On Teaching

2006-06-25T21:19:00.000-07:00

Why blog?

Pray request: wrists hurt from carpel tunnel.

Start at the lab tomorrow. Am scared.

Give me a thankful heart, Master.

2006-06-18T22:16:00.000-07:00

Rest day. A Sabbath. Yes, I know that the real Sabbath is Saturday and that Sunday is the day for Christian worship because we celebrate the resurrection. But I really did appreciate the rest.

One week then I start at the lab. Protein crystallography. Wow, do I ever have a lot to learn.

Until then, more rest.

In Him is rest eternal.

2006-06-16T20:54:00.000-07:00

Not with a bang, but with a whimper.... so this school year ended.

Tired beyond any normal standard. I need some real down time to recover.

But I am glad it is done.

He reigns even over our exhaustion.

2006-06-11T21:38:00.000-07:00

Class of 2006 Graduation.

Mixed feelings. I put so much into this class, starting in 8th grade. I don't know if it made any difference. I hope so. It is hard to tell. I have a sense of accomplishment about a few things...and a very strong sense of failure about others. Is teaching worth it? And is that even a valid question? I don't think I actually know.

But He is still sovereign.

2006-06-10T21:03:00.000-07:00

Life has been a swirl the last couple weeks. School ended. I went on the Senior trip to Hawaii as a chaparone. The last couple days I have been buried in grading. I have a lot to blog, but it must wait until the AP Bio essays and the AP Euro quizzes and essays are graded. Sometime soon I should remember to come up for air.

I start work at the lab on June 26 trying to learn to do protein crystallography. I haven't even begun to do the necessary study for that. And robots are sitting in boxes in my living room. Alas, so much to be done.

School next week: work all day at inservice training. I hope I am not too tired to learn what I need to master. Hoping to get out and go camping once this summer. We'll see. Anyone want to go?

The Voice of Truth.

2006-05-21T21:44:00.000-07:00

My circuit learning unit turned out to have fried batteries. Have to clean up the contacts and try again. Have just about finished my application for clearance for my summer job. I am supposed to meet my research mentor next Wednesday. The meeting feels intimidating....yikes.

Read another couple chapters of Mavericks, Miracles and Medicine. Robert Koch was a very interesting guy. Also fell in love with American Scientist magazine. This is was Scienctific American was at its best. Since the new publisher took over SciAm is more like Discover, just pseudo-science propoganda. Annoying. I used to like SciAm.

Tomorrow is my last week with this year's AP Bio and AP Euro classes. Sigh...will miss them. This year's AP Bio class was amazing. They actually listened to me!!! Can you imagine...?

Must pray more. He answers.

2006-05-15T19:53:00.000-07:00

My days are filled with robots and science equipment. Perhaps it is time I learned how to weld. I could have used the skill today. As it was, I had to have maintenance weld my water bath leg together. I need to put new batteries in the three bots sitting on the coffee table and do some testing. Pacman is playing with the erector set I have out to work on building a custom bot. In my spare time, I study robot manuals, circuit diagrams and various toys. I have SO MUCH to learn!! Yikes.

CCS is considering joining the FIRST robot competitions. I am trying to decide if I want to bite and tackle that or not. How should I spend my time? What would be most effective and useful? Even trying to learn that seems to have a steep learning curve.

But He knows the answers.

2006-05-14T20:39:00.000-07:00

Physics Day was Friday. I had fun even though I didn't expect that. My Science Bowl kids won the buoyance contest over all the physics kids at Great America. The boat was SO ugly, but really effective. Using a 3" by 3" piece of foil, they managed to float 33 pennies!

Saturday, D and I went to UC Santa Cruz and visited Crown college where he will live next year. Looks okay. Without knowing people, the buildings don't mean much. Got a paper version of their catalog. The net version loads really slowly that paper is seriously more efficient. In the evening, I evaluated close to 400 websites, looking for programs to help my students and the members of my dept. Took me six hours.

Today, Mother's Day, I crashed and slept for about 4 hours. Pacman fixed dinner for me, lovely spiced salmon. Watched the McGyver pilot episode and played with Fisher-Technic parts. I have a coffee table covered with Erector set parts, robots and Technic. Time to learn to build custom bots well enough to teach the Robot club next year.

To worship Him is the best.

2006-05-09T21:02:00.000-07:00

Today was a VERY long day. I left home this morning at 6:30. I got home at 8:40 this evening. Tiredness is a natural corollary to this behavior.

Tomorrow AP Bio will start PCR. I hope it works. I have to go find sterile saline solution somewhere. Do they sell that in drug stores? Intriguing problem...

I am trying to work on a myriad of details concerning the science dept. So much to think through!! Friday I am going to Great America for Physics Day with the physics classes. I feel sad to leave my AP Bio and AP Euro kids. But we lost a chaparone, so off I go. I will enjoy being with the science bowl kids.

I think I had best sleep. Don't have any energy left.

He is LORD.

2006-05-07T21:31:00.000-07:00

AP Biology exam tomorrow morning. After exhaustive review sessions, I think my kids are ready, but you never really know until you get the scores. I suppose sooner or later I should become a reader. The problem is that the reading conflicts with the CCS graduation. I can't miss that this year as my younger son is graduating. I don't really want to miss it in the future either. Those kids matter to me.

Have to start getting ready for Hawaii. Looking for a UV resistant blouse to wear. Ordered new pants today. Probably will mostly wear shorts anyway, even to swim.

Saturday's review left me really tired. Still trying to recover.

May He be with the kids in the morning.

2006-05-05T09:11:00.000-07:00

AP Euro exam today. My students are nervous. I don't blame them. I'd be nervous too if I had to take a final for a year long class. Not even in college do you have to face that kind of pressure.

Haven't yet heard from LLNL. This is not good. I can't properly plan my summer without a response from them. And it is already May.

Doing the budget planning for the science dept. Adding AP Chem adds a whole new set of equipment and parameters that need to be met. At least we now have all three of the science AP classes: Physics, Bio and Chem. Now we just need to retain the teachers...experience helps a LOT when teaching AP.

Best to you all.

2006-05-01T21:28:00.000-07:00

Been enjoying watching old episodes of Voyager as my down time. Getting my students ready for AP Exams has taken a LOT out of them AND out of me. AP Euro is this Friday. AP Bio is next Monday.

Then we get to take a bit of a break and do something truly different in each class.

Planning is tiring.

2006-04-27T09:25:00.000-07:00

You know you have been at work too much when you catch yourself examining your house keys for the stamped room key mark.

Only work keys are stamped.

2006-04-20T20:27:00.000-07:00

Still not feeling great, but oh well, must continue to do work. Am planning to sleep longer tonight. We are learning to teach reading in every subject at every level. Most kids today have trouble with comprehension and remembering what they read. The speaker is trying to teach us how to help kids with those problems. Wish they'd focus a bit more on areas that I can relate to, but I suppose this is much more important at the lower grades. If you can't read in an AP class, you are already in trouble.

Reading has been slain by gaming. And our country will be paying a very steep price for that as will the current and coming generations of students. Sadness.

2006-04-19T17:43:00.000-07:00

Came home from school sick today although I taught all my classes. I knew I was in trouble when I was explaining clean up to the AP Bio class. They needed paper clips to clean the pototo cores out of the cork borers. I told them to come get the paper clips from me...except I didn't say paper clips, I said potato chips. Oops...

After Euro I came home and slept until I had to pick Daniel up at BART. Thank you to those who gave me rides to and from BART today.

Well, back to bed. My head is stuffed up and my limbs are leaden.

He is still sovereign.

2006-04-17T17:44:00.000-07:00

BART on the way home way a mess. Ten cars of people were packed in 6 cars on the Pittsburg-Baypoint line. I read my magazine from LLNL anyway and enjoyed it, but I had trouble grasping the article on metal fragmentation. Not sure why that one was such a challenge for me.

Still need to get the Thank you cards done for the NSTA convention. Always more to do...smile.

This week I will be trained to be an AP proctor and start my bus driver training. No, I am not crazy, but I want to take kids to some interesting places and the difficulty is lack of drivers. Next year, I definitely want to take kids to the Hoover Archives at Stanford. I remember holding Hitler's x-rays after the assassination attempt. I want that incredible feeling for my students too.

AP Bio: Lab and study week. Next week: finish the lab and review, review, review.
AP Euro: Review week. Tomorrow: drill on how to approach essays and directly answer the prompt.
Bible: Hooky, but provocative movie from Moody Science films.

Now to work.

2006-04-16T18:19:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted for a very long time. I think I ran out of things to say.

I am now teaching three classes: AP Bio, AP Euro and Science and the Bible. Oddly enough the two AP classes are actually less work since I have taught them before. Science and the Bible is a new prep. I am still very unsure of exactly what I am supposed to be teaching in that class.

Happy Easter or in the literal translation from Mandarin: Happy Resurrection Day. I'd say the Mandarin speakers got the name right. This day we celebrate that death and sin have been overcome by HIM. Awesome beyond human comprehension!! Thank you, my Lord and Master for paying such an incredible price for me. And I know quite well I deserve a rather different fate.

So I am blogging again.

2005-10-15T19:25:00.000-07:00

School has been busy. Being Dept. Chair involves a lot of thinking and work, more than I had reckoned on.

Been thinking about blogging and why I do it. Have a blog, a xanga (well two xangas), and a livespace. Only use the blog except to comment.

Am on the 4th of 5 books I have to read for my ASCI credential. That has been a heavy load on top of teaching and admin stuff. Still have a couple 10 page papers to write.

Not much else to say.

2005-09-04T21:17:00.000-07:00

Nice rest day. Sermon on worship and the greatness of God. Always good to remember that truth and focus on HIM. It really isn't about us.

Grading the AP Bio tests. Many are sadly lacking...not sure what to do about this. What if only a handful qualify? Then what do I do?

Got another chunk of reading done on my stack of Christian Teaching books for my ACSI credential. I usually read pretty fast, but not this material.

Labor Day is a gift! Too bad I have to use it to go shopping. Sorry to all those of you working in stores who have to work.

God is worthy of all our worship.

2005-09-03T20:22:00.000-07:00

Slept 18 hours if you combine yesterday's afterschool nap, last night's sleep and today's nap. Finally feeling rested. I wanted to rest up so I could be wise, fair and coherant when I grade the AP Bio tests. I have more patience when I am rested.

Watched some Stargate for recreations. Last year's soph class president got me hooked. Now I own several seasons.

Still have to go shopping for school clothes. Wish I were better at the shopping thing...sigh...

Finished the first of the five books I have to read for updating my credential. The first one was decent. The second one has me struggling to follow the reasoning. I have two 10 page papers to write. Being a teacher also means being a perpetual student, but I suppose that is true of any of the professions.

AP Bio has to be cut down in size somehow over issues of lab safetly. I really hate this process. I want to keep everyone even if I can't. Admin will make the decision based on their parameters and my input. I hope the tests I gave Friday are okay.

2005-09-01T19:08:00.000-07:00

It hasn't taken long for the deep level of tiredness I remember so well to develop. I want to do my work with excellence, so I work hard. I give as much as I can, sometimes I feel like it is more than I have, but I really do LOVE those kids. Giving less seems cheap when my Master gave so much to me.

Oceanography is gradually getting better. I am not used to running daily simple labs. It's a steep learning curve for me, but I suspect the skills will end with me becoming a better teacher. I am really happy with my schedule this year. I feel far more prepared when I walk into my AP classes. Having two periods to prep before I have to do my four period in a row of teaching is lovely. I haven't ever had such a great schedule before.

Lots of Alums have been coming by to visit. So good to see them. I can see the developing maturity and depth in their eyes and know it will be much deeper by Christmas. Going off to college is definitely a growing experience.

Am also studying hard to learn more about how to use learning modalities, memory techniques and a variety of other academic tools to help students learn how to learn more effectively. I wish I had access to the comprehensive testing that would point out specific details of what the problems are, so I could design better ways to help kids. Perhaps my Master will open that door somehow. He loves those kids more than I do.

Sing in worship to the Only True King.

2005-08-30T21:18:00.000-07:00

First day of school went well. Enough of my AP Bio students did well on their prelim test today. I can tell who has made the effort to study so far. I do have two with learning problems who work really hard with results which don't match their effort. I need to see what else I can do to help them.

I discovered my roommate was in Navigators in college. This made me happy. It also makes me understand a bit more where her discipline and strength come from. I was also in Navigators with much less impressive results.

Did my first grading today. Went okay. Just need to be really consistent. Still struggling with the Oceanography planning. I finally got the teachers' materials this afternoon, but I need to learn to use them now while simultaneously trying to plan the course. Fun and games.

Obedience to God brings life out of death and darkness for then you truly get to taste His love.

2005-08-29T19:10:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow school starts. I am ready for three classes, but not the fourth. Oceanography is going to be a stretch to finish preparing since the class was altered rather late. That is my responsibility. I asked for the change. Now I need to do the work to make that happen.

Watching first season Stargate episodes again. Really enjoying the series.

Mercy comes from Him.

2005-08-28T20:02:00.000-07:00

Home again. I have more respect for truck drivers after doing 12 hours over the last two days.

Now I need sleep and a chance to read the Oceanography book. I must prepare for Tueday.

Doing laundry, still have shopping to do. Time stands still for no one, well, no one but the One who created time.

Too fuzzy-headed after the drive to write anymore.

2005-08-27T21:12:00.000-07:00

Am in Santa Barbara. Listened to Rebecca St. James almost all the way. The trip was fueled by Starbucks coffee, and cooled by Starbucks decaf during the latter part of the trip. Pacman & Wondergirl have their stuff. Wondergirl has moved onto the third floor; Pacman onto the fourth.

Tomorrow morning, go to Reality (name of great local church), then book back north. I have a LOT of reading and prep left which needs to be completed before school starts on Tuesday. I wonder if I can get it done. Room 16 still needs cleaning and we have yet to finish the chem disposal. I have read the first 4 chapters of the Oceanography text, but need to read a lot more before I have the book overview clear enough in my head to write the course outline.

Been finding that prayer is esssential. How could I have prayed so little last year? Although I prayed, not having a teacher's prayer meeting at school and being so busy teaching five classes was bad for me. I really want to focus on praying for my students.

Met one of wondergirl's hermit crabs who bravely crawled all the way up my arm before wondergirl pulled him off and put him safely back in his crabitat.

May He be with you.

2005-08-23T19:29:00.000-07:00

Lab 10 went reasonably well today. Some equipment was missing which made it awkward, so I had to improvise. I hope the students enjoyed their first AP Bio lab.

Trying to figure out the science budget has been an exercise in creativity. I have a LOT to learn about how to be a dept chair at CCS. "The leader as the servant..." I have to remember to walk in that spirit.

Pray about everything....

2005-08-22T21:33:00.000-07:00

Long day...really long day. The whole science dept is trying to inventory and organize all the science supplies. I will work on that and then also do all the ordering and financial stuff connected to that.

AP Bio lab tomorrow. Wonder how that will go.

School hasn't started yet and I am already tired. Hmmm.....

May He be with you.

2005-08-21T19:06:00.000-07:00

School starts in 9 days. I have an unreasonable amount of work to do. But some of that is because I really want to do a good job. Wednesday night is back to school night. All the science rooms have to be spit and polish clean by that night. At least all the members of the science dept. will be working on it tomorrow. I hope I can plan the work so that we are efficient.

Guess it is time to start blogging again. This is a "teaching" blog after all.

Back from Montana.

2005-07-28T10:36:00.000-07:00

Ant invasion!! Twice yearly, the ants decide they prefer the comfort of my home to the summer heat or the winter cold. Bait doesn't work because they don't seem to be coming for dinner, only for the air conditioning. But today, I saw that the stream of ants was headed for a goal: a European History textbook!! They swarmed over the most difficult, more terse, driest European textbook that is available. Go figure. I wouldn't use this book for my students because it is minimally readable. Perhaps it is edible instead?

Many miles of walking.

2005-07-26T20:43:00.000-07:00

I finished my AP Bio reading. I also started reading the first quarter's assignments. The first chapter is junk, will start the kids on chapter 2 and just teach the one or two useful things from chap. 1 in class.

Also reading a required book on the Christian Philosophy of Education. Tough going. Philosophy is not my favorite reading material, but I am bound and determined I will not let this book beat me.

Did 5 loads of laundry today. Have to get all the chores caught up before church retreat and vacation.

On the wings of eagles.

Honest friends.

2005-07-24T21:19:00.000-07:00

Been thinking about a bunch of stuff. Seems like you solve one problem and more pop up to bite you.

I have some new pets: walking sticks. They eat rose leaves.

Am getting first aid and CPR training tomorrow, but none of my students had better ever need those skills. I really don't want to use them.

Just finished watching the first season of Stargate on DVD. Love it. I am such a sci fi nerd.

Only have 8 more pages to finish reading the AP Bio stuff. Since I read fast and know the material, I think I can read it about 4 times faster than the kids. I was surprised to find that the math behind Hamilton's kinship laws wasn't included. I will have to add that section in class.

Fresh-baked whole wheat bread.

2005-07-23T08:48:00.000-07:00

Long post alert.

Finished my training yesterday. Who knows? I might even have a life for awhile now. Nah...probably not, have to prep all the stuff needed for the school year. Actually it is Saturday, maybe I want to wait to deal with it when I report in on Monday morning.

Projects are going. I think I worked out the problems with entering the projects in the Science Fair, but the competition is much tougher than I expected. Perhaps some of my kids would rather do science symposium. I met the head of the science fair at a meeting. Very nice woman. I can definitely work with her.

Next summer I am scheduled to spend 6 weeks at the lab doing research. I love that place. It is just pure science, no students, no tests, no competition (at my level), no one cares how you look, they just care about how effectively you work and how good your ideas are. My kind of place. Feels like just short of heaven...well, there is the bureaucracy and the very stiff security rules which are burdensome. Guess I just have to look forward to the real heaven, smile.

I managed to get a solid chunk of the AP Biology book read. This year I have to read it with my students since it is a new book and I need to figure out what the book includes and leaves out and where my students are likely to get confused. I still need to make a couple of powerpoint lectures for the most visual material in AP Euro, especially the art sections. I suspect that demographics and agriculture would also be better done visually. I am grateful to have the projector.

I learned some new ways to teach writing and the thinking behind writing as well as how to help those students who have difficulty reading college level material. That ROCKS!!! I have students who I really wanted to help, but didn't have the tools to do the job until now.

I might even get some sleep this coming week. During the training I got quite sleep deprived. Next weekend is the church retreat, then off we go on our vacation to Montana and my husband's parents 50th wedding anniversary. Oh, still have to research places to stay on the way home...sigh...seems like there is always more to do.

I also have 5 books to read for my ACSI credential and a long paper to write. When exactly am I going to fit that into my workload? Oh well, it is summer, I will rejoice in the sunshine and the heat. Costco has cherries and blueberries in stock. God is good.

2005-07-12T21:07:00.000-07:00

Getting training at the Lab. Won't be on aim much, so if you want to contact me, use email.

Learning more than biotech.

2005-07-10T20:41:00.000-07:00

Biotech starts tomorrow at the crack of dawn. I get to do sequencing etc.

Part way through my 3rd Bourne book. Need more books. Go though them too fast.

Need to renew my magazine subscriptions.

God dwells in the praises of His people.

2005-07-09T00:18:00.000-07:00

Done with dentistry for awhile.

War of the Worlds tomorrow.

Solitaire.

2005-07-07T22:41:00.000-07:00

Spent the day sleeping. Am beginning to feel better though.

Tomorrow I actually have some things to do and places to go.

Amphipods.

2005-07-06T23:13:00.000-07:00

Ended up not going to school. Had to stay home and heal. But the good side is I got a lot of much needed sleep.

Watched the first episode of Lois and Clark. Started Bourne Supremacy.

Found the 2004 final exam for Chemistry. Man, that thing is hard. Did I teach all that?

Wrapped in His love.

2005-07-05T16:59:00.000-07:00

Got rocked. Could use prayer if anyone feels so inclined.

Tomorrow I go back to school. I think I have spent most of my life being either a student or a teacher.

Solitaire.

2005-07-04T23:20:00.000-07:00

Today was a BBQ. Was grateful no one commented on my shirt since it was red and I was with Cal people.

Almost finished Bourne Identity, the book, which I have discovered has NOTHING to do with the movie. But for once, I think both book and movie are good. Well, maybe the movie is better.

Going to start Biophotonics training on Wed. Still not as clear as I'd like on what biophotonics IS.

Tears may not be fun, but they are often healing. Raptor is sweet.

2005-07-03T23:03:00.000-07:00

Went to a wedding today. Wonderful people getting married. I enjoy weddings like this one.

Still tired, but got more than the normal amount of sleep the last two days. It helped.

Thinking of going to the Biophotonics I workshop in Fresno next week. Didn't even know what biophotonics WAS last week, so this is something of a revelation to me.

Trying to help those kids who are stuck on projects. GET AHOLD of me if you are stuck, please!! Use email if I am not online.

BBQ tomorrow with Agape. Happy 4th of July to you all.

Prayer is the foundation of life. I should pray more. Without Him, I am nothing.

2005-07-01T10:06:00.000-07:00

Did my last day of biotech 1 yesterday at Lawrence Livermore National Lab. My brain nearly exploded with the information I learned. We got to talk to a few of the people doing real cutting edge science instead of just how to use biotech stuff in the classroom. SO AMAZING!!!!

I am considering doing the biophotonics workshop next week. I didn't know what biophotonics WAS until yesterday. But they have a couple openings, so I am going to bite.

Need to meet with more kids about projects. I suspect quite a few of them are stuck at this point and need further direction. Contact me by IM tonight. I will be on.

I need to learn how to use Solid Phase Extraction to help my OTC team. Whew, teaching yourself lab is hard work. Also have a shot at getting a medium grant to help with the projects. This would help enormously. Anyone up for praying about this? EG: that I'd get it done, that they'd like it, that we'd be able to use the grant to really help some kids learn to do science that will help others. Yeah....

2005-06-30T06:11:00.000-07:00

Today will be the last day of Biotech I training. After I am done at the lab, I am going to come home and sleep for about two years.

The training has been fairly basic so far. I still need a LOT more practice at certain skills, but I did learn some new lab fixes. It is always good to know what you can do wrong and how to deal with that issue.

Time to jet off to the unknown.

2005-06-26T22:06:00.000-07:00

Joint Chinese-English service today. I managed to get a bloody nose from just breathing...and ended up sitting with the ushers in the back because I couldn't get back to my seat without disturbing the service.

Finished Shadow of the Giant. Was great. Now reading Freakonomics.

I get a DAY OFF tomorrow. Yay!!

I do have to pack for my training at CSS. I am looking forward to learning more biotech.

Starfury made me my favorite type of cookie. Big smile.

2005-06-25T21:35:00.000-07:00

Well, all but one of the projects has begun. At least everyone has something to read. I am pretty sure we need a more accurate assay for OTCs, but I am not sure where to obtain such a thing.

Next week, I will start my training and hopefully, get more sleep.

Got the latest in the Ender's Game series on Bean, Shadow of the Giant, but it is still in hardback. I only buy hardbacks if I think I will read that book many times. So far this one is exciting enough to meet that criteria.

Still thinking about CCS and what I am supposed to do with my life (at least as far as work is concerned). I heard a saying once: "It will be easy to make a buck, but hard to make a difference." I wish that making money and making a difference were not mutually exclusive. Professions where you can do both are very competative entry, eg medicine.

Tomorrow: must do food shoppping again.

2005-06-22T22:38:00.000-07:00

Cleaned house today. It looks worse than when I started cause stuff is out of the corners where it had been shoved. But I did get 7 bags of paper ready to recycle. Gracious, there is a lot of clutter to deal with!

Tomorrow, I cruise around the edges of the bay collecting water samples with students. In the afternoon, I have to face MORE cleaning house.

Raptor is coming home.

Sleep is a gift from God.

2005-06-21T10:21:00.000-07:00

Summer project list: (in no particular order)
1. An investgation of the fractal mathematics of glass shattering patterns.
2. A investigation of the flow of Over the counter drugs throught the San Francisco Bay Area ecosystem with a focus on bacteria, chlorella, and pond snails.
3. Manufacture of fractal anntennas using a nanomanufacturing device called a Laser-Guided Direct Writer.
4. Building sumobots (several people and teams)
5. Building a robot to do soil desalinization.
6. Building a handheld medical scanner to look at human passive radiation.
7. Building a home-hydrogen system using pond scum.
8. Building a off-grid model home using my house.
9. Still have several teams with no project....hmmmm....now what?

Now that I look at this list, I am certain that I am crazy. Also doing some discipleship stuff...fewer people are open to God than to science. It makes me kind of sad.

Looking forward to getting more biotech training next week. Starfury is neck-deep in chemistry. Pacman is writing me a sophisticated teacher webpage. Raptor is off working on his doctorate. I thought summers were supposed to be restful. Guess not.

2005-06-19T21:53:00.000-07:00

Mellow day. Church. Meeting with the church science team.

Got some sleep.

Had someone do something kind for me.

Peace may not be interesting to write about, but it is wonderful to experience.

2005-06-18T20:36:00.000-07:00

Yay! A real rest day!! I actually got to catch up on some sleep.

Finished reading Blink and the Tipping Point. I know that social psychology has had these insights for years, but the author makes them accessible and interesting. Usually social psych textbooks are not all that interesting. Well, I guess any textbook has that problem. I am especially aware of that since I need to read the new AP Bio book and the AP Chem book this summer. Note: AP Chem is for my own review. Science teachers have to keep studying to maintain their skills.

Re-read all the comments in my yearbook a couple times. I wonder if my students know how much that means to me or how often little things they say or do keep me going and trying.

So my summer looks like projects, sleep, reading, biotech and house-cleaning. The house-cleaning will be the most painful. I may do some tutoring in writing or science if I get an offer. Still not sure about that.

Prayer request: I have been under some pressure about my future plans. I will teach at CCS next year for sure. The 2007 and beyond school years, I am not sure. If God wants me to stay at CCS, I will stay. I need a couple things if that is going to happen. So would you pray that God would show me whether I am to stay at CCS or change careers into lab work? Thank you.

2005-06-17T22:38:00.000-07:00

A day of meetings about projects. At least the projects are getting organized and people are figuring out what to do.

So tired. Need to finally catch up on sleep. Tweeked my shoulder again. Hope it doesn't give me too much trouble over the weekend.

Sometimes we have to swim upstream.

2005-06-16T22:08:00.000-07:00

Dental appointment today. Glad she is kind, gentle and skilled. Made the experience much better.

Today was my first day of summer. I took a long nap in the afternoon.

Mentoring the projects is going to be....interesting. I hope I can do it.

Now more sleep.

Bye.

2005-06-14T21:05:00.000-07:00

I suspect it will take longer than a day to recover from this year, but it is a relief to have the grading done. I just have to check Bible grades cause there is apparently an error of some kind.

The day was full of metacognition and schema. No, I didn't know what those were until today either. I am just hoping that the training will help me help kids learn to read (at college level), write (at college level) and think (beyond the obvious). Apparently I will have some serious reading to do this summer.

The exhaustion of the school year has caught up with me. So tired I am actually dizzy.

So off to sleep.

2005-06-13T20:35:00.000-07:00

MY GRADING IS FINALLY DONE!!!

2005-06-02T20:36:00.000-07:00

Took a hiatus from blogging to try, valiantly and in vain, to catch up on my grading by the end of the year. I am back (should you care....).

So I intend to write a series of short posts to fill in those of you who thirst for information. Feel free to ignore these.

Grand Canyon: I got to go on the Grand Canyon trip with the CCS sophomore class. I may have missed some sleep, but it was well worth it for the views...and besides, I really like the kids.

First day: Arrived at Oakland airport before the crack of dawn after spending the night on the living room floor of Mrs. S. Her gracious husband blew up, with much effort, a double bed sized air mattress to make me comfortable. At the airport, I was assigned to be the chaparone directing the students from security up the escalator to the long, long walk to our terminal. Mathematically, the distance was the maximum that would fit within the borders of the airport. Luckily, my suitcase was checked, but I did rediscover how heavy water can be.

The flight to Las Vegas was uneventful. I found that I remembered the lay out of the airport, very helpful for finding useful locations like the ladies' room.

We loaded on the bus and took the long drive to Grand Canyon. The famous Grand Canyon hike was that first day. This year I got to hike, so I was grateful for my pre-trip training. I didn't really have any trouble hiking back out of the canyon. The views were mindboggling as usual, but I had to borrow pictures off silverbluebat because my camera spent the first day locked in the bowels of the bus.

The motel for that first night has faded into a blur. More coming tomorrow.

The lab books and study guides are DONE!!! I merely have an 18" stack of tests, essays and worksheets to plow my way through.

2005-05-15T19:48:00.000-07:00

Worked my way through about 6 inches of papers today. Wondergirl helped me add all the numbers for each graded paper. THANK YOU WONDERGIRL!!!

I packed for Grand Canyon. I hope I didn't forget anything important. Won't be home again 'till Sunday.

If you fall down, just get back up, brush yourself off and keep walking.

2005-05-14T20:48:00.000-07:00

Smartfrosh asked me to go to the track meet today. I enjoyed being there a lot more than I expected. It brought back many positive memories. I got a bit of a sore throat from yelling so loudly (and saying dumb things while I was at it), but definitely worth going. Wish I had gotten to go to the last soccer and volleyball games.

Almost ready for Grand Canyon. I want to study the plants more thoroughly this year. Last year's float trip guide made intriguing comments about the tree growth inside of the canyon. I will have to drag out my books about GC.

Too many bruises.

Been looking for a job, but all doors are closed. Seems like my Master's message is stay at CCS for now. I like the kids, really dislike the grading and am frustrated by my inability to communicate ideas. I just feel very sad about work.

iLearn has died. :(

2005-05-10T06:56:00.000-07:00

AP Exams are over, at least for my students. I never thought I'd say this, but I almost wish they weren't. Yesterday's sixth period ap bio was right after the exam, so I let the kids have a free period. Mistake. I know I can't trust that class. So about a third of them scattered across campus despite my very clear instructions to stay under the canopy or in room 16. A couple had so little self-control that they played soccor in the corridors banging the ball on the doors of classes in session. My sense of humor completely dissolved and my temper flared. Made me unhappy with myself. I rarely lose my temper, yet this entire year has been filled with anger. I remember the day it started. It was the Friday before the Science Bowl competition at Los Positas. Something inside me broke.

SOOO.....now I have to deal with a group of untrustworthy students who have no further coursework. AND...I am really reconsidering my career. I just don't want to deal with this kind of stupidity on top of a low salary and a crazy workload. Spitgirl mentioned a job yesterday that I might be qualified to do. Am intrigued. My apologies to the third of the 6th period ap bio class that deserves better, both for the excellence of your work and your trustworthiness.

In Euro, I get to do world views through movies. We are starting with a piece of Star Trek, then immediately moving on to the Matrix. I hope my students will cooperate. I know they won't do anything off-the-wall, but it is hard to justify nap time to admin. And I already know that repeated study halls are frowned upon.

2005-05-02T20:42:00.000-07:00

My Euro kids are overly nervous, but my efforts to review and calm them seem to be counterproductive. My fourth Euro class is much more stressed than any previous class. I am not sure why...some parents are asking for too much...but some is just the kids themselves. Oddly enough, this class is better prepared than ANY of my previous classes. They worked harder. I hope the nervousness doesn't make them freeze and forget what they know. Am open to any suggestions on how to help them.

My AP Bio kids are all veterans and know how to face an AP exam. Pass rate looks like 60-70% this year cause there are some who just plain never did their homework. But I REALLY tried to drill the information into their heads. Hopefully some of it stuck.

Teaching AP is miserable at this time of year. Thank goodness that one week from tonight, it will all be over.

Today brought me conundrums, small shocks and confusion. Tomorrow is looking better...right, Lord?

2005-05-01T20:01:00.000-07:00

Wrote another post that was lost in cyberspace. Maybe I am not supposed to blog or something.

Baptism today. Some of my kids chose to share their faith in front of the whole church. Very proud of G. And her mom didn't even come....sadness.
Had a parent thank me for helping his kid, but mentioned the rumors...more sadness. I was hoping that was over with. I have forgiven, deeply and genuinely, but it still has the power to make me sad.
However, my reputation is in God's hands anyway, for better or worse. I will trust Him.

2005-04-23T17:21:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking deeply about cheating. How does one define such a concept? Some pieces are obvious: getting test questions ahead of time surreptiously and bringing answers in through some sort of creative deception. I have seen answers written on the inside of water bottle labels, on arms or other body parts, on the table, the floor and on myriad bits of paper. I have heard of using cell phones, calculators and other high tech methods, but none of my students have tried that.

But once you go past the obvious, the definition of cheating gets fuzzy. When students study together and talk about answers, such that many answers are similar, is that cheating? It certainly seems so to those who have no study group. What about dividing up an assignment to reduce the workload? When does that become cheating? Study groups, at least based on the academic research, are one of the most effective means of mastering a subject. Students should not be penalized for using good methodology in their learning. However, if the intent of an assignment requires that all parts be done by each student, then dividing up the work could be considered cheating and certainly isn't in the student's best interests. Can we require students to recognize the intent of assignments? And what of those students who have no one to share the workload? Many of them are very angry about the "cheaters" who don't have to work as hard as they do.

Issues with parents complicate this. One of my students told me that he/she works with a parent who is an expert in a subject at school. How much help is okay? And when does it become cheating? That student has real integrity since one day when time ran out to complete an assignment, the parent actually did the homework. The student felt it was wrong, didn't turn in the work and took an "F" instead. Then the teacher got on the student about missing work. The student was trapped between the teacher and the parent. And that was depressing.

After talking with my AP Bio students, I discovered that some of the patterns in the scantrons were not a result of cheating, but of using identical sources of information. Several of my students goggled the questions and got identical answers. They worked much harder than those who just blew off the assignment and guessed or worse, put in a pattern to get some right while not even reading the questions. Was using the technology cheating? Was using the pattern? What about those who split the work and copied the answers of those with whom they split the work? (I DO consider the last group to have cheated).

Cultural issues add fire to the mix. Stressing grades so heavily puts students under a great deal of pressure. At some point, the pressure morphs into desparation and integrity melts in the heat. How much of the responsibility for the pressure should land on the shoulders of teachers, admin and parents? How much is it the result of 5000 years of history where success in school brought success to an entire family or clan? The research on prestigous colleges shows that by 10 years out of college, they no longer make any difference to a person's level of success. I have been reading "Cream of the Crop", a book about the Stanford class of 1981 which followed that class from 1978 to 1994. Very interesting....and revealing.

Yet all my soul searching and analysis has not lead me to any solid conclusions on how I should respond to my students. I surely wish I knew the path of wisdom in this area.

2005-04-18T20:47:00.000-07:00

Amazing how many blogs I write in my head, but never type into my machine.

Lately, I have spent time in the world of B-5. Have been rather sad of late, so the humor blesses me.

I have nothing nice to say about AP classes right now. No one can cover the AP Bio material. I read the teacher's listserve...and no one else can do it either. And a couple students' reaction has been dishonesty. Since I value honesty far higher than grades, this is a key source of my sadness. I really don't know what to do since I do not have material proof, only second-hand reports, some very odd grades and brief glimpses of rapidly hidden materials. I see the strange parallel patterns on scantrons too, but my statistical abilities are not up to the level of using that for proof either. Funny, I am about to teach how to do chi squared analysis.

At least my Euro kids are honest, doing badly, but honest. I can deal with them. And I am quite proud of some of their growth this year. They have actually learned something, probably despite me, but it makes me pleased none-the-less. They have a better shot at passing the AP exam than my dishonest AP Bio students.

He who sows the wind will reap the whirlwind.

2005-04-08T10:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's post vanished...sigh...

2005-04-06T18:52:00.000-07:00

Guess I am not going to SD. But that does give me a chance to run review sessions for both AP Euro and AP Bio. I am working hard trying to get a basic level of mastery of the material into my students' heads. That gives all of the them a decent chance at passing the exams. Then I just have to train them to take the test itself, both the multiple choice section and the essays. Yikes...so much left to do.

Sleeping goes not well. Wish the dreams would stop being so vivid. Being so tired makes teaching and life so much harder.

God is still God.

2005-04-04T22:14:00.000-07:00

My son was GREAT as the lead in his dorm musical. Very fun to watch him act. He covered so cleverly for an error of the other actor that I missed the mistake. He laughed about it afterwards. Very proud of him.

Spent a chunk of break visiting colleges with Starfury. I liked Santa Cruz, liked Santa Barbara, but think Calpoly is trying to keep too many people from applying. They greeted us with a stiff parking fee and a fifteen minute walk in the sun before they even said hi. At the end of the weekend I was tired enough to curl up in the back of Raptor's civic and sleep on the way home.

Now we begin the tough time, the last couple weeks before the AP exams. Wish the history fair in San Diego was at a different time. The timing is dreadful. But I am happy to get to go to SD finally. Perhaps I will finally get to see a couple of my UCSD and CSSD alums.

God is good. All the time.

2005-04-03T22:28:00.000-07:00

Back from SLO and Santa Barbara. Tired, but happy.

More later.

2005-03-28T22:15:00.000-08:00

Visited UCSC today and took a tour of the campus. With Spring Break, we were able to get away long enough to take starfury to visit colleges. Later in the week, we are headed for Calpoly and UCSB as well as Westmont.
Loved the redwoods at UCSC.

I wish the exhaustion would pass. I have gotten enough sleep the last couple days AND I have taken my vitamins. This reminds me of one rather tough period in my life when I started to measure exhaustion in stages: stage 1 meant possible to recover over a weekend, stage two meant it took several days longer, stage three meant incoherance and at least a week, stage 4 meant two weeks sleeping 15 hours a day to recover. Somehow, this feels like stage 3. I promised myself I would never again end up here...so what happened?

Watched the movie Troy. The violence in the movie matches the violence in the Iliad. Why do so many cultures select tragedies as their national epics? Chinese movies are mostly tragic too, even the ones with comedic elements. Did American Progressive Era movies pioneer the happy ending?

My projector came today. It is identical to the one I have been borrowing from the Wong's. Now I need to USE it to make my classes better. There is always more work that can be done for a teacher...without counting the endless grading. Being visionary can get you in trouble.

2005-03-27T21:33:00.000-08:00

Spring break has begun. I slept 16 hours the first night. Last night was limited to nine hours since I wanted to get up for Easter Sunday service, but when I came home I took a five hour nap. I am finally beginning to feel human again. The headache still bothers me, but most of the body aches are gone. Going back to school so soon after the flu was tough on my body.

Soon I will have to tackle that 18 inch stack of grading...sigh. Grades are due by Wednesday morning.

Later this week, Raptor and I head for SB to visit our son and celebrate our 26th wedding anniversary. Looking forward to the beauty of the coast.

I wonder what I will be teaching next year. Seems there is always a surprise in store. This year it was teaching regular biology. Actually I have rather enjoyed having a regular high school class without the crazy pressures of AP. It has been fun and I have enjoyed the kids in that class.

Well, time for more rest. Later.

2005-03-23T20:42:00.000-08:00

Bought a video projector today. Way cool. I want to show my class some movies...and watch episodes of old scifi TV at home.

More grading than I can do. So nothing new there. End of quarter coming. Trying to give my kids a break. They rather need one.

Hope I can get them really ready for the AP Exams. Those are coming so soon. Time is tight. So much pressure, at least as much on them as on me.

Will speak Good Friday at WOMT. Both looking forward to it and nervous about it. Sort of sorry to miss CFC Good Friday though. Just have to keep my foot out of my mouth.

Alums have been visiting. They bless and encourage me.

2005-03-21T21:49:00.000-08:00

Spent the entire day grading. Watched a little bit of B-5 first season.

That's all, folks.

2005-03-20T22:25:00.000-08:00

I am well enough to watch old scifi. I tried eating a bit more today. That was alright till I tried a sliver of cheese. Big mistake. My stomach rebelled.

I feel so weak. About all I do is sleep and worry about my kids. I feel really guilty for giving a test that has been on their assignment sheet all quarter. I added an unusual number of extra-credit questions, but I don't know if that will help anyone except those who'd do well anyway.

My sophs have complaining down to a fine art. Some of what they say really is valid. Sometimes teachers do level them with too much work, particularly at the end of a grading period. But I wonder what would happen if they ever spent time overseas and saw what dire educational pressure students in most Asian countries face. While I was there, I thought a lot about whether I would have survived in such a system, yet many of my students' parents did. So my kids are caught between cultural expectations. Not easy.

I hope I don't throw up again tonight.

2005-03-18T14:12:00.000-08:00

When I drive into Berkeley, I see signs that say "Nuclear-free zone". I could post such a sign on my forehead, but it would say "energy-free zone". I can't even walk into the kitchen without taking a rest afterward.

My dreadful half flat 7-up, half water concoction is the only thing my stomach will accept so far. I did try two saltine crackers, but the verdict is out on them. Neither straight water nor straight 7-up is viable.

Wish our TV worked as a TV. I would really enjoy lying on the couch watching some of March madness. Most frustrating is that my alma mater is playing tonight and I will have to listen on the radio. Sigh.... But UOP made the round of 32. Congrats to them.

Okay, used up that momentary bit of energy. Back to bed I go. I don't even have the energy to read, so it is quite boring, just lying there fading in and out of sleep.

Gaining new empathy for those who have chronic illnesses.

2005-03-17T22:03:00.000-08:00

Managed to get a "flu" virus or equivalent. Very inconvenient timing, but I will be happy to get extra sleep tomorrow.

May the day go well with the substitutes.

2005-03-15T20:50:00.000-08:00

Star Trek brings me joy when life brings challenges.

Time escapes me. Grading is rather overwhelming.

Sigh....

2005-03-14T21:17:00.000-08:00

I need to figure out what to do with my students during lab. I am concerned. The behavior baffles me...they think it is no big deal, but to me, actions that can break valuable equipment or which disturb the class during lab ARE a problem. Sigh....being a teacher has its downside.

Watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Interesting.

Working really hard to catch up grading. I suspect I am doomed. The end of the quarter cometh too quickly for me to cut a stack that size down to nothing.

The new Nature Valley bars are tasty. But anything gets old with a Costco-size box.

History fair set-up is tomorrow. Wonder how that will be. So glad Mrs S. is in charge instead of me.

"Service helps orient you and it helps you grow because you get a better idea of what the world around you is like. . . I think the apathy a lot of young people are feeling has to do with finding meaning in their lives."
- Actress Natalie Portman, Seventeen, September 2004, p. 188

2005-03-13T22:23:00.000-08:00

Giant sweet strawberries, oyster sauce chicken wings, salad with cranberries and nuts...good food day.

Almost finished grading zap week euro essays, but the remaining stack of other grading is frightening. With the end of the quarter rapidly approaching, I am getting concerned...no, scared about getting it done.

The formal was beautiful. The students were gorgeous in their silk and sequins, suits and satins. The professional magazine photographers missed out on their big opportunity, heh.

Held pacman's 20th birthday party yesterday. Good to have him home for spring break.

Hope I can get my car stereo fixed soon. Silence is better experienced sitting in the sunshine amidst nature than packed in a small car in nasty traffic. But the weather has been splendid.

Walk humbly with your God.

2005-03-12T22:14:00.000-08:00

Remember those cartoons where the day after the warranty on a product ends, the product develops instant cracks and crumbles into a mound of jagged pieces? My recent experience with technology and home maintenance fit that picture.

The front left burner on the stove is no longer talking to the on/off knob. A burner isn't much use if it can't be turned on. I suppose that is better than one which cannot be turned off.

The power supply on my laptop got a frayed cord and decided to spit sparks on the rug. I ripped it out of the electric socket to stop a fire. Took longer to stop my pounding heart. Raptor ordered another that night, but I endured two days of withdrawal from my computer addiction before it came. 'Nuff said.

Our drains went on strike, so we showered in ankle deep cold water. Only after repeated plungings over several days was this solved, simply because the cap came unscrewed and I could remove the grotty hair clog. Having long hair and fast drains seems to be mutually exclusive.

Raptor mowed the lawn and discovered a three foot deep sink hole in our backyard which has now half-swallowed a deck chair. I must learn to post photos. That has to be seen to be believed.

Lastly, just for fun, the stereo in my car stopped changing disks and is stuck on disk four. While I like that music, my commute is too long for so few songs. Silence may be golden, but I prefer Christian music to sail me down those miles of highway. Spent 8 hours this week sitting in the dealership trying to get it fixed. Now I am waiting for a part. One could ask how long it would take them to screw in a light bulb, but that might be cruel.

Take care and God bless you.

2005-02-28T22:09:00.000-08:00

Tried to learn how to judge a history fair. HARD!!!

Got home a little late, then had to go to Costco cause we were out of food. So dinner was relatively late.

Read the history papers. One was really good. It was about African American music.

Now the exhaustion has caught up with me.

Knowing I lov’d my books, he furnish’d meFrom mine own library with volumes thatI prize above my dukedom.
The Tempest. Act i. Sc. 2.

2005-02-27T20:32:00.000-08:00

Managed to rest a lot and eat dinner. Ibuprofen is keeping my head from throbbing too much. Unless I feel impossibly wiped in the morning, I will try to make school. After all, those pigs need to be dissected. For that, I sincerely hope my stomach holds out.

Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are even incapable of forming such opinions.
Albert Einstein

To punish me for my contempt for authority, fate made me an authority myself.
Albert Einstein

I can relate to the second quote.

2005-02-27T10:54:00.000-08:00

Woke this morning to find myself glued to my bed. Whatever illness I have managed to contract from my son seems to include extreme lethargy, an excruciating headache and the disappearance of any attraction for food. As I rarely get headaches, having my head feel somewhat oversized and pounding with pain is novel, but has the advantage of giving me new empathy for migraine sufferers.

Oh dear, I still have to grade today. Though if I feel like this tomorrow, my students are just going to have to do without me. I took two extended naps yesterday trying to fight this annoying illness off without success. Today looks like it may turn into a single extended nap. During my brief lucid moments yesterday, I discovered that as long as I don't move my head, I can think and therefore pray, so I put in some time praying for others who are currently ill. Somehow the concept of illness was on my mind...yeah.

I really need the concept of grading to be on my mind. However, I suspect grading without being able to move my head may prove challenging. How does one pick up the next paper?

Later, I feel a nap calling me.

2005-02-26T21:01:00.000-08:00

Spent today cleaning my house, helping my son get his work done and resting. I guess I had a fair amount of residual exhaustion from the retreat and from the emotional drain of the last couple weeks of work.

Tomorrow I will have to hit the grading. But perhaps from my son I seem to have aquired a low-grade chest infection. Drinking lots of fluids and sleeping has helped.

Nothing else to say...all the inspiration of earlier in the day has vanished.

HE is great.

2005-02-25T00:10:00.000-08:00

Sigh...I feel bad for those students who got behind...this week has been terrible for them. I handed out an extra essay to the whole class on their behalf. That definitely got their attention. I don't think I will have to do that again or at least I sincerely hope not. Doing 4 weeks work in three days really zapped those kids. It really does make me feel bad, but I couldn't allow other students to be hurt by their neglegence...and with the project coming up, they would have hurt others. Very sad time for me.....

Grading is going a little better...bio is almost caught up, but Bible and Euro are way behind. Grrr....I have to find a way.

Starfury is sick and I am borderline. Must stay on my feet somehow. Can't afford to go down at this time of year.

God is gracious no matter our circumstances.

2005-02-23T20:27:00.000-08:00

Daphnia lab tomorrow. We will capture the daphnia between two convex slides, then measure its heartbeat at a series of temperatures. Counting the heartbeats is quite tricky. We will have a lot of error and very likely a fairly large number of dead daphnia.

Watched two Star Trek original series. Chekov has just joined the crew. Should have done more grading.

Am pretty discouraged about teaching at the moment. Nothing I do seems to get through to my bio kids. So I have had to be draconian. That stinks. We still have a ton of lab to finish somehow, along with the comparative anatomy project and the material on plants and on evolution. Need grace.

Finished grading the worms, the clams and the starfish...onto the crayfish and the perch!! Some of the students turned in studio grade art work. Quite amazing.

May He bless you.

2005-02-22T20:14:00.000-08:00

Back from Winter Retreat. Got sleep, got to spend lots of time in worship. Gave a seminar on Human Genetics and Evolution: Why Human Genetics shows that evolution can't be true. Got to talk to a couple people about God. All in all a very happy time.

Now back to the grind. I MUST catch up my grading. Sigh....gazing a pictures of dissected small animals is really not that bad. Now grading essays...that's bad.

Read a little of Darwin's Black Box. Amazing book. I had forgotten how good it was.

My back is really sore. I am SO happy I get to see Doc tomorrow. Just have to make it through one more night and one more school day.

Still trying to catch up on chores. Wish I had another three day weekend, but I am glad to have spent President's Day weekend up near Santa Cruz in the beauty of the redwoods. For a fallen world, it sure is beautiful.

2005-02-17T20:24:00.000-08:00

Been reading Jared Diamond's Collapse. Non-fiction can be WAY scarier than fiction.

Watched Star Trek, The City on the Edge of Forever. Still as good as when I first saw it years ago.

Retreat weekend is coming. Hope it turns out better this year for me. Happy Spiritual birthday to my brothers.

Getting some grading caught up, but am SOOOOO tired. Sleep becomes central when you get deprived enough. See Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

Interesting thought given what I hear from the kids: "[High school] can be brutal because of the cliques and the way kids treat each other. But stick it out - it gets better. Things that seem like they mean the world at the moment, you'll look back on and realize weren't that important."
- Actor Ben Stiller, Teen People, April 2004, p. 70

2005-02-16T12:05:00.000-08:00

I found this on a student blog and thought it was quite funny. I have the student's permission to share it with you. I edited it slightly to preserve privacy etc.

Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Watching anime is kool. What was the purpose in replacing the c in that last sentence with a k? *thinks about it* Oh I see now. The purpose was to take less time typing it because apparently kool has fewer letters than cool. A few of my classmates a while ago were discussing things like that and it caught my attention because it was pretty funny. haha then they tried to compile a list of words that people purposely misspelled so it would look ''cool'' like the word kow looks hecka cooler than cow.

Is it supposed to look cool?

WOOO!!!111one!!1 so den lyk todai we had sum homework 2 do (This is kind of exaggerated, but it's how the typical, half literate, online teen types)...

When I think about, I guess those abbreviations are pretty cool because it shows the world my inability to express coherent thoughts. I must type like an idiot because i dunt wanna be a dork. lolzz!!!11!

Is it supposed to take less time to type? It sure doesn't seem like it and I speak from experience.

Person A: lol
Newbie: what?
Person a: Laugh out loud.
Newbie: Oh..
Person A: gtg
Newbie: uhh..sorry I'm unfamiliar with all this online lingo crazy teenagers are coming up with nowadays.

If more people decided to take a few extra seconds to type:
Person A: haha
Newbie: =)
Person A: ok bye
Newbie: bye

That was quick and efficient.

Going back to that thing about taking less time to type.. What's the hurry? People like me generally spend 3+ hours (weekends) wasting their life on the internet downloading music, obsessing over electronica or Jrockers until their heads hurt, gaming, etc. If you're gonna sit and stare into the computer monitor all day, would it hurt to take a few minutes out of your precious online time to type properly? Sadly, that's too much to ask for nowadays.

So I don't see the purpose of abbreviating every other word online. On the internet, sometimes people write 'me' as 'meh'. WHAT THE HECK IS MEH? IT'S ME, DANG IT! WERE YOU GOOFING OFF DURING GRADE SCHOOL WHEN THE TEACHER WAS TEACHING HOW TO SPELL ME?! ARGH. First, typing 'meh' does not take less time. Second, it looks stupid. Third, don't make up words like that because like I previously mentioned, it makes you look stupid and whoever types me as meh, I care about you because I don't want you to look stupid. =D

What do you think?

2005-02-15T10:47:00.000-08:00

Dissection labs put me under so much pressure. My poor students have to draw and dissect their animals without enough time, then clean up in a room with only one sink at elementary school height. So we invade the restroom frightening the actual elementary schoolers who venture in. Such a comedy of errors.

Been thinking more about music. I like country, Christian pop, European techno, Dvorak, Tchaikovsky and Pachabel, but not Bach, or opera (except the Magic Flute and some of the Marriage of Figaro). I guess that makes me a musical pagan. My husband loves Bach which may explain why I am rather tired of baroque concertos. On the other hand, I like deep worship songs and old hymns. The Old Rugged Cross, Nothing but the Blood, the second and third verses of Hark, the Herald Angels Sing and the Church's One Foundation are favorites. I like many ballads, but songs that have excessively repetitive lyrics leave me cold. Civil war music is cool, but the music from the War of Independence is too out there for my time and culture. Who knew that the Puritans sang drinking songs?

Hi, ho, hi, ho, off to lab I go....

2005-02-13T20:43:00.000-08:00

Rest day...at least somewhat. That afternoon nap was restoring.

Grading labs is different than grading essays. Some of my students could thrive in art school. The dissection drawing vary from crude but labeled to three-dimensional with shading realistic. The diagrams in the textbook aren't that good.

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2005-02-12T20:02:00.000-08:00

CCS open house. Set up everything yesterday. The cleaning took me about 6 hours, but the displays were easy to put up and easy to take down. Apparently no one had cleaned the overhead projector stand since the Mayflower sailed. Jeepers, the dirt was crusted on.

As per usual, I had very little to do on open house. Parents of AP students no longer attend these events. I did enjoy the marching units performance. Some of those kids can play so MANY differenct instruments! The drill team was sharp too. My fetal pig display drew more interest than anything else in my room. Oh well...

The guys' basketball team is so FAST. Whew!! Bentley played a little rough and had trouble with anger management, but I was pleased to see our guys maintain their sportsmanship anyway.

Been realizing that the outreach I have been doing takes a lot out of me. And too often I question every part of it, getting rather harshly on my own case. Need to trust my Master and leave everything in His almighty hands. He can handle it if I mess up once in awhile. Good thing, cause I really do mess up either in timing or method or whatever. I have to remember that people turned Him down too.
But I will never understand why.
He offers eternal life and forgiveness with grace, but people want to do it THEIR way no matter what. Sigh...

2005-02-11T21:38:00.000-08:00

I have discovered some people think I am sort of strange...boy, are they wrong! Listen to how really strange I can be.
Hey, I listen to country music, love Taiwanese and Thai food. I enjoy hot showers indoors and rain showers outdoors. Star Trek, Bablylon 5, old TV shows and Alias are my off-duty past times. Curling up under a warm quilt is the best way to take a nap and spend a weekend afternoon. Country breakfasts and German food are tantalizing. I read the Economist, Wired and Scientific American and heaps of science and history books. My housekeeping skills are rotten. I too often neglect going to the gym. Stress is my middle name. Van Gogh is my favorite artist. I can stare at his work for hours. I will crazily follow God anywhere anytime doing anything.

Yeah, I am indeed somewhat strange. But I am God's kid. That is enough. I am satisfied...no, absolutely amazed that He wanted me. The universe is full of mysteries.

2005-02-08T19:47:00.000-08:00

The stomach flu is going around school. I hope the butterflies in my stomach don't mean I have it. After today's starfish dissections, I could not face salmon for dinner. In fact, I couldn't eat dinner at all.

I have managed to organize my grading into packets. Now I face the hurdle of getting the actual grading done. Pole vaulting skills might come in handy to get over this one.

Managed to get to Costco and shop, hence we had dinner tonight. I got some laundry done too. Maybe I will have something other than darks to wear later this week, not that my wardrobe has any variety at all anyway. I just don't have the energy to put into my appearance. I put out so much in other ways. While that isn't often understood, it is central to how I am made.

Definition of exhaustion: too tired to watch TV.

2005-02-07T21:21:00.000-08:00

45 minutes is TOO short a time to run a full dissection lab...grrr. I am running around like crazy getting the lab set out and then trying to teach the concepts. Clean up is taking way too long, but with our facilities it is quite a challenge to get it done. My thumb is sore from opening all those clams today. Thanks to B. Fong for opening the last 25 clams. The first 50 gave me a very red thumb.

Thank God for Mrs. L. Lee and Mrs. J. Wong. Wouldn't survive without them. But my grading is behind again...oops. Sigh...seems like I always get myself buried somehow.

The weather has turned warmer. I learned that room 16 has a defective thermostat which is why the room is always roasting hot. The school district has to fix it because it is a special pressure thermostat which no one with special tools and training can change. Really dumb design. No one can change the temperature to suit the weather.

Teaching Bible is HARD!!! Need His grace.

2005-02-06T22:11:00.000-08:00

I heard that one of my students won the pagent last night. Guess I should have stayed longer. It would have been fun to see her crowned. Tomorrow I see her in uniform. That isn't quite the same.

Missed the Super Bowl cause our TV isn't working, but got a great nap out of the deal. Quiet restores me.

Watched and enjoyed Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. I am not sure if I like that kind of surreal background though.

God did some awesome things today. Yet that is normal for Him. Only He can make the awesome the norm. What an amazing God we have! May He bless you...

2005-02-05T22:27:00.000-08:00

Went to the Little Saigon Beauty Pagent and Tet (Vietnamese New Year) Celebration. I know zilch about Vietnamese culture, but was quite impressed with the event (two of my students were in the pagent and GORGEOUS!) and the performances. Vietnamese dragon dancing is somewhat different from the Chinese dragon dancing with which I am familiar. I wish I could learn more...Asian cultures have such history and depth. They are often a little tough on women though.

Science bowl was stressful. I knew most of the answers, so I buried my head in my Economist magazine so no one could see me squirm. Our A team missed play-offs by one point. Our B team won 2 and tied one (with some painful contraversy), but overall that was a terrific effort.

One of my two closest friends from college is having cancer surgery this week. We are getting older. I am praying for her, but it feels so strange to known someone so brilliant, vivacious, beautiful and deeply Christian facing this. Yet she is handling it with such grace. May God be with her throughout.

"I am a flower quickly fading, here today and gone tomorrow, a wave lost in the ocean, a vapor in the wind..."

2005-02-03T19:03:00.000-08:00

So glad the weekend is coming...I really need sleep.

If you read this blog, here is a bad poetry alert.

Old Maps
"Here there be dragons" rings the wrinkled edge of the map.
Now we pretend we know the truth out past the old borders,
Yet our lives are ringed with dragons.
Electricity lets us stay up till we are wretched with exhaustion.
Cars extend our commute for hours risking life and limb for nothing.
With cell phones, there is no escape into silence, no way to be alone.
The forests die from fire and disease, leaving us with no shade.
The cities are sqeezed full of skyscrapers of stress.
Personally, I would prefer the dragons.

Don't get me started on issues of education....
Here's a scary thought from Alias:
"None of us completely outgrow who we were when we were teenagers."
- Actress Jennifer Garner (Alias TV show), YM, May 2004, p. 65

And who are you?

Good thing God can change us, otherwise the future might look fairly bleak.

2005-02-02T19:51:00.000-08:00

We did lab 4 today...it is amazing how many things can go wrong in one lab! Dropped chemicals, dropped cuvettes, failure to cover the cuvette that had to stay in the dark, cuvettes of the wrong size...good grief. Unprepared high school students have loads of trouble with a college-level lab. But I do think that they got something of an introduction to the use of a spectrophotometer.

The Rocks Above the Freeway.

Peace sits in the sunshine among the rocks
While the cars below tangle in in frustrated knots
Oh for a day spent warm in the sun surrounded by
the yellow blooms of wild mustard
Letting the stresses of school sink into the soil
Wish it were possible...
My soul could use the rest and healing.

I hope I can fly south to San Diego soon. I want to see everyone down there. Besides even if I don't get that much sleep, it will be a rest for my soul.

My soul is sad for my friend who will be leaving. May she be blessed in the next stage of her journey.

2005-02-01T19:45:00.000-08:00

I am back...at least for a while. I am still trying to decide what to do with this blog.

Today was a most peculiar day which started far too early (3:00 am). Makes me tired when that sort of stuff happens.

This month's Scientific American had an article on memory which validated the work we did on the Mandarin program last summer. Yay.

Prayer request: that I could do a good job explaining the basics of the Christian faith to my new Bible class.

"The truth leaves a repairable cut, but a lie leaves a jagged wound. It doesn't easily heal."
- Will Smith quoted in the September 2003 issue of CosmoGirl, p. 135.

Surprise. Will Smith knows some Biblical truth. See Proverbs 27:5-6

2005-01-18T17:39:00.000-08:00

I think I am going to take a break from blogging for awhile. I really don't have anything to say that can be put into this format. Too much needs to be kept private.

God bless you one and all.

2005-01-14T10:36:00.000-08:00

End of the semester is bad for students...they get too much work. End of the semester feels fatal for teachers. It took me 3.5 hours to write my AP Bio test last night. My back hurts from the awkward position I sat in while I typed. NEED TO GO TO THE GYM!!

To be healthy, drink enough water.

2005-01-13T18:59:00.000-08:00

Tests. Today I copied off the finals for both AP Bio and AP Euro. Sigh...I don't like testing. It seems to be a necessary evil. Still have to work on writing the regular bio final and tomorrow's multiple choice test for AP Bio.

Wish I weren't so tired. New record today..got stuck in a traffic due to an accident both on the way to work and on the way home. Glad neither was a serious injury or a fatality.

And He is still sovereign.

2005-01-10T20:47:00.000-08:00

Down to the last lap in grading...just a couple more inches of mostly AP Euro essays and AP Bio quizzes. Those are the most difficult things to grade.

Need to get some sleep. Enjoying my daily dose of Alias.

May He be with you.

2005-01-09T21:49:00.000-08:00

Some of the hardest spiritual work that we can do is forgiveness. I don't know why, but although I have been forgiven of terrible things and forgiven others of terrible things, I am having a really hard time forgiving betrayal right now. More time on my knees is needed, I guess, though I have spent a long time on my knees already. Master, I need your help. How did You forgive betrayal? Please grant me that grace.

My grading stack is down to a mere six inches, but that six inches is mostly essays and quizzes which are tough to grade. Semester will end soon, must keep at it.

The chores got done...the laundry is clean, the living room vacuumed, the family room mildly less cluttered. It looks better. But if I can have cleanliness or godliness, I will take godliness every time.