Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Friday, August 3, 2012
Remember the Joy of Learning?
My personal blog has taken a bit of a hiatus but I'm still writing! For all of my teacher friends as you prepare to go back to school and impact classrooms full of students, may your work days ahead be filled with joy and creativity, not stifling standardization...
Remember the Joy of Learning?
P.S. I welcome (and will respond) to comments on Ed News Colorado!
Remember the Joy of Learning?
P.S. I welcome (and will respond) to comments on Ed News Colorado!
Monday, April 16, 2012
Ready, Set...Teach!
If you are one of my few and faithful readers, I hope you will forgive my recent hiatus. I have been writing furiously (just not in this space). I would love it if my followers read my latest Ed News guest commentary that critiques the way our schools use teaching and learning time.
Teacher friends - how many hours do you log in a day? Where does your planning and "off contract" or "duty free" time go? When does your grading, planning and parent communication occur? How much time do you spend instructing students vs. supervising them?
Add your daily or weekly time log to the comments section and join the conversation -- it's time our policy makers, parents and pop culture media outlets heard from us just what teachers do between the morning and dismissal bells, the early hour alarm clock buzzing and the fire or tornado drills, the after school hours and the summer "breaks."
Yes, it's time for teachers to speak up.
Teacher friends - how many hours do you log in a day? Where does your planning and "off contract" or "duty free" time go? When does your grading, planning and parent communication occur? How much time do you spend instructing students vs. supervising them?
Add your daily or weekly time log to the comments section and join the conversation -- it's time our policy makers, parents and pop culture media outlets heard from us just what teachers do between the morning and dismissal bells, the early hour alarm clock buzzing and the fire or tornado drills, the after school hours and the summer "breaks."
Yes, it's time for teachers to speak up.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Got Gold? Operation Oscar Night 2012
When you grow up in a small town, you take what you can get when it comes to entertainment. Aside from a bowling alley and a roller skating rink located ten miles from the house where I grew up, most of my adolescent weekends were spent "dragging Main Street"...or at the movies.
I still remember when the old run-down (former vaudeville) theater, "The Grand" re-opened its doors the summer before I turned twelve. Its shabby seats, the red velvet worn thin and nonexistent in places, and the stained and peeling art deco wallpaper adorning the side walls, indicated the old movie house had seen better days. The theater initially re-opened for weekends only -- showing one "family friendly" film (nothing rated over PG 13) per weekend for a total of five shows (Friday-Sunday nights and Saturday/Sunday matinees). For $5 a teen could buy a movie ticket, a bag of popcorn, a soda and a candy bar. If you were lucky, (pun intended) you would also probably get a first (or second or third) kiss and a private, parent-free experience if you sat in the balcony. Two plus hours of uninterrupted cinema, snacks and snogging for $5 -- now that's a cheap date.
"The Grand" is still open and is still showing family friendly films at reasonable prices. Run primarily by volunteers, it is recognized as a historical site, and the recent fundraising for new seats is helping the theater get a much needed face-lift while preserving its character. The projector now boasts 3D capabilities but the atmosphere is largely the same as it was in my childhood. Friday night, date night in the Melon Capital of the World, is likely to feature dinner at a local, family-owned Mexican restaurant followed by a movie at "The Grand."
Perhaps because of this, I have always found going to the movies preferable to VHS, then DVD and now Blu-ray rentals. While we have a Netflix queue filled with films we want to see, going to the movies is one of the few things from my childhood that still feels magical. If a movie is worth seeing, I believe it's worth seeing on the big screen. Although, I'm much pickier about movie theaters now that I'm older. I want to go to a recently cleaned theater where the arm rests are movable, the floors aren't sticky, the chairs plush and comfortable with the option to recline, and the crowd mature -- both in years and in behavior.
I saw eight of the nine best picture nominees this year in a movie theater. Although I didn't see any of them at "The Grand," it will not be surprising to those who know me that my favorites this year were filled with nostalgia and transported me to a different place and time. Without further adieu, my two cents on the 2012 best picture nominees, ranked in my order of preference.
9. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close -- This movie is filled with grief...and guilt. Its uplifting moments are too few and far between to rank higher on my list. While the young actor who played the main character captured the spirit of the boy in Jonathan Safran Foer's book by the same title, I found him too strange and petulant to identify or empathize with his pain. I read the book first, which is perhaps unfair to the film, and while I admire what the film was able to tackle given the nature and structure of the writing in the book, it still fell short for me.
8. The Help - I really like this movie. I just really liked the book better. The casting and costumes were perfect in this film and the performances are certainly worthy of the number of acting nominations represented on the ballot. Read it and see it -- man or woman, black or white, it's hard not to like The Help.
7. The Tree of Life - I admire this film on a number of levels. Amazing actors (given precious few lines of dialogue minus the whispered voice-overs) and incredible images and music fill the screen in what feels more like stepping into a moving work of art or a poem than watching a movie. The title literally tells it all -- this film shows everything from the origins of life to the way life plays out for a 1950's family. The non-linear plot and unique structure make the film artistic, but for me, not as enjoyable as many others on the list. Perhaps it was because I wasn't raised during this time, or the fact that I couldn't see any part of my own family in the family depicted in the film, but at the end of the day I felt that this film was beautiful to look at, and while I'm glad I saw it (albeit on the small screen), I likely won't feel the need to watch it again.
6. The Descendants - Amazing acting performances in an oh-so-Hawaii feeling film. I, like most women in America, adore George Clooney, who doesn't disappoint in this film. This movie is also based on a book which I haven't read but when I recently picked up a hard copy and thumbed through it at the book store, I could see pieces of the voice-over narration and dialogue directly lifted from the page into the movie script. The writing is the strength of this movie, and unlike Tree of Life, which felt alien and cold to me, this family feels all too real in all of the hilarious and heartbreaking ways.
5. Moneyball - I think it is a tremendous credit to this film that I, who dislike math and don't care much for baseball, would still rank this movie this high on the list. In fact, it is the type of movie that if I had seen it as a child, I might have chosen to teach math instead of English...it's just that good. I love Jonah Hill's character and enjoyed seeing him playing a role that wasn't "another character's overweight/drunk/high/disgusting friend." His performance was refreshing and spot-on. And then of course, there's Brad Pitt. Enough said. This may be one of my favorite baseball movies of all time...but it's still a distant second to The Natural.
4. War Horse - I wasn't prepared to like this film as much as I did. But between the history, the horse, the boy who loved his horse, and the many other side stories and characters who came in contact with the horse, it was two plus hours of riveting entertainment. I loved what this film had to say about war, love, and the human experience. The cinematography was gorgeous and certain scenes felt like snippets from other epic films of the past.
3. Hugo - I was pleasantly surprised by this film as well. I entered expecting to see a really good "children's movie," but instead I was transported to Paris in the 1920's. This movie is truly magical. The train station itself is perhaps the most powerful character in the movie. Ben Kingsley (as always) is amazing, and this film is perhaps the most visually appealing of all in a list of really visually appealing movies. I didn't want this movie to end, even though I was satisfied with the ending. This is a film I could watch again and again and see something new...and it is also a movie that prompted me to buy the book.
2. Midnight in Paris - Really, this film is tied for number 1 for me. I love everything about it - the acting, the characters, the costumes, the time travel, the dialogue and writing (Woody Allen at his best), and the way it made me feel. This is an amazing movie for any nostalgia junkie or aspiring writer. I loathe Owen Wilson and I still managed to love this film (and begrudgingly his performance). This is the most "feel good" film of the bunch. If you don't want to travel to Paris, read a Hemingway or Fitzgerald novel, or put on a Cole Porter record after watching this film, I fear you are hopelessly imprisoned by the 21st Century and should seek help for this affliction immediately...ideally by watching this movie again!
1. The Artist - For me this film had it all, and also had nothing at all -- who would have thought a silent, black and white, simple story brought to the screen could say so much? If the film doesn't win, I hope Jean Dujardin does -- he tells a story without saying a word (okay, maybe one word :) and it's impossible not to fall in love with his character, who is simultaneously charming, cheeky, insecure and sad. It's tough to top a Clooney or Pitt, but for me, Dujardin is the new Hollywood "it" man -- and one more reason to love all that is French on this list!
Overall, it was a great year for films that moved audiences through compelling stories vs. over-the-top special effects. Time to pop some popcorn, pour a soda, and get ready for that red carpet. May all of your movie-going experiences in the coming year feel grand.
I still remember when the old run-down (former vaudeville) theater, "The Grand" re-opened its doors the summer before I turned twelve. Its shabby seats, the red velvet worn thin and nonexistent in places, and the stained and peeling art deco wallpaper adorning the side walls, indicated the old movie house had seen better days. The theater initially re-opened for weekends only -- showing one "family friendly" film (nothing rated over PG 13) per weekend for a total of five shows (Friday-Sunday nights and Saturday/Sunday matinees). For $5 a teen could buy a movie ticket, a bag of popcorn, a soda and a candy bar. If you were lucky, (pun intended) you would also probably get a first (or second or third) kiss and a private, parent-free experience if you sat in the balcony. Two plus hours of uninterrupted cinema, snacks and snogging for $5 -- now that's a cheap date.
"The Grand" is still open and is still showing family friendly films at reasonable prices. Run primarily by volunteers, it is recognized as a historical site, and the recent fundraising for new seats is helping the theater get a much needed face-lift while preserving its character. The projector now boasts 3D capabilities but the atmosphere is largely the same as it was in my childhood. Friday night, date night in the Melon Capital of the World, is likely to feature dinner at a local, family-owned Mexican restaurant followed by a movie at "The Grand."
Perhaps because of this, I have always found going to the movies preferable to VHS, then DVD and now Blu-ray rentals. While we have a Netflix queue filled with films we want to see, going to the movies is one of the few things from my childhood that still feels magical. If a movie is worth seeing, I believe it's worth seeing on the big screen. Although, I'm much pickier about movie theaters now that I'm older. I want to go to a recently cleaned theater where the arm rests are movable, the floors aren't sticky, the chairs plush and comfortable with the option to recline, and the crowd mature -- both in years and in behavior.
I saw eight of the nine best picture nominees this year in a movie theater. Although I didn't see any of them at "The Grand," it will not be surprising to those who know me that my favorites this year were filled with nostalgia and transported me to a different place and time. Without further adieu, my two cents on the 2012 best picture nominees, ranked in my order of preference.
9. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close -- This movie is filled with grief...and guilt. Its uplifting moments are too few and far between to rank higher on my list. While the young actor who played the main character captured the spirit of the boy in Jonathan Safran Foer's book by the same title, I found him too strange and petulant to identify or empathize with his pain. I read the book first, which is perhaps unfair to the film, and while I admire what the film was able to tackle given the nature and structure of the writing in the book, it still fell short for me.
8. The Help - I really like this movie. I just really liked the book better. The casting and costumes were perfect in this film and the performances are certainly worthy of the number of acting nominations represented on the ballot. Read it and see it -- man or woman, black or white, it's hard not to like The Help.
7. The Tree of Life - I admire this film on a number of levels. Amazing actors (given precious few lines of dialogue minus the whispered voice-overs) and incredible images and music fill the screen in what feels more like stepping into a moving work of art or a poem than watching a movie. The title literally tells it all -- this film shows everything from the origins of life to the way life plays out for a 1950's family. The non-linear plot and unique structure make the film artistic, but for me, not as enjoyable as many others on the list. Perhaps it was because I wasn't raised during this time, or the fact that I couldn't see any part of my own family in the family depicted in the film, but at the end of the day I felt that this film was beautiful to look at, and while I'm glad I saw it (albeit on the small screen), I likely won't feel the need to watch it again.
6. The Descendants - Amazing acting performances in an oh-so-Hawaii feeling film. I, like most women in America, adore George Clooney, who doesn't disappoint in this film. This movie is also based on a book which I haven't read but when I recently picked up a hard copy and thumbed through it at the book store, I could see pieces of the voice-over narration and dialogue directly lifted from the page into the movie script. The writing is the strength of this movie, and unlike Tree of Life, which felt alien and cold to me, this family feels all too real in all of the hilarious and heartbreaking ways.
5. Moneyball - I think it is a tremendous credit to this film that I, who dislike math and don't care much for baseball, would still rank this movie this high on the list. In fact, it is the type of movie that if I had seen it as a child, I might have chosen to teach math instead of English...it's just that good. I love Jonah Hill's character and enjoyed seeing him playing a role that wasn't "another character's overweight/drunk/high/disgusting friend." His performance was refreshing and spot-on. And then of course, there's Brad Pitt. Enough said. This may be one of my favorite baseball movies of all time...but it's still a distant second to The Natural.
4. War Horse - I wasn't prepared to like this film as much as I did. But between the history, the horse, the boy who loved his horse, and the many other side stories and characters who came in contact with the horse, it was two plus hours of riveting entertainment. I loved what this film had to say about war, love, and the human experience. The cinematography was gorgeous and certain scenes felt like snippets from other epic films of the past.
3. Hugo - I was pleasantly surprised by this film as well. I entered expecting to see a really good "children's movie," but instead I was transported to Paris in the 1920's. This movie is truly magical. The train station itself is perhaps the most powerful character in the movie. Ben Kingsley (as always) is amazing, and this film is perhaps the most visually appealing of all in a list of really visually appealing movies. I didn't want this movie to end, even though I was satisfied with the ending. This is a film I could watch again and again and see something new...and it is also a movie that prompted me to buy the book.
2. Midnight in Paris - Really, this film is tied for number 1 for me. I love everything about it - the acting, the characters, the costumes, the time travel, the dialogue and writing (Woody Allen at his best), and the way it made me feel. This is an amazing movie for any nostalgia junkie or aspiring writer. I loathe Owen Wilson and I still managed to love this film (and begrudgingly his performance). This is the most "feel good" film of the bunch. If you don't want to travel to Paris, read a Hemingway or Fitzgerald novel, or put on a Cole Porter record after watching this film, I fear you are hopelessly imprisoned by the 21st Century and should seek help for this affliction immediately...ideally by watching this movie again!
1. The Artist - For me this film had it all, and also had nothing at all -- who would have thought a silent, black and white, simple story brought to the screen could say so much? If the film doesn't win, I hope Jean Dujardin does -- he tells a story without saying a word (okay, maybe one word :) and it's impossible not to fall in love with his character, who is simultaneously charming, cheeky, insecure and sad. It's tough to top a Clooney or Pitt, but for me, Dujardin is the new Hollywood "it" man -- and one more reason to love all that is French on this list!
Overall, it was a great year for films that moved audiences through compelling stories vs. over-the-top special effects. Time to pop some popcorn, pour a soda, and get ready for that red carpet. May all of your movie-going experiences in the coming year feel grand.
Monday, February 20, 2012
New Commentary Post - Ed News
Faithful Followers:
My blog has been collecting a bit of virtual dust lately, but I am still attempting to write on a regular basis...and looking forward (already) to warmer weather and a spring break. February can be the longest shortest month!
I would love your comments and feedback on my latest Ed News commentary. It was posted today, and focuses on the alternative evaluation process in APS (Aurora Public Schools) as a possible model for policymakers to look to as we move closer to SB 10-191 implementation, the new principal and teacher evaluation system (slated for statewide implementation in 2014).
Stay tuned later this week for my "Operation Oscar 2012" nominated best picture rankings and reviews!
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Blogging Blues -- From Writing Time to Time to Write
Before the Denver Writing Project, recent writing endeavors, and beginning this blog, I used to start a piece of writing (usually long-hand, in a beautiful new, crisp journal) and never finish it. I wanted to write but I didn't have enough ideas, deadlines, readership or reasons to see a draft through to publication. I really liked writing titles. It was "the rest of the story" that I couldn't seem to spit out.
These days, it seems I have the opposite problem. I have so many things I want to write about, genres I want to try, books I want to review, stories I want to tell, amazing teachers I want to profile and interview...and my day job, three four-legged children, personal and professional responsibilities really seem to be getting in the way of the writing I want to do. (How do people with two-legged children do it?)
I've moved from writer's bock to writer's stopwatch -- so much to say, so little time. I've generated more writing this year than I did in the first five months of last year, and yet, if this little blog where it all began were a book, it would be coated in dust and cobwebs.
I am finding time to write -- proposals for conferences where I'd like to present, curriculum documents, emails, Tweets (recently), status updates, letters of recommendation for colleagues, reports, and on and on...what I miss is "writing time." Time, free of pressure, deadlines and other demands. Time to think...to reflect...to wonder about things in the world, some related to education but others just related to being a human being on this planet in the 21st Century.
My reading seems to be following the same pattern. I'm consuming so much information, but when asked about a really good book I read recently, I gave a colleague a blank stare. Good books? Oh yeah, I used to read those. But now, there's so many articles and list serves and blogs and Tweets and posts and videos and emails to catch up on and consume (commas omitted intentionally - who has the time for small pauses?) I feel compelled, even guilted into reading for informational purposes only. And yet, I'm always behind. It's hard enough to keep up on my "inbox" let alone my "Twitter queue." So many hundreds of 140 character blips to scroll through. Reading for pleasure? That's becoming a faint memory. Thank goodness for my monthly book club. If it weren't for that, I might not read "for fun" until summer vacation. At least, I think I might have some time then.
Time. The older I get, the more precious it becomes. And the more I learn, the more time I need to learn more, read more and write more. Time. Thank goodness for trails, treadmills and a few balmy days in January. If it weren't for them, when would I have think time?
Coincidentally, (or not?) time is one of the key factors I highlight as an essential component for teachers to engage in meaningful professional learning in my latest Ed News guest blog post (http://www.ednewscolorado.org/category/opinion). Time is critical for teachers and it is being slashed from schedules more quickly than money is being cut from budgets. Time is critical for students, too. For "meaty learning" like rich discussions, deep thinking, complex texts and collaborative projects all require time.
But for now, it's bedtime. Finding more writing time will have to wait. In the meantime, faithful readers, you can find me on Facebook or Twitter or face-to-face, eyes glued to my screen trying to catch up on...well, everything. Trying to make up for time already lost in cyberspace.
These days, it seems I have the opposite problem. I have so many things I want to write about, genres I want to try, books I want to review, stories I want to tell, amazing teachers I want to profile and interview...and my day job, three four-legged children, personal and professional responsibilities really seem to be getting in the way of the writing I want to do. (How do people with two-legged children do it?)
I've moved from writer's bock to writer's stopwatch -- so much to say, so little time. I've generated more writing this year than I did in the first five months of last year, and yet, if this little blog where it all began were a book, it would be coated in dust and cobwebs.
I am finding time to write -- proposals for conferences where I'd like to present, curriculum documents, emails, Tweets (recently), status updates, letters of recommendation for colleagues, reports, and on and on...what I miss is "writing time." Time, free of pressure, deadlines and other demands. Time to think...to reflect...to wonder about things in the world, some related to education but others just related to being a human being on this planet in the 21st Century.
My reading seems to be following the same pattern. I'm consuming so much information, but when asked about a really good book I read recently, I gave a colleague a blank stare. Good books? Oh yeah, I used to read those. But now, there's so many articles and list serves and blogs and Tweets and posts and videos and emails to catch up on and consume (commas omitted intentionally - who has the time for small pauses?) I feel compelled, even guilted into reading for informational purposes only. And yet, I'm always behind. It's hard enough to keep up on my "inbox" let alone my "Twitter queue." So many hundreds of 140 character blips to scroll through. Reading for pleasure? That's becoming a faint memory. Thank goodness for my monthly book club. If it weren't for that, I might not read "for fun" until summer vacation. At least, I think I might have some time then.
Time. The older I get, the more precious it becomes. And the more I learn, the more time I need to learn more, read more and write more. Time. Thank goodness for trails, treadmills and a few balmy days in January. If it weren't for them, when would I have think time?
Coincidentally, (or not?) time is one of the key factors I highlight as an essential component for teachers to engage in meaningful professional learning in my latest Ed News guest blog post (http://www.ednewscolorado.org/category/opinion). Time is critical for teachers and it is being slashed from schedules more quickly than money is being cut from budgets. Time is critical for students, too. For "meaty learning" like rich discussions, deep thinking, complex texts and collaborative projects all require time.
But for now, it's bedtime. Finding more writing time will have to wait. In the meantime, faithful readers, you can find me on Facebook or Twitter or face-to-face, eyes glued to my screen trying to catch up on...well, everything. Trying to make up for time already lost in cyberspace.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Commentary Published on Ed News!
Friends and Followers:
Education News Colorado graciously agreed to post my commentary on the importance of teaching public speaking skills and offering students the opportunity to take speech classes in high school. It was interesting for me to see what decisions the editor made and to think about the decisions editors make every day with respect to every writer's work -- what sentences get cut, revised or truncated and why? What paragraphing and punctuation changes are made and how do they alter the writer's message or style? The writing process continues to fascinate and sometimes flabbergast me...
Thanks as always for your support -- and teacher/writer friends: Education News Colorado seems to be a viable publishing opportunity for us and a news service that wants to hear firsthand from Colorado educators...so, if you haven't already -- start capturing all of the powerful teaching and learning going on in your classroom and share it with a larger audience!
Link to my commentary as published: http://www.ednewscolorado.org/2012/01/04/30524-commentary-in-a-virtual-world-speech-still-matters
For more about Education News Colorado visit: http://www.ednewscolorado.org/about-2
Education News Colorado graciously agreed to post my commentary on the importance of teaching public speaking skills and offering students the opportunity to take speech classes in high school. It was interesting for me to see what decisions the editor made and to think about the decisions editors make every day with respect to every writer's work -- what sentences get cut, revised or truncated and why? What paragraphing and punctuation changes are made and how do they alter the writer's message or style? The writing process continues to fascinate and sometimes flabbergast me...
Thanks as always for your support -- and teacher/writer friends: Education News Colorado seems to be a viable publishing opportunity for us and a news service that wants to hear firsthand from Colorado educators...so, if you haven't already -- start capturing all of the powerful teaching and learning going on in your classroom and share it with a larger audience!
Link to my commentary as published: http://www.ednewscolorado.org/2012/01/04/30524-commentary-in-a-virtual-world-speech-still-matters
For more about Education News Colorado visit: http://www.ednewscolorado.org/about-2
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)