You are currently browsing the daily archive for November 19th, 2007.
I want to share some information about two people very close to me. They are my past, my present and my future. They encompass all that I am as a person. Where I have come from and the guided beacon that has led me to this path I find myself on. It is because of them that I have found my future as a writer and teacher. They are my children. They are writers.
My son is 19 and is studying English with a minor in Theater and Classics. He is one of the most amazing speakers and writers I know. From about the age of two, he loved to entertain. Through elementary school he was consistently supported by his teachers and respected by his classmates. He took the opportunity to speak in public whenever he could and was eloquent. When he speaks the room is silent. You can close your eyes and drift along with his words like a small leaf being carried softly along a flowing stream. Then suddenly feel the roll of thunder of an approaching storm when his voice reaches its climax. I cannot explain the most amazing feelings of understanding, appreciation, warmth, and overall pride I feel when I hear him read or perform.
My daughter is 17 and will graduate in May. She has applied to the same school as her brother and wants to study Biology. I have to tell you that she is an amazing writer as well. However, she is more technical, critical and very perceptive. My labor with her was not easy. I tell everyone she came when she was ready and has led her life the same way. Everything is on her time and no one else’s. She is organized, yet as carefree as a butterfly on a summer day. For a while there she kept asking me if we could go to Kansas to chase the tornadoes and storms. Sometimes I get nervous about how strong and confident she is. But she would probably catch one of those storms and bottle it up in a lamp and be given three wishes by the end of the day.
It seems so ironic to me that throughout my childhood I loved writing and I loved playing school. Life’s path led me to my husband, employment, and to a family. However, through the years of being a mother, an educator, and a friend to the most important people in my life, I have found what I love most. I have reconnected with my past and have been given the chance pursue my future, as a teacher, as a writer.
Okay, so I have been Blogging about nice topics, can I use one for a rant? I am totally overwhelmed. I have these lovely blogs to finish, a signature project in Teaching Literacy to finish, a interconnected lesson in TLC 2 to finish and my field experience essay, a few Ed Tech projects to complete, and I’m cooking Thursday, would love to shop Friday. I also have an Annual Christmas open house for all of our family and friends and I guess that will have to be on December 15th, so I have to begin preparing for that, the invites, the menu, and stock up the bar. But it will all be worth it because right after Christmas we leave for a cruise and my daughter has a softball tournament in Ft. Lauderdale for 4 days. So after all my ranting, raving, projects, homework, planning, preparing, cooking, cleaning, shopping, wrapping, decorating, socializing, paying bills, and packing, I will finally get 10 days to hopefully Soak up the Sun!
I though it would be a good idea to write about what we are “Thankful” for. I could relate to our groups post, “It’s that time of year again”. I get very frazzled and it is only for the simple fact that I am a perfectionist. I spend so much time planning and thinking about how wonderful I want everything to be. There is so much that goes into preparing for the holidays and even though my children are older, I still want them to be excited and suprised. So give ur mom’s a break…
I’m thankful that I have been blessed with two children who mean the world to me. My husband is my best friend and soulmate. We recently celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary. My dad is also amazing. He is always here for me and has done his best to support me in everything I do. I am thankful for the several close friends I have who make me smile, share in my trials and tribulations and give me a shoulder when I need one. Above and beyond that I am simply thankful for our health, our happiness, and the fact that we are as close to a normal family as one can get. I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to be able to continue my education. My heart goes out to the families, friends and all of our military who are still unable to be home for the holidays. I’d like to thank them for their protection and dedication as they serve for us.
I just completed our reading for Wednesday and found the “Who Am We?” article to be very interesting, but kind of scary as well. The first thing I did was try to find more about Sherry Turkle and after researching a few sites, this was what I came up with, Sherry Turkle AKA Abby Rockefeller Mauze` is a well renowned Professor of Social Studies of Science and Technology in the Program in Science, Technology, and Society at MIT. She also founded the “MIT Initiative on Technology and Self, a center of research and reflection on the evolving connections between people and artifacts”. I have to say that this article made me feel really strange. It was creepy, strange. Some of the emotions and social behaviors that were described troubled me as a mom. It became very clear to me why our society is so eager to assign blame to technology when things go wrong. The article discusses the idea of technology as a living brain. It provides us with a perception that individuals are creating autonomous connections as we link information together just as that of the human brain. I fully understand the correlation when you think about all the diversified amount of information that is being collected and how dependant upon the web we have become. It is a wonderful integration to us globally. However, I have to wonder if we should be doing more in the way of counseling or instruction to counsel students with regard to the use, safety, and social behavior that is conducive on the World Wide Web. What do you guys think?
So it’s halfway through November, and if you’ve read Hannah’s group’s blog, or the latest edition of The Whit, or had at least one conversation with me, then you probably know what that means. For those of you still in the dark, I can sum it up in four words (that unfortunately can’t be added to my woefully lacking wordcount): National Novel Writing Month, also known as NaNoWriMo.
The basic premise is to write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days. Really it amounts to a novella, but “novel” has a much more impressive ring to it so we’ll stick with that. At any rate, the idea is specifically to avoid nitpicking over which word is best or even whether what you’re writing is any good; it’s designed to motivate participants to eschew their Inner Editors and simply let the words flow.
That’s not always as easy as it sounds. As some of you may have heard, I’ve been a bit of a slacker this year. I think I’ve hit the seven-year slump a year early — but at least that puts me ahead in something. Regardless, I’m not throwing in the towel just yet. I’ve hit the 50k goal every year but my first, and I fully intend to continue that winning streak. Plus I’ve told too many people to end the month less than halfway to my goal. Fear of public humiliation is one of the greatest motivators to your average NaNo participant.
In that vein, here’s a handy widget that keeps track of my progress. It lags a bit sometimes, but it’s never more than a day off. If you want to know how behind I am, take the current day and multiply it by 1,667 to see where I should be. For example, today’s the 18 — 18 x 1667 = 30006. Um, yeah, that’s not quite what I have…
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