Competition

So we are in a meeting on Friday. School wide we are implementing the Rachel's Challenge. It is a great program based on loving care and helpful expression. Part of the initiative is the creation of a chain. For each act of kindness a link is created. Each link connecting people and deeds. Another local middle school is also taking part in the program and they are creating a chain. My first thought is to join the chains together. What goodness can come from this. Others in y building expressed that they just wanted to beat the other school in creating the longest chain. Making acts of kindness a competition. That just sits wrong with me. Defeating the purpose and meaning of expression by attaching it to something devoid of kindness. Bending the nature of a children to elevate ones own desire for recognition and achievement. so very odd to me. I do not think that is the way karma wants to be treated.

Thoughts on Reac3h

We had training yesterday on the Core Curriculum. It is a huge nationwide change in teaching content and focus. Math and English are the focus. Everything else is designed to teach Math and English. The REAC3H http://ok.gov/sde/reac3h-network is the Oklahoma based program for everything else to teach.

I have not processed everything yet and much requires some research. Some things struck me during the presentation.

The % of students not ready for college classes and in need of remediation. - I am wondering how many students go to college from High School. Of that percent how many are AP Students? Do any AP students require remediation?
What is the ACT score required to get into college? Does ACT then reflect knowledge. What ACT score cut off number reflects remediation?
Do we need to have a pre-college type institution?

Literacy. The focus is on fiction writing. Speaker says that fiction writing in newpaper and mass consumables is written at 5th grade level. If students only consume fiction writing they will not get anything above 5th grade. At what level is most non-fiction written? At what level of writing is most Television produced?
Speaker gave example of Shakespeare. She taught Romeo and Juliet. She said student could not understand it and would give handouts and materials that explained the writing. Students did not then have to read and comprehend the play as they had the "cliff notes" provided by the teacher. So she admits she was not capable to teaching Shakespeare.

Nexus

I picked up the nexus 7 today at Sam's club. It is a nifty device. Easy to use. Clean interface. Lots of functionality. I like the android system. Very Google.

Back at it

First day of school.

And so it goes

School is here once again. Full of excitement and newness. Looks to be a wonderful year.

Need To

I would like to get down to 200.

You've Got Mail

1998, tom hanks and meg ryan. Interesting state of the union back then. Dial up AOL all but gone today abd the big box book stores are all closing. Don't know if You've Got Twitter would be the same.

RV

I have an RV. It is time for it to move on. It is an enjoyable craft. I had to let go of my motorcycle a few years ago. While I do not regret that decision I do miss it at times greatly. I miss the "freedom of the road" as it were and the thought of it. The ideal it represents. And so it is with the RV too. Jump in and go. Where to? Who knows. Just go. Not likely to happen but the possibility is there for it to happen. Without it the possibility is gone.
It is time for the RV to go to another home. A new owner. One who will care for it. I need to make the decision to let it go.

The spiritual life

That does it say? The spiritual life is not a what? The Spiritual Life is not a Theory. We have to live it.
I heard briefly, during the lenten season pulling the weeds to prepare the grounds for the spring to come.
Pulling the weeds of life that are no longer useful to daily living.

Rules

Norms, Mores, Rules, Laws
What are they? Spoken and unspoken. How do we communicate these to folks? How can a community decide what they are and put them into effect? If everyone who is a stakeholder does not follow the rules or enforce the rules what purpose is served? Do we have a rule to just have a rule and it serves no purpose? Was it good once and the changes in the mores and norms make the rule obsolete? Does the rule maker see the purpose for the rule and yet when implemented the rule is a silly construct that inhibits and harms more then not?

Update

Things are really pretty good. The studio is going great guns and we are almost caught up with commission pieces. Starting to gear up for the festivals coming up in May. The new glory hole is in operation and it is huge.

The house is good. Mara really has it looking good. I was able to plant some vines over spring break and hope they grow well.

School is good. Very busy time of year.