Even when the engine is still running fine, there may be some parts that just don't work like they used to...
The engine in my Toyota Sienna runs fine. It has for a long time, seeing as how it is OLD. It's not pretty or shiny, but it is PAID FOR and I like that quality in a vehicle. Despite its purring engine, however, there are some things of which Toyota does not spend as much time...like the buttons that make windows go up and down, for instance. For a couple of years I have avoided putting the front window down because I knew it would not go back up. Buuuttt, Friday night it accidentally somehow all by itself went down. It was also on Friday, I believe, that our temperature dropped about 50 degrees. The bright side is that it also stopped raining after 2,987 days of straight rain - therefore, we were just cold, not wet.
I tried to be optimistic. I told Mark we could just pretend to play "Freeze-Out". He was not familiar with that game. "What? You and your friends never put all the windows down in the middle of winter to see who would cave first?" I guess that's not as popular in Michigan as it is here in the South. ;)
The Garage was already closed, of course. As we were standing in our garage with tape and scissors, closing up the window Mark laughed and said, "We are such red-necks"....and "I can sense a blog post is coming".
Well, I took it in to be fixed today and they told me it would be $400 to fix it or $96 to make it go up and stay up. So don't walk up to my passenger side window to tell me something. That baby won't go down!!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
NOT EXACTLY WHAT I HAD IN MIND
"Okay, kids - there should be NO books on the floor. All textbooks and school papers should be in your cabinet. Backpacks go on your pegs. If your books are in the floor because there is no room in the cabinet, then please purge. I repeat: the floor is to be clear."
A few minutes later........"Mom, just leave that drumstick there, okay?"
Ya think that cabinet is full? I'll place my bet on that one.
A few minutes later........"Mom, just leave that drumstick there, okay?"
Ya think that cabinet is full? I'll place my bet on that one.
HOW DO YOU LEARN? part 2
What kind of learner are you?
Audio? Visual? Kinesthetic?
We use all of these modalities for learning, but there is usually one that we rely on the most. Sometimes the challenge is to "turn off" stimuli that overloads our dominant style. For example, if you are a visual learner - like me - you may be overwhelmed with a lot of busy bulletin boards and things on the wall. I often find myself looking away or closing my eyes when I concentrate. But it is VERY helpful to me when professors use PowerPoints during lectures. When my children come home and tell me that they have an assignment or a field trip, the first thing I do is ask for "the paper", meaning "where is it written down?"
If you are a predominantly audio learner you may have to say things out loud to yourself. One example that comes to mind is an administrative assistant where Mark and I worked several years ago. Her desk was outside of our offices and we could hear her. At first we didn't know if she was talking to us or herself. ("Does she want us to respond?") We finally realized that she just talked to herself as she did her work. I couldn't understand why in the world she did that. But that is because I didn't know that some people are auditory learners!
My sweet daughter is a kinesthetic learner. She moves constantly. She has great rhythm, by the way! A few years ago we began going to a new church. Our old church was a multi-cultural congregation with a lot of outward expressions of worship and a praise team that rocked the house. Our new church was small and quiet with hardwood floors. My girl was having a really tough time with the transition. Keep in mind that she began reading by three years of age, and had already gotten the attention of several teachers as being above average, but remaining still just wasn't in her. We tried different things to help her and what seemed to work was to allow her to work with Silly Putty while she listened. Our pastor even began calling her "Silly Putty Sara" and she gave him his own Silly Putty for Christmas. She now sits beautifully through church, but she is usually writing or playing with her animal bracelets.
We probably automatically do what is natural to us concerning our predominant modalities, but I think it can be helpful to know what we use best. That way we can prepare ourselves for things that could be distracting. It also helps, when dealing with children, to understand how to cater to their strengths. One child may need a chart, another may need a hands-on activity, and yet another may need to be allowed to repeat things quietly back to him or herself.
Audio? Visual? Kinesthetic?
We use all of these modalities for learning, but there is usually one that we rely on the most. Sometimes the challenge is to "turn off" stimuli that overloads our dominant style. For example, if you are a visual learner - like me - you may be overwhelmed with a lot of busy bulletin boards and things on the wall. I often find myself looking away or closing my eyes when I concentrate. But it is VERY helpful to me when professors use PowerPoints during lectures. When my children come home and tell me that they have an assignment or a field trip, the first thing I do is ask for "the paper", meaning "where is it written down?"
If you are a predominantly audio learner you may have to say things out loud to yourself. One example that comes to mind is an administrative assistant where Mark and I worked several years ago. Her desk was outside of our offices and we could hear her. At first we didn't know if she was talking to us or herself. ("Does she want us to respond?") We finally realized that she just talked to herself as she did her work. I couldn't understand why in the world she did that. But that is because I didn't know that some people are auditory learners!
My sweet daughter is a kinesthetic learner. She moves constantly. She has great rhythm, by the way! A few years ago we began going to a new church. Our old church was a multi-cultural congregation with a lot of outward expressions of worship and a praise team that rocked the house. Our new church was small and quiet with hardwood floors. My girl was having a really tough time with the transition. Keep in mind that she began reading by three years of age, and had already gotten the attention of several teachers as being above average, but remaining still just wasn't in her. We tried different things to help her and what seemed to work was to allow her to work with Silly Putty while she listened. Our pastor even began calling her "Silly Putty Sara" and she gave him his own Silly Putty for Christmas. She now sits beautifully through church, but she is usually writing or playing with her animal bracelets.
We probably automatically do what is natural to us concerning our predominant modalities, but I think it can be helpful to know what we use best. That way we can prepare ourselves for things that could be distracting. It also helps, when dealing with children, to understand how to cater to their strengths. One child may need a chart, another may need a hands-on activity, and yet another may need to be allowed to repeat things quietly back to him or herself.
HOW DO YOU LEARN?
I am wrapping up my Educational Psychology class and getting prepared for the fourth exam. A book that we were required to read, in addition to our textbook, is The Way They Learn by Cynthia Ulrich Tobias. I really like it because it is a down-to-earth, non-professional-jargon read that explains how multiple intelligences look in the classroom and life in general.
I couldn't understand why, in high school, I could make A's in Advanced English with little effort but Algebra made me want to cry. And I did - right in the middle of class one day. I wasn't crying because I gave one hoot about Math. I was crying because I thought I was not smart. I wasn't jealous of the beauty queens in school. I envied the smart girls.
Okay, it is definitely time for a disclaimer. *Beauty and brains go together. I am not insinuating that the smart girls were ugly or that the beauty queens were stupid.* I am only making the point that, while many of us have insecurities about our physical appearances, I was even more desirous to be smart.
I began to avoid Math at all costs, because I could not stand to feel that inept. Of course, we all know that Math doesn't go away. I was only procrastinating the inevitable. But I did put college off for a long time - all because of Math. At this point I have taken four college-level Math courses with one remaining. Guess what? I CAN do math! Even though I can not hold numbers and mathematical concepts in my head, I have found other ways to compensate for this weakness and get it done. I have no intentions of taking this subject beyond what is required to be a "highly qualified" teacher, mind you. The joy in this example is that I am finding a way to do what I need to do to reach a goal.
A couple of years ago I was taking some English and Math classes simultaneously. I was handed back a research paper that was marked with an A. My friend made a comment about my grade, which was better than hers. I said, "What you don't know is that I am on my way to Calculus and if I had to feel the way I feel about myself in THAT class all the time, I would be suicidal. I NEED good grades in my other classes to help me know I am not a total waste." It was during that time that I discovered Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences.
Now I am learning how to apply the theory as a teacher in the classroom. According to theorist Howard Gardner, there are different types of intelligences.
They are:
*Linguistic (using words to describe or communicate ideas)
*Logical-mathematical reasoning, (perceiving patterns in numbers, using numbers effectively)
*Spatial (accurately perceiving and transforming the visual-spatial world)
*Bodily-kinesthetic (having expertise in moving one's body)
*Musical (recognizing components of music, expressing musical forms, using music to express ideas)
*Interpersonal (accurately perceiving and appropriately responding to the emotions of other people)
*Intrapersonal (introspection, discriminating one's emotions and perceptions, knowing one's strengths and limitations)
*Naturalistic (recognizing and classifying living things, sensitivity to features of the natural world)
definitions taken from EdPsych Modules, published by McGraw-Hill
...so we can be thankful for how we are wired. Use the strengths, overcome the weaknesses, don't get bogged down in the details - just focus on achievement.
Happy Learning!
I couldn't understand why, in high school, I could make A's in Advanced English with little effort but Algebra made me want to cry. And I did - right in the middle of class one day. I wasn't crying because I gave one hoot about Math. I was crying because I thought I was not smart. I wasn't jealous of the beauty queens in school. I envied the smart girls.
Okay, it is definitely time for a disclaimer. *Beauty and brains go together. I am not insinuating that the smart girls were ugly or that the beauty queens were stupid.* I am only making the point that, while many of us have insecurities about our physical appearances, I was even more desirous to be smart.
I began to avoid Math at all costs, because I could not stand to feel that inept. Of course, we all know that Math doesn't go away. I was only procrastinating the inevitable. But I did put college off for a long time - all because of Math. At this point I have taken four college-level Math courses with one remaining. Guess what? I CAN do math! Even though I can not hold numbers and mathematical concepts in my head, I have found other ways to compensate for this weakness and get it done. I have no intentions of taking this subject beyond what is required to be a "highly qualified" teacher, mind you. The joy in this example is that I am finding a way to do what I need to do to reach a goal.
A couple of years ago I was taking some English and Math classes simultaneously. I was handed back a research paper that was marked with an A. My friend made a comment about my grade, which was better than hers. I said, "What you don't know is that I am on my way to Calculus and if I had to feel the way I feel about myself in THAT class all the time, I would be suicidal. I NEED good grades in my other classes to help me know I am not a total waste." It was during that time that I discovered Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences.
Now I am learning how to apply the theory as a teacher in the classroom. According to theorist Howard Gardner, there are different types of intelligences.
They are:
*Linguistic (using words to describe or communicate ideas)
*Logical-mathematical reasoning, (perceiving patterns in numbers, using numbers effectively)
*Spatial (accurately perceiving and transforming the visual-spatial world)
*Bodily-kinesthetic (having expertise in moving one's body)
*Musical (recognizing components of music, expressing musical forms, using music to express ideas)
*Interpersonal (accurately perceiving and appropriately responding to the emotions of other people)
*Intrapersonal (introspection, discriminating one's emotions and perceptions, knowing one's strengths and limitations)
*Naturalistic (recognizing and classifying living things, sensitivity to features of the natural world)
definitions taken from EdPsych Modules, published by McGraw-Hill
...so we can be thankful for how we are wired. Use the strengths, overcome the weaknesses, don't get bogged down in the details - just focus on achievement.
Happy Learning!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
NOTEWORTHY
"Sara, when you have a dance recital I will go and support you just like you have supported me with football" ~ Dillon
When there is a concept that one has been teaching and teaching and teaching and teaching ones' children and that same one begins to see that little fruit blossom...
one simply has to make a note of it - and also note the date. :)
October 15, 2009
*I wasn't kidding*
That concept, by the way, is that they will support and cheer each other on. It catches on, too. There are so many things that we begin doing simply because we should, and finally that habit becomes the default mode. I am watching it happen and let me tell you I am OVERJOYED.
...different concept, same thought process (I think. Oh, just roll with me, okay?)...
A friend asked me a couple of weeks ago what I have done to keep my children from fighting. She couldn't believe that they were chatting together and acting like friends. I responded, "WHEN would they fight? They are too BUSY." I do wince from time to time when I look at our schedule but then I remember the Ya-Ya Monster and how it seems to come around when we are not pushing it with all we've got. And I don't like the Ya-Ya Monster. Sorry friends, no spectacular parenting here - just keeping it full steam ahead takes care of a lot of things for us.
Now, speaking of that schedule, let me see...football game? band competition? open house? It's something of that nature I am quite sure. Because curling up with a book and listening to the rain in my cozy bedroom is not on there. I have checked thoroughly.
It is rainy days like this that I long to write with thoughtful, expository-style, exactness. I feel the urge to study something deep and profound, to rub my chin and puff my pipe in gratitude of the thought, and then to write about it, discuss it and sigh. But there is no time for that, my dearest ones. You must be content with random nothingness. You must.
(As we pulled into the park last night we saw this brilliant display. Isn't it gorgeous?!)
No, I do not smoke a pipe.
*oops. Kids are fighting....gotta go... :)
Thursday, October 1, 2009
FOR THE RECORD...THIS IS WHY
I'm not passionate about becoming a teacher in the public school system because I was a great student and think that sitting in a classroom is the best high ever...
I'm not passionate because I love Math or Science and just want to spend my life teaching it...
The passion doesn't come from a desire for money or fame ;)...
This may be a cheesy little video, but my answer lies somewhere in it...
WATCH VIDEO
Because everybody isn't born with the most ideal situation and home life. There is always a "Teddy".
I'm not passionate because I love Math or Science and just want to spend my life teaching it...
The passion doesn't come from a desire for money or fame ;)...
This may be a cheesy little video, but my answer lies somewhere in it...
WATCH VIDEO
Because everybody isn't born with the most ideal situation and home life. There is always a "Teddy".
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
I'm glad I decided to study at home this morning instead of heading to the library. I can't open the windows there and be serenaded by the songs of my sweet feathered friends.
***15 minutes later*** The beep beep of the machine out on the street unloading shingles for a neighboring home is not quite as pleasant as the cacophony of my fine feathered friends. Oh well, back to the study of Educational Psychology and how I'm supposed to hold the attention of students in the classroom. Oh, the irony.
***15 minutes later*** The beep beep of the machine out on the street unloading shingles for a neighboring home is not quite as pleasant as the cacophony of my fine feathered friends. Oh well, back to the study of Educational Psychology and how I'm supposed to hold the attention of students in the classroom. Oh, the irony.
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