December reading list

Inspiration:
Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth: Awakening to your life's purpose" (main focus: understanding the value of this very moment. may seem a little far reaching for some but it has made a world of difference in enlightening my everyday experience)

School:
¡En Español 1! (if you in high school or if you'd just like to learn high school level beginner Spanish, this could just be your salvation!)
¡En Español 2! (think you're ready to advance to two past tenses and reflexive verbs?? you might just find this is the textbook for you! Please speak to its representative - me - if you would like some further information or tutoring)

John Dewey (okay, this is bad...can't even remember the title of the book! hopefull the intern seminar leader at EWS isn't reading this blog!) (basically this is revolutionary educational theory in its purest - and oldest- form)

"Horace's Compromise" by Theodore R. Sizer. After 5 years of so of researching America's high schools in the 1980s Sizer takes paints a picture of how American schools were in the 1980s (focusing on both the perspective of the teachers and the students) and he offers suggestions for educational reform. The message is still appropriate to today's educational scene and I really enjoy the journalistic as well as academic approach he took in writing this book.

News:
The Christian Science Monitor. Love the simplicity, yet thoroughness and sincerity with which the articles are written.

I'll be home for Christmas (imagine the song....)

One of the lovely things about being a teacher is that you still get to enjoy the holidays you had as a student. It's an added bonus to work for a boarding school with a good number of foreign exchange students who travel great distances to return to their families. Three weeks is what Emma students get to enjoy and faculty have about 2.5 because we must return early for a Faculty Forum. I'm not complaining because it gives me plenty of time to be with immediate and extended family, friends from college, as well as fly down to Florida to attend the wedding of a dear of mine from my own camp and boarding school days. Ideally I would like to get all those test graded and plan ahead for my classes but who has time for that during break??

Things accomplished since being home:
1. sleeping
2. going for a long walk with the two dogs and my mom
3. sleeping
4. watching Jon Stewart
5. sleeping
6. Playing guitar (I just learned three chords) with my cool brother
7. Lunch with Dad in DC followed by a long walk to visit the Nat'l Christmas Tree, the Nat'l Gallery of Art, and Freer Gallery
8. Fallen asleep on the Metro
9. Watched "Just Friends" with brother
10. going to bed

Is it normal that I am more tired in my unproductive state that I'm in at home than I am when I am in crazy teacher mode back at Emma??

Photos from the fall 2006

Here's some photos of my funky living space and beautiful campus!

EWS Fall 2006

Revels 2006

I took this explanation directly from the Emma Parent Newsletter: "Revels is an exciting and integral part of the rich tradition of Emma Willard School. Students have been performing this tradition since 1915, and each year the pageantry is reenacted by the senior class portraying the play's familiar medieval characters. To add to the excitement, the identities of the Lord and Lady of the Manor, the Chamberlain, the Jester, and other Revels favorites are a well-guarded secret."

Revels is probably one of the most important events at EWS besides graduation. All the underclasswomen as well as faculty dress in their best and become honored guests at the lord and lady of the manor's big feast. Below is the link for some photos from the event.

Revels 2006

troubles with blogging

Recently I've been been frustrated that I haven't been doing as much blogging as I'd anticipated at the beginning of the year. However, after pondering this for, oh maybe two minutes, I realized that (1) I just don't have/don't make that kind of time and (2) everything I want to write about involves complaints, revelations, inspiration, frustration, involving students or colleagues and this is just too public of a place to be publishing that kind of information. Who know's who could have access to my blog ? How much would it stink to have my students find this blog and learn that I actually gave them a C on their last test because I didn't get enough sleep the night before grading..oops! No, that's not true at all, but what if? It's just too political to write how I really feel about my experience. That's the crazy thing about blog writing. I'm sure I'm like many other bloggers in that I've always felt I'm much more willing to open up my emotions and express how I truly feel through writing rather than speaking. It's a dangerous thing, this computer, because these keys type my thoughts faster than I'm able to really process what I am saying.

So I'm trying to find a way to share my life at Emma Willard without making myself, the school, my colleagues, and the students vulnerable to misunderstanding and false judgement. My brother suggested starting a new blog in which I could anonymously represent myelf, but then how could I really share what was going on with those of you who know me?? that's the tricky thing. Regardless, I do want to write more. Will see what comes about.