Northern Noise

Well, I'm about to start a new adventure.  After being a classroom teacher since 1995, I'm about to become a year-round educational employee.  Yesterday I accepted a job as the secondary curriculum coordinator for the school district.  It's kind of still sinking in, but I think I'm excited about the change. For the past year I've been working on a Master's degree in Curriculum & Instruction, so when a position came open that required this degree and would let me use what I learn, I felt like I had to apply.  I was sort of surprised to get it, but am really excited as well as flattered that my current boss thinks I can do the job. This means that I will be facilitating curriculum revisions, working with school counselors, planning professional development, organizing district-wide events such as Poetry Out Loud, and completing "other duties as assigned"  I still get to work with great people in a great department. The downside is that I'm

This week I've got the kids - well, Jed and Aileen - at the beach.  Yesterday was beautiful weather.  We went up to Seaside, which is a fun, family friendly tourist town.  We shopped, went to the Aquarium, did some boardwalk rides....  The Seaside Aquarium was fun.  Not too big, but nice exhibits.  Both the kids liked the octopi.  Now, before some grammarian out there protests, be advised I did some research.  According to (ahem, please don't tell anyone I cited this source) Wikipedia, the following is true: Currently there are three plural forms of octopus : octopuses [ˈɒktəpəsɪz] , octopi [ˈɒktəpaɪ] , and octopodes [ˌɒkˈtəʊpədiːz] . Currently, octopuses is the most common form in the UK as well as the US; octopodes is rare, and octopi is often objectionable. [7 ] I like octopi, so that's the one I'm using.... I mean, I can be objectionable too, right? The aquarium also had harbor seals, including two adorable babies.  There was a viewing window and they would

So my son loves video games.  And my dilemma is whether I let him play them, and if so, how much?  I admit, I use them to my convenience.  For example, when we're traveling I'm happy to let him plug into Pokemon for the long flight.  But when we're home, I don't like 'em much. On the other side, I can see him using problem solving skills to get through some of these role playing games.  He gets SO frustrated and then stops, ponders, and re-tries.  He also likes to read all the "stuff" - the intros, the discussions between characters, the Nintendo Power magazine.  I think about my two cousins who grew up on lots of video games.  They both turned out okay (well, by our family's standards anyways). It's not like all he does is play games.  He reads, he plays soccer and badminton, he plays with the dogs and his friends and runs around like a yahoo.  But on some days, like today when it's rainy and cool outside, and we were up late and I'm w

I like to watch boxing, and to read about boxing.  I think part of it is that I associate boxing with my grandfather, who was a Golden Glove boxer back in his day.  I remember the cardboard cutouts of him in his boxing stance that that sat in his office.  He looked young, and tough.  It's also that xoxing is an individual sport, of toughness, speed, stamina, determination.  I admire that.  There can be no blaming a teammate in boxing, or a trainer.  It's only the boxer in the ring. There are so many good movies about boxing and, like all good sports movies, they show that boxing is a metaphor and archetype that speaks to us.  From Brando's plea to his brother, "I could have been a contender" to the family of parasites swooping into Hillary Swank's hospital bed in Million Dollar Baby, to Russell Crowe's portrayal of Depression era Jim Braddock, a symbol of the American spirit - boxing movies show us something about ourselves and our society. As a kid I

After sixteen years in the classroom, I still love teaching.   I do find myself, however, trying to put my finger on how “things” have changed.   I don’t consider myself a cynic, but I think the general view of the purpose of education has changed.   When I was a student, in my early years of teaching, and even now I fundamentally believe that learning, that education, is an end unto itself.   Becoming learned, becoming educated makes one a better person, opens up doors of insight into other people, cultures and times, and allows one to move through the world connected to the big picture.   Over time, a shift has occurred.    Education - taking classes , reading a book, earning a degree – is now viewed as a necessary step towards earning a living, checking off the prerequisites in order to get the job and earn the bucks.   Learning for learning sakes is a foreign concept, and school respond by forming career academies, pre-vocational programs of study, and focusing on testing