Northern Noise

Today my thoughts on education were influenced by the colleagues with whom I share an office.  A couple of highlights from our conversations. 1) When people are faced with something new, they can either embrace it, be fearful, or ignore it.   Most teachers don't embrace change for lots of reasons.  For one thing, teachers tend to be the ones for whom school worked.  Another is that teachers have seen a lot of trends, expectations and jargon come and go over time; it makes sense to be skeptical.  Also, the disconnect between policy makers at the national and state levels and the kids and teachers living daily in the classroom can be huge.  It can be hard to be told what to do by someone who has never seen the students you care for, worry about, and spend each day with. 2) Some people just forget they have a boss.  There's an attitude among some teachers that they can go in their classrooms, shut their doors, and do what they want.  Those people resent it when someone tells t

When I started teaching, I read the curriculum guide which told me some basics of what I was supposed to teach, and then I taught.  I did my best teaching, planned assignments and scaffolded ideas, and then I gave my students some sort of test to see how they did. I also gave a test because I needed some grades for the grade book and tests are expected in high school classes.  If students didn't do well, I suggested they study harder, come work with me after school, and sometimes I offered to let them retake the test. I had a few epiphanies those first few years.  One was that I could usually predict a student's test score before s/he ever took the test.  Another was that sometimes it was hard to figure out what to write the test about.  Writing tests was hard in itself because I'd never taken a test writing class (although I had taken a lot of tests).  I'd put some vocabulary matching, some multiple choice, some short answer, some true and false.  The questions on th

Apparently the boy's father also has his "moments." Overheard last night.... Papa: "Jedidiah.  If you get out of that bed one more time, I am going to beat you." Jed:  "Hmm.  What will you beat me with?" Papa:  "A big pot." Jed:  "Okay.  I guess I'll stay in bed." Granted, Jed has never been beaten by his father, so I found the question rather funny.  But when I shared my amusement with his dad, all he could say was, "Maybe we haven't beaten him enough... that might be the root of the problem." So much for my calm and mild mannered husband...

I've identified another definition of happiness. Happiness is being at the bottom of the pile of the boy, the dog, and the husband, who ignore me while they chat about watching Globe Trekker and the dog tries to steal the boy's tortilla.

Went to work before 7:00 today and it was light outside.  Wore my light coat.  Came home and it was 26 degrees above.  Left my coat unzipped as I walked to the house.  Sun coming in the windows might be giving off a little warmth.  Snuck out of the office to get a cup of coffee and the sun hit my face and it felt amazing and the air entering my lungs made me feel momentarily invincible. Now some people might want to rain on this happiness parade by reminding me of daylight savings time, but it won't work.  Spring is beginning.  My spring break has begun and I'm going to sleep in tomorrow and clean out my car, and maybe even the refrigerator. A Light exists in Spring Not present on the Year At any other period — When March is scarcely here Monet's "Spring" A Color stands abroad On Solitary Fields That Science cannot overtake But Human Nature feels. It waits upon the Lawn, It shows the furthest Tree Upon the furthest Slope you

Sometimes on a Sunday morning, heaven is being able to lie in bed and enjoy the laziness of knowing you don't have to be anywhere.   Often on those mornings, my hubby and I will read the papers on our iPhones, feet touching under the covers but mostly ignoring each other, listening to the kids and dogs downstairs making craziness.  Sometimes we'll plan out our week and compare schedules, making sure all the "have tos" are covered.  This morning we got in a conversation about the meaning of happiness.   Although the subject is light, the conversation got kinda heavy.  Happiness is the only goal, but it can be hard to define, let alone achieve.  And when one has a family, happiness is tied up in the well-being, the states of others.  As Martha Washington is credited with saying, " The greatest part of our happiness depends on our dispositions, not our circumstances."  Still, there is a connection between circumstance and happiness, and in the dispositions of

Jed: If onomatopoeia is words that sound like what they mean, would automatopoeia be a mechanic who tells you what he really thinks about your car?? (my boy is too clever, yes?)

So I have spent the last day and a half not arguing with my child about his family heritage.  Yesterday he announced to me that he has "Ninja blood, on dad's side."  My husband is pretty darn western European, the ancestors that came to America were mostly from Wales, with a few from Scotland.  No Japanese anywhere in sight. So I responded to my son.  "That's fun to pretend.  It would be fun to be a ninja." To which he responds, "It's not pretend mom.  I really have ninja blood.  Dad just never told you about it, but we looked it up on his family tree." I tried to continue a rational discussion with my son that explained that, like it or not, we're a pretty darn whitebread sort of family.  He dismissed my factual explanations with a wave of his hand and a rolling of his eyes.  What do I know?  Apparently I have clumsiness in my side of the family so I don't recognize ninjas.  And besides, if he didn't have ninja blood how coul

Apparently I'm a bad parent.  (and I wonder how many of you are thinking something like, "You just figured this out?") See, this morning my son was reminded, gently I might add, to finish his chore of feeding the devil dog.  He put on his boots, headed to the dog food tub on the porch and returned with, literally, two pieces of kibble looking lonely in her bowl.  I told him he needed to go get more food, to which he replied with a huffy, nasty tone and an eye rolling.  I got my "very stern" voice and told him he not only better finish his chores, but he better then sit down and drink his milk and that I was NOT happy with him for being so disrespectful and it would not be tolerated.  He complied. A few minutes later, being the progressive parent I am, I thought to follow up the exchange with calm talk:  "Jed, I'm sorry that I spoke harshly a few minutes ago.  I hope you realize that your family is always going to be here, and it's very importan