An Honest Answer

Mr. Bonds, at the start of his lesson, wanted to be sure that students understood his objective: TSW analyze and compose compound/complex sentences. After discussing the meaning of analyze, he moved on to compose. "You did this in some of your earlier classes," he hinted.
Michael raised his hand. "Sleep?"

English Teaching Workshop

Yesterday the English TEAM instructors presented a workshop to the new English teachers who will be going into their own classrooms next month (August). Five experienced English teachers shared information with nine teachers-in-training about four general areas: Teaching for the State Test, Planning, Organization, and Teaching Strategies. At the conclusion of the workshop, I asked teachers to write down what they liked and what they would like to know more about (we have another workshop scheduled for late in July).

What participants specifically liked:

* organizational advice (esp. about dealing with absent students; filing cabinet student folder system)
* state test prep teaching strategies
* handouts
* different opinions/anecdotes/techniques from multiple teachers on a variety of topics
* differentiated instruction ideas
* well-structured and informative presentation

What they would like to know more about:

* first week of school
* specific activities for teaching certain things, such as grammar/subject-verb agreement
* teaching strategies for reading comprehension (esp. poetry)
* making effective consequences
* homework: yes or no?
* EEF money
* more state test teaching tips
* where to find good teacher resources
* examples of pacing guides
* lists of books often taught
* information on principals (likes/dislikes)
* more organizational strategies

Renovations

kitchen with fresh paint, new cabinets and counter tops

pattern for new "backsplash" (first time I encountered this term)

new ceiling fan in the master bedroom (installed by my skillful spouse)

bathroom is now blue, instead of brown- quite different

We look forward to moving back in next week, inshallah.

Garden

This is our garden in our backyard. I can take little credit for it as my husband built the plots (the one on the left is a recent addition) and planted nearly all of the seeds. I guess he is like the little red hen, and I am one of her lazy acquaintances. Anyway, the garden is coming along, and looks very nice.

Peace Garden

The Japanese Garden of Peace which is part of the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, Texas, was a bicentennial gift from Japan in 1976.

Before enjoying the garden, I toured the Admiral Nimitz Museum, also part of the National Museum of the Pacific War. There I learned of Admiral Nimitz's admiration for and friendship with Admiral Heihachiro Togo, considered Japan's greatest naval hero. The garden's meditation center (not pictured here) is a replica of Admiral Togo's in Japan.

Vereins Kirche

Fredericksburg, Texas

Vereins kirche means "community church." This building is but a replica of the original, which was constructed in 1847 and used for church services by all denominations represented by the settlers of Fredericksburg: Lutherans, Catholics, Methodists. It was also used for the first school and the town hall. In 1897 the real Vereins Kirche was demolished.

This one was completed in 1935 and has throughout the years housed a pioneer museum, the chamber of commerce, the county archives, and a local history collection. It is octagonal in shape, modeled after the "Carolingian octagon" style of German architecture which may be seen in the original cathedral of Charlemagne at Aachen. (source: The Handbook of Texas Online)

About a month ago I heard a story on NPR about the widespread use of German in public schools in German communities (contrasting current attitudes about contemporary bilingual education) up until WWI, and the placard above makes note of this. I did ask my grandfather, born shortly after this time, if he remembered German being spoken in school, but he said no, because not everyone could understand it.

Recycling

Now that I know where to send empty yogurt containers, what about all these empty CD cases? Here are a few ideas. (I just LOVE the Internet.)

First, you can ask artists, such as musicians or photographers, if they can use them. I am checking with my brother.

Next, I discovered GreenDisk, a company that "handles all your technotrash disposal needs." Here is a full list of what items they accept. As you can see, it does include CDs and cases. It looks pretty cool- you put your stuff in a box, estimate its weight, order the service ($6.95 for 20 lbs or less), print the shipping label, and send it off. ($.30 extra for each additional pound over 20)

Plastic Recycling Incorporated 2015 South Pennsylvania Indianapolis, IN 46225 (317-780-6100) may accept CDs and cases (info was a couple of years old, so I'm not completely sure).

Finally, another possible outlet is Freecycle, a global network (it appears to be like a Craig's List for free stuff) that allows you to post items you want to discard, as well as search for or request items you would like to receive. There are a number of groups active in Mississippi.

I am not sure how I will discard the cases at this point, but I have several options that will keep them out of a landfill (as least for now).

Recycling # 5s

It's easy to recycle #1 and #2 plastics; most curbside recycling programs accept them, including ours. But what about the #5s?

The triangular symbol with the "5" inside means the plastic is made of the chemical compound Polypropylene (or PP). Yogurt, syrup, and ketchup containers, as well as bottle caps, plastic straws, and medicine bottles are generally packaged in this type of plastic.

Plastic yogurt containers especially proliferate in various places in our house (garage, craft bin, kitchen cabinet, sandbox, bathtub). I just hate the thought of them sitting in a landfill! Apart from planting seeds in them and reusing them as snack cups ... what to do with them?

On a blog called Eat. Drink. Better. I found an answer, in the form of a program that takes #5 containers. You can drop them off in certain places (mostly midwest and northeast) and if that's not convenient, mail them.

Send your clean #5s (via ground) to:

Preserve Gimme 5
823 NYS Rte 13
Cortland, NY 13045

Include a return address on the outside of the box and a name and email address inside.

I am going to try it. Perfect- just in time for spring cleaning!

Who Is Arne Duncan?

The evening after President Obama addressed Congress, I flipped on Charlie Rose to see who was guest. Some crazy guy was advocating keeping schools open 12 hours a day, 12 months of the year, six or seven days of the week to serve as community centers. Has he really worked in schools? I wondered. Every other word seemed to be "innovation," with vague explanations as to what this meant. Who is this guy? I thought.

In a few moments his name and title flashed on the screen: Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education. Ohhh, it's this guy. I'd heard his name but knew little of him. Here was my chance.

Regarding the school as a community center, an idea many in my Teacher Corps class played with when we designed our own school district as a final project for our "Innovations in Education" course (myself included), Mr. Duncan argued that there are schools in every neighborhood, with classrooms, computer labs, libraries, and gyms, whose resources are not being maximized. "Schools belong to the community," he said, and suggested that schools partner with nonprofits such as YMCA or Boys and Girls Club to offer a variety of activities and programs: sports, debate, chess, drama, enrichment, GED, ESL, family literacy, potlucks. "Our society has changed; our schools have not kept pace. This needs to be what the 21st century school looks like- the norm, not the exception."

I love the idea. It's great. It makes sense. But having worked in the public education system for going on five years now, where often you feel that you've landed in Opposite-Land, my initial reaction was skepticism, because I saw such a practical, common sense approach would meet opposition. In general, public education behaves like a really old, slow, stupid animal.

I gathered that he served as head of Chicago schools, tried some new things, such as financial incentives for successful students in the inner city, closed some failing schools, and overall did a good job, which is why he was selected for the position. There was also mention of his background and personal experience with children in poverty. (His mother has run an after school program on Chicago's South Side since before his birth.) He cited the example of childhood friends: the ones who got out of the neighborhood went on to become very successful, while the ones who did not, died. "They literally did not make it,” he explained, and added that the difference between the ones who did and the ones who did not, he realized later, was education.

Things he talked about:

We need to do "what works" for children and use "best practices" (It was not clear that he knew what these actually were.)

Good teaching matters; it is the number one factor affecting student achievement. To this end, great teachers need to be rewarded with incentives, besides induction, mentoring, and support.

The importance of early childhood education as well as making sure kids are well-fed, healthy, and safe so that they can focus on learning

Other nations value education and invest in it. U.S. should do the same. The stimulus package provides $115 billion to do so.

Keeping some parts of NCLB, changing others, and re-branding it to reflect a new approach

Growing support for a national set of standards, rather than the fifty different versions that now exist. (Most other industrialized countries i.e. “our competitors” have a single set of standards – Japan, Germany, India, for example. Our Department of Defense schools follow a single curriculum, making it easy for children to move from one school to another in any part of the world, relatively seamlessly.)

Paying math and science teachers more, because currently there is a shortage, and it is in these areas that American students are falling behind their international counterparts.

Charter schools --- good charter schools, he emphasized -- and getting the best and the brightest college graduates into the classrooms at a time when Baby Boomers will be retiring in large numbers

Re-envisioning schools, opening them up as community centers as described previously

Duncan has experience in educational policy and management, but has not himself been a teacher. I found much of his talk lacking vague, and while I don't doubt his good intentions, as an educator, when it came to details, I wondered if he really knew what he was talking about. But maybe it doesn't matter. Maybe an idea of the big picture is all that's required. If he can effect some positive changes, terrific.

What was he vague on? Assessment of both student achievement and teacher performance, specific changes to NCLB, teacher tenure standards, how performance pay might work, who might oppose his "creative innovation" plans and what they may oppose about them, how the $115 billion will be allocated, charter schools, (as mentioned above) best practices. It's easy to say "induction, mentoring, great teachers, think differently, culture of high expectations" - but what does that all mean in real terms? Maybe it's too early for him to give specifics, or maybe he's not as skilled at conveying information as his boss is. This was clear, however:

"Education is THE civil rights issue of this generation," he said early in the interview and later toward the end, "This is about more than education; this is a battle for social justice."

To that I can agree. It will be interesting to see what changes he is able to implement in the coming year and how the stimulus money is handled.

(P.S. When did "incent" start being a word? i.e. "We need to incent great teachers." Oh ... 1981. I missed that.)

PostScript: New York Times article, 1/13/09, "Few Picks from Education Pick," covers his confirmation hearing, in which many of these same ideas are aired.

Our President

I saw my grandmother last week and as it often does, the talk turned to politics. She calls herself a Republican but couldn't believe that Rush Limbaugh said he wanted to see the President fail. "That's just not patriotic," she said.

I agreed and expressed confidence in the new leader to do a good job.

"Yes, I hope so .... even with his Muslim ties," she said.

"He's not Muslim," I said. "He's Christian."

"Well, he SAYS he is," she said doubtfully.

"His father may have been Muslim," I suggested. "He's from Africa."

"Well, he [the President] lived over there!"

"In Africa? He lived in Indonesia, but I don't think he ever lived in Africa," I said. "There are a lot of Muslims in Indonesia."

However, except for the part about his being Christian, I had to admit I wasn't totally sure of the facts.

This past week I had the opportunity to read his first book, originally published in 1995 and re-released in 2004 following his keynote address at that year's Democratic National Convention.

It was hard to put down. It was a great book, one of the few that I will read again sometime. He's a great writer. It's a great story. I'm ready for the sequel.

If I thought before that he was a capable and competent person for the job as our nation's leader, if before I felt that I could readily identify with him, despite his being born more than a decade before me, now I feel all the more so.

Over the years we've experienced his way with words, his ability to inspire through brilliant oratory. His written word does not disappoint. I'm sure he had good editors, but he's natural writer.

That's not only my opinion. Toni Morrison has called him "a writer in my high esteem."

In an interview with National Public Radio correspondent Neda Ulaby, Morrison said: "His ability to reflect on this extraordinary mesh of experiences that he has had, some familiar and some not, and to really meditate on that the way he does, and to set up scenes in narrative structure, dialogue, conversation--all of these things that you don't often see, obviously, in the routine political memoir biography. [...] It's unique. It's his. There are no other ones like that."

Such gifted writing is a product of extensive reading, which as noted in his book, has informed his thought and development as a person. When he was trying to solve a problem or learn more about something in which he was involved, he read. This remains true today. According to a recent New York Times article, "From Books, New President Found Voice," books that have informed his decisions since taking office include Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin; Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden by Steve Coll; and The Post-American World by Fareed Zakaria.

He's a reader, no doubt. I found it thrilling when in his first address to Congress, he urged parents to turn off the television, put away the video games, and read to their children. (My favorite, though, was his very important message to youngsters about dropping out of high school: "It's not just quitting on yourself, it's quitting on your country.")

Dreams From My Father is a memoir covering his life from childhood up until his marriage in 1992, divided into three parts: Origins; Chicago; and Kenya. From it I gained a more detailed picture of his life and experiences, though my understanding of him as a person did not change.

To set the record straight, he did live in Indonesia, from about age six to ten, but never in Africa. He went to Africa for the first time in 1988, the summer before starting law school. As for his religious views, I have to agree with my grandmother -- he SAYS he's a Christian, and as my brother pointed out, that's all you can ever really go on. He wasn't raised religiously and conveys no religious sentiment throughout the book. He relates several instances of being asked where he stood on church and religion while working as a community organizer in Chicago, and admits at least to the reader, that it is an area of uncertainty for him. "I remained a reluctant skeptic, doubtful of my own motives, wary of expedient conversion, having too many quarrels with God to accept a salvation too easily won," he wrote.

Inspired by a sermon given by Reverend Jeremiah Wright in 1988 called "The Audacity to Hope," recounted in Dreams For My Father, he was baptized into the Trinity United Church of Christ that same year. He was married there and his two girls baptized there, though last year the family resigned membership to much publicity in the wake of controversial statements made in past sermons by Dr. Wright.

I think he felt comfortable at Trinity with its emphasis on black liberation theology and social justice on the global level, especially with its links to Africa. Dr. Wright had also established Trinity as a center serving the various needs of the community - day care, drug counseling, legal aid, and tutoring, to name a few - very attractive to someone who had been working to such ends in that community. It was a popular church, large and growing, kind of "the place to be" for young African American professionals. And Dr. Wright, a dynamic speaker, provided a model for his development as an orator.

Jodi Kantor in a 2007 International Herald Tribune article, "Barack Obama's Search for Faith," wrote: "Services at Trinity were a weekly master class in how to move an audience. When Mr. Obama arrived at Harvard Law School later that year, where he fortified himself with recordings of Mr. Wright's sermons, he was delivering stirring speeches as a student leader in the classic oratorical style of the black church." That's very interesting.

I will look for his comments on religion and faith when reading The Audacity of Hope in the next few weeks.

Year-Round School

This morning I heard on the radio that the superintendent of Columbus schools has proposed an extended school year for grades K-6 starting in August. Students would attend school from August through June, with July off. They would get all of the regular holidays - fall break, Christmas break, spring break - as well as another week off in May. Special days, termed "yellow days," thoughout the year would be used for enrichment and remediation. Teachers would sign a regular 187-day contract (the current standard) plus an "off contract" that would cover the additional work days. According to superintendent Del Phillips, the budget has been trimmed to accommodate the extra money needed to fund the longer school year.

Schools in Japan run on a nearly year-round schedule: April 1 to mid-July, with a break of about four weeks (during the heat of summer), ending with Obon; early September to late December, with a break for the new year's celebration; and early January to early March, with a few weeks spring break (typically just in time to enjoy hanami).

I researched and wrote a paper on year-round schools for a class I took the semester after I returned from Japan. I learned what Mr. Phillips says his team found after talking to the 150 or so U.S. schools that presently operate on extended-year schedules: in fact, those students don't attend school any more than the standard 180 days; the days are just spread out more through the year.

Mr. Phillips said he and his team also looked into extended day schedules, but discovered these showed little increase in student achievement. The extended year plan now in place is aimed at improving student achievement, especially for students who are behind, and helping out working families, who can send their children to a structured academic environment for another month of the year. The benefit to this extended year plan is that it is free and available to all K-6 students, unlike extended year programs typically offered, for which parents must pay. The focus is on K-6 so that students can get the help they need in the early grades.

Easy Potato Soup

I just made this, it's really simple and delicious, I think I am going into a potato soup coma from eating too much of it ....

1 sm. onion
chopped 4 med. potatoes
diced 1 c. shredded carrots (or sliced celery)
1 c. water
2 c. milk
3/4 tsp. salt
Dash of pepper
1 or 2 tbsp. butter

Boil onion, potatoes, and carrots in water for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Blend in butter. Stir in milk, salt, and pepper. Heat until hot but do not boil. Makes 4 servings.

Not only fast and tasty, it is also quite nutritious with its amazing potatoes (I used Russett), onion, carrots, and milk. Good for vegetarians too!

Asian Inspired Spinach Salad

This was a really good salad:

Dressing: combine & refrigerate for an hour to let flavors blend.

1/4 c vegetable oil
3 T rice vinegar
1 T light soy sauce
1 t dark sesame oil
(optional i.e. didn't have on hand: 3/4 t grated gingerroot)

Salad:

1 bag (6 oz) baby spinach leaves
2 c cooked cubed chicken breast
1 can peaches, drained
1/4 c toasted slivered almonds
(optional i.e. didn't have on hand: 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions)

Gently toss all ingredients in large salad bowl. Add dressing and toss to combine.

Hippos

Julie and Splish, at the Memphis Zoo, once "hippo capital of the world" (who knew?) for the most successful hippo births of any zoo

A Portrait of Mississippi: Mississippi Human Development Report 2009

For Mississippians or those with an interest in the state ... Oxfam America last month released "A Portrait of Mississippi," a report on human development in the state. Fascinating statistics. You can download the report or just view a summary. More on this later.

Preparing for Spring

The Zoo

Snow Day

It snowed the other day- relatively unusual for this region. I realized, except for liking how "pretty" it makes the world look, I am indifferent to snow. I don't especially love it or hate it. I don't get excited about it. Anyway, here are a couple of pictures from the other morning:

La Paz

from The New York Times: "Next Stop: LA PAZ, MEXICO" by Steven Kurutz (10/2/05)

Back in the 1960's, La Paz, which lies along the Sea of Cortez, in Baja California, seemed poised to become the next great Mexican getaway. Its white sand beaches were less crowded than those of Acapulco, while its sport fishing was as good as anything you could find at Cabo San Lucas. And it acquired a brief fame when Bing Crosby bought a home in a nearby fly-in resort, as did Desi Arnaz, who swam in a pool built in the shape of a flamenco guitar.

But the tourist boom never came. Perhaps because the topography didn't easily lend itself to the kinds of megaresorts and golf courses that are a staple of today's upscale vacation spots. Or maybe La Paz, with its workaday citizens and smoke-bellowing Pemex refinery on the edge of town, has always been too functional to be the kind of idyllic escape many travelers look for when they head off for a warm-weather vacation.

Whatever the reason, La Paz, with its fine beaches and dependably sunny weather, today remains a sleepy city of 200,000 residents largely unknown to most Americans.

(Read the full article here. Though it was written three years ago, it is for the most part accurate.)

View more photos here.

Top Ten Reasons to Try Yoga

Back in August, I began regularly attending yoga and pilates classes two to three times a week. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone! I feel stronger, more balanced (both physically and psychologically), and a little better to handle the stresses of life that come my way. So as you're contemplating your resolutions for the new year, consider these ten reasons to try yoga (courtesy of Yoga Alliance). You will feel better!

1. stress relief!
2. pain relief
3. better breathing
4. flexibility
5. increased strength
6. weight management
7. improved circulation
8. cardiovascular conditioning
9. better body alignment
10. focus on the present

Though these reasons focus on the individual, yoga classes are also a great place to meet interesting people in your community.

Ma-ri-na-su

A friend from Seattle (presently teaching in Guatemala) had her mom send this cap to me a few months ago. She got it at a Mariners’ game and figured I would appreciate it. So thoughtful! My son has been fighting me for it ever since, under the impression that any gift received in the mail (especially a hat!) must be for him. Turns out, this cap helps us fit right in here – it’s very common to see Washington State license plates in these parts. Folks from British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and California just drive right down, some seeking reprieve from harsh winter. I’ve seen two different vehicles in town with Alaska plates – obviously they drive down from there, too. Tonight we saw a Florida plate. Now that’s a long drive!

Bahía Balandra

It’s a rarity indeed for me to include a photo of myself on this blog, but here you go. This picture was taken a couple of days ago at Bahía Balandra. This particular odd-shaped rock formation is a landmark of the beach. Only moments before the photo shoot, I had tumbled off to the left side as I tried to situate myself and child. Here are a couple more views of the area:

La Ballena

I suppose because there’s whale-watching nearby, the whale, or ballena, seems to be the symbol of La Paz. Happy New Year, by the way.

But a ballena is also a near-liter of Pacifico beer (940 mL to be precise), our host’s cerveza of choice. Until the end of the year there’s a promotion going: bring in six ballena caps, and get one ballena free.

A bottle of Tecate of the same size is called a caguama, or sea turtle. Why don’t our beers have cute animal nicknames? (A popular Japanese beer is Kirin, which means giraffe.) Anyway, I present to you: la ballena.

El Malecón

Several years ago I walked along the malecón of Guayaquil, Ecuador. I didn't have a digital camera then ....

La Paz, Mexico

Considering its relative proximity to my home state and numerous opportunities to visit, it’s surprising that I have not visited Mexico until now. I am still not in Mexico proper, but the peninsula that extends from California – Baja California. It is separated into two Mexican states, Baja California (the north portion) and Baja California Sur (the south portion). We are staying La Paz, a nice town on the coast of the Sea of Cortez, the body of water between B.C. and mainland Mexico (alternately known as the Gulf of California). La Paz is generally agreed to be the “best” city in all of Baja California. Down the road a bit are Los Cabos – the party towns of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo.

Historically Baja California has been isolated from mainland Mexico and has often had more contact with the United States. Because of that, it is more of a mix of Mexican and American influences than other parts of Mexico. It wasn’t easily accessible until Highway 1 was completed in 1973. Today that is the only main road to get anywhere. After the first international airport opened in San Jose del Cabo in 1986, development took off and apparently has not stopped.

Since our host was here last year, a new Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club have opened. But La Paz typically retains more local flavor. Yesterday we explored downtown and discovered plenty of treats and crafts. Along the waterfront is a nice promenade (malecón) for walking, strolling, or running, which we’ve enjoyed nearly every day.

Some of the highlights of La Paz include fresh seafood straight from the grocery store (the shrimp is great); large bottles of good, cheap beer (these would come in really handy at the Bay); wonderful weather – sunny skies, warm temps, low humidity; and the proximity of beautiful beaches. There is even a nice café about a two-minute walk from my doorstep that offers free wireless Internet (and delicious frappes!)

Found Art (poem)

Lamatro,

I love your song but you can't sing you wish you could sound like me I know it.

I just wanted to tell you that tomorrow is my day I get to do any thing I want to you I bet you want wear those pants with the messed up zipper and button but any wayz

I Love You

I LOVE YOU


P.S. By way of explanation, this was a note found, composed by an anonymous high school student, presumably female.

December

Now that I've turned in my research paper, nothing can trouble me now. I'm on a long slide like this one, sliding, sliding, until I land in Baja Mexico in a few weeks. Between now and then, I've got classes to teach, a final (ooh! I need to study!) to take, and my big adolescent fiction project to complete. I still have seven books to read and synthesize by next Monday.
And I have to register for next semester's classes. And get Christmas presents. Ach, well there's much to do, but happily none of it involves formal research projects. I would really love to stay and chat, but it appears that I really must get going if I want to stay on this fun slide.

Ellis Island

The museum has three floors. On the second is the Registry Room. I don't think any of my ancestors passed through Ellis Island.

I thought this map provided a great visual of how the United States was created. (Sorry about the flash glare.)

NYC photos

Times Square

Twin Towers site rebuilding

Battery Park, near Irish Hunger Memorial

Lackawanna Station, Hoboken

Flatiron Building (where I once worked)

New Mad-rid

Ellis Island wasn't that bad of a place; most people got in and out in a matter of hours in the course of a day. There was that 2%, however, once inspected who had to be quarantined or even sent back. One common malady that got a person ree-jected was trachoma, a disease of the eye. Never heard of it. Caused by bacteria, it is the leading cause of infectious blindness in the world. It really IS is harmful to your health to go around with a dirty face, it turns out! (That's a common means of transmission between children, especially within families.)

The Chinese food was delicious. By chance I found the restaurant, and it happens to be fairly respected for its authentic Szechuan Chinese cuisine, though we didn't order anything fancy. (I don't even know what dan dan noodles are! Does anyone?).

Once I return tomorrow, I'm going back on the road Friday, destination New Madrid, Missouri. Not sure if I've been to Missouri before. May have passed through it. (Remember the Branson craze, about ten years ago? My family did not participate.) Anyway .... New Madrid. First thing I think of is the New Madrid Fault. That comes from having a geologist father. New Madrid is on I-55 and lays claim to "the oldest American city west of the Mississippi." Aha! It lies on the New Madrid Seismic Zone a.k.a. New Madrid Fault Line (more colorfully called Reelfoot Rift) that covers parts of Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi. Between 1811 and 1812, there were over 1000 earthquakes and among them, the strongest non-subduction zone EQ ever recorded in the U.S., estimated to have had a magnitude of 8.0 on the Richter scale. (Non-subduction means non-tectonic plates; it's not close to plate boundaries.) Large areas sank into the earth, new lakes were formed, and the Mississippi River changed its course. Some sections of the River appeared to run backward for a while. Church bells were reported to have rung in Boston, sidewalks to have been cracked and broken in Washington D.C. , and chimneys to have toppled in Maine.

The earthquakes are traced to seismic activity 5 to 25 kilometers (3-15 mi) below the earth's crust. The zone remains active and minor earthquakes have continued. What's more: there's a 5-10% chance of another big earthquake (between 7.5 and 8) in the next fifty years and a 25-40% chance of a 6.0 or greater in that same time frame. As you may guess, many, many more people live in the region today as compared to 1812, and most buildings are not built with earthquake in mind.

I should probably hit the hay so I can get up in the morning.

Ellis Island etc.

Today we visited Ellis Island and before that Liberty Island. We didn't go into the Statue of Liberty, just walked around. Ellis Island was pretty much what I expected, although now I've seen the actual place myself.
Yesterday we had lunch in Hoboken and afterwards toured parts of Battery Park near the World Trade Center reconstruction. We came upon the Irish Hunger Memorial - very interesting.
We went to The Intrepid, arriving just as the box office was closing. It returned and re-opened only weeks ago. Walked through Times Square just as dusk was falling. "It looks like Tokyo," my husband observed. In those few blocks, it does resemble scenes from Lost in Translation.
We've been on a mini-pizza tour: Sunday we had lunch at Lombardi's, the BEST pizza, and last night I made him brave the Spanish Harlem 'hood to get a taste of the original Patsy's. Now it's easy to get confused, because there are many Patsy's, and even many Patsy's Pizzerias, but the original Patsy's Pizza is at First Ave. and 118th St. The use of coal-burning ovens, no longer legal but grandfathered at these two spots, is what makes the pizza so divine. Someone told me that coal makes a much hotter oven.
The other good pizza is over in Brooklyn (Grimaldi's, Totonno's), but for this trip, the tour stays in Manhattan. The other good pizza is John's, but it's our last evening here, and Chinese has been suggested. In fact, I better go take care of that.

New York

I have been in New York for a few days, my first trip back since I moved away 4.5 years ago. While it is nice to take in the energy of the city and reconnect with old friends, I am definitely over living in New York, I found to my surprise. High rents, pricey beverages, long commutes, annoying traffic, small apartments with thin walls, I don't miss. My friend mentioned her license plate getting stolen, her car broken into and ransacked: "Comes with living in New York," she explained. "There are good things and bad things, and that's one of the bad things." But as they say, New York is a great place to visit. And to set the record straight, I loved living here. It was just a different time in my life.
New York was home for five years. I wasn't sure how I would feel about being back -- maybe that's why I stayed away for so long. But it's been fine. No inner conflict or turmoil. It's been fun, but I'll be ready to return to my present life on time.

Unschooling

John Holt: "Since we can’t know what knowledge will be most needed in the future, it is senseless to try to teach it in advance. Instead, we should try to turn out people who love learning so much and learn so well that they will be able to learn whatever needs to be learned."

Who Was First? Discovering the Americas (31)

WHO WAS FIRST: DISCOVERING THE AMERICAS
by Russell Freedman
Clarion Books: New York, 2007
ISBN 978-0-618-66391-0

While Christopher Columbus has long been hailed for discovering America, this book details not only his explorations but also those of earlier visitors to the New World. Zheng He might have landed in America seventy years before Columbus, but all records were burned when China went into isolation shortly thereafter. Leif Eriksson’s even earlier conquest, part of Scandinavian oral tradition, was proved when his settlement dating 1000 A.D. was found in Newfoundland about fifty years ago. The theory that the first native Americans arrived about 13,500 years via the Bering Strait? Wrong. In 1933 a spearhead was found in Chile dating back 14,500 years. The truth is that there have been numerous waves of emigrations over the past 30,000 years. Theories of when and from where abound: from Africa to Central America, from Asia to the Pacific coast, possibly even from Ice Age Europe to the eastern seaboard.

Samurai Shortstop (28)

SAMURAI SHORTSTOP by Alan Gratz
Dial Books: New York, 2006
ISBN 0-8037-3075-6

It’s 1890, and Japan is undergoing rapid modernization in the wake of the Meiji Restoration. Toyo has just begun at Ichiko, an elite boys’ school in Tokyo, only days after witnessing his uncle’s seppeku; though samurai technically no longer exist, the emperor permitted Koji to take his life honorably in the samurai tradition. Toyo does not understand, nor does he understand his father Sotaro’s desire to do the same. Sotaro begins instructing him in bushido, the way of the samurai. To his surprise, Toyo finds great solace in and benefit from bushido. It enables him to accept Koji’s death and improves his performance on the baseball field. While Toyo perceives baseball as samurai in spirit, his father sees it as a senseless distraction. Despite their disagreements, Toyo doesn’t want to lose his father too. Is there any way he can persuade Sotaro to remain in the new Japan?

*****

This was a pretty cool book, heavily researched by the author and inspired by a photograph in a travel guide: a picture of a Japanese man in kimono and sandals throwing the first pitch for the 1915 National High School Baseball Summer Championship Tournament. Turns out baseball came to Japan in 1870, introduced by an American teacher at a school in Tokyo. The National High School Baseball Summer Championship Tournament still takes place every year, and it's a big deal all over Japan. Baseball is super-popular there, and as you know, today there are a number of really good Japanese playing in the American major leagues.

Happy Halloween!

I am really thrilled that it's Halloween, it's Friday, and it will be the first Friday evening in months that we'll spend together as a family (high school football has come to an end, at least for our less than stellar team).

It's been a busy week and I am slowly crawling out from under my pile of responsibilities. I had two observations on Monday and two on Tuesday. I gave a test that day, and yesterday took a midterm of my own. Wednesday I finally submitted a reference list for my research paper (only 10 days late). I just finished reading my 25th book- halfway to goal on the last day of October. Today's objectives: complete this week's grammar exercises (or most of them) and submit a couple of comments to my reading instruction discussion forum. The topic this week is vocabulary, and I found the readings fascinating. I may share some ideas in a later post, time permitting.

I went to yoga class this morning. Here's something you can try at home: stand with your feet together (mountain pose, for you yoga enthusiasts), go up on your tiptoes, then close your eyes and try to balance in this pose. It's really hard! Before we did this exercise, we did some other balance exercises, Tree for instance, and I found that my balance was really good. I was on today. But close your eyes and try to do something simple ... oh my goodness. So it turns out that we use our vision for a great deal of our balance. My instructor said that trying to balance with your eyes closed activates a part of your brain to prevent Alzheimer's. So, try this at home. It's a real challenge, and it's good for your brain! (I didn't stick around to ask, but I wondered, how does she know this? Did she read it in her yoga journal?)

Have a happy Halloween! Be careful out there.

The Big Read

"The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts designed to restore reading to the center of American culture." Featured Books: includes lesson plans for teachers, too!!

Writing Advice from Laurie Halse Anderson

Tomorrow I'll be leading discussion on two of Anderson's books, Speak and Twisted. Here is her advice to aspiring writers:

1. Read everything you can get your hands on. Become a critical reader. Figure out what you like, what you don't, and why.

2. Write. Don't make excuses about not having time. If you care enough, you'll make time, even if it's only ten minutes a day.

3. Be courageous and strong enough to revise your work.

4. Be nice to your parents. If you're trying to make a living in the arts, you're going to be living in their basement for a while.

Avi's Five Secrets to Good Writing

Five Secrets to Good Writing!

One: Write! It's not writing until it's on the paper. Story telling is a great art, but it is not story writing.

Two: Rewrite! No one-ever--writes anything well the first time. The first draft can not be the last draft. (I rewrite my work fifty-sixty times--or more). Here's a tip: read your first draft, and if you think it's good, you are in trouble. But, if you read it and you see it's not that good, you are in great shape--to get going. The more you rewrite the better your writing will be.

Three: Write for a reader: Maybe you understand what you have written, but the writer's job is to have the reader understand it. Keep in mind: writers don't write writing, they write reading.

Four: Listen. Read your work out loud (pencil in hand) and it will let you hear your own writing. It will almost improve itself.

Five: Read, read, read. Reading is the key to good writing. The more you read, the better the writer you can be. You can NEVER read too much.

The Choice 2008!

Last night we watched Frontline's The Choice 2008. It was great. (I love PBS- it is one highlight of being back in the U.S.) I learned more about McCain's background and remembered why I liked him. He's really had to make some compromises in his bid for the presidency. He's a good man, and a smart man, but some of his decision-making concerns me. One, he really let his pre-nominee campaign get out of hand, and it went bust. That's not good for someone who wants to run the nation. Two, I didn't like that business of "suspending the campaign" to run back to Washington to "solve" the financial crisis. Ever heard of multi-tasking? I might not have minded so much if there hadn't been a debate at stake (in my backyard). That was a bad call all around. Third, I can't stomach his choice of running mate. Where I can say that McCain is a good, smart man, someone who I feel I would enjoy talking to, I can't say the same for her, from what I've seen so far. I can't even understand what she's saying half the time. So, Sarah Palin is the deal breaker. I'm sure others feel that way. Ironically, she is presumably intended to be the deal-MAKER for factions McCain seeks to win over.

Both men are very human and I can relate to them. On a personal level I identify more with Obama and at this point trust him to take care of things in a way that I would agree with. I haven't ever felt this way about a presidential candidate. Maybe it's because I'm getting older, and the candidate is closer to my age, more of my generation.

And on the surface I like Joe Biden. I don't know as much about him, but I was excited when I heard him called a "cultural Catholic," a label I gave myself recently.

I am eager to read Dreams from My Father once this semester is over. Here's an excerpt from an interview with the author, following the publication of his second book (in keeping with my current interest in WRITERS):


Q: What is your writing process like? You have such a busy schedule, how did you find time to write?

A: I'm a night owl, so I usually wrote at night after my Senate day was over, and after my family was asleep--from 9:30 p.m. or so until 1 a.m. I would work off an outline--certain themes or stories that I wanted to tell--and get them down in longhand on a yellow pad. Then I'd edit while typing in what I'd written.

Q: How do you make people passionate about moderate and complex ideas?

A: I think the country recognizes that the challenges we face aren't amenable to sound-bite solutions. People are looking for serious solutions to complex problems. I don't think we need more moderation per se--I think we should be bolder in promoting universal health care, or dealing with global warming. We just need to understand that actually solving these problems won't be easy, and that whatever solutions we come up with will require consensus among groups with divergent interests. That means everybody has to listen, and everybody has to give a little. That's not easy to do.

Q: What has surprised you most about the way Washington works?

A: How little serious debate and deliberation takes place on the floor of the House or the Senate. [!!!!]

Q: You talk about how we have a personal responsibility to educate our children. What small thing can the average parent (or person) do to help improve the educational system in America? What small thing can make a big impact?

A: Nothing has a bigger impact than reading to children early in life. Obviously we all have a personal obligation to turn off the TV and read to our own children; but beyond that, participating in a literacy program, working with parents who themselves may have difficulty reading, helping their children with their literacy skills, can make a huge difference in a child's life.

Q: Do you ever find time to read? What kinds of books do you try to make time for? What is on your nightstand now?

A: Unfortunately, I had very little time to read while I was writing. I'm trying to make up for lost time now. My tastes are pretty eclectic. I just finished Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead, a wonderful book. The language just shimmers. I've started Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin, which is a great study of Lincoln as a political strategist. I read just about anything by Toni Morrison, E.L. Doctorow, or Philip Roth. And I've got a soft spot for John le Carre.

Q: What inspires you? How do you stay motivated?

A: I'm inspired by the people I meet in my travels--hearing their stories, seeing the hardships they overcome, their fundamental optimism and decency. I'm inspired by the love people have for their children. And I'm inspired by my own children, how full they make my heart. They make me want to work to make the world a little bit better. And they make me want to be a better man.

Taro Aso

Somehow I missed it (where was I?), but several weeks ago, Japan got a new Prime Minister: Taro Aso took office on September 24. Listening to a radio story about him, I heard at least two religious references, which strikes me as weird, considering it's Japan. Something about bringing about the Mandate of Heaven? and then someone called him a messiah. He himself is Roman Catholic, go figure. He's had a really interesting life. And he's said some weird things. And he's a fan of manga.

Leveling

Hey, what do you think about this, from my grammar lesson?

Consider the verb swim. The past and past participle are presently listed as swam and swum. But most dictionaries are now listing as alternative usages swimmed and swimmed. When in doubt about the parts of the verb, consult the most recent dictionary; the principle parts of the verb are listed there.

Swimmed? It wasn't in my online Merriam-Webster. Apparently this phenomenon is referred to as "leveling" or "regularizing." Other examples: light, lit, lit are giving way to light, lighted, lighted; kneel, knelt, and knelt is giving way to kneel, kneeled, kneeled.

O Canada

In this current "crisis," a little assessment of the world's banking systems (good for Canada, it gets so little credit):

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Canada has the world's soundest banking system, closely followed by Sweden, Luxembourg and Australia, a survey by the World Economic Forum has found as financial crisis and bank failures shake world markets.

Britain, which once ranked in the top five, has slipped to 44th place behind El Salvador and Peru, after a 50 billion pound ($86.5 billion) pledge this week by the government to bolster bank balance sheets.

The United States, where some of Wall Street's biggest financial names have collapsed in recent weeks, rated only 40, just behind Germany at 39, and smaller states such as Barbados, Estonia and even Namibia, in southern Africa.

The ranking index was released as central banks in Europe, the United States, China, Canada, Sweden and Switzerland slashed interest rates in a bid to end to panic selling on markets and restore trust in the shaken banking system.

The Netherlands (6.7), Belgium (6.6), New Zealand (6.6), Malta (6.6) rounded out the WEF's banking top 10 with Ireland, whose government unilaterally pledged last week to guarantee personal and corporate deposits at its six major banks.

Also scoring well were Chile (6.5, 18th) and Spain, South Africa, Norway, Hong Kong and Finland all ending up in the top 20.

At the bottom of the list was Algeria in 134th place, with its banks scoring 3.9 to be just below Libya (4.0), Lesotho (4.1), the Kyrgyz Republic (4.1) and both Argentina and East Timor (4.2).

(By Rob Taylor)

Chris Crowe

... I also have a book on Thurgood Marshall by Chris Crowe. A few weeks ago my class read his Mississippi Trial, 1955 (about the Emmett Till case). It was interesting to discuss this book only days before the first presidential debate was held on campus. I'm looking forward to reading that - a change of pace as most of the books on my list are fiction.

Nobel Prize in Literature

This year's Nobel Prize for Literature has been awarded to Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio. I missed it, but last week, the permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy that awards the Nobel Prizes, called American literature "isolated and insular" and therefore unworthy of the prize.

I found that interesting, because just last night I heard Sir Howard Stringer, chairman and CEO of Sony Corp, say that only American movies have been able to find a worldwide market. If I'm not mistaken, he (who is British by birth) used the word "insular" to describe British movies. He also mentioned the huge film industry in India, noting that it's big there but hasn't found a large market anywhere other than in the U.S.

So in literature we are insular and isolated, but in film we take it worldwide! What I can't sort out, and I can't go to the horse's mouth because I don't read Swedish, is whether America's literature or its taste in literature was being criticized. American publishers were criticized for not doing more to promote works in translation, and I would imagine that refers to translating works into English. The official told the AP that "the United States is too insular and ignorant to challenge Europe as the center of the literary world." That would seem to be an assessment of the writing being done here, not the reading, unless you figure that today's reading is going to affect tomorrow's writers ...

Le Clézio sounds like a pretty cool guy. He lived in Africa as a child, taught at a Buddhist school in Bangkok, and lived for a while with a native tribe in Panama. His first novel, published when he was just 23, made him an overnight sensation in France. He retreated from all the publicity. He holds Mauritian citizenship. These days he teaches at the University of New Mexico and splits his time between Albuquerque, Mauritius, and Nice (his birthplace).

So oh well, we're insular and isolated, but hey, looks like this year's Nobel Prize winner likes living and teaching in ignorant America at least part of the time. Ooh, and I wonder if he has ever written anything while on American soil?

Banned Books

We just wrapped up the American Library Association's Banned Books Week, September 27-October 4. Our reading assignment for tonight's class is to read a banned book and find out why it was banned. Due to extensive family wedding festivities taking place over the weekend, I am not even close to finishing my choice of reading, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. (Are you truly surprised?) In fact I was fortunate to finish all my other classwork by last night.

Nevertheless, I can still find out why my book was banned. Though they haven't been on the Top Ten Most Challenged Books since 2003, the Harry Potter books and their author are the most banned/challenged books so far in the 21st century. (The 2008 list won't be released until next February.) The Harry Potter books were at the top of the most challenged books list for 1999 through 2002. In 2003 they were second on the list. I was interested to see that the series of which the really dumb book I read is a part, is also high on the challenged list: immediately after Harry Potter on the current list of banned/challenged books.

Some background: a challenge is a formal, written complaint, filed with a library or school requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness. Research suggests that for each challenge reported, as many as four or five go unreported. The American Library Association (ALA) collects its banned/challenged book information from two sources: newspapers and reports submitted by individuals, some of whom use the Challenge Database Form. Challenges reported to the ALA by individuals are kept confidential.

Harry Potter books are typically challenged and banned because religious folks think they promote witchcraft. Public school parents have claimed that the books promote the religion of Wicca, thus violating the separation of church and state mandated by law. The Onion article from 2001, "Harry Potter Books Spark Rise in Satanism Among Children," was even copied into an e-mail chain letter and sent 'round as "proof" of the author's true intentions.

Because of a decline in popularity, I think most efforts to challenge and ban books are being focused elsewhere.

Teacher Quality

I am really nervous about not getting everything done today that needs to be done. Consequently I am doing something that absolutely does not need to be done. You see the logic?

It is a beautiful day, as have been several days this week - early autumn cool air, sunny skies.

I went to pilates class this morning (another thing I didn't have to do, but I figure it will keep me calm in the long run). Apparently my teacher is a Christmas nut; it's October 1 and she's started with the Christmas music already. She promised to wear out the CD by the end of the season. I don't mind. She's a good teacher, she can do what she wants.

When I can, I go to her classes: pilates on Monday-Wednesday and yoga on Friday. She's a great teacher, and it's neat to think about "good teacher" qualities in a context other than the academic classroom.

Here are a few: she's prepared, organized, approachable, encouraging, confident, personable, and flexible (both literally and figuratively, in fact). She knows her content area well and uses this knowledge to adapt the class to her students' needs as well as to mix things up from day to day to keep it interesting. Each class is very different, yet there is an underlying routine that remains constant and assuring.

Even though it's not a set class - there is a core of regulars, but people come and go all the time - she knows her students. She is aware of their strengths and weaknesses. (I didn't think she noticed me, so I was surprised when on the way in one morning she asked if I had done ballet. She said I have great turnout, and may have missed my calling as a ballet dancer. Those of you who know what an uncoordinated dancer I am, feel free to laugh out loud now.)

She models and cues for correction where needed. She fosters community by using humor and relating to her students. She's very comfortable in her role as a teacher, which I imagine comes from experience.

Apart from being coached in junior high and high school, when I was NOT thinking about teacher qualities, I haven't participated regularly in any class like this. Constantly I'm comparing her practice to that of an effective "classroom" teacher.

I think I tend to do this because she's such a good teacher. It's made me realize that good teaching is universal.

"wide reading"

We learn to read by reading. To develop reading skills, poor readers need to read more to "make up for lost time." One (commercially sponsored) study found that below-average readers improved their reading grade level by two and half years when they read for at least an hour a day in the course of a year.

from The Onion

Bush Tours America To Survey Damage Caused By His Presidency

Research Topic

So, research project! For my reading instruction class. It's time to brainstorm, boys and girls, and here's what I'm thinking.

The ever-increasing emphasis on early childhood education. I don't imagine my grandmother from a poor, small town in North Carolina got much of this back in the 1930s, and she's perfectly literate and writes well.

Many children come to school "unready" - but haven't they always? My mom didn't go to kindergarten. In fact, I called to ask if she could read when she started first grade. "Oh, noooo!" she answered. "I was fascinated by the ABC's that hung above the blackboard. I don't even think I knew what any of the letters were." I'm sure most, if not all, of the other kids were in the same boat. She did start first grade a year early though, at age five. Anyway once again, no early literacy training, and my mother is the picture of literacy. (It occurs to me that my concept of a literate person is one who can not only read, but write well. Interesting.)

Also, I realized, my mom learned the letters when she was five, I learned them at age three, and my son learned them at age one. THAT's part of what I'm interested in.

So I more or less know the answer to "why all the early education?" It's because we're anxious about the state of education in our country ....we want kids to get a jump early so they won't fall behind later, or we want our kids to have the best possible advantage once they get on the school bus. I'm saying this "we" as a parent and as a citizen. It would be great if we could stay on top as a nation both innovatively and economically.

(My aunt's kindergartners in Indianapolis don't get nap time so that every iota of instructional time is used to the fullest. She told me they rush through the alphabet in like the first four weeks of school, when they're still getting socialized. Can you believe it? No nap time.)

There's a small child running around here, so this issue is also a personal-relevant one, and I must say I have been surprised at the skills very young children can learn. My parents were surprised when I learned the alphabet at age three; they didn't know it was a possibility. They didn't teach me, I learned at school and from educational television. I didn't know a one-year old could learn that stuff, but if they're taught, they can. And he's not special except for the fact that someone taught him

But it's not especially necessary, as we see from the case of my mother and grandmother. One more example. In the writing of this piece I called a friend, curious about her child. Guess what, my friend (younger than me) couldn't read when she entered first grade either. Today she has a doctorate in English and teaches Shakespeare at a major university. She reads and writes pretty well ...

So my questions are:
What pre-reading skills can young children learn (or what is useful for them to learn), and what can research tell me about the long term effects of it?
What types of early education programs do other industrialized countries offer?
What is MY proposal for an early education program for our country?