New Teacher, Now What

Is college for everyone?

2012-12-04T12:32:00.001-05:00

How important is it for everyone to go to college?

For many students, myself included, getting into a good college the penultimate measure for academic success. For some the ultimate measure of academic success is graduating from that good college and landing a decent job that you mostly enjoy. For a growing segment of young people, forgoing college in favor of traveling or running a successful start up is the preferred method of demonstrating smarts.

Given the state of the current job market and the increasing costs of college tuition, it's easy to understand why some students would choose to work, travel or for the more entrepreneurial set start a business instead of attending college.

New groups like UnCollege, are dedicated to “hacking” higher education by focusing on experiences, networking and massive open online courses or *MOOCs instead of paying for a traditional four year degree.

*MOOCs are college level courses offered free, to anyone with an internet connection. Companies like Udacity, edX, and Coursera all offer free online, college level classes from elite universities like MIT, Harvard and Stanford.

I can see where these kids are coming from. After spending a pretty penny on a Master's degree which hasn't really lead to anything yet I often find myself second guessing myself when it comes time to write yet another check to Sallie Mae.

On the other hand, I value my college experience and acknowledge that it isn't for everyone. Like I learned in my grad courses, there are multiple intelligences. Some people write, speak, organize, research, muli-task better than others. Some build, tinker, play, create better. Telling every student that they need to go to college to be successful is kind of like judging a fish by it's ability to climb a tree.

While one could make an argument for all those successful business people out there who never went to college (see: Steve Jobs, Michael Dell, Rachel Ray, Walt Disney) there are also plenty of people who are limited in their professions because they don't have that four year degree.

As continuing student of life, I think it's important that teachers encourage students to do what they can do best and follow the path that will work best for them. Most students will do great in college, but some might do greater in a trade school. And that's just fine.

Does this make me look fit?

2012-11-27T16:59:00.000-05:00

Okay, I know. I've been doing a really bad job here. I've been caught up in life, taking liberties and the pursuit of fitness.

Based on my current job experience I don't know if I still qualify as a new teacher, so now what?

Over the past few months I've been doing alot of thinking, and cooking, and working out. I'll update here from time to time on where this crazy road to the front of the classroom takes me. But for now I'd really love to share my new endeavor in getting healthy with you guys over at my new blog Does this make me look Fit?

I'll be sharing vegan recipes, health and fitness tidbits. Since I've decided to run a triathalon in May, I'll also be sharing my attempts at training for your viewing enjoyment.

Hope to see you there!

Day 13 - Eat to Live, Live to Eat

2012-04-11T09:54:00.002-04:00

You are what you eat, is how the saying goes. And it seems that doctors and a lot of other very smart people are beginning to take that message to the streets.

An interesting article in the New York Times this morning showcased Healthy Kitchens/Healthy Lives an annual leadership conference aiming to create a bridge between science, health care and the culinary arts.

"Dr. David M. Eisenberg is the founder and chief officiant of “Healthy Kitchens/Healthy Lives,” an “interfaith marriage,” as he calls it, among physicians, public health researchers and distinguished chefs that seeks to tear down the firewall between “healthy” and “ crave-able” cuisine. Although physicians are on the front lines of the nation’s diabetes and obesity crises, many graduate from medical school with little knowledge of nutrition, let alone cooking. It is a deficiency that is becoming increasingly apparent as the grim statistics climb. (By 2050, for example, as many as 1 in 3 adults will develop diabetes if current trends continue.) "

Since I've been following a 'clean' diet - mainly fruits, veggies, lean meats, no dairy, no processed sugar - I can certainly attest that what you put into your body is incredibly important. While following a healthy diet has done wonders for my waistline, I've also noticed a generous upswing in my moods and mental clarity. I no longer experience what I like to call my midafternoon cranky-pants - and I directly attribute this to not being stark raving mad from the constant highs and lows of blood sugar fluctuations.

Now that my husband and I are forming our own little family unit, I strongly feel that learning how to cook is an important building block in the foundation of a healthy lifestyle.

Recently, and perhaps a slightly unfortunately for my husband, I began reading a book called Twinkie, Deconstructed by Steve Ettlinger. Like many Americans, Steve eats processed foods. I also used to love processed foods, until I read his book. In this little expository tale, Steve describes the origins of some of America's most common processed food ingrediets. Hearty places like; phosphate mines in Idaho, gypsum mines in Oklahoma and oil fields in China. Ettlinger reveals how each Twinkie ingredient goes through the process of being crushed, baked, fermented, refined, and/or reacted into a totally unrecognizable goo or powder with a strange name—all for the sake of creating a simple snack cake.

Sounds appetizing doesn't it?

After the first chapter I started to really think about what I was putting into my body and I made the decision to completely eliminate processed foods from my diet. Somehow a paragraph of unpronouncable, unidentifiable ingrediets on a package is no longer appealing to me.

Which brings me back to Dr. Eisenberg and his Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives conference. I've been putting a lot more effort into figuring out how to cook simple, healthy meals for my family partially because I am an information overloaded, neurotic Millenial child, but mostly because I want to be able to identify what I'm eating from (sorry, unavoidable pun ahead) soup to nuts.
What I've been finding is that it's surprisingly easy to do once I started to get the hang of things. And I feel so much better knowing that my family is eating simple, natural ingredients instead of stuff like benzoate preservatives, brominated vegetable oils. Mm!

Day 11 - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

2012-04-09T13:58:00.000-04:00

I never thought I would hear myself say this but, I am looking forward to going to the gym.

Don't get me wrong, I love being in shape. I've always been a fairly active person. Growing up in suburbia I was lucky enough to have the freedom to ride my bike everywhere, climb trees, build forts, and spend my summer evenings playing a rousing game of manhunt with the other neighborhood kids. The best was when we were able to get multple blocks of kids involved and have an epic manhunt battle with 15+ kids spanning 5 blocks. Those were awesome.

By junior high I was obsessed with the little pull out exercise sections in my Seventeen magazin that promised Flat Abs in 20 minutes, and 5 Ways to Make Your Butt Look Better in Jeans. I taught myself how to do crunches, tricep curls, squats and hamstring pulls in my bedroom. A little part of me was convinced that if I did these exercises I would magically grow boobs and look like the women in the pictures. A larger part of me was driven by the way these exercises made me feel - namely :: cue the Daft Punk:: harder, better faster stronger.

By high school I was badgering the boys at the local college gym to show me how to use the weight equipment. Cardio was never my strong suit, but boy did I love those tricep curls. Cardio at the gym wasn't necessary anyway since my friends and I were practicaly walking all over the state - did I mention that none of us had cars?

By college I was still in pretty good shape. I was working as a lifeguard so I had ready access to a pool, in my opinion swimming is still hands down the best cardiovascular exercise around. And there is something about swimming that I find incredibly soothing - maybe it's the groove that you get into when you find your stroke, or maybe it's the fact that no one can talk to you when you're face is underwater - either way, it's awesome. Again, since I attended college in New York City I was also regularly criscrossing the borough of Manhattan (and frequently Brooklyn and Staten Island) on foot.

And then I became a grown up. After I graduated I got a big girl job to go with my big girl bills and big girl student loan payments, exercise, which had once been ingrained in my daily life now became something I had to find time for. And this ladies and gentlemen is where the problems started.

After a long day of work the first thing on my mind is usually sweatpants. Followed by an intense craving for wine and possibly some really bad t.v., preferably while lounging on the couch with my husband the dog. Mentally, I want to zone out and give my brain a rest. Physically, I should probably move around a bit because my body was pretty much done nothing more strenuous that walk to the cafeteria for lunch. Humph.

I've been going to the gym for about year, but haven't had much luck because honestly? The gym is really boring. Same machines, same people, same exercises, same stupid shows to watch on the elliptical machine...bo-ring.

But then I discovered the cross training classes at my gym. In one word: Whoa. I realized that what I neded more than anything to get this fitness train going was a healthy dose of competition and someone to tell me what to do.

Now, a typical week for me looks something like this:

Monday: TRX Suspension Straps
Yes, it does sound like some crazy S&M horror story. But these things are awesome once you get used to it. Essentially these are straps that are suspended from the ceiling that you use for weight bearing exercises. They challenge your stability and help to create some serious upper body strength.

Tuesday: Kickboxing
This might just be my favorite class. We do tons of push-ups and butterfly crunches and then we kick/punch the shit out of a punching bag for an hour. I wasn't prepared for how incredibly cathartic this is - or how strong my legs are getting.

Wednesday: Kettlebells
The first time I tried this class I thought it was quite arguably the most dangerous thing I've ever done in a gym. There I was holding a 15lb kettlebell in my hand and then the instructor asked me to swing it around. If you ask my husband he will probably tell you that me, heavy objects, and swinging should never, ever mix, ever. Kettlebells have become a lot more popular since Jillian Michaels came up with her 30 Day Shred, but they've been an elite training staples for hundreds of years - think Roman gladiators and Russian strongmen. It's a 45 minute full body cardio and strength training workout. My abs are seriously screaming after these classes.

Thursday: Kickboxing - Maybe

Friday: Zumba
It's like a Saturday evening salsa party minus the booze sand guacamole. I royally suck at it, but by the end I'm gasping for air, my calves are killing me and my abs hurt from laughing. I usually try to get a girlfriend to go and then it's a grand old time!

Saturday: Boot Camp
This was the class that intially compelled me to sign up for cross training. I would watch people beat truck tires with mallets, climb ropes, jump up and down on plytometric boards and do push-ups on Bosu balls - all while covered in sweat and groaning in pain. And somehow, for some incomprehensible reason, I wanted to join them.

I've been doing this routine for a month now and I've defintely noticed some positive changes. My legs are leaner, my arms are firming up and I can now run a 10 minute mile (it was 15 not too long ago), and I'm starting to get that coveted V on my ab space. According to the scale I haven't lost a ton of weight yet but my clothes fit better, and I have a lot more energy.

I'm actually toying with the idea of before and after pictures...or maybe I'll give myself another month. :)

Day 5 - Sugar High

2012-04-03T11:04:00.000-04:00

As I write this I am in the midst of a serious caffeine high. This feeling is strange to me because I am an admittedly devoted coffee drinker. If Maslow were to assess my hierarchy of needs it would probably be something along the lines of - air, water, coffee, love, food. Yes, in that specific order. I'm used to drinking at least two cups a day just to keep me going, which is precisely why this feeling of a caffeine high is so odd for me.

For the past 2 1/2 weeks I've been pretty closely adhering to something called the Paleo Diet. The Paleo Diet is an eating program developed by Dr. Loren Cordain, a professor of the Department of Health and Exercise at Colorado State University. Also known as the Caveman Diet, Dr. Cordain proposed that humans should ideally consume foods that mimic the diet of our Paleolithic ancestors - a diet that mainly consists of meats, fish, fresh fruits, vegetables and nuts. The general principle behind the diet seems to be 'if you can hunt it or gather it you can eat it.' Which sounds pretty healthy since it pretty much eliminates any and all packaged foods. Sadly, it also eliminates really tasty things like dairy (good-bye cheese), cereal grains which include wheat, rice, oats (so long breakfast bagel) etc. and legumes (no hummus here). Slightly sad face.

Because it eliminates cereal grains the diet ends up being naturally low-carb, something I've been slightly wary of because of fad diets like Atkins. The high fat, high protein, low grain mantra is something that certainly goes against the USDA My Plate recommendation of 6 oz. a day for my age group (woman, 19 - 30 years old).

I was curious. So I did what anyone in my age bracket in search of answers would do - I Googled and came across Mark's Daily Apple by Mark Sisson. Mark, from what I can tell from his blog (haven't gotten around to reading his book yet) is a competetive runner, author, and all around health nut who promotes the Primal Blueprint which sounds alot like the Paleo Diet. He's a fan of grass fed beef, free range chickens, lots of organic veggies, fruits, nuts and seeds. Unlike the Paleo Diet he is a proponent of daily exercise - specificially sprinting and weight training.

After reading Mark's blog I decided to put myself on a 30 day Primal Challenge. I've eliminated dairy, grains and legumes (with the exception of soybeans - I love edamame and prefer to substitute tofu for most of my meals). The first few days were difficult - it was hard to give up my daily muffin/bagel breakfast habit as well as the creamer in my coffee.

About 4 days in I felt really sluggish, but I attributed that to my body detoxing from sugar/carb withdrawl. According to the experts in the blogosphere it might also be because my body was transitioning from glycolosis (burning sugars for energy) to ketosis (burning fat for energy). Normally this is when I would have thrown in the towel, but I was motivated and I pushed through.

By day 6 of the Primal Diet I felt phenomenal. The first thing that I noticed is that my energy is pretty steady throughout the day. I eat breakfast around 8am (usually an egg white omlette with mushrooms and spinach) and I find that I'm not hungry until 1pm when I'll eat my salad (2 cups of Earthbound Organic Spring Mix, with BBQ tofu, baked salmon and avocado). A handful of pistachios or maybe a banana would take me through my workout and on to dinner around 8pm with no problem.

This is in a direct contrast to my old diet. A typical day would be a muffin/bagel/oatmeal for breakfast around 8am. I'd be starving by 11am and would be in a serious crave mode for more carbohydrates - a sandwhich, pizza or pasta with veggies if that's what the cafeteria was serving. After my lunch I'd be in a food coma. By 2pm I would be sleepy and in need of a pick me up. This is where I would either snag a cookie, or a piece of chocolate or any other treat that seems to be in abundance on my floor. Then I would go to the gym and scarf some brown rice, veggies and another protein for dinner. I'd usually go back for seconds of the grain.

Which brings me back to my current caffeine high. Since eating the Primal Diet I've eaten alot of protein, an abundance of vegetables and lots of good fat. What I haven' t been eating are simple carbs and sugar. Sugar was also a mainstay of my previous diet. What I've noticed is that since I've been eating cleaner my body has become much more sensitive to sugar and caffeine - I just can't tolerate large amounts of either anymore.

For instance, yesterday I gave in to my sweet tooth and had a delicous Lindt Truffle - 60% of dark chocolate amazingness. In a previous life I would have been able to take down 3 - 4 of those bad boys no problem. Yesterday, I ate one and I felt like I was going to have a heart attack. Within 5 minutes my heart was racing, my hands were shaking and my head was spinning in a serious sugar rush. It's crazy what your body tells you when you really start listening to it...

Day 1 - Taking Inventory

2012-03-27T15:52:00.000-04:00

Today I weigh 147 pounds. I am 5"5 with black hair. I am 28 years old. Ten years ago I was 18 years old. I was 5"5 with pink hair. I weighed 130 pounds.

For the most part things are much better now than 10 years ago. I have a wonderful husband, a cute dog, I'm done with school and I've done some pretty cool things. Life would be otherwise perfect, if it weren't for the significant wardrobe malfunction I had a few weeks ago that included a suit jacket and the mortification that followed when I realized that I was unable to button it. Major bummer.

I still don't understand what I did wrong to get to this point. I was convinced that I was doing things right. I went to the gym! I didn't eat ice cream! But as my jacket proved, something was clearly amiss.

Time for an honest inventory and quasi-scientific analysis of my habits.

I obsessively logged my food intake via My Plate from LiveStrong and slowly discovered some not so healthy habits. Since I'm a creature of habit much of my daily diet went something like this:

Breakfast:
Large coffee w/ cream @ Dunkin Donuts
Maybe a muffin or a bagel with cream cheese.

Lunch:
Spinah wrap w/ salami, provolone, lettuce, tomato, onions & mayo

Snack:
Chocolate chip cooke from the cafeteria. Possibly two.They are damn good. And maybe whatever goodies our clients have sent us recently.

Dinner:
Generally something with chicken breast, brown rice and a vegetable. Or pasta and protein and vegetable. Sounds healthy but to be honest many of the recipes I was using were calibrated to serve 4 when I in reality I am cooking for 2. Balls.

Dessert:
Yes please. Usually Veggi Booty Chips or whatever the annoyingly skinny husband was eating.

After a week of logging it became clear that carbohydrates, sugar and caffeine were clearly my favorite food groups. Not exactly the neighborhood of HealthyVille that I thought I was living in. Whoops.

But what about the gym? I was going right? Yes. But probably not as consistently as I made myself to believe. We'd go about 2 maybe 3 times a week. I had a routine of 30 - 45 minutes on the elliptical machine plus some light weight training on my own. According to the readout on the machine I was burning 250 calories per session. What I knew with my brain but refused to believe with my rose tinted goggles was those workout machines notoriously exaggerate your output. So my gym workouts probably amounted to something more like 100 - 150 calories per hour. Not exactly high output exercise.

It wasn't until I attended a kickboxing class at my gym that I realized the extent of my gross overestimation of my fitness level. After 1 hour of kicking, punching, burpees and squat thrusts I literally wanted to die.

So I guess I really wasn't as healthy as I was leading myself to believe. Yes, I was going to the gym but I was mostly putzing around doing a mediocre workout while I dicked around on my iPod. Yes, I was attempting to eat healthy but I was also conveniently forgetting about all those snacks I was piling in throughout the day.

Looks like all those extra snacks finally caught up with me...darn it! Clearly I am going to have to swap the decks to tighten up this little ship...

I'm a Terrible Blogger - I'm also Fat

2012-03-27T15:21:00.002-04:00

I'm sorry if I've been missing lately - somehow in this midst of this fluffy newlywed haze I seem to have forgotton about this little blog of mine.

So many things have happened that I'm not quite sure where to start. Since catching up will take forever and a half I'll just bring you up to date on what has been on the forefront of my brain recently.

Since we've gotten married in August I've made the mistake of stepping on a scale. Not only was this a terrible idea, but it was also a startling reality check when the scale confirmed what my skinny jeans and button down tops had already suggested. I had really put on 15 pounds in a few years. Gag.

I like to think of myself as a fairly active person. While I've never been 'skinny' - my frame has always tended to be on the more athletic side - I've always been generally happy with my body. I have a gym membership which I attempt to use on a regular basis. In fact, I actually enjoy physical activity - hiking, swimming, long walks with the puppy are all right up there on my favorite things to do list.

I've also been a fairly healthy eater. I actually like my fruits and veggies and would generally prefer a grilled chicken wrap to a double cheeseburger on most days. I try to be good, I really do. But as the scale clearly shows - the numbers don't lie.

So why am I fat?

I blame my husband for several reasons and I will list them here, below. Because pointing fingers (especially at him) is also high on my favorite things to do list.

1. He is one of the exceptionally annoying people who struggles to gain weight. Dammit. Whatever he's loses, I find apparently.

2. I learned how to cook. Nay, learned how to bake. Which I love to do, feeding my man makes him happy which in turn makes me happy. This is all good in the grand scheme of things. Unfortunately it is making my ass a grand vista.

3. I work in an office sitting at a desk all day. This still falls under the category of his fault because he has not yet produced the winning Powerball ticket like I asked him to several years ago. Honey? Can we put this one back on your to do list?

I know I need to change something to get my health back on track. I've started a little health and fitness experiment to see if I can get some of my eating habits and subsequently my weight under control. I figure if I put it out onto the websphere maybe I'll feel a bit more accountable. Stayed tuned!

Married!

2011-09-16T13:29:00.000-04:00

Almost 10 years ago I met the man of my dreams. A few months ago I started a campaign to get him to marry me. It all started with an email, full of photographs of places that I'd like to get married some day. Thankfully, he was open to it. And I'm happy to say that I'm now Mrs. New Teacher, Now What.

Consider the Kindle or Why I love David Foster Wallace

2011-06-01T16:42:00.001-04:00

Being the consumate nerd that I am, I'm always on the look out for new reading material (and now that I think of it, I have some reading material that needs to make its way back to the library before the library police come knocking...). I try to alternate between brain building, non-fiction stuff because, well, I'm a nerd. And kitschy, popular fiction novels that I like to call my junk-food lit. Here's where I admit that junk-food lit is much higher on my priority reading list than brain building non-fiction stuff. To which I will also admit that in the name of book snobbery and personal vanity the brain building stuff just looks much classier (read: smarter) on my bookshelves.

So, in an effort look smart while also getting in my junk-food lit (now that I think about it, I suppose this can also be described as binge reading - where the addict reads junk lit in private while trying to portray a publicly wholesome reading practice) I've found myself craving a Kindle for quite some time. The idea of an e-reader was both compelling for the cheaper boooks and instant gratification factor, and repellant because the thing I really like about books is the book-ishness of them - folding the paper, smelling the pages, something which the Kindle just wasn't.

But then, oh but then. One wonderful night my fantastically amazing fiancee brought home the best surprise ever. My very own, very awesome Kindle. I was beside myself glee. And now I'm totally addicted and potentially a much bigger book nerd than ever before.

My friend at work has been urging me to read David Foster Wallace for quite some time, and since one of the wonderful things about the Kindle is the ability to download a sample of a book (kind of like browsing in a book store from the comfort of your own couch) for free. So I went sample book download happy and got instantly(!) received the first chapter of Consider the Lobster, by David Foster Wallace.

Three pages in and I had to purchase the book. It's that good. To envision the mind of David Foster Wallace one would need to picture the following: one evil genius marries Woodly Allen's neurotic artistry and their child ends up marrying the child of Philip Seymour Hoffman's dry parlance and Seth McFarland's quirky sense of humour. Their child would end up being something like David Foster Wallace on a bad day. He's that awesome.

Consider the Lobster is a collection of David Foster Wallace's essays that have appeared in publications like Gourmet Magazine, Harpar's Bazaar and Vanity Fair. He writes about subjects like: being behind the scenes at the 1998 Adult Video Awards, what it's like to ride the McCain's 2000 campaign tour bus, and a lenghtly critique of Bryan Garner's Dictionary of Moderan American Usage which explores the debate behind American lexicography. And that's not all. His essay Consider the Lobster is an ontological argument about lobsters - whether they feel pain and ultimately how he should feel about eating them. The awesomeness of this is only fully appreciated when one realizes that this article was published in Gourmet Magazine - a now defunct culinary magazine for people who love eating food, especially animals.

David Foster Wallace is one of those few authors who is able to write fiction and non-fiction exceedingly well. His like his non-fiction, DFW's fictional stories are exceedingly detailed and incredibly nuanced. He has this way of putting you right in the moment that makes his stories a little distburing to read sometimes.

He said somewhere that he once had a teacher who said that 'good fiction's job was to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.' Which is pretty accurate portrayal of what a DFW short story will do to you. His stories have a way of planting themselves in your subconscious and sprouting freakishly beautiful thoughts in your dreams. Which is exactly what I am beginning to discover as I read Brief Interviews with Hideous Men before bedtime - which may or may not be a big mistake...

Photo Friday: Engaged!...

2011-05-27T12:52:00.001-04:00

New Teacher, Now What is this blog becoming?...

2011-05-26T14:51:00.002-04:00

Back when I started this blog last July I was a confused, young, wannabe teacher slogging my way through graduate school. Over the past two years I've fought my way through substitute teaching, wrestled my brain through grad school, and somehow survived student teaching. I've managed to find a couple part-time gigs, had nervous breakdowns about finances, and somehow managed to not only survive but can proudly brandish a provisional teaching certificate to show off my hard work. I'm proud of what I've accomplished so far, but I know I still have a long way to go.

Because...I'm still not a teacher. In a perfect world I would be in front of a group of impressionable youngsters, filling their youg minds with epic tales of history and opening their eyes to all the wonderful things the world of social science has to offer.

But, it's not a perfect world. And here I sit, in my cubicle working at not teaching. In a niggling portion of my brain, the part that only truly comes alive as I find myself unable to drift off to sleep I worry about many things. One, is that all of my expensive graduate school education will slowly leak out of my brain, onto my pillow and instead be filled with reality television trivia. Two, is that as the months tick by I will no longer be able to check off 'idealistic and driven young teacher' on my mental biography -soon semantics will demand that I check 'world weary and maturing adult seeks teaching career' instead. My third night-time doubt is that that longer I wait to exercise my new teaching skills, the rustier and less relevant they will become.

And finally we reach the point of this rambling and solipstic blog post. I haven't been writing very much lately because this blog was originally about my journey to the front of the classsroom. Yesterday as I was drafting out yet another posting about my non-existent job hunt I came to the frank realization that the journey to the classroom is at a stand still. I'm at the point in the movie where the montage has just ended (quitting! subbing! teaching! gr! certificate! succcess!) and something climactic is supposed to happen. Sorry everyone, my movie sucks (office job. sad.)!

So, take this as a warning folks. From here on out my blog posts may include non-education, certainly non-teaching type postings. I might talk about vegan cupcakes or the Zumba class I went to the other day, I might even talk about my new obsession with wedding blogs and swirly font. Maybe even some amusing anecdotes about my cats. I can't promise teach-y stuff, but I can promise that I will no longer whine about looking for a teaching job. In fact, the word job is hereby banned from my postings until the words 'I finally found a teaching ____' can precede them. May that day soon arrive.

I'm a bad blogger...and an even worse wedding planner.

2011-05-04T11:41:00.000-04:00

I'm sorry I've been so out of touch lately. Though education is always first and foremost in my mind, it has recently taken a back seat to excitement (and occasional horror) of wedding planning. That's right folks, the boyfriend and I are getting hitched! After 9 years, 1 dog, countless memories and 4 months of student teaching I suppose it's safe to say we're already practically married. This just kind of makes it official - since we've decided to go the destination wedding route - it's a great excuse to take a family vacation.

As a self-described tomboy who preferred to daydream about travel plans and ninja fighting skills I wasn't even remotely prepared for all the craziness that planning a wedding can stir up. From the invitations to picking a venue to finding a photographer there seems to be no end to all the little details. Heck, I planned an entire semester's worth of lesson plans and projects - planning one day should be a cakewalk right? Wrong! I'd take lesson planning over wedding planning any day of the week. (Probably because I'm a big fat nerd who hates shopping).

So, for the past month I've been engrossed in guest lists, travel plans, dress shopping, venue shopping and a myriad of other little things that have been driving me up the wall. But I think we might finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and I can finally get back to focusing on more important things. Like finding a teaching job.

ShelterBox for Japan

2011-03-16T15:07:00.005-04:00

I'd like to invite you to join me in raising funds for the Japanese disaster relief efforts.

Shelterbox is an international relief organization that responds to natural and manmade disasters by delivering boxes of aid to those who are most in need. They have assisted in over 140 disasters in more than 70 countries including Haiti and Bolivia.

The funds from your donation will be put towards Shelter Boxes to assist in Japanese relief efforts in Sendai and Fukushima. The latest reports coming out of Japan state that more than 215,000 people have been made homeless by the three pronged disaster of a devastating earthquake, tsunami and nuclear reactor meltdown.

Each box supplies an extended family of up to 10 people with a tent and essential equipment to use while they are displaced or homeless.

The contents are tailored depending on the nature and location of the disaster, with great care taken sourcing every item to ensure it is robust enough to be of lasting value. You can click here to check out some of the contents of the Shelter Box.

The cost of a box is $1,000 including delivery direct to those who need it. Each box bears its own unique number so as a donor you can track your box all the way to its recipient country via the website.

Anything you are able to donate would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much for taking the time to read about this wonderful organization.

Warm regards,
Donna

Donate here at my Shelterbox page!

My Family's Indifference to Danger...

2011-03-11T11:27:00.000-05:00

...might give me a heart attack one day. This morning we awoke to news that Japan had been hit by an earthquake that spawned an enormous tsunami. As images of burning houses, flood rice paddies and upended ocean liners flickered across the screen my thoughts immediately turned to my parents and brothers on the island of Hawaii.

Japan - Photo from the NYTimes.com

My parents live about a block or so from the beach on the Big Island of Hawaii, my brothers live in Oahu about 10 minutes inland from Waikiki Beach. Despite it being 2:30am Pacific time I found myself anxiously dialing my dad and brothers.
Me: Hi Dad. So....I just saw that a massive tsunami just hit Japan. Are you guys evacuating?
Dad: What? Oh, I'm sitting here...playing some chess. Here, listen to this (shuffle shuffle static). Do you hear that?
Me: No. What was that?
Dad: Tsunami warnings. They've been going off for a few hours now.
Me: So. Uhm. Shouldn't you be putting the chess board away and like...evacuating?
Dad: Yeah. I guess. We'll see what happens.
Me: Right. Because they said the waves would hit at 8am ish my time and it's already 7:50.
Dad: I think we'll be okay.
Me: Well, why don't you take your chess board to the evacuation place and play there?
Dad: I could do that too...
- Oh. My. God.

Me: Hi David. So....are you guys evacuating?
David: Evacuating?.....
Me: Isn't there like a super tsunami that's supposed to hit like...now?
David: Oh. Yeah. The sirens stopped so I think we'll be okay. We're far enough inland from Waikiki so we're out of the tsunami zone.
Me: Well...maybe you guys should check the news and see if you need to go anywhere
David: Well, I think we'll be okay. But mom and dad should probably be careful. Hey, you think I'll need to go to work in the morning?
- I suppose I'm officially the family freaker-outer.

*Update: No big tsunami waves have hit the island. They have all gone back to bed.

Mental Olympics I might forget to tell you about later...

2011-03-10T14:47:00.002-05:00

Something scary has been happening to me lately. Maybe I'm getting old. Maybe like Charlie in Flowers for Algernon I've surpassed my mental pinnacle and it is all down hill from here. Recently I've been finding myself forgetting little things like names of famous people or dates of important events.

Thankfully, I still remember the important stuff. Like when the next season of Real Housewives of NY begins, or that the dog needs to go out, and that the boyfriend might owe me a back massage. Amazingly I even remember some of the Spanish the boyfriend and I learned a few days ago with our new Rosetta Stone program (los mujeres come una manzana!).

The ability to recall information is key to learning anything and everything I suppose. As a teacher getting students to recall information and apply that knowledge to future situations is part of the puzzle of student learning.

Things like co-operative learning groups, review games and the myriad of other educational tips, tricks and buzzwords are an effort to get kids to remember things.

And then I saw an article on these wonderkids who are able to recall 120 random words in exact order after looking at them for 15 minutes. Now that's impressive. What's even more impressive is that they have national competitions for memorization or Mental Athletics.

They have some awe inspiring recall events. Like a Speed Numbers event where students are given 5 mintues to memorize a page with 25 rows of 20 digits. Competitors earn points based on the number of rows they can recall exactly. Crazy? Crazy like a fox I say.

These amazing brain children are participating in the USA Memory Championships, which the website touts as the 'Olympiad' for thinking games. It consists of tournament style competitive events such as; memorizing 99 names and faces, a list of 500 words, a shuffled deck of cards and an unpublished poem.

Phew. My brain is tired just thinking about it.

If you want to check out these amazing memorizers the 14th annual USA Memory Championship will be held on Saturday, March 12th at the Con Edison Headquarters at 4 Irving Place in NYC.

Now...if I can only remember if I had plans this weekend.

Happy World Read Aloud Day!

2011-03-09T17:18:00.002-05:00

Some of my happiest memories from childhood revolve around books. Heck, some of my happiest moments today revolve around reading. Call me a book worm, but my idea of a perfect afternoon is lying around with a good book (and maybe Alexander Skarsgard) just soaking in a great story.

While I was growing up my parents (my mom especially) made it a point to read to us often. Sometimes it would be children's books and fairy tales. Sometimes it would be newspaper articles and the back of cereal boxes.

On hot summer days my mom made it a point to bring us to the air conditioned refuge of the local public library. Some of my best afternoons were spent taking that long, humid walk with my mom and siblings knowing that there was a cool reward of an air conditioned book utopia waiting for us at the end.

During my substitute teaching days I quickly discovered that nothing quiets down a rowdy classroom quite like an offer to read out loud. Reading to children is a great way to teach vocabulary, story sequencing and listening skills. While read out loud is a popular activity in elementary classrooms I found that it could be useful for older students as well (dsepite their studied show of indifference).

Trade books can be a wonderful way of breaking down complex issues like race, poverty, drug abuse and social issues into simpler stories that are easier for students to discuss. I read my students a couple trade books during my student teaching stint and found students to be incredibly receptive (see my trade book story here and here and here).

Growing up with a family of bibliophiles (my dad is seldom seen without a book in his hand...) its hard to process that there are nearly a billion people are the world who are unable to read or write

I was really excited to find out that last year an organization called LitWorld created World Read Aloud Day as a way to celebrate the power of words and to advocate acess to reading and technology for all children.

To celebrate, LitWorld is sponsoring a 24 Hour Read Aloud Marathon in Times Square the heart of New York City. That's alot of reading! If you would like to participate in World Read Aloud Day all you need to do is register the number of minutes you read alout to someone here. Anything you register will help them reach their goal of 774 million minutes to represent those people around the world who are still unable to read.

What are some of your favorite books?

Hello Beautiful!

2011-03-07T14:54:00.000-05:00

First spring flowers :) !

After what seems like a never ending winter these little purple crocuses brought a smile to my face. Hello warm and wonderful spring!

I'm starting to love how I can finally use spring months to discuss not so distant plans (Oh you want to get together in the next couple weeks? Sure! Does the first week of April work?).

And for once, I'm fully supportive of early marketing ploys. Especially when such marketing features these babies:

Nothing beats the gooey sugary bliss of a Cadbury creme egg. As far as holidays are concerned, Easter ranks right up there with Halloween and Valentine's Day on my list of favorites. Is it any wonder that all three are more or less centered around copious amounts of chocolate?

And Suddenly I'm Reminded Why I Want to Be a Teacher

2011-03-02T17:15:00.001-05:00

Last Thursday as I was on my way home after an exercise class (Bar Method to be exact, a grueling torture executed by sadistically perky women) I ran into one of my former students. And while I've tried my best to stick to the teacher's creed of not choosing favorite students, sometimes it's difficult to not become more attatched to some students than others. This one in particular had melted a soft spot into the armor I had attempted to wrap around my heart at the beginning of student teaching.

Like 97% of the students in the high school where I student taught, her family is in the lower end of the soci-economic scale of life. And like 87.8% of students in the high school where I student taught, she is very bright and would have no problem getting good grades in high school or being accepted into a great college if only the deck weren't stacked so high against her.

I caught a glimpse of her in the crowded elevator on the way up to the street. I couldn't immediately catch her eye and for a moment I thought she might have been engrossed with the contents of the floor on purpose. I shrugged and figured I'd spare her the awkwardness of a forced hello. But as we were crossing the street she finally saw me. We hugged it out. I asked how life was treating her. She told me she was happy to see me.

We talked about her life as a senior (stressful) and her plans after high school was over (ambiguous). She's been working to save for college, but more often than not her paychecks are being put towards rent and groceries for the family. She was worried about her SAT scores. She had a hard time studying for them because her family had moved twice since the summer and most of her books were still packed.

I suppose her story is especially touching for me because I come from a similarly modest background. It's difficult to concentrate on things like papers and schoolwork when what's you're really worried about is where your family will be living in the next few weeks. While most kids are focusing on grades and SAT tests, other less fortunate students find themselves face to face with real world problems like having the electricity cut off or how they will help pay for groceries for the week.

Things will get better I tell her. Sometimes a big part of the job is just being a cheerleader. And sometimes, the best part of the job is when I get to hug it out and whip out the pom poms.

Careful....

2011-02-27T20:49:00.000-05:00

Taught swim class today for the first time in 2 weeks (I was ~~out sick~~ playing hooky). I was pleasantly surprised to find a few new additions in my class...and boy do they have a lot on their minds.

Me: Hi, I'm Donna what's your name?
Hi, I'm Jack. I bite.
...well, at least he's honest.

Me: Anna, it's your turn. Show me your big swimming arms!
You know what?
Me: What?
Yesterday I picked my nose. And I didn't wash my hands. Do you ever do that?
Me: Well, I try to use tissues. And wash my hands. It's hygiene.
Sometimes mommy doesn't.
...I'll be sure to be on the look out for cookies from that mommy.

Kids, they do say the darndest things.

Should Teachers Blog?

2011-02-24T08:00:00.002-05:00

Last week Natalie Munroe, an English Teacher in Bucks County PA was suspended last week for complaining about her students via her personal blog. She'd started the September of 2009 and talked about stuff that most blogs seems to touch on. Life, muffins, and errant complaints about work.

And while everyone complains about work from time to time the difference for a teacher is that what they consider 'work' is another person's 'little darling.' The posts that raised the most furor were written a little over a year ago. In them she called her students "rude, lazy, disengaged whiners." In another post she created a list of "canned comments" she thought teachers should be able to put on report cards. The list included comments such as: rat-like, frightfully dim, whiny and unrealistically high perception of own ability level. Yeesh. Ouch.

Don't get me wrong. I love working with children. And while some people might consider spending a day with a roomful of children finger painting and singing the ABC's relatively simple. And while a day of shaping young minds can be immensely fulfilling, in reality its not always rainbows and sunshine. It's work. Hard and at times incredibly frustrating work. (I refer you to my first days as a substitute teacher here and here).

Contrary to popular belief teachers are people too (though, this is a truth I didn't fully embrace until I became one. Up until the moment I stepped into my first classrom I assumed teachers were literally an extension of the school building without normal human needs such as: eating, pooping and going to the movies).

As humans teachers often have the need to vent after a particularly daunting day at work (I now refer you to my experiences in a teacher's lounge here and here). Occasionally this venting is directed towards partners and spouses. In my case it was directed towards the Boyfriend and my dog. In Natalie Munroe's case it was posted in a blog for everyone to see.

A few weeks ago students stumbled across her blog and the very next day she was escorted from school, suspended with pay and is now facing the very realy possibility of being terminated.

As a teaching student/someday teacher blogging about life as a teacher makes me wonder, where is that professional line that should not be crossed when discussing a day in the classroom? Does it begin at remaining anonymous and refusing to discuss any and all behavior issues and/or classroom conundrums? Or can a teacher start a thoughful discussion about things they have witnessed in the classroom and the steps they have taken to correct/amend/remedy the problem? Does terminating a teacher based on comments they have made on a personal blog violate their First Amendment rights? Or does allowing a teacher to discuss what happens in the classrom violate a student's right to privacy?

Personally (obviously?) I am a fan of the teacher blog. I think when done thoughtfully and reasonably teacher blogs can provide a wellspring of insightful commentary on life in a classroom. Newbies like me can benefit from the pontifications of seasoned teachers. Teachers can discuss classroom management techniques, lesson plans and general stuff that worked for them. And for some at the end of a long and grueling day engaging young minds, a blog can function as a healthly place to vent frustrations and perhaps garner some feedback on what might make tomorrow a better day.

Do I particulary agree with some of the comments Ms. Munroe posted in regards to her children? No, not really. I think that even on a personal blog a rule of thumb should be something like; if you're not willing to say it out loud in front of a 100 people you probably shouldn't write it. Because it will probably come back to bite you in the tuckus.

But I do agree with Ms. Munroe that there are issues in education today that are often not addressed and will remain so unless teachers start talking about them. Like behavior problems, lack of parental involvement or how difficult it is for teachers to compete for student's attention when they're up against iPods, Facebook and video games.

Long live the teacher blog. May it remain civil and nameless.

Inactive Applicant

2011-02-23T10:23:00.002-05:00

I received the most distressing email this morning. One of the districts that I applied to a while back sent me a polite reminder that my application has been marked as inactive in their records. Inactive. Funny how one little word can be such an in your face reminder of all the things that I haven't been doing recently.

Glancing at my calendar makes me realize that I was smack in the middle of student teaching this time last year. Where has all the time gone? I suppose that sometimes life has a funny way of getting in the way of life goals. Becoming a teacher with my own classroom and room full of young minds has never been far from my heart. But somehow the little tasks that make up a day, a week a whole month creep in the way of what set me on this path in the first place.

Maybe I do need to quit my weekend job. Granted, it's only one day a week. But working 6 days a week is stretching my brain thin. By the time I get home at night all I really want to do is curl up on the couch and pet my dog, brush my cat and spend time with the Boyfriend.

Judging by the news, it doesn't seem like job hunting in the state of New Jersey is going to get any easier though. Apparently Gov. Chris Christie has proposed that teachers might be responsible for up to 30% of their benefits and he's generously offering to increase funding to school districts to a whopping 1% of their current year budgets (roughly increasing state education aide by $250 million per year).

Maybe it's high time to move to sunnier climes...

Attempted Vegetarian

2011-02-16T09:47:00.004-05:00

I've been trying my hand at cooking again recently. Sometimes, I like to think of myself as a budding foodie. But in reality I'm a blooming fatty. I've also been trying to eat less meat ever since I came across a pamphlet at my parent's house about eating for your blood type. I'm not totally sure I buy all of that evolutionary intestine stuff but it's telling me that I should be a vegetarian. However, due to my love of cheeseburgers this will probably not be happening anytime soon. Though, I suppose less meat and more veggies can't be a bad thing.
I present to you: Baked Eggplant Marinara...


Step1: Slice Eggplant


Step 2: Bread Eggplant in flour, egg, breadcrumbs


Step 3: Fry 'til golden brown

Step 4: Pile on marinara sauce (recipe below)


Step 4: Top with fresh mozerella

Enjoy!

Marinara Sauce:

I wish you could smell this...

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 small onions, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes

2 dried bay leaves

In a large casserole pot, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. Add the onions and garlic and sautee until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, carrots, and 1/2 teaspoon of each salt and pepper. Sautee until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bay leaves, and simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1 hour. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper, to taste.

Courtesy of Food Network.

A Beach on Hawaii....

2011-02-14T22:34:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T12:51:00.001-05:00

Do I have an amazing Boyfriend or what? :)

Newsflash: Teenagers are Highly Susceptible to 'Acting Up'

2011-02-07T17:21:00.001-05:00

Oh Cher, I <3 the white Jeep.

In today's news we discover that teenagers are highly susceptible to acting up around their friends. In other matters, the earth is round and water is wet.

According to a study by Temple University, MRI scans of the brains of teenagers suggest that peer pressure has a distinct effect on the on brain activity in their risk and reward centers. Translation: teenagers are more likely to engage in risky behavior and do dumb things when their friends are watching.

Researchers had young teens (14 - 18), college students and young adults play a simulated driving game. In the first scenario participants played the simulation as if they were in the car alone. In the second scenario particpants were told their their friends were watching their progress in the other room. The study showed that young teens had a strong tendency to speed, run yellow lights and make riskier driving decisions when their friends were watching. On a sweet side note, real world driving data shows that teenage boys take more risks when there are one or more guys in the car. But, if it's their girlfriend they tend to drive more carefully. Aw.

Rest assured that the next time I see a car full of teenage boys, I will be pulling over until they pass. Unless my friends are watching - in which case I will speed up and cut them off. Just kidding. Mostly.