November 28th, 2007
I started this task with looking up the word fact, defined as “something that actually exists; reality; truth.” Yet, somedays I do wonder if anything other than the moment I’m living in is actually the truth or fact! So many things that happen in the past seem to become changed over time, but here goes anyways, a few past and presentfacts:
1) I love pop country music! Only a weird fact if you know me — I appear (and actually do love) to be someone who should love folk music, and such music as Moody Blues. But, Garth Brooks does make my heart sing!
2) I dislike grits and hominy (smells like Ajax to me).
3) My life would be easier with short hair and my aging face would probably look less aging, but I hate fussing with hair; so I keep my hair long and braided (most of the time).
4) I love books and am an eclectic reader. (My husband and I have over 5000 volumes in the house.)
5) I have no fear of the house collapsing due to those 5000 books.
6) I love to cook and entertain.
7) I’m often more frightened of life than I appear to be.
Writing this up is a good learning for me. I teach adults in community college and I often play a warm up game during the first class or two where you take from a toilet paper roll as many sheets as you “normally use.” You then have to tell that many random facts about yourself. Fun, silly, but not as easy as it appears.
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November 25th, 2007
I spend a good share of my work days enveloped in the theories of early childhood. My day job is teacher education where we spend our time reading and talking about working with young children. Although I get to spend some time in the world of real children fairly often in a month through volunteer work with Reading is Fundamental and field supervision, I am an empty nester and don’t have daily contact with young children. This week my granddaughter and daughter spent the week with us. Mornings were early, snacks were often, every object in the house was material for learning and exploring! Practice is indeed so important in really understanding theory! Of course, I know this and say it to my pre-service teachers all the time, fortunately I had the pleasure of enjoying it this week! We visited a newborn, had a 4 month old and a 2 year old visit with us, and spent the week attempting to not step on anything that would hurt too much!
For years, I’ve posited the idea that if every teacher in training - including those from pre-K to college - had to spend six months with newborns to two year olds, the education system would be much improved. Those who work in the field of education would take all that theory and understand in clear terms: temperament, nurture vs. nature, rates of development, and so much more. Instead of teaching to the test, we would teach with integrity.
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October 30th, 2007
I found a very interesting collection of research and personal experience.
No is a powerful word; used well it keeps its power, used without purpose, it eventually means nothing. It’s a lot like saying “Good job,” to a child; it doesn’t give any feedback just continues to remind the child who has the power.
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=516517#comments
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