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To do Things that She don't wants

JHuang — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:12:52 -0600

Many of the pages that I read on the book "Joy Luck Club" has been interesting. The book has talk lots about the story of the author's mother to her own. Many times when reading this book I ask myself what do the author whats us readers to know and what feelings we should get after reading. The author has done a very good job on writing different types of things that don't connect to each other after 151 page of reading. Over all the book has been great and I will continue read the rest of it.

I am not so enjoying the book Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan because of all the pages that I couldn't found a theme to connect them with. An example of what I mean can be found on page 146. "Three days after watching The Ed Sullivan Show my mother told me what my schedule would be for piano lessons..." I think this is the worse thing that a mother can do to because telling someone in the same family to do something that you think is what they should do is the same as saying when you should live or die. The idea between both of these example are pretty much the same.

One of the big ideas or themes in this book is telling of story between a mother and a daughter You can see this on page 150 where it says: "Bravo! Bravo! Well done! but I saw my mothers face, her stricken face." As you can see Tan wants us to think about how much she cares about how her mother feels even know she sometimes may not have like what she have done.

I am looking forward to reading the rest of this book because it can help me better understand what the author wants us readers to know and feel.

East-West School of International Studies, Flushing, NY, USA

vmcbean is thinking...

vmcbean — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:36:54 -0600

Guys I may possibly working on a book, It will be sci-fi and should be very interesting

Technology in School

educateme5 — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:54:38 -0600

Why are people afraid of homeschooling?

jryanw12 — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:58:44 -0600

Comic credit to Michael Fry and T Lewis at http://comics.com/over_the_hedge/2005-04-13/

My wife, Karinna, and I have three children, two boys (ages 5 and 4) and one baby girl (3 1/2 weeks old). At the beginning of this past school year, our eldest son was enrolled in a gifted and talented school on the upper-west side called the Anderson School. Karinna would take the two boys (usually on the subway, but sometimes by car) to school and then sometimes she would stay with our youngest son all day in Manhattan (we live in Astoria, Queens) and sometimes she would make the round trip twice. Needless to say it was expensive and too much to handle for anyone, but even more so since she was pregnant with our daughter.

The zoned school by our home did not have a G/T program for kindergarten so we didn't want to take him out of Anderson and leave him where he might get bored. Consequently, we decided to homeschool him at least for the rest of the year. Immediately we met with resistance from family, friends, even complete strangers, etc. (might be nice to provide an example of this "resisitance" a quote, an anectode) Everyone had an opinion and more often than not that opinion was negative. And it was funny that people would say things like, "well, since you are only doing this temporarily or since he is young it is ok". It was as though we needed their permission to proceed.

And people really seem to be afraid or offended or somehow put off by the idea of homeschooling.

Why?

New York City Writing Project

CHimmel2 is thinking...

CHimmel2 — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:43:39 -0600

I am congratulating myself for reaching the end of the first week of this institute! One of the biggest obstacles was the commute up here from Long Island. The Bronx feels like another state or country to me, but once again, after getting very lost trying a different route, I've been reminded that "the shortest way is the way you know!

I am working on immersing myself in the language, strategies and tools of this info-tech world, as I am a virtual neophyte!

More specifically, my immediate goal is to successfully create a multi-media discussion on Youthvoices!

educateme5 is thinking...

educateme5 — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:35:25 -0600

I sort of like Mayor Bloomberg loosing control of the schools. He believes that he can use his money to buy and bribe everyone. Its interesting how the UFT is now in bed with him. One thing that is common to Bloomberg and Guliani is the fact that they wanted to stay in power to prevent a minority candidate from becoming mayor.

MrsGaskin is thinking...

MrsGaskin — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:28:31 -0600

I think this room is too quiet.

MrsGaskin is thinking...

MrsGaskin — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:26:35 -0600

I was wondering if my sister has lost her mind. She is nearing fifty and I know she is going through the change of life. Seems she decided to paint her brick house. No big deal but the color she picked is bright yellow. I drove past her house after class yesterday and spotted her house almost before I finished my turn. I asked my sister's husband if she had lost her mind. He said he lets her do what she wants and doesn't complain, she wanted to paint so I let her paint. This is her idea. I had spoken to her the night before and she told me she was painting her porch. Well I thought that was harmless enough until the porch spilled out onto the wall surrounding her property and onto the brick bannister. Imagine the brightest ripe banana possible and you will have the color of my sister's house.

mdodes is thinking...

mdodes — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:22:53 -0600

I am thinking I don't like adding other people's multimedia to my posts and want to create my own but I'm debating whether I can include pics of other random people into my post without their permission like a picture of the lehmann computer lab...or what I can take a picture of that's constructive without being boring.

I know we're supposed to use creative commons images but I know what they are, I know how they're used and I know how to cite them so to use a random picture for the sake of using it doesn't quite work...

Pondering my options and investigating images/audio to use.

jryanw12 is thinking...

jryanw12 — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:21:35 -0600

Last night I saw a commercial for a special edition Chia Pet called Chia Obama. I thought it was a joke.... like a Saturday Night Live sketch or something. But, I just went to the website:

http://www.chiaobama.com/

and it seems to be real.

What do you think?

JABenitez180 is thinking...

JABenitez180 — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:20:39 -0600

...Am working on an number of things.

I have my Lehman temp id with me but it doesn't really matter since I leave the campus at the end of class for home.

I'm dreading the trip I have to take to Foster avenue squashed between Canarsie, East Flastbush, Ditmas Park and Flatlands just so I can pick up a package from the UPS center there. I wish the UPS guy would have just thrown the package onto my terrace as I told him on the note I left him. I did sign the paper authorizing to leave the package at my address. It's not fragile so it's okay to throw it. It's a managable throw too.

Finished reading Things Fall Apart on the train this morning. It was a good read. Something to consider teaching in the fall if I get a sophomore class. Now I'm back to reading Michael Ian Black's essay collect entitled, My Custom Van and 50 Other Mind Blowing Essays that will Blow your Mind All Over Your Face. Complete fluff but amusing fluff.

Oh yeah and I have some graduate school application stuff to take care off.

sharts is thinking...

sharts — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:18:39 -0600

Today's goal: how to finally insert images and links into a post. Last night - son's birthday at Yankee Stadium - after all the money, rock music/hip hop music preceding each playing with Metallica reserved for a star closer, in the Bronx through my son's eyes, it's still about the game, the plays, and filling in a scorecard.

mwhitehouse is thinking...

mwhitehouse — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:17:39 -0600

I am thinking I still don't understand what my presentation is about. I don't think that is my fault.

I am thinking that talking with my colleagues was fun. Sometimes I like the sound of voices instead of the sound of the keyboard.

wdhaverstock is thinking...

wdhaverstock — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:16:59 -0600

I was thinking about what I was working on. What I was working on demanded that I think about it so I thought about it. Thinking about it prevented me from working on it, however, so I soon worked on it rather than thought about it. I think I'm working on it now but I have to think about that.

klevy is thinking...

klevy — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:16:37 -0600

I'm thinking about my discussion post. I'd like to post an image the way that Shantanu showed us but I did manage to upload an image through clicking on properties. I'd like to review my discussion post and see if it's clear and clarify what I really want feedback on. I want to add a bit more about the new group called Amnesty International and build up the post that I left in that group. Can I get others to look at that post?

livesacrifice is thinking...

livesacrifice — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:15:14 -0600

I can't seem to sit still as of late! I having jokingly said for 24+ hours that my A.D.D. has kicked full on. I am LOVING this class and being inspired to write and have fun ... four days in and two poems and third on the way have been written. I feel like my DNA has been morphed with my best friend's or is it the influence of the past 180 days of teaching in Bed-Stuy, constantly hearing noise, and hip hop. I don't know. I simply know that I want to simultaneosly run around this room, dance, sing at the top of my lungs, write, and learn. Unfortunately, I have yet to figure out how to do that. Any suggestions??? Hope you all are having as much (if not more) with this class as I am. ;)

-- Amanda

EvilArtTeacher is thinking...

EvilArtTeacher — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:11:34 -0600

I am microblogging. There is nothing quite like the feeling of dislikeing something and then doing the micro version of it. It doesn't make the pain any less.

I am thinking that this is going to be a very busy weekend. I am thinking that I am going to get soaked by the rain today. I am thinking that my arms feel tired. I am thinking that I should find a closer subway entrance. I am thinking that I am done.

pallison is thinking...

pallison — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:08:06 -0600

Last night's Teachers Teaching Teachers has me getting more and more clear about a few ways to re-design Youth Voices. Let's see if I can lay them out.

We want to have a space for teachers to share projects, to identify specific ongoing projects that students can join, for example projects related to place-based education are one category. Are these groups? Perhaps but there needs to be a teacher page that helps teachers find each other and find out what others are doing on the site. Our shared and individual curricula needs to be found easily off of that page.
Discussions -- which are different from blog posts -- will be emphasized and organized according to themes. I'm thinking that this also has to do with groups. If we can get the groups down to 5 or 7, then I think students will be able to find discussions that they want to build on.
Wiki Pages are another place that we can develop. As an English teacher I immediately imagine wiki pages build around books (although I like Jenny's and Chris's suggestions that organizing around themes with books under these themes might be worth considering.) I think wiki pages in different subject areas makes a lot of sense too.
What's up? can be guided more. I think quick journal writing can go there. I want it to remain the "student lounge," where they feel ownership.
Bookmark... are withering away from Youth Voices, I think, in favor of using other services, mainly Diigo, Google Reader, and Delicious. How can we still help students find each other? Perhaps asking students to embed their google readers on their profile pages?
All of this still leave how to work with the image and video galleries and podcasting/audio.

Towards Using Technology to Improve Schools

educateme5 — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 23:45:53 -0600

New York City Writing Project

A House Fire: What's Really Important

sharts — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:19:45 -0600

To stand in an apartment that is totally blackened by a fire is chilling.

I still shudder when I think of that moment.

I still shudder that my daughter, Marissa, left our apartment ten minutes earlier.

I still shudder when I think about what could have been.

Two years ago, a Glade candle burst out of its glass jar and ignited a kitchen tablecloth in my neighbor's first floor apartment.

The apartment was incinerated in minutes.

Their flat screen TV melted against the wall.

All items were burned beyond recognition.

Most importantly, the young lady of the house managed to scoop her two adolescent children from both ends of the house and escaped her burning apartment with minor smoke enhalation.

God bless our NYC Fire Department who were on the scene in minutes.

I had just completed teaching my seventh period class when the phone call came through from the fire captain on the scene. He told me that a small fire had occurred but that it was contained. My next door neighbor, the father of one of my students, knew to tell the fire department to call me at school. I am such a jaded New Yorker that I initially thought the phone call was from a prankster. So funny how one can deny reality!

The captain wanted to know if there was anyone in my apartment.

At that time, I wasn't sure whether Marissa had left for school.

The firefighters went through every nook and crannie looking for her.

They told me that no one was there.

Marissa later told me she had 58 missed calls from her anxious mother on her cell phone.

The NYC subway still doesn't get cell phone reception.

My para-professional took over my eighth period class as I raced out of school to my home one mile away.

Five fire trucks were outside my house. What an image. Red, yellow and white lights swirling around. Ladders up against the house.

Now for my second floor apartment, the smoke, water, glass, and firemen's feet caused damage to my property that was devastating.

Mostly everything I owned was ruined.

Many of my family photographs were saved because they were packed in plastic containers.

You realize very quickly what is important to own and treasure vs. what is important to just have.

My two children and I lived with my Mom, in Woodside, Queens for seven months while my apartment was being renovated.

After the dust settled, literally, it was amusing to see what did survive...

like my wedding album. It was a great wedding, and I am glad I have a record of all whom I love who attended.

Too bad the marriage didn't last.

Ah, well!

This experience puts into perspective how much stuff we don't need.

George Carlin had it right.

http://www.writers-free-reference.com/funny/story085.htm

New York City Writing Project

Working at Home

educateme5 — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:51:10 -0600

I am now at home catching up on what I have been learning. I cant get too deep into what is been taught now because I am writing my dissertation concept paper. So everthing is is locked out of my mind. Yes I must admit that I cant walk and chew gum at the same time. So what I do is take note go home and learn. I will spend 6 hours a night on my computer. Anyway, I turned on my computer and all the graphics were missing. I could not even respond to a post. So I turned on another computer and I am able to.

The thing about computer application software is its intutiveness, if you know to use photoshop, you should be able to use frontpage , or NYCWP applications.

New York City Writing Project

Music in Non-Music Classrooms.

JABenitez180 — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:34:58 -0600

I'm sure as teachers we've all used music and lyrics in one way or another in the classroom. And I'm sure as students we always wished that our teachers would use music and lyrics in the classroom. One of my goals is to read screenplays in the classroom with my students.

I think the Terminator 2 screenplay is something of substance and depth. It touches on many themes such as humanity & technology, dealing with personal demons, the consequences of our actions, how one can redeem themselves, and the idea of fate and can it be changed or not. You get the point.

Back to the topic at hand. I'm a big advocate of using music and song lyrics in the classroom. Song lyrics can serve as bridges that allow students to make deeper connections or to understand a piece of literature better. I have used Jimmy Webb's "Highwayman" when teaching literary elements/terms. Heck, I even used the Nine Inch Nails' song, "Hurt" to emphasize the suffering of Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale in The Scarlet Letter.

Now for the centerpiece, I've taught Macbeth twice and both times I've used the lyrics from Jag Panzer's record Thane to the Throne to help my students develop an understanding of poor ol' Macbeth.

Here are some links to the lyrics of some of the songs:

This is a link to the lyrics of the first song on Thane to the Throne, which is shares its name with the record www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/jagpanzer/thanetothethrone.html#1.

Here's a link to the song "Three Voices of Fate:" www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/jagpanzer/thanetothethrone.html#8

Finally, here's another link to the song, "The Tragedy of Macbeth:" www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/jagpanzer/thanetothethrone.html#17

Photo taken from www.jagpanzer.com/

New York City Writing Project

Sasuke gets Punk'd! Sakura gets told off! And Tobi reveals a new plan! WOW!

mcolindr — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:14:26 -0600

Naruto does not belong to me, Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. This chapter and others can be read on www.onemanga.com SleepyFans provides the scans once again.

COLOR!!!

Okay, color pages aside, I just want to apologize for this super late post. I've got things going on and well, you know. Okay, so this week we got a treat! Color pages! Yay! Let's get on with this post!
Okay, so to start this chapter off, Tobi, Madara, whatever you want to call him, intercepts Team Taka on their way to Konoha. As seen in the pictures below, Sasuke informs the dude in the swirly mask that Taka isn't part of Akatsuki anymore. If this were in the anime, I imagine an evil chuckle right about...

... Now.

In other words, "You just got Punk'd!" Ah, Sasuke. Your failures do bring me joy. Anyway, after Tobi points out the little fact that Sasuke and his team failed, Sasuke has a flashback (sorta) of the moment in which Killer Bee might have had a chance to escape. Tobi says that it doesn't really matter anyway, because he has something else for them to do. Sasuke asks: "And what if we said no?" To which Tobi replied "Then you'd have to fight me to get to Konoha."

Sasuke tries to fight Tobi to get to Konoha...

...And he fails! Then, Tobi tells them something that even Inari and Tazuna knew before them.

And then he tells them that Danzo is the new Hokage. Well, it was really Zetsu tells Tobi, but you get the point.

Heh heh. And now, time to screw with them. I think its safe to say that even Prince Emo himself is starting to feel something right now.
Meanwhile, Back in Konoha...

Ah, let the fighting begin. Again.

And that, my friends, is how you bring up old loves from the past...

...Efectively making old fangirls shut up. Not to mention the look Naruto gives her. What is that? Sorrow? Pity? Slight annoyance that she's crying again? Idk, but I kind of hope its the last one.

Ooh, I like this chick. Sure she's loud and pushy, but she tells it like it is. Plus, she's kind of like a cooler version of Sakura. Don't agree? Tell me why in the comments.

*GASP!* Sai did something nice!? Well, if you see it as him trying to distract the cloud nin so that they can shut up and make Sakura stop crying, I guess it can be considered nice. Wow, that sounded a lot meaner than I meant it to sound....
ANYWAY! The two cloud nin inform them that their team leader is already scoping information out from the village, but they just wanted to get more because they refuse to sit around and do nothing while their Master is who-knows-where doing who-knows-what and fretting over if he's dead or alive. This seems to strike a nerve in Naruto and some old memories while he remembers saying something alond the same lines when he heard of Jiraiya's death.

I think that by this point, Naruto's put two and two together and asks this question:

By this point, I was kind of annoyed and glad at the same time. Glad because they got off the Sasuke topic, but annoyed because they didin't even try to deny it. Sure, an "Um... We don't know what you're talking about..." might take up some room, but really. Oh well. I guess it was for the better anyway. Naruto tells them he's a jinchuuriki too and tellsthem pretty much what Akatsuki's about in a nutshell.

Delighted at the fact that their teacher may still be alive somewhere, they agree to let Naruto help them, but they still ask for information about Sasuke anyway. I love these last two panels above. The one where Sakura sends a pleading look to Naruto and he has that look on his face that to me, seems like he's thinking: "Will you just shut up already and leave me the bloody hell alone?"

Surprise, surprise! Naruto might be stronger than Sasuke now! Of course, he does have Sage mode now, and a rasenshuriken he can throw, and the Kyuubi's chakra and power, while Sasuke lost the curse mark when Orochimaru died, but he has his pretty Mongekyou now too. Oh well.

'What!? Naruto's stronger than me? Impossible. I am an Uchiha! I killed Orichimaru! I killed Itachi! I- I- oh, forget it." If only that's what went through Sasuke's head. Anyway, he tries to deny the fact that Naruto being stronger than him bothers him and devises a new plan that was kinda Suigetsu's idea first.

Because if Naruto's stronger than him, it doesn't mean the 5 Kages of the 5 hidden villages and their excorts aren't! I mean, really Sasuke? You and your team are going to kill all 5 of the Kages? You and you team couldn't even take down the Hachibi without getting your butts handed to you in the process. Good luck taking down the top 5 ninja of every village, plus their escorts, plus a super-pissesd Raikage that still hates you for "kidnapping" his brother...

Am I the only one that thought that was gross? I mean, really. Zetsu splits himself in two. One half leads Team Taka to the meeting of the Kages, while the other stays behind with Tobi.

Okay, now there's a "Moon's Eye Plan". WTF? Okay, so we have new plans all over the place, new "adventures" if you will, and so many things left unanswered like: WTF happened to that Jounin vote thingy? Don't you think that should have happened by now? So that the elected Hokage (still hoping for Kakashi here) can go to the meeting, not Danzo the temporary one?
This is pretty much the end of this chapter. Again, I know this thing is really late, but yeah.

Let's finish this post off on a good note, shall we? The sand siblings finally get some screen time! Or, whatever you call it when its in a manga not an anime. Anyway, not only has Kankuro changed his face paint AGAIN, but all three got a wardrobe change! Yay! And... you know what? I'm not gonna go there... Anyway, see you next time! Ja ne! ^\\

East-West School of International Studies, Flushing, NY, USA

God, the Pledge of Allegiance and My Students

sharts — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:02:37 -0600

Every day when my homeroom class and I say the Pledge of Allegiance, along with the voice over our school loudspeaker, the words "under God" stick in my throat. I look at my class of students who celebrate Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Muslim, Sikh, and are Jehovah's Witnesses, atheists and agnostics. With such a diverse community, it doesn't feel right to say "under God" when not all in my class revere God. I don't like that we are endangering our students' religious liberty.

New York City Writing Project

The Anti-Blog Blog

mdodes — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:51:55 -0600

Blogging is really boring. It can be kind of cool to read some blog posts, especially if someone knows what they're talking about and are passionate about it, but most of us are just not that interesting to have lengthy topics nor do most of us have time to develop and articulate them well. So in the interest of sparing you a blog post I will outline the top 3 reasons why blogging is always going to have a niche status for particular areas but discussion groups will rule the day in the Blogosphere.

This image below of men on a scaffold describes collaboration on 2 levels - imagine the man on the top controls what everyone beneath him does and while people will try to convince him and those in between the bottom and the top that what they want to do is best, the man on top controls all. What discussion allows is for people to move up and down the ladder to work with the person that is on top to create the best product possible. This I believe leads to more engagement in work and promotes more creativity.

Photo by Andrew Turner and retrieved from Flickr Creative Commons

Audience - Round 1

Blogs:
Did you like it when your parents told you to sit down and eat your vegetables before your dessert? What if you felt you could ignore them and take the dessert anyway? That's what happens with blogs though - someone tells you what they think and your only resolution is to protest or agree with what they're saying in a sense whether it's by contributing a positive/negative response or contributing relevant information that refutes or supports their point(s). I don't want to eat the vegetables Mr. Blogger tells me to though - if he doesn't give me what I want then I'm resigned to going to the neighbors and having dinner with them since I can't change a blog's "main course". Across many topics this approach can lead to disarray and a scattering of discussion when consolidation of opinions would be more beneficial.

Discussion Groups:
In a discussion no one controls what I can or can't say (with the exception of a moderator) In a discussion I can disagree with what someone says in one thread and then start another thread on a tangential topic related to it - without Mr. Blogger originating a post for me to respond to. If you want 1 author with responses to just that author (and maybe comments responding to other comments) then you go with a blog. If you want real collaboration, real question asking, and the ability to create pools of information quickly with many people, you go with a discussion group. Most times we don't need what blogs offer unless it's an expert or popular opinion - most other forms of blogs do not offer information in a palatable or preferable format and for sharing personal information. I think the micro-blogging movement combined with multipurpose social networks like Facebook(tm) is presenting daily personal information and opinions better than blogs.

Organization - Round 2

Blogs:
Blogs organizationally are boring. Reverse chronological order...with an archive!! Let's throw some tags in there (if I have the time and energy to try to align new tags with past tags to make them useful) and maybe a search bar. All of this requires WORK to figure out - in what time period was a post relevant - what tags might it be listed under - maybe a search will turn it up? But what if I don't know quite what I'm looking for, don't know the tags on the blog that are frequently used (if they're even used correctly), and don't have a time frame to look at - I now need to read through all this person's ramblings or in some cases well structured arguments and hope to find something interesting?

Discussion Groups:

Discussion groups though...discussions are organized into thematic forums that are usually governed by a moderator's guidelines. They are not as versatile as tagging in labelling information but the topics are infinitely more browseable in this format since they're located in just one area and not in an amorphous web of dated entries. The discussion threads in each group are usually in reverse chronological order too which provides the timely benefits of the blog with the more orderly and disciplined categorization of strict categories rather than chaotic tagging. Plus, many discussion forums include a search feature too - so in short with regards to organization, tagging vs. strict categories is what distinguishes blogging vs. discussion groups and in this case, many I believe will find the stricter categorization more welcome than the tagging when it comes to browsing. Tagging and tag clouds can win - if the person who does the tagging is rigorous and smart about it - but most bloggers aren't sadly.

Ownership - Round 3

Blogs:
Blogs are owned by one person. On a blog I am by definition a guest that offers opinions and insights, but the content isn't mine, just the opinions. In addition, my questions will never be primary - they will not be the center of attention and if the conversation drags on long enough then my interesting post will be lost or misconstrued in the mass of comments (on a blog that's very active).

Discussion Groups:
Discussion groups I can be the commentor OR the leader - I can help define and shape the purpose of the forums through the frequency of my posts and the attention they receive (usually based on how thought provoking they are). My thoughts and ideas if they're relevant will have a great impact whereas on a blog I can impact people's opinion only after they've already been molded by Mr. Boring Blogger. In short...Discussion groups offers a democratic approach vs. a tyrannical approach governed by the owner of a blog.

My question to you: How do you feel about these observations and in what ways could a blog be superior to a discussion group?

New York City Writing Project

The Magic Pants

MrsGaskin — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:40:25 -0600

The period started like any other except when "Mary" arrived. She appeared withdrawn and sad. Normally she was bubbly and happy, so this alarmed me. When I asked her what was wrong she said, "My mother threw all of my pants away." Then she started to cry. I called for the CIT (Crisis Intervention Teacher) but she was on her lunch break. I called the SPARK Counselor but she was in a meeting. I couldn't just let this student sit there crying.

I asked her to explain what happened. Mary told us her mother was upset because Mary hadn't done the laundry so she took all of Mary's clothes and put them in the garbage. When Mary woke up to get ready for school she found she only had one pair of jeans left to wear.

I asked Mary if she would be happy if I made her a pair of pants. Mary's face brightened. "Do you know how to sew?" "Sure I do," I said. (But I hadn't sewn since high school and that was many years ago, plus I didn't even own a sewing machine.)

So I promised Mary I would make her a pair of pants. I also promised Mary that these would be the most unusual pants she had ever seen. I asked her if she liked lime green, orange and bright yellow, flowers and plaid. She laughed and said yes to all of it. I told her that if I made the pants she would have to wear them. She agreed.

When the school day was over I was on a mission. I had to get the most unusual material and then find a sewing machine, and then make a pair of pants for Mary. Ha, I laughed at myself. How on earth was I going to make a pair of pants for this student by tomorrow?

I called my mother and asked if I could borrow her sewing machine. She of course said yes. I drove out to Walmart and found the most unusual bright green patterned material available. I purchased the material, some thread and the simpliest pattern I could find.

I went to my mother's house and got her sewing machine out of the basement.Then I asked my mother, who by the way is an excellent seamstress, to make the pants. She reminded me that I promised my student that I would make the pants and therefore I would have to make the pants myself.

"Losers make promises they often break. Winners make commitments they always keep." Denis Waitley

She laughed as I struggled to thread the bobbin. She laughed even harder when I laid out the material. She nearly doubled over while I attempted to cut out my badly placed pattern.

Five and a half hours later the pants were finished.

The next day Mary couldn't wait to come to my class. Her face was glowing and her smile went from ear to ear. There were no pants laid out on my desk so she rushed over to me and said, "You didn't make them did you, Miss? I knew you wouldn't."

"Sure I did," I told her, and I pulled out a white Macy's box complete with white tissue paper. She opened the box and said, "You didn't make these. You bought them." Her friend "Carla" snatched the pants from Mary's hand and looked at the stitching inside and said, "Oh, s%*t, she really made them. Sorry Miss."

Mary's smile brightened and she kept repeating, "I can't believe she made me some pants. No one ever made me anything."

Then I told Mary it was time for her to hold up to her end of the deal. I told her she had to wear the pants.

Mary left the room and returned still smiling and wearing the pants.

This was one of the most wonderful days as a teacher and it involved no teaching whatsoever. A teenager's smile was restored and I found out I still know how to sew, however badly, all thanks to a pair of magic pants.

Photo Source: All photos were taken by me (Crystal Gaskin) the day I brought the pants to school. The student in the second photo "Mary" agreed to having her photo taken provided that I not show her face in the picture.

New York City Writing Project

The Departure

mwhitehouse — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:30:34 -0600

from http://www.thomevans.com/images/gal3/The_Mother_The_Child.jpg

My daughter has been cleaning up her room, picking up clothes, throwing out notebooks, dusting. Previously this would have been an indication that she wanted something I was likely to deny or that she was possessed by demons. Lately however, it indicates something much worse: she is getting ready to go to college. Don’t get me wrong. I’m very proud of her. I dutifully visited colleges with her, aided in essay writing, filled out financial aid forms. And lo and behold several institutions of higher learning accepted her. (God damn it!) Pretty much ever since, I have been crying.

I guess it is fair to say that my daughter has been leaving me since the day she was born. All the milestones indicated she would - from her first breath, to feeding herself, to wobbling away from me step by steadier step, to waving confidently as she entered the brick edifice of Jefferson Elementary School. Still the force with which her imminent departure has battered me has been just shy of crippling.

It was my job as a parent, after all, to prepare her for an independent life. I encouraged her (sometimes forcefully) to tell her own stories at four years old. Two years later she crossed the street by herself and by age thirteen she made her own doctor appointments. However, right about now, I am regretting that I did such a thorough job. I will miss the interesting person with whom I share my home, my stuff and myself. I find myself asking questions that range from minutia to massive, like: Who will help me put on a necklace when my daughter goes to college? Has the best part of my life already past?

I wistfully remember reading Harry Potter with her all night: taking time to perfect the voices of each character, making her wait as I paused between chapters, sending her to bed before she wanted but long after she was exhausted. I remember impatiently shifting my weight from hip to hip as we waited for the bookstore to dole out fresh-from-the-box copies of her favorite tome. I remember giddily giggling as we two curfew breakers waited for the midnight show to begin on opening day of the latest Potter flick. Now I watch as she, at 18, rereads this beloved series and I am happy that I have passed down to her the joy of reading.

Still I wonder, as I contemplate a rainy day reading with a cat swirled in my lap but no child snuggled against me, what books will be my companions as I embark on a new stage in my life? Will I view them as hallmarks of a haloed future or as portents of a post-menopausal demise?

New York City Writing Project

Starting An Amnesty International chapter in a Bronx High School

klevy — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:29:10 -0600

As, a librarian, I do have the ability to attract students outside their classes and work with teachers and their classes.

Anyone ever start a chapter in their school?

At the Amnesty International site there are so many issues to get involved in. The first one that I will focus on is the Iranian election and assuring that the Iranians are protected for speaking out and peacefully demonstrating in order to express their views. This is happening now so it's a good issue to begin with. See below for a quote from the Amnesty International website and an action that can be taken at this time:

"Amnesty International calls on the Iranian authorities to allow peaceful demonstrations, to exercise restraint in the policing of any further demonstrations, to stop using the Basij militia to police protests, and to ensure that firearms are not used except as a last resort and where strictly unavoidable in order to protect life.

Take action now!"

http://www.amnesty.org/en/iran-election-unrest

"A female supporter of the leading reformist Iranian presidential candidate, Mir Hossein Mousavi, flashes a victory sign with her green painted hand, in a street electoral campaign rally in Tehran, Iran, Mousavi is leading reformist challenger to the hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for the Iranian presidential race on June 12, and green is Mousavi's campaign color, a symbol of Islam and progress in Iran. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) "

Uploaded on June 16, 2009 by "SIR: Poseyal Knight of the DESPOSYNI

Amnesty International

Who had the best looking swing of all time?

wdhaverstock — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:15:54 -0600

Let's start with Babe Ruth www.cobrabrigade.com/images/Babe_Ruth_jpg.jpg

Note the perfect symmetry of the crossed shins. True, one foot is tilted slightly more than the other, however in the opinion of this reviewer, that in no way detracts from the overall effect. The vertical line of the bat mergers brilliantly with the contours of the right leg and the hands are in perfect diametrical opposition. This is just a fabulous looking swing. It's a "home run" in the eyes of this beholder. Most Famous Cover: Bats and Balls Illustrated

The original Italian Stallion is still number one in the hearts of most Cleveland Indian fans z.lee28.tripod.com/sbnsforgottenintime/id10.html

Rocky had class. Rocky had style. Rocky didn't even have to swing and the ball jumped off his bat and out of the park. Crowds went wild. Just look at the slight tilt forward of the body - the original crouching tiger (when later he was traded to Detroit, creating the that unique brand of lakeside vitriol that exists to this day.) Rocky could knock the ball out of the park with just a look. Most Famous Cover: Italian Dishes and Sports Stars

Let's compare Rogers Hornsby www.nndb.com/people/046/000085788/

Note the left spike angle and relate it to the right spike angle. I believe you will discover perfect conformity from the push foot to the land foot, something rarely achieved in any sport. Also the ratio of chin below right shoulder exemplifies Robertson's Rule of .322 to 16, an observation confirmed by Friedrich. Babe Ruth was only known to have achieved this twice - once in 1924 and again in '27, Ty Cobb never. Most Famous Cover: Home Plate Journal

Turning to Shoeless Joe Jackson www.blackbetsy.com/imagefarm/shoeles2.jpg

I think the shadow is significant. It reveals the excellent balance of the right foot as it leaves the dirt, pointing slightly back toward a point 17 feet 8 inches in front of the hitter where the shadow of the left foot would, if continued, form an isosceles triangle of the first order. Only Jackson was able to achieve this balance and only during 1911 when he hit .411. Most Famous Cover: Bat Weekly

Let's not forget the awesome, pre-drug-addicted Darryl Strawberry paxarcana.wordpress.com/2008/03/04/essay-on-the-occassion-of-darryl-strawberrys-32nd-chance/

Note the knock-kneed coil, the slight hip-twist / shoulder-turn and the satisfied expression as though he's about to score in the 10th inning. He was famous, of course, for that 33 degree shoulder slope and here you can see why. Of course, his statuesque 6 foot 7 frame made him perfect for the runway. Most Famous Cover: Journal of the American Medical Association

Let's take a look at the swing of swings, Ted Williams' .400 masterpiece

coffeyvillewhirlwind.files.wordpress.com/2006/11/ted-williams.JPG

I don't care how much you adored Joe DiMaggio, there was none so sweepingly graceful, none so mournfully mellow, none so nonchalantly nuanced, none so dauntingly delectable, none so .... The great Bostonite's famous cross-legged, side-of-the-foot follow-through influenced tens of thousands of runway swingers and still has impact to this day and beyond. Even tomorrow. Most Famous Cover: Vogue

Of course, no runway would be complete without the great Kirby Puckett www.fansedge.com/Images/Product/33-52/33-52855-F.jpg

Kirby displayed the best in swinging style during his hall-of-fame career. His smiling face and short squat body proved that you don't have to be long, lanky and sour to make it to the top. Notice the aggressive push-off from the right foot and the lunging shoulder swoop that was his trademark. Right elbow in, left elbow out made for a unique figure on the field and the cover pages of all the sports magazines. Most Famous Cover: Big and Tall Catalogue

Size doesn't matter: Wee Willie Keeler www.baseballlibrary.com/excerpts/excerpt.php

The ball was afraid to even approach Wee Willie's bat, so potent was it. Notice the shift of 68% of the body weight onto the back (left) foot, a balance that took years to perfect and only through the intervention of Dr. Calvin Dalyrimple, Ph.D. of University of Detroit, who theorized that with a body type like Keeler's, a left-handed swing, trousers that reached just below the knee and a hat angle of 90 degrees to the eyebrows, 68% would be the optimal body weight shift so long as the pitch was between 87 and 89 mph and there was a runner on second. The result: a .400 hitter and sure-fire hall of famer. Most Famous Cover: Wee Man Illustrated

No list would be complete without Tiger www.masters.com/en_US/news/photos/2008-04-13/200804131208128720127.html

No, he's not posing. This is the real, swinging Tiger. That smile on his face might be about the beautiful swat he'd just taken from out of the sand or it might have more to do with his recent honeymoon or the previous year's multi-million dollar paydays. The beauty of the swing is in the symmetry of the shoulders, the straight, strong forearms and the phenomenal grip. A sight to behold. Most Famous Cover: Swedish Delights

Next we have the inimitable Glenn Miller cy.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Miller

He swung like no one had swung before. Note the delicate right touch on the slide, the left index finger as it caresses the mouthpiece, and the most prominent pucker in all of brass horn playing. As Gene Krupa once quipped, "Nobody puckered better" and as rumor had it, he should have known.

As all parents know, kids swing best. www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml06/06535b.jpg

Here we have some swinging swingers who one day could be in the running.

New York City Writing Project

Cup of Coffee sets off legal challenges in New York State Senate

mwhitehouse — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:34:40 -0600

Is kidnapping or false imprisonment next?

As posted in Newsday today: http://www.watchkalibrun.com/2009/7/1/933047/cup-of-coffee-sets-off-lega...

by Zak Woods on Jul 1, 2009 9:31 AM EDT

The latest episode coming out of Albany is a court challenge due to coffee run, that's right a cup of coffee started a new legal battle.

Shortly before noon on Tuesday, as Democrats prepared to convene what they expected to be another fruitless one-party session, they saw Frank Padavan, a Queens Republican, walk through the rear of the chamber.

Mr. Padavan would later say he had simply been taking a shortcut to the members' lounge to grab a cup of coffee. But to the 31 Democrats in the chamber, that did not matter. Claiming that Mr. Padavan's brief presence gave them the 32-member quorum required to gavel the Senate into session, Democrats began ramming through dozens of measures, including sales tax extensions and bond authorizations that were set to expire at midnight.

By the time the Democrats adjourned, Mr. Padavan's coffee run had thrust the Capitol into a new round of recriminations and legal debate. Democrats insisted that the bills had been lawfully passed, Republicans denounced the session as fraudulent and inappropriate, and Gov. David A. Paterson suggested that he would not sign the bills into law.

The Senate is so desperate to get something done that a coffee run can start off a court battle. Now both sides are presenting sworn affidavits as it is up to the court to decide if the "session" was legal.

This latest event demonstrates the absolute gridlock facing Albany right now. A gridlock that will prevent anything substantive from getting done with regards to MMA legislation because the government of New York is facing far more serious issues than MMA legalization.

New York City Writing Project

Bloomberg: Schools Cannot Observe Muslim Holidays

mwhitehouse — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:27:01 -0600

What do you think?

Straight from the Post Posted: 1:14 pm
June 30, 2009

http://www.nypost.com/seven/06302009/news/regionalnews/bloomberg__school...

NEW YORK -- Mayor Michael Bloomberg says New York City's schools can't close for Muslim holidays.

The City Council is considering a non-binding resolution on Tuesday asking the Education Department to observe Eid al-Fitr (ayd ahl-FIH'-tur) and Eid al-Adha (eed al-AHD'-hah).

New York City has the nation's largest school system and 12 percent of its 1.1 million students are Muslim.

Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan. Eid al-Adha celebrates the willingness of Ibrahim - known as Abraham to Christians and Jews - to sacrifice his son. It is the most important Islamic holiday.

The resolution asks the Bloomberg administration to observe the holidays in schools and for the state to require it by amending education law.

The mayor says the city is so diverse that schools can't observe every holiday.

---------------

My friend Adam's Book Collection

JABenitez180 — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:01:49 -0600

This is a photo of my friend's book collection at the time of his moving into his apartment in Buffalo. His collection appears larger than mine...grrr.

Uploaded on August 10, 2008
by washablemarkers

New York City Writing Project

educateme5 is thinking...

educateme5 — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:36:17 -0600

I only hope this was laid out so I could follow whats happening.

Rup

CHimmel2 is thinking...

CHimmel2 — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:04:07 -0600

I really enjoyed the coffee and talk, or "roundtable" discussion in the cafeteria. I also think that it is a necessary part of the day, as it gives people a chance to really get a sense of who people are. I think that this is essential for children who are learning about the world and their place in the scheme of things. There's an important dynamic to the give and take of people simply having conversation. The "count-to-ten' actvity was a great warm-up, or icebreaker activity.

Even people who are shy in groups, will have a sense of who people are, and others will get a sense of who they are when there is a chance for face-to-face interaction at some point.

wdhaverstock is thinking...

wdhaverstock — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:04:02 -0600

Is it a crime to fall in love? Should you lose your job if you fall in love? Should the governor of S. Carolina be thrown out of office just because he fell in love? Does being married mean that you can never fall in love again? If you are married, you have made a commitment to another person to be truthful and honest at all times. That is realistic but you have also made a commitment to shut yourself off from the most important human emotion of all - romantic love. Is that realistic? Is it realistic to think that you can shut your emotions down for 10 or 20 or 40 or 60 years? If we base our judgement on statistics, I'd say that it is not realistic. Most marriages don't last a lifetime and most of those that don't fail because love gets in the way.

The governor of S. Carolina is a good example. He has looked foolish and laughable because he has tried to be honest. Honesty and politics are not good bedmates. He was married and he fell in love. He realized that the mistake he made was to try and hide it. It was not going to be good news to his wife so it was logical that he would try to hide it but falling in love is no hike in the woods. Falling in love is earth-shattering and life-changing. When he stepped off the plane and into the glare of the papparizzi spotlight, he realized that honesty is indeed the best policy even in matters of politics and especially in matters of the heart. So, of course, he looked like a fool.

Marriage exists for children, not for adults. The myth is that children need a stable home and family from age 0 to 18. This myth is perpetuated by the poltical forces that work to control human behavior through sexual conduct, i.e., religions. Religion is well ahead of politics when it comes to manipulating human behavior (but well behind Madison Ave.). Religions realize that you must control the sex drive in order to control human behavior so they have come up with ingenious ways of doing this, not the least of which is the threat of eternal damnation. They've successfully turned a religious strategy for behavioral manipulation into a political one by making marriage a legal state and subject to secular law. That was brilliant and there is no difference in this between the western autocratic religions and the eastern ones.

This is the trap that the governor fell into and is now trying to get out of. Should he lose his job because he fell in love? Should he lose his job because of an archaic religious institution masquerading as morality and law? No. Should he lose his wife and family?