I’ve learned that I want what I want…and I want a tattoo.

And I want one that you can see without ducking into a dressing room with me. But I’m hesitant because of the stigma attached to body art. I am female. I am a public educator. I will earn a doctorate within the next several years if things go as I’ve planned. Location is a factor. As for design: I have really strong beliefs, several hobbies, and lots of causes that I support. Suffice it to say that I don’t lack ideas.

Anyway, my question: Tattoos..taboo? (If you answer, please explain in as much detail as possible–either way.)

 

I’ve learned that I’m a big fan of awareness.

Found this blog that is pretty interesting. The writer here talks a lot about being productive, training your brain to run a healthy behavior “tape,” etc., etc. Anyway, it’s pretty interesting for its discussions and  explanations of emotions, language, and behavior, among other things. The blog is Chris Crouch’s Blog (not a very imaginitive title, but not worries). Here’s a little blurb on awareness, one of my favorite things. I’m a big believer in the idea that mental health increases exponentially with every pinch of awareness.

“Awareness - You must be aware of the fact that a tape has been activated, is controlling your behavior and is taking you in a direction that is not in your best interest. Here are a few clues that indicate a counterproductive behavioral tape has been activated: You publicly say yes to something but privately would prefer to say no, you publicly say no to something but privately would prefer to say yes, you overreact to a minor or insignificant event, you can’t seem to get closure on an important event, you sense unexplained frustration, restlessness, anger, sadness or fear…in general, something about the situation just doesn’t feel right to you. “

P.S. I always tell my students that Psychology is the class that I’ve used the most in  my practical life. It helps to know what’s going on beneath the surface, I think.

I’ve learned that teaching, as a profession, is dis-articulating…but what are the implications of such a move?

So, I’m reading a book for graduate school called Multimodal Discourse,  and the book makes an interesting point about the dis-articulation of such professions as teaching: simply, that teaching is moving from a multimodal practice in which teachers design and implement curriculum, to a monomodal practice in which separate specialists create, design, and implement curriculum. Formerly (i.e. prior to curriculum design specialists getting a hold of our curriculum), teachers both designed and implemented their own curriculum. Teachers created freely, the way I prefer to do it. Now, though, more and more districts are dis-articulating, that is, moving towards a more mainstreamed curriculum, one that is prescribed for all teachers; the teachers implement the curriculum rather than create and implement the curriculum.

My question is this: Are we moving backwards as a profession? Why are teachers being disallowed to create curriculum? State tests maybe? Accountability? Competition? A need for a common knowledge base?

I think that a happy medium can be found in having teachers partner with curriculum specialists and district managers so that no curriculum is ever created without classroom practice and a real working knowledge of students taken into account. To dis-articulate without continuing to take the teachers’ knowlege and experiences into account seems counterproductive.

Of course I can see the value in a core curriculum, but let’s not forget the students and their practical education, okay?

Hands off my hypertext (3.0)!

In the last chapter of his book, Hypertext 3.0, Landow quotes a testimony that was given before a congressional committee regarding the protection of intellectual property. In his testimony, Steven W. Gilbert said, “‘It may soon be technically possible for any student, teacher, or researcher to heave immediate electronic access from any location to retrieve and manipulate the full text (including pictures) of any book, sound recording, or computer program ever published–and more.’”

For a public educator in such a disgustingly litigious society, the notion of anyone manipulating anything that I write, post, etc. (let’s not even get into the whole picture thing–scary!!!) is a absolutely horrifying! Along with manipulation of  my carefully crafted words and censored pictures could quite possibly come the loss of my job, ruination of my personal and professional reputations…heck, even legal and criminal implications.

So, although I can certainly appreciate all that Landow says about the enrichment of texts (He uses Milton’s Paradise Lost as an example of a text that could be made more accessible and meaningful through hyperlinked notes, etc.), I am truly in fear of the concept of somebody altering my hypertext, or any of my text for that matter. YIKES! Paranoid much?

That’s it…I’m taking the plunge.

As a public educator, I am so stinking afraid of having a blog without monitoring posts. Well, not any more. Okay, that’s a lie, but I’m going to rearrange my controls so that the people of the world are more likely to post. Wish me luck! I’m feeling rather silly talking to myself this whole time. Are put off by my security controls? Let me find out… Here’s to electronic experimentation!

On exhaustion…or, on being proud.

Okay, so I’m exhausted. I haven’t slept more than four hours a night for several days, I’m teaching full-time, coaching cheerleading, writing my thesis, freelancing (well, trying), keeping house, searching for a job, preparing to sell my house, and taking another graduate course. Eating, breathing and sleeping are all luxuries.

And, yet, when I put my head on the pillow at night, I can’t help but to be proud of all that I’m doing and the extent to which I’m keeping all of the balls in the air (a juggling metaphor, of course). I like being busy, but I love that I CAN do it all and I AM doing it all–not that I have much of a choice? I love that I have yet to completely lose my mind and that I am taking this all in stride. I love that a Neil Diamond song can still make me smile (crazy, I know) when I’m catatonic and that I can manage to say nice things to my husband when he wakes me up with a phonecall late at night. I love that when people ask me “What’s up?” I still answer with the words “All good things!” and generally mean it. And I love that, no matter how crazy things get, I am still sane and lucid enough to know when to say when…to give myself permission to simply collapse…like right now. Good night.

The Job Search

I’ve officially begun my job search with an online application to a place called Spotsylvania School District in Northern Virginia. My husband and I are relocating to Virginia within months–actually, he’s already there living on our boat during the week. I’ll be hitting the job market pretty hard, all the while writing my thesis, working on WEC courswork, selling our home, house shopping, and, of course, teaching my high school students. I should be worried, stressed, anxiety ridden, but I think I will step up instead of freaking out–the new me (Post-Combat Mils) chooses to address the bull by his horns rather than rock a fetal position in a dark corner. IT’S GO TIME!

But I digress. What I’m really trying to ask is, Does anybody have public or higher education connections in Northern Virginia?

Oh, and by the way: EDUCATION ROCKS! Filling out job applications is breezy with a beefy education. So, when you’re feeling bogged down and stressed out by coursework, remember our education is what enables us to write our own tickets. Go us!