Note to Monkeytot
Posted By Christina M on January 28, 2013
1. There is no such thing as a “sugar sandwich.”
2. If there were, it would not be a breakfast food.
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10 Things I Want My Kids to Know
Posted By Christina M on November 30, 2012
1. “Skip a few” is not a counting number.
2. Don’t hold the cat’s hind legs in the air while he eats.
3. Change your socks before someone comments on the odor..
4. Cats don’t like to wear hats.
5. It’s difficult to be accidentally rude when calling an adult “sir” or “ma’am.”
6. Cats don’t wear leashes, especially homemade leashes.
7. People don’t actually like it when you say mean things to them. They might get mad.
8. Cats do not play “hide and seek.” If he’s hiding, he probably does not want to be found.
9. Brushing your teeth makes you more popular.
10. You are not a blanket, and even if you were, cats don’t use blankets.
How to Treat a Democrat’s “Lady” Parts.
Posted By Christina M on November 7, 2012
I’d love to point you to this article at Egregious Twaddle, about this article at HuffPo, and just say “Enough said,” but I can’t help myself.
The comment box says things like “I woke up this morning and didn’t find a republican in my vagina.” I take it not having a republican in her vagina is a good thing. The comment brigade seems quite happy, though, that they will have four more years of our money being placed there. My real question is what services will be provided in exchange for money in their g-strings. I know the standard service is an intimate dance; but since I’m not interested in that, may I have house cleaning service instead?
Also, do they provide their own pole, or do we have to pay for that, too?
2 Things about marriage
Posted By Christina M on October 15, 2012
1. A strong marriage requires sharing of values.
2. A happy marriage requires that each person consider him or herself responsible for the other one’s happiness.
Where do “interests” come in? Wherever you wish, so long as they don’t interfere with 1 and 2. A married person should never take on an “interest” that actively excludes the other person, because values and caring are always more important than interests. A relationship built around shared interests has a shaky foundation, but a relationship where outside interests supersede interest in one’s spouse has a splintered and painful foundation. Fortunately, a splintered foundation is reparable.
Not so devastating
Posted By Christina M on June 3, 2012
Several times in the past year or two I have read or heard someone talk about the “devastating” news that their child had autism. You know what? That kind of talk makes me mad. I mean, really mad.
Don’t get me wrong: I’m not entirely unsympathetic toward parents who face a difficult road. Having special needs kids myself, I know how rough it can be. If I were in the hospital after giving birth and learned that my newborn that I’d eagerly awaited had a condition that would limit his or her life, I would feel a lot of conflicting feelings. And yes, maybe one of them would be devastated. But autism is different.
You see, babies aren’t diagnosed with autism. By the time your child is diagnosed, you already know him. You have already had a chance to grow to love him. And putting a word, a name, a diagnosis, to the way he is doesn’t change a darn thing about what you already observed in him. It doesn’t mean that the child you thought was going to be easy will suddenly be hard. It doesn’t mean that the child you communicated with will suddenly stop communicating. It simply means that the kid you already knew you had is the kid you have, and that the reasons for the way he is have a name.
Are you going to suddenly stop loving him because of a diagnosis?
If anything, a diagnosis should be a relief. He isn’t throwing fits because he’s undisciplined; it’s sensory issues, or frustration over not being able to communicate. He isn’t making noises to mock you, he is expressing a tic. And he isn’t difficult because he is hopeless; rather, because you now have a name for his condition, you now have hope for help. You can now begin learning what his special needs are, so that you can meet them.
In this society of designer genes, I think some people think there is something shameful in having a child who has some imperfection. But the reality is that God doesn’t give us what we can’t handle, and if you have a child with a special need, God is expressing his incredible trust in you by giving you this unique and blessed calling. Besides, there is no such thing as a perfect child. At least, not by the designer standard. If those who don’t “meet up” to such high expectations are a disappointment, a mistake, maybe you should ask yourself if you are, yourself, a mistake. Because you aren’t “perfect” either.
And that’s a good thing. We have a God who designed us the way we are, so that He could show His love for us. A God who died for us, even while knowing our flaws. If He can die for each of us, even while knowing that some will reject the gift, I think we can love our own children, surprises and all, without demanding or expecting superficial perfection.
Things I Don’t Understand
Posted By Christina M on November 22, 2011
- If people are outraged about CEO salaries, why did they not protest in the streets when Obama, after promising an economic stimulus package, gave all the money to CEOs?
- We have a man in the white house who makes fun of learning-disabled people. He is comfortable with the killing and disposal of inconvenient people, including the ill, the elderly, and the unwanted newborn. His wife makes fun of fat people. Yet President Obama is considered a symbol of Tolerance.
- Following on that, people continue to look to President Obama and his party (which is, to be fair, quite tolerant of the Obamas and their bigotries) to cure inequalities. They continue to trust that in the name of all that is good, kind, and fair, the Obamas will bring about a new era of Tolerance.
- Euthanasia, the movement to eliminate the costly or inconvenient, is lauded as an act of love, mercy, and Tolerance.
- Republicans, who oppose targeting groups for extinction, are called Intolerant and labeled Bigots.
“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” (The Princess Bride)
A little awkward note
Posted By Christina M on November 9, 2011
When I was student teaching early in the year, I ran out of time. Between teaching, and the associated homework for my teaching program, and the classes on the side, there was scarcely time to hug my kids or wash the dishes, let alone blog. After I finished my master’s program, I didn’t feel like there was much to say: no job yet, a messy house in need of repair, and a looooong wait for the pieces of paper that proved I was qualified. By the time I had the time and motive, I was a little embarrassed to come back to blogging. That, and I had sort of lost my sense of direction. I no longer felt like I was entirely the same person. So, embarrassed, I stayed away.
In some ways I really do feel like a different person, with different motivations, and different direction. My faith struggled for a while, but it’s healed now. When I started this blog, I was a person who knew I was never going to be able to achieve my dream of a bachelor’s degree; now I have a master’s. For two years, I was a student working toward a teaching credential. Now I am a teacher. (Even if my only employment is as a substitute teacher.) I never dreamed of spending my days with a different collection of kids every session, but as it turns out I love it. I love when I get to return to a classroom and I remember the names and personalities. I love when I am reminded of how quickly and easily first graders give affection, and when I am reminded of how quickly and easily seventh graders think, and joke, and engage.
I haven’t been to my Carmelite meetings in a long time, because of school obligations and then illnesses. My focus has spread out from children, saving money, and rejoicing in my marriage to all of those things plus a good many more. I am the same person, with the same core values, but not always with the same direction I had in a former life (the one three years ago). How do I explain that to any readers this blog may still have? I wondered.
Then the answer came: just get it out of the way, if you feel you must, and move on. Simple.
Note to Curtain Climber
Posted By Christina M on October 28, 2011
I don’t care what color it is, it’s called an orange, not a yellow.
Rote learning and “tricks”
Posted By Christina M on April 7, 2011
Conceptual learning is all the rage. Sure, it has been ever since they introduced the first “new math” that didn’t do a very good job of teaching it; but the idea was there: method is fine, but it should never be taught in place of concept. And tricks should be avoided because then kids will just use the tricks and never learn (or understand) the concept.
The only problem is that line of thinking doesn’t work.
Kids need a combination of approaches, and one “great idea” does not a curriculum — or an education — make. They definitely should be taught, for instance, what the concept of multiplication means before they begin to learn how to do it. And they should have frequent reinforcement of the concept as they continue to learn it. It should be tied in with their other subjects, and tied in with money, and tied in with geometry, and tied in with home life. But that isn’t exactly going to help them pass the No Child Left Alone tests, now, is it? Once they understand what the concept means, they then have to learn a number of other related subjects or the conceptual knowledge isn’t very useful. They have to learn when to use the function. And when not to. (Is it multiplication or division? Or is it subtraction?) They have to learn how to apply it to story problems. (Now that I know it’s a multiplication problem, which numbers in the question do I multiply? What does the answer mean?) And they have to learn — no matter how much it rubs the wrong way — rote facts.
When a child first learns what multiplication is, it’s helpful to have them figure out the answer instead of calling up memorized facts. If they have to figure out that three times three is nine by counting the cherries in each bowl, they will understand the concept much more clearly than if they are simply told. But eventually one hopes they already understand the concept, and they need ciphering skills. Concept without skill is useless. That’s where memorization comes in. They should learn that 3×3=9, every time. They should not have to figure it out again and again. Do you have to look up your phone number every time someone asks you for it? Of course not. Even though looking up numbers is a useful skill, eventually your time becomes more valuable than that, and you memorize the phone number. The same goes with math facts. If a child has to figure out three times three every time, he is going to be slowed so much in his ciphering that he will get behind in his seat work and homework. Eventually, he will be behind in his math learning.
Which leads to the next point. Teaching “tricks” may not aid conceptual knowledge, and therefore may not be a good way to introduce the material. But once they understand a concept, mathematical ciphering tricks can be a very effective way of mastering facts. If you refuse to teach a child the “tricks” the smartest kids will figure them out anyway, but those who don’t give it much thought, or those who don’t naturally look for alternative angles may not. All it does when you withhold the tricks is widen the gap between the “smart” kids and the “average” kids. It hurts those who most need the help. So yes, teach the concept, and teach it well. Cement it. Review it. Practice it. Review it some more.
And then tell them that the digits of a multiple of 9 always add up to 9, and that every other multiple of six rhymes. Give them every help you can. Set them up to succeed, however possible. And then review the concept some more, just to reassure yourself that you haven’t harmed them by rote memorization.
Organization: my addiction of choice
Posted By Christina M on December 31, 2010
I’ll admit it: I’m a time management and organization junkie. I can’t resist a nice, indulgent Lifehacker session. I’ve been known to do weird searches there for fun. Recently, for example, I did a search for “lists” and found an interesting looking piece of webware called Workflowy. Will I use it in the long run? Who’s to know? But it opens up all kinds of possibilities in my mind; and really, that’s where the adrenaline comes from, anyway. Unfortunately, it does not come from organizational success.
One thing that I found in the process of my latest session, though, was a slew of articles about how to manage to-do lists. And as I read the articles, I realized that at least there’s one thing I’m doing right in the time-management arena. I’m using TeuxDeux.
TeuxDeux is a simple, scrolling calendar-ish thingie. It shows five days at a time, and has another section always showing labeled “someday.” The simplicity may well be why it works so well for me. I have this tendency to over-complicate things, and TeuxDeux makes that impossible. You enter an item in the space above a day (the program always puts today in the center, as the default, but you can scroll left or right.) It puts it on that day as a list item. When you are finished doing the item, you can hover over the item until it highlights with a strikethrough, and cross it out. Everything you have on Monday’s list that isn’t complete will automatically move to Tuesday. You can also move items manually with a drag-and-drop interface that works smoothly and simply.
And no, in case you are wondering, I am not being paid to endorse this site.
What really works for me might work for you, if you also tend to over-complicate your efforts to get organized. I only put on a day the items I realistically think I can and will accomplish. Everything else gets moved to a future day. Even if I have 30 items on tomorrow, I only have 3 or 4 items on today. It makes me trim it down to the non-distracting essentials. And then, trimming the list that remains on tomorrow, which I will do tomorrow, makes me prioritize again. It keeps things in perspective. It also gives me the chance to see when an item has gotten shuffled for a week, and ask myself if it really is something essential, and whether I really intend to do it.
If you keep a to-do list, whether you use a program or website like this, or a piece of scratch paper, I recommend that you keep your daily list to a minimum. If you use a calendar or other dated list, don’t put too many items on any date. If you use a single piece of paper, keep a second page for your master list, so that you can keep your actual daily list trimmed. It feels great to see your list complete at the end of the day… and it is much easier to get started when you haven’t overwhelmed yourself before you even began.
Oh, and one more thing: if you read Lifehacker, save it for when you have lots and lots of time.