Congratulations! The school board schools the Emerald School on adverse impact.
I am happy to report that at the meeting of tonight’s Portland Public Schools Board of Education, the directors voted down the proposal to open the Emerald Charter School, aka Stripedy Stupid School for Kids Who Must Be Protected from the Neighborhood.
ALL POWER TO THE PEOPLE!
…my friend just e-mailed me:
“Trust that your heart is in the right place, let your love of books and children guide you, and remember how important those adults were who inspired you when you were young. One day at a time….”
Always. And may you find something today that inspires and comforts you.
love,
wm
I love this. I love this so much that I’m going to watch this clip each and every time I have a tough day. He is giving the keynote address to some 20,000-plus educators and fans for the Dallas Independent School District.
Dalton, thank you.
Mother on Fire. Funny interview — give it a read.
Am smart and talented. Just figured out how to 1) register as a post-bac (undergrad) student in the hopes of 2) finishing my pre-requisites and 3) registering for grad school. (To obtain teaching license and Media Specialist degree.)
(Will assume no GREs are required, but some other, simpler test instead. Maybe involving writing a blog post and posting it. With a Twitter sample on the side. Maybe 3 or 4 recipes, added on to packet. Sure.)
(Yes, it is nice up there in my brain, with the fairies, cupcakes and sparkles.)
Also figured out how to 4) register for an online course (four credits, one of the pre-reqs) and 5) order the books I need for it, too. All online! Why would you ever want to leave the house? It only took six people holding my hand (over e-mail and phone) and answering my questions to complete all this. Dear God, what am I thinking?
love,
wm
random bullets for my Thursday 13:
1) Iowa is settling down. Now it’s everyone along the Mississippi we need to worry about. Life is getting too crazy, weather-wise, with the tornadoes and flooding and fires and whatnot. (If you want to see a YouTube video of the “Book Brigade,” look here.)
2) It’s my birthday next week. (more…)
When’s the last time I wrote a Thursday Thirteen, anyway? Ah, well. And it hasn’t been a “real” year of teaching, it’s only been a few months. If you will recall, dear readers, as of last September we were considering moving across town. Changed our minds, unpacked the cartons, and I got myself a job at our neighborhood school. I’m working in the library, and how I got there is a kind of long story, so I’ll cut to the chase. Here is what I’ve found out in the last few months: (more…)
You know why I love my children’s teachers? They are smarter than I am. Yes, sir. They truly are. And as a mom who loves the hours between 8:45 and 3 p.m., I really liked this post. Bring on the free cheese.
One of my students was digging through the yarn basket today (I check out books! and knit with the students! This is my dream job) and found the teensiest, tiniest beetle on one of the balls of yarn. She was thrilled.
She carefully took him and re-located him outside. I love her for doing this. So, this one is for my student (and I know you’re not supposed to have favorites, but this kid is one of my favorites):
“Nothing is more humbling than to look with a strong magnifying glass at an insect so tiny that the naked eye sees only the barest speck and to discover that nevertheless it is sculpted and articulated and striped with the same care and imagination as a zebra. Apparently it does not occur to nature whether or not a creature is within our range of vision, and the suspicion arises that even the zebra was not designed for our benefit.”
– Rudolf Arnheim, psychologist and author (1904-2007)
Have you seen this site? It’s a direct way for teachers to get cash donated for specific projects — in this case, copies of “The Stranger,” by Camus, for a class of high school seniors. (Another plug for my family’s neighborhood high school.)
If you have a little to spare, please do. And please pass the website address along to any educators you may know who need a bit of extra help.
ps — it’s still raining here. Happy Thursday.
pss — edited later to say: the kids are getting their books! The project has been fully funded. In one day. Cool. Thank you to all who helped.