Wineries

It was a beautiful day to hit the wineries. Those samples used to be free, now they cost some, but not much. One set of 5 samples was all I could handle, then it was just sipping from my husband's glass. (Wine is probably to blame for the fuzzy pictures.) Here is a bit of advice for those of you still looking for a spouse--find someone you are wine compatible with. My husband and I almost never like the same wines which makes it really difficult to make a purchase. (Maybe this is why we usually stick to beer.)


Pindar grapevines. I tried to make this one look like the ones I saw at PD workshop . I think I got the buildings right using the rule of thirds.

I find those heads everywhere. This one was hanging in the tasting room.

A bucket of wine.

This flower was one of the first things we saw at Pindar. I think I got the rule of thirds right with this one.

Giant vats. If you just drank two glasses of wine a day, it would take 415 years to empty one of these things.
Barrel of fermenting wine. These barrels cost $600 each if they are American made and more if they come from France. They are used at most three times and then sold, either to home wine makers or to others who might use them as furniture. One of the major stores uses them to display shirts.

This little guy was wandering around Duck Walk. I just took his picture and let him wander around. He seemed to be having a really good time.

Great fish tank at Duck Walk.

I tried to frame this one using the window in the tasting room. The view was great, too bad you can't see it from this picture.

The girls were posing for a picture. I tried to focus on the bride and anchor the picture with the guy in the background and her friends. This is another area I need lots of help in

My second attempt at framing a shot at Old Fields Winery.

I tried to crop this one to the rule of thirds. I obviously need practice.

Greenpoint. Who would believe this vacation area is only an hour and a half from home.

These guys know how to relax.

It Has Got To Piqued Your Interest

Being exposed to something is not enough for me to actually learn anything about that something. I need to be exposed in such a way that my interest is piqued and I develop an unquenchable desire to learn more.

I'm a slow learner with undiagnosed attention deficits. Sitting in a classroom or a workshop now, I day dream and doodle and only manage to pick up about half of what is being taught. Many times that half is enough to inspire me to go home and not only learn the half I missed, but learn far more than the original intent of the discussion.

Years ago, I decided I needed to be computer literate and took a data processing course while on sabbatical. The course was introductory and we just touched on spread sheets, word processing and data base. The data base was something I had no use for and immediately forgot everything I learned. The other two topics were important and I not only mastered what was taught in class, I went above and beyond and now consider myself a master in those subjects. I learned Lotus and Word Perfect way back then but I have been able to transfer that knowledge and I can now use almost every program around.

When the TI 83 graphing calculators were first introduced to us, I also attended many workshops to learn how to use them properly. It was only when I really got interested and sat and played with them on my own did I become a master. I feel so proud of myself because I was just able to do the same thing with my Casio. We only had a 40 minute workshop, but it was enough. Now I can read the menus and the manual and so far I have only been stumped by one little topic. A quick e-mail to the person who ran the workshop solved that problem for me.

We only see our students 40 minutes a day which is not enough time to really get into the nitty gritty of all the material we have to offer. If only we could find a way to peak their interests, to make them want to learn more, we could solve many of the problems of education today.

Thursday's staff development consisted of 5 short sessions on different topics. The material from the ones that did not peak my interest hit a brick wall in my brain. More time would have taught me more about active literacy and high level questioning but as soon as the workshop ended, my learning would end as well. The workshop that got to me has me going home and practicing, reading up on the subject and trying to come up with ways to incorporate some of this into my lessons. (Unfortunately, due to the unyielding curriculum I am forced to teach, I will probably never be able to do this.)

Blogging is another thing that really does it for me. I am waiting for some friends to arrive so we can go hit the wineries of the north shore. (Look for the post from a very tipsy teacher later. I am not good at holding my alcohol.) Instead of picking up my house or reading a book, I'm sitting here reading blogs and posting. All I needed was one little boost from NYC Educator and I have been hooked for life. There has got to be a way we can transfer this to our students.

Bizarre Factoids

I just read these in Bizarre News. They come from a list of "Sixty Amazing But True Facts". I shortened the list more. I don't know if these are true, but they are certainly chuckle worthy.

"Male rhesus monkeys often
hang from tree branches by their amazing prehensile
penises."

"SCUBA divers cannot pass gas at depths of 33 feet or
below."


Because printed materials are being replaced by CD-ROMs,
microfiche and the Internet, libraries that previously sank
into their foundations under the weight of their books are
now in danger of collapsing in extremely high winds.


In 1843, a Parisian street mime got stuck in his imaginary
box and consequently died of starvation.
[This one I kind of believe.]


Until 1978, Camel cigarettes contained minute particles of
real camels.


University of Virginia researchers released a study
promoting the practice of nose picking, claiming that
the health benefits of keeping nasal passages free from
infectious blockages far outweigh the negative social
connotations.

Due to the angle at which the optic nerve enters the brain,
staring at a blue surface during sex greatly increases the
intensity of orgasms.
[Get out the paint brushes and rollers, boys.]

http://bizarrenews.gophercentral.com/

Bizarre News Forum

Dance Anyone?

Before Suit, I went to every school party. I love to have fun and dance everywhere there is music playing. But, those parties meant so much to Suit and boycotting them bothered him so much, I just had to do it.

It is almost party time again and now I considered going. I heard Suit will be there and it would be a good kick in the teeth to Suit if he found out lots of us were going. But, going would mean looking at him and this cancels out the good feeling I get by taking a swing at him.

So, to go or not to go, that is the question of the hour. The party place is walking distance from my house (just about a mile a way) and my husband would be willing to drive me both ways so I can drink away. But, the party is on a Monday night which means a whole week of work after a night of festivities, which, at my age, is not a good idea. Also, I know people find this hard to believe about me, but I am on the shy side. I feel lost in a crowd unless I am with a few people that I am comfortable with and I always feel everyone else has people they would rather be with than me. Suppose no one talked to me all night? Suit would be the one kicking me. Mostly, the idea of partying at work is just not doing it for me anymore. I think I will pass. And so, to answer the question, I'll just say no.

Reality Check Needed

She made me laugh. She sat at her desk and taught, as if the room was full. In reality, only five kids were present. The kids were obviously bored out of their minds. They were yawning and doodling and one was playing solitaire on his laptop. The thing they were studying was hard, she said and they needed extra help. She kept telling them that the individual lesson she was teaching them was worth $100 an hour. The kids did not care.

The day was senior cut day, the day after the prom. The kids that went to the prom and came to school anyways were out of it. They came because they were screwing up all term and could not afford to miss any more days. Physically, they were in school, mentally they were elsewhere. The ones that did not go to the prom were sad about missing out on a fun night and now a fun day of continued partying with friends.

Ms. Teacher did not seem to notice. She kept going on and on about that thing she was teaching. I'm glad she had a good time. No one else did.

(I am too addicted to this blogging stuff. I am in the middle of writing up a practice sheet for my geometry kids final, but this is distracting me. I did read an article in Woman's Day that recommends blogging as a good way to relieve stress and I have to say, it does work for me.)

A Benefit Of Not Being Able To Sit Still

When it comes to free food, most of us are just like kids, we love it.

I pulled out my rain coat and decided to make the trek to Dunkin' Donuts to get my free donut with a coffee purchase when I noticed this in front of the auditorium.

So, I thought, a walk over the highway, in the rain, to buy a coffee to eat with a donut that will not help my weight, or a nice bagel, cream cheese, fruit and coffee, right here in the building?

Neither option was good for my weight, but walk would have helped. As you can see, the free stuff won.

I wasn't the only one with this idea. I have a feeling we weren't supposed to be helping ourselves, there was some sort of big wig ceremony going on in the auditorium. But, with no one around to say STOP, we didn't

Prom Night

The prom was so much fun. I forgot how much I loved seeing my kids all dressed up. And now, 2:00 in the morning, I'm looking at pictures and editing them so I can put them on line. I have to get up in a few hours to go to work, but I'm too hyped up to sleep.

More than seeing them, I loved their reaction when they saw me. I got mobbed by a group of five boys in what amounted to the most amazing group hug ever. And the kids loved my dress. I got flirted with all night and was told that I still got the curves. I guess I'm not so bad for someone old enough to be their grandmother.

I'm sure there were people there who wished I had not been invited. I got seated at a table full of administrators. Everyone who reads this blog knows how much I love administrators. It really didn't matter all that much since I do spend very little time sitting. Suit showed up but Ms. AP Guidance made sure to save him a seat at the opposite end of the table from me.

I wish I could post faces with the pictures, but you will just have to settle for these. I would post more, but I realized that after cutting off the faces, not much is left.

More Meaningful Than Any Administrator's Words

Just got this from one of my college students. This guy had a lot of emotional problems, but he made it through and he always made me laugh. The images above are some of the messages he would put on the board for me to find when I entered the class.

Thanks for being such a great teacher...but more so for acting as a Guru and helping me through a rough patch. Your wisdom and strength taught me more about myself than Math 123.....I just want to say.... THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Your Student Forever,
XXXXXX X. XXXX

Just wanted to leave you with this.....
Here's the thing that makes life so interesting, the theory of evolution claims that only the strong will survive, maybe so, maybe so, but the theory of competition says that just because they're the "strong" doesn't mean they can't get their asses kicked, that's right, see what every long shot, come from behind, underdog will tell you is this: the other guy may in fact be the favorite, the odds may be stacked against you, fair enough, but what the odds don't know is that this isn't a math test, this is a completely different kind of test, one where passion has a funny way of trumping logic, so before you step up to the starting line, before the whistle blows and the clock starts ticking, just remember- out here the results don't always add up, no matter what the stats might say,and the experts may think and the commentators may have predicted, when the race is on, all bets are off. DON'T be surprised if somebody flips the script and takes a pass on yelling uncle....and then suddenly, as the old saying goes "We got ourselves a game".

My Prom Dress

Exactly what I was looking for!

No, I Haven't Been Drinking

I can't believe I am writing this, but PD was actually fun (and no, before you ask, I did not smoke any funny cigarettes or drink anything stronger than coffee.) Okay, not all of it was fun, but there was enough good stuff mixed in to make the other stuff tolerable.

We began with the usual breakfast of bagels and coffee and then adjoined to the auditorium. One thing that would really improve this part would be seat cushions and mimosas with the breakfast. But, the time passed quickly and I did get to sit with two of my buddies so it wasn't unbearable.

The day was mixed--educational stuff and stress relief stuff. I'm sure you can guess the part I liked best. I attended the workshop on digital photography. I enjoyed it so much, I came back for a second session. Ballroom dancing, the one I had originally signed up for, is not my thing. I would hate for the entire school to see that I was born with two left feet. We learned some background stuff and then wandered around the school, taking pictures. I, of course, insisted on using my own camera and could not down load them because them as I have an XD card and the reader the school has only takes SD cards. Oh well, I downloaded them and fixed them up at home. (I used the school camera during the second session and will get those to work on at home tomorrow.)


Here are some of the pictures I took.

This gated stairway has always creeped me out. One day, I actually opened the gate (the sign says all staff members must have a key.) and then couldn't get it locked again. I freaked and had to run all over the building to find someone to take care of the problem. I had visions of kids going up to the roof and doing who knows what?)

The two "educational" workshops dealt with Active Literacy and Bloom's Taxonomy. I had no idea what either of those things were before today but I do know that they are things I do every single day. I even fly around the room the way the guy who was presenting did. There is still no actual training in how to do this stuff for people that are clueless.

I still prefer my old BQ days, days when I could wander the city or hit the beach or do whatever I like, but all in all, today was good.

Toxic Room

Here

Let Little Boys Be Little Boys

I was chatting with a cute little guy and his mom yesterday. The little guy was on the tall side, so I guessed that he was in first grade. His mom said no, he was only four and in pre-kindergarten. I asked him if it was fun and if he got to play. His mom told me that his school was very structured and although they did get some play time, most of the time was spent learning how to write and to read. She told me he needed the structure. He spent too much time playing and fooling around.

I felt sad for this little boy when I left them. A four year old is supposed to play. While it is nice to learn to read and write, play time is important too. There is time enough for formal learning. My daughter knew all her letters and numbers before she could walk. When she was a year-old she knew that when the clock said 7 0 0 we got up. I used to change the time to get to sleep later. I was glad my son knew his numbers by the time he was 16 (only kidding, but he was much older than a year) and he did not start reading until third grade. Both of my kids are successful in their careers. My illiterate little boy is a successful computer engineer. His late start did nothing to impede his development.

This little guy was just being a little guy. I know his mom really loves him and wants the best for him. I just hope she learns to let him relax and enjoy life now. I wish society would let him relax and enjoy being a little kid. He has time enough for stress when he gets older.

I Found It

The perfect dress to wear to the prom. It was in the junior department of Loehman's, the only one on the rack and reduced to a mere $20. I'm glad all the ice cream I eat doesn't show on my hips. I'll post a picture on Thursday.

Is This Really Tutoring?

The school is really trying to provide regents tutoring but, when 70+ kids show up for extra help, I wonder how much extra help they can really be given. That is the number of kids I've heard that are showing up for our Saturday tutorials. One teacher and over 70 kids just does not amount to a tutoring program. It does provide extra lessons, but that is all.

Many, many years ago, I opened my big mouth and got a homework helper program started. But, because of my big mouth, I also got stuck working it. We had a few hundred kids showing up twice a week. We filled the cafeteria. But, I recruited tutors and it worked! The kids got individual help and many succeeded. One of the plus parts of the program was that kids who came for math help ended up staying on and tutoring English or history or even stayed on and tutored the math they had just learned to do. It was exhausting but it was rewarding.

The geometry regents in June 16. The large group setting is not working for most of my students. I promised to meet with them the Saturday before the regents. True, I have 68 kids on register, but I know they won't all show up. But, at least it is me with my own kids, no one else. We'll meet at 10 and stay until we run out of steam. (I am giving up a weekend trip to Florida for this.) They'll pass this exam or not, but it won't be from lack of effort.

Volatile

Here

Congrats On Having A Suit That Fits

Thanks School Gal for giving that description to our new CC.

He wasn't happy with the name because of its connection to the other Suits so from now on he will be known as Mr. Tie.

She

She should really know better. After all, she is a teacher, not a high school student.

Free As A Bird

It is wonderful to have no after school obligations. For years, I juggled two young children and a full time job. I used to drop them at school in the morning, run to work and then fly home to pick them up. I was told I could qualify to be a Nascar driver in those days by my speed and my reckless turns left from the far most right lanes.


Those days are long gone and my college classes are over for the summer. I have time to talk to people after school. I have time to stay late on the spur of the moment. Last week I stayed for our sports challenge and not only provided needed help, I had a great time. Okay, my burger cooking was not exactly up to par (keeping a kosher home I know nothing about cheeseburgers and I usually leave all the grilling to my husband anyways) but the kids did not seem to mind.

Today was another good after school experience. I stayed late to help tally up the votes for our new chapter chairman. I had no idea what was involved until I actually partook of this process. First, we decided on which ballots would be acceptable and which ones would not. It is amazing how many educated people cannot follow the simple directions necessary to complete the ballot. Then we went through the ballots and made sure that everyone signed properly and that there was not more than one ballot per person. Thankfully we were an agreeable group and there were no arguments. Then we counted the ballots. After that, we opened them, first discarding the outer envelopes with names and then opening the inner envelopes and separating the papers into individual piles for each of the candidates. Then we made sure the piles were correct. We did this twice. We also counted twice before declaring a winner.

I'm happy to say that my choice was elected. I don't want to say much about him except that he is a congenial, bright man, with an open mind. He doesn't buy into the Unity propaganda but he is not naive enough to accept all the ICE issues either. He knows the contract and knows people in other schools to go to for help. He will defend and protect the rights of the union members and will still get along with the administration. He is articulate and writes extremely well. He also wears a tie every day and looks very nice in a suit. If it didn't have such a negative connotation, I would call him CC Suit. (Maybe I will call him that anyways. I'll ask him first to make sure he is not insulted by the name.) I am even considering having him appoint me as a delegate so I can get back involved with union issues.

As long as I can keep this pace and do what I love, retirement is really going on the back burner.

Dedicated To The Educational Scientists Of The World

Graduation Rates are Rising But Numbers May Lie

Thanks to appple--op ed from Daily News.

This should be dedicated to all the educational scientists of the world.

Chelsea

Theater tickets to Offices, by Ethan Coen, in Chelsea, led to a great day of walking around the area. Enjoy the pictures.

NYC has the best flower markets. All were beautiful but I especially liked the blue roses.




I never get tired of the architecture.

This building now holds a men's spa. I couldn't figure out what its original purpose was.

New York Savings Bank

Too bad there was so much paint on these faces on an old apartment building on some side street.

The flowers were in an expensive shop

And mixed with the old are these very modern buildings. There is not even room for a chair on these terraces.

And finally dinner the the Cuba Cafe. All the restaurants in Chelsea are totally open onto the street to enjoy the spring weather. This was my first Cuban dinner and all I can say is YUM!!! And, all the drinks were only $5. I had a great (and strong margarita) while my husband had an equally good mojito.

The decor in this place was great. I loved the money riding the ceiling fan.

Age Appropriate

I wanted to wear the above dress to the prom. I loved it when I bought it, 25 years ago. I was thrilled to see that it still fit. I haven't worn it for years because it did go out of style. I thought it was back in. Both of my kids and my future son-in-law gave it the big thumbs down, so I decided to go look for a new one.

I hate dress shopping. Every dress I like was made for a young person's body and every age appropriate dress looks like it came from my mother's closet.

I'll look deep. I'm hopeful that I can find something in my own closet that my kids will give a stamp of approval to. (I really wanted to wear the one in the picture.)

Memorization vs Thinking

I know I am not the sharpest knife in the draw but I am not the dullest either, yet when it comes to memorization of facts, I am at a loss. Vocabulary words do not stick in my mind, no matter how much I study them. I remember studying Spanish with my son and even after 30 minutes of going over the same words, I still needed to refer to the list in my hand.

Over lunch, an English teacher was complaining that her students could not memorize a simple list of words, no matter what she did. I tried to explain my deficits to her, but she wanted no part of it. She kept talking about her "fun" activities and her constant repetition. I kept telling her that while I am sure she was fun and did lots of activities, I would be having the same difficulties. She kept saying how memorization was easy, much easier than doing a math problem or writing an essay and kept stressing how this simple process should enable all her students to pass. I couldn't convince her that everyone learns differently and what was easy for her might be difficult for someone else.

I hate memorization, probably because I am no good at it. I like understanding. I like knowing how and why things work and being able to apply that knowledge to any activity I have to undertake. When I first tried to use a graphing calculator, I tried to memorize the steps. Once I gave up on that and concentrated on the why and how it worked, I was able to do it all.

I hate it when my students demand formulas for concepts they can easily figure out, or at least figure out (if not easily) with a little bit of effort. I would rather see them rotate their page 90 degrees to do a transformation then regurgitate a formula that has no meaning to them. I am having a hard time convincing them that memorization only works sometimes, it work in exact patterns and it only works when you remember every step.

Many years ago, my husband saw a recipe for a pie on the food channel that looked interesting and he decided to try it. The problem was, he only saw half the recipe and because necessary ingredients were missing, his dish was inedible. Incomplete memorization causes the same problems.

Thinking is as vital to life as oxygen and water. Only when we get back to teaching and encouraging this will we be able to help create the leaders of tomorrow.