Heat Weirdlastname If everyone taught their kids at least to be tolerant of people who are different, it would help. Tolerance is better than intolerance, but would you want to spend your life tolerated? It’s a better-than-nothing space, not an end goal. If everyone taught their kids that their own emotions are valid and how to name … Read more
A meme floating around social media: Now that people can make 20 million dollars a year playing video games on YouTube, it’s getting harder and harder to convince kids that education is important. Wait, what? The sole purpose (or primary purpose) of an education is to make money? This is how it’s been framed much … Read more
We went looking for the wild horses at the Salt River. I’d gotten a tip for where and what time of day they’re likely to be seen, so Climbing Daddy, Rocket Kid, and I took a road trip. As you might have gathered from the headline, we didn’t see any horses. But it did give … Read more
I’m an extremely sentimental person, especially about people. Someone recently asked, “Do you collect people?” Why yes, yes I do. If you and I have had any remotely significant relationship at any point in my life for any length of time, you are a piece of me. For better or for worse. Regardless the state … Read more
Spring has sprung here in the Valley of the Sun, bringing flowers, leaves, bugs, weeds, snakes… The trees growing new leaves highlights an issue we have with specific plants here—they have dead branches from the winter. Some trees that grow well here aren’t frost-tolerant, and after an especially cold winter, it’s common to see trees … Read more
I have so many photos for you today! Two very different sets. We went to Chihuly After Dark at the Desert Botanical Garden. If ever you’re in Phoenix, the DBG is how I fell in love with the wonder of desert plants. It’s a fascinating place. There’s a traveling Chihuly exhibit there now, and once … Read more
“Smart kids” tend to be held on a pedestal, and we overlook or misdiagnose their struggles. If they’re smart, they should be able to figure it out! And if they don’t, they’re lazy. Simply not true. I don’t like the “smart kids” label, but that’s for another day. An important detail I’ve learned about working … Read more
While teachers in general are underpaid and under-respected, I’ve long said that if only one little slice of us were to receive more cash and glory, it should be the kindergarten teachers. For one year, kindergarten classes took up half of my schedule as a traveling music teacher, and it was during this time that … Read more
Climbing Daddy bought flowers a week or two ago, and I used them for a few macro shots. I took one of the yellow flower seen in a bit of the background above. Using that shot, I manipulated the settings, ending up with these two photos: That’s all for today! Have a great week!
From my Facebook memories: Aaaaaand another assessment tool that requires written student work as “evidence.” *sigh* I was an elementary band teacher, and while some knowledge of how notation works can be assessed using traditional paper-pencil tests, “before and after” student work is what we hear. My job was to teach them to play, to … Read more