Finding Humor in Books

It was a horribly tense week here in Boston that started with the senseless loss of several lives and that ended, yesterday, with two more families mourning the loss of their loved ones. I'm thankful that members of my husband's family living near and in Watertown were able to sleep soundly last night, but am grieved for all whose lives will never be the same. My thoughts and prayers are with them.

I finally turned off the television and went searching for something to lift my spirits this a.m. and found this awesomely nerdy TED Talk given by two Harvard scholars, Erez Lieberman Aiden and Jean-Baptiste Michel. They discuss Google's mass digitization of the world's books and documents and how their historical record chronicles cultural trends (culturomics) through the number of times a word or phrase (n-grams) appears in text through history.

Although it made me chuckle, I was left wondering how what happened at the Boston Marathon and in Watertown this week will trend into the future.

Do Schools Kill Creativity?

Sir Ken Robinson on TEDX: "Do Schools Kill Creativity?

"If you're not prepared to be wrong, you will never come up with anything original.

Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to watch a wonderful TEDTalks video about creativity. In the video, Sir Ken Robinson, an internationally reknown thought-leader in creativity, innovation and education, speaks to how public education strips our children of their creative talents, by defining for them what success should look like. 

Sir Ken Robinson contends that we've been conditioned to raise and educate children fearful of being wrong by stigmatizing mistakes both at school and at work. He's also critical of our universities, stating that "academic ability has come to dominate our view of intelligence" and that they [the universities] "design the system in their image."

Something else he said hit pretty close to home. That we should be careful how we toss around labels, such as ADD and ADHD, because what some might consider weaknesses, may in fact be strengths. What's important is that we allow our children to pursue their interests, without their schools' or our interference. I agree.

What do you think?

Creativity is diverse.

                    Creativity is dynamic.

                                    Creative is distinct.

What if the Electoral College is Tied?

As I drove to the polling location near my home this a.m., I listened to some folks on NPR talk about what would happen in the unlikely event that the Electoral College is tied. Imagine the a scenario where we end up with a President from one party and Vice President from another. Have you cast your vote, today?

Zombie Marie Curie Teaches a Lesson in Authenticity

"But you don't become great by trying to be great. You become great by wanting to do something and then doing it so hard that you become great in the process." Zombie Marie Curie

Tell me. How many partially finished posts do you have languishing in your blogging dashboard? Mine is littered. Here's one ...

I stumbled across this cartoon taped to the outside of a high school science classroom, during my school guidance pre-practicum, like seven months ago. The two words that caught my eye as I zoomed by were "Marie Curie," because she was a trailblazing Nobel Prize winning scientist and, "zombie," because I'm nuts about The Walking Dead.

In case you're wondering what Marie Curie and zombies have in common? Absolutamente, nada, aside from the cartoonist delivering an effective lesson in authenticity, with a thread of dork humor.

The cartoon got me thinking. Yeah, watch out. How many people get so wrapped up in achieving "x", that they forget to enjoy the journey, forget about sharing, forget about why they started "x," in the first place? Then beat themselves up when the trip to "x" isn't linear? I've seen this in business more times than I care to admit, in personal relationships, and even myself.

Thank you Zombie Marie Curie for the enlightenment.

First Year of Grad School, Officially Over!

Cambridge College, MA: School of Education, National Institute for Teaching Excellence
and School of Psychology and Counseling

Believe it, or not, tonight marks the end of my first year of graduate school. Can you say, "W-E-P-A!"? If only my last final weren't a freaking oral exam, in front of my peers, I'd be skipping down the street with a cup of coffee right now. :-)

To be honest, I'm still trying to figure out how the heck I crammed so much into what I thought was a busy schedule, five classes: Intro to Counseling, Counseling in Schools, Professional Seminars I and II and Counseling Techniques, a research project, a 75-hour pre-practicum, two stressful jobs, and the MTEL (which I passed!) ... yeah, the thought, alone, gives me heart palpitations.

But I did it, and I would do it all over again, con gusto, because of how much I've grown.

Source: promised-love.tumblr.com via Ezzy on Pinterest

I tell you all this not to pat myself on the back, but to encourage YOU, if you're thinking about going back to finish school, or to pursue an advanced degree TO JUST DO IT. Don't over-think it. We can talk ourselves out of the best growth opportunities with just a little self-doubt and fear of the unknown.

It's a tough lesson to learn: The only barriers in life are the ones we build for ourselves.

Have you gone back to school, or are you thinking about it? If you're on the fence, what's holding you back?

The morning I drove 45 mins to take the MTEL. I've been a notoriously bad standardized test-taker all my life. I'm convinced that the reading and writing I've been doing the last few years were the best preparation. *relief*

"Cambridge College is a microcosm of America's future." Hugh Price, President NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE

Second Grade Class Rules

Kindergarten class from a couple of years ago. Love the tennis balls!

Our son is happy. Due to his food allergies, he ate bread for the first time a couple of days ago and loved it. Also, we're halfway through his first full week of second grade. He's enjoying school, does his homework, doesn't complain about it, goes to bed early and hasn't asked to use the computer once.

Life is good. Previous years have not been so easy. We'll see how long we can keep it up. : )

Anyways, he came home last week with this set of Second Grade Class Rules that I absolutely loved. They sound simple, but really, think of how much conflict we encounter that is the result of disrespect and general unkindness that seems to have become the status quo.

I should probably mention that we send him to a small Christian school, in case you're surprised to see "God" mentioned once or twice.

Second Grade Class Rules

WE LOVE AND OBEY GOD because He first loved us.

We obey the teacher quickly, quietly and with a good attitude because she loves us.

We love to learn and are not afraid to try new things.

We consider one another's interests ahead of our own.

We speak quietly and respectfully.

We raise our hands and wait to be called upon in class.

We listen to one another! We DO NOT talk when someone else is speaking.

We do not hurt one another with unkind words or deeds.

When someone needs correction, we correct him in love.

When someone is sorry, we forgive them. When someone is sad, we comfort him. When someone is happy, we rejoice with him.

We do all things without complaining, grumbling or arguing.

We take good care of the things God has given us.

We do not create unnecessary work for others.

We ask thoughtful questions when we do not know something.

We accept the teacher's discipline when we disobey any of these rules.

JUST FOR FUN: A Little Hip-Hop Shakespeare

What a great way to reinforce writing concepts and storyline. I would've loved these back in the day. Love it! I hope you enjoy. :)