Roberto Cavalli top / By Malene Birger stripe skirt, $290 / Fendi strap shoes / Sass & Bide leather clutch / Rachel Zoe clear crystal earrings / Black bracelet, $105
Saturday, February 23, 2013
An Educational Rant
I am so angry and upset about the education of our young children I can hardly speak. I am so tired of hearing data, data, data. Children are not data. They are unpredictable little entities that surprise you when you least expect it.
Support the data. What does that even mean? Children are not a science experiment. Children need to explore and try and choose. They need to take ownership of their learning. Now what the heck does that mean? It means the child has to buy into what you want her to do. Our responsibility as educators is to set up the environment so the child wants to perform or try or take a chance.
There is no scientific pattern for how a child learns. There are stages that every child passes through but not on an assigned day at an assigned time. In other words, If Jo and Moe were both born on May 1, 2000 you would not expect them both to learn to walk on May 1, 2001. That would be downright silly, right? But Jo and Moe are expected to enter school on the same day, learn the alphabet letters on the same day, etc. Do you see where I'm going with this? Setting up unreasonable goals is setting our education system up for failure.
Then the blame game begins. The superintendent blames the principal and the principal blames the teacher. There is no one to blame, the blame is in the fundamental idea behind the program! Why can't anyone see that? If you exit the classroom and go on to bigger and better things( a matter of opinion) why do you forget what children are like?
And politicians are the worst. They are supposedly educated people who went to college even. Didn't they take psychology 101? A lot of them are parents too. Did they not see their children develop? Why is this such a hard concept for them--every kid is different and learns in her own time. This is not hard to catch on to. It is as plain as the nose on your face.
Teachers of young children know that school has to be fun and engaging and well-rounded for every kind of learner. When you take away their ability to do that by standardizing and data collecting you take away the opportunity for them to do their job.
Once again, I ask that you look back on your school years. Which classes did you like the most? Which teacher was your favorite? I bet if you think about it you liked those classes and teachers because THEY WERE FUN!
Children are not guinea pigs or lab rats. They are developing human beings who need to be taught from the heart and the mind. Give children a chance to be children and they will grow to be educated adults.
Support the data. What does that even mean? Children are not a science experiment. Children need to explore and try and choose. They need to take ownership of their learning. Now what the heck does that mean? It means the child has to buy into what you want her to do. Our responsibility as educators is to set up the environment so the child wants to perform or try or take a chance.
There is no scientific pattern for how a child learns. There are stages that every child passes through but not on an assigned day at an assigned time. In other words, If Jo and Moe were both born on May 1, 2000 you would not expect them both to learn to walk on May 1, 2001. That would be downright silly, right? But Jo and Moe are expected to enter school on the same day, learn the alphabet letters on the same day, etc. Do you see where I'm going with this? Setting up unreasonable goals is setting our education system up for failure.
Then the blame game begins. The superintendent blames the principal and the principal blames the teacher. There is no one to blame, the blame is in the fundamental idea behind the program! Why can't anyone see that? If you exit the classroom and go on to bigger and better things( a matter of opinion) why do you forget what children are like?
And politicians are the worst. They are supposedly educated people who went to college even. Didn't they take psychology 101? A lot of them are parents too. Did they not see their children develop? Why is this such a hard concept for them--every kid is different and learns in her own time. This is not hard to catch on to. It is as plain as the nose on your face.
Teachers of young children know that school has to be fun and engaging and well-rounded for every kind of learner. When you take away their ability to do that by standardizing and data collecting you take away the opportunity for them to do their job.
Once again, I ask that you look back on your school years. Which classes did you like the most? Which teacher was your favorite? I bet if you think about it you liked those classes and teachers because THEY WERE FUN!
Children are not guinea pigs or lab rats. They are developing human beings who need to be taught from the heart and the mind. Give children a chance to be children and they will grow to be educated adults.
Friday, February 22, 2013
On Getting Old
I am coming to grips with the fact that although I may not think it or feel it other people are considering me an old lady.
Today at Target the 12 year old clerk who took care of my return called me honey. Honey, like in boy, you are old! You'll be proud of me when I tell you I didn't slug her or anything.
Then I headed to the mall. It was an icy morning here in Northeastern Ohio and the parking lot at the mall was a skating rink. There was an older woman walking a bit ahead of me and another woman(not that much different in age from me I suspect) offered to walk her to the door. The first woman refused and said she was not taking any chances and was going back inside her car. As she passed me I said to both of them something along the lines of yikes, it's a mess in this parking lot. They both agreed. Lady returned to her car and the other one turns to me and says, "Can I help you to the door, sweetie?"
I wanted to scream I AM NOT A SWEETIE nor am I an old lady who needs assistance getting to the door of JCPenney. I just laughingly said no thanks and stormed my way(very carefully, I didn't want to fall down) in to the store. Another woman who doesn't know how lucky she was not to get slugged this morning.
The fact that I almost fell on my ass twice on my way into the bank earlier is not relevant to this story. LOL
I must be honest though and admit something. I was dusting the other day( I know, right?) and was working on my doll case which has a mirrored back. Suddenly I saw a woman with a wrinkly neck, white skin, tons of wrinkles and kindof uncombed hair. I almost screamed until I realized it was ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So maybe these people who insist on calling me honey and asking me if I use the computer or want to walk me in the door have some evidence to think those things are necessary. Or else, as my DH said, I was just a victim of bad lighting!
Today at Target the 12 year old clerk who took care of my return called me honey. Honey, like in boy, you are old! You'll be proud of me when I tell you I didn't slug her or anything.
Then I headed to the mall. It was an icy morning here in Northeastern Ohio and the parking lot at the mall was a skating rink. There was an older woman walking a bit ahead of me and another woman(not that much different in age from me I suspect) offered to walk her to the door. The first woman refused and said she was not taking any chances and was going back inside her car. As she passed me I said to both of them something along the lines of yikes, it's a mess in this parking lot. They both agreed. Lady returned to her car and the other one turns to me and says, "Can I help you to the door, sweetie?"
I wanted to scream I AM NOT A SWEETIE nor am I an old lady who needs assistance getting to the door of JCPenney. I just laughingly said no thanks and stormed my way(very carefully, I didn't want to fall down) in to the store. Another woman who doesn't know how lucky she was not to get slugged this morning.
The fact that I almost fell on my ass twice on my way into the bank earlier is not relevant to this story. LOL
I must be honest though and admit something. I was dusting the other day( I know, right?) and was working on my doll case which has a mirrored back. Suddenly I saw a woman with a wrinkly neck, white skin, tons of wrinkles and kindof uncombed hair. I almost screamed until I realized it was ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So maybe these people who insist on calling me honey and asking me if I use the computer or want to walk me in the door have some evidence to think those things are necessary. Or else, as my DH said, I was just a victim of bad lighting!
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Leather or Leather??
Drome , $1,035 / Oasis faux leather dress, $58 / RED Valentino , $445 / Moschino Cheap & Chic , $350 / Charlotte Olympia high heel / Casadei platform heels, $1,285 / Giuseppe Zanotti / Miss Selfridge pink heels / Chloé zippered tote bag, $1,560 / Lanvin handbag / Pim + Larkin solitaire jewelry / Tourmaline earrings / Pearl jewelry, $9.17 / Baccarat jewelry
Designing Woman
Gee, it's been too long. I really have to keep up on my blogging skills. I got re motivated when my sister started her blog on goodreads.com. She is an author and a good one if I do say so myself. Her book is Waiting for Dusk by Nancy Pennick. You should read it. I have about five or six times and I never get tired of it.
I have been spending a lot of time at polyvore.com doing the stylist thing. I have designed almost 300 ensembles. And I'm not out of ideas. I get them from literature, television, occasions, things in nature and I haven't run out yet. Hope I never will.
I always wished I could be a stylist. I would like to take on the girls of our local newscasts. Although lately I've been thinking that they must have heard me since I think the girls at NBC have kicked their game up a notch.
I am always watching those award shows to see what people are wearing and lately they all have been doing well too. So it was kind of arid out there hence the Polyvore thing. I was getting kind of snarky too so maybe it's for the best. If you look at some of my old posts you'll see what I mean.
Anyway if you want to see my creations just go to polyvore.com and follow angel-mom. Hope you like them.
I have been spending a lot of time at polyvore.com doing the stylist thing. I have designed almost 300 ensembles. And I'm not out of ideas. I get them from literature, television, occasions, things in nature and I haven't run out yet. Hope I never will.
I always wished I could be a stylist. I would like to take on the girls of our local newscasts. Although lately I've been thinking that they must have heard me since I think the girls at NBC have kicked their game up a notch.
I am always watching those award shows to see what people are wearing and lately they all have been doing well too. So it was kind of arid out there hence the Polyvore thing. I was getting kind of snarky too so maybe it's for the best. If you look at some of my old posts you'll see what I mean.
Anyway if you want to see my creations just go to polyvore.com and follow angel-mom. Hope you like them.
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