coming in, and BOY are they exciting. A lot of people aren't going to be able to make it, which I knew, but I LOVE keeping track of who is coming and what reply ratio we have, etc...have I mentioned I love Microsoft Excel?
That is all for now. Off for Top Chef!
Touched base with an old high school friend the other day, which was really wonderful, as I hadn't talked to her in ages and ages. We weren't super close, but she's a kind soul, and we've had a nice exchange of e-mails.
Tomorrow is the trimester fair, where our students display the projects they've been working on throughout the trimester. I put up all of my students' projects today, and my room is beautiful and full of accomplishment. I'm proud of the work we've done.
Funny school story: Last week, one of my students was making a poster of his "dairy farm," for which he had "bought equipment" the following week. "You still need to draw the tractor, and wagon, and pick-up trucks," I told him.
"They're there...they're invisible," he replied.
"Oh...well, tell you what. I won't make you draw them again, but could you just trace over the invisible ones so I can see them a little better."
(*Score one genius point for me.)
Next week, we get new work schedules -- new kids, new classes, new projects -- which I am looking forward to with equal parts trepidation and excitement. More work, but at least something different.
Andy is leaving me for Thanksgiving. I am sad to have him gone, but happy to have the apartment to myself. Also, I am making myself Thanksgiving dinner anyway. So there. Thank you to Mammy's care package of boxes of mashed potatoes and stuffing!
Wedding RSVPs are coming in, and BOY are they exciting. A lot of people aren't going to be able to make it, which I knew, but I LOVE keeping track of who is coming and what reply ratio we have, etc...have I mentioned I love Microsoft Excel?
That is all for now. Off for Top Chef!
Friday, October 10, 2008
Mosque
I keep meaning to post about this, and just not doing it.
This past week, I took one of my students to visit the Islamic Society of Vermont's offices and mosque. My student and I have been learning about Islam, and doing some work with 9/11, terrorism, and Al-Qaeda and how it all fits together, and I was thinking that meeting someone who was Muslim and having a chance to see where they worshiped would be a good experience for him.
The mosque was a small building, and you could tell it served many purposes -- community gathering place, school of sorts, as well as having prayer space. But the gentleman who guided us ad gave us information was just phenomenal -- very down to earth and normal, which was a good experience for my student, to see that Muslims are very much like everyone else. We asked our guide about Ramandan, and about what it means to be Islam, and how he feels about Al-Qaeda and the war in Iraq (which is "I can't judge whether they are Muslim or not, but I can say that they are doing very bad actions" and "I don't really know -- that's a bunch of political stuff."). It was a really great visit.
On the way home, I was talking to my student, and he was telling me about what he thought. "You know," he said, "Before this class, I really thought that the war was us against the Muslims. But now I know that it isn't, really. They're just normal, and Al-Qaeda is just a small group of people who have extreme beliefs." In my head I was pumping my fist into the air and saying, "Yesssssssssss," while aloud I was responding, "You're right. And that's what he was talking about when he mentioned the media blowing things out of proportion and Al-Qaeda giving Muslims a bad name..." All in all, it was a really awesome experience.
Another student and I went out into the Winooski River this week. I put her in a pair of waders, which were about 10 sizes too big for her, but the look on her face when she realized she could walk freely through the water without getting wet, and when she caught a crayfish for our terrarium...priceless.
I cannot get over how much awesomer my job is than my last teaching experience. I hope that we can either stay here in Burlington for a few more years so I can milk as much out of this as possible, or that there are (please Lord) other schools and other places where teaching is not a torturous task. Because really, it shouldn't be...
This past week, I took one of my students to visit the Islamic Society of Vermont's offices and mosque. My student and I have been learning about Islam, and doing some work with 9/11, terrorism, and Al-Qaeda and how it all fits together, and I was thinking that meeting someone who was Muslim and having a chance to see where they worshiped would be a good experience for him.
The mosque was a small building, and you could tell it served many purposes -- community gathering place, school of sorts, as well as having prayer space. But the gentleman who guided us ad gave us information was just phenomenal -- very down to earth and normal, which was a good experience for my student, to see that Muslims are very much like everyone else. We asked our guide about Ramandan, and about what it means to be Islam, and how he feels about Al-Qaeda and the war in Iraq (which is "I can't judge whether they are Muslim or not, but I can say that they are doing very bad actions" and "I don't really know -- that's a bunch of political stuff."). It was a really great visit.
On the way home, I was talking to my student, and he was telling me about what he thought. "You know," he said, "Before this class, I really thought that the war was us against the Muslims. But now I know that it isn't, really. They're just normal, and Al-Qaeda is just a small group of people who have extreme beliefs." In my head I was pumping my fist into the air and saying, "Yesssssssssss," while aloud I was responding, "You're right. And that's what he was talking about when he mentioned the media blowing things out of proportion and Al-Qaeda giving Muslims a bad name..." All in all, it was a really awesome experience.
Another student and I went out into the Winooski River this week. I put her in a pair of waders, which were about 10 sizes too big for her, but the look on her face when she realized she could walk freely through the water without getting wet, and when she caught a crayfish for our terrarium...priceless.
I cannot get over how much awesomer my job is than my last teaching experience. I hope that we can either stay here in Burlington for a few more years so I can milk as much out of this as possible, or that there are (please Lord) other schools and other places where teaching is not a torturous task. Because really, it shouldn't be...
Friday, October 3, 2008
Miscellaneous
I've been thinking a lot about the phrase "Life is good," and how lucky I am that I can say that almost all of the time. When I think about the lives that some of my students have, in school and out, it makes me grateful that that is true for me, because I know for some of them, it's not true, because of family situations, or their own issues they deal with. Just something I've been pondering.
On happier notes, work continues to go really well. I really like my job, which is a relief. Until this job, I was thinking that perhaps I didn't actually want to be a teacher, that I had just been sucked into a field and now there was no way out unless I started something over from scratch (which sucks). Now...huge sigh of relief.
And on the wedding front...things are moving forward! I have invitations in hand (my good old pal Jason is awesome), we met with our pianist/organist this week and nailed down music for the ceremony (which includes some awesome non-traditional selections that I'm thrilled about!), and having these little pieces put together really makes things move along. I've talked to some friends who have started booking plane tickets and hotel reservations, etc, and it's all coming together! I'm so excited to see everyone in January.
And now, sleep like a coma.
On happier notes, work continues to go really well. I really like my job, which is a relief. Until this job, I was thinking that perhaps I didn't actually want to be a teacher, that I had just been sucked into a field and now there was no way out unless I started something over from scratch (which sucks). Now...huge sigh of relief.
And on the wedding front...things are moving forward! I have invitations in hand (my good old pal Jason is awesome), we met with our pianist/organist this week and nailed down music for the ceremony (which includes some awesome non-traditional selections that I'm thrilled about!), and having these little pieces put together really makes things move along. I've talked to some friends who have started booking plane tickets and hotel reservations, etc, and it's all coming together! I'm so excited to see everyone in January.
And now, sleep like a coma.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)