This is how I explained to my students on why you should give any new president a chance to prove themselves, and to see what they can do. We were discussing how we might not like who was elected, but that we had to respect the office and why we should hope that whoever is in that office does a good job. (We had discussed Obama’s election too)
“Pretend that I have a stack of files, one for each of you. During the summer, I get a chance to read up on your schoolwork, your grades, your discipline records, and what your previous teachers have said about you. Now, I haven’t met you yet and I haven’t seen you, so this is all the information that i have. Some of you have been in trouble, some of you haven’t made the best grades, and some of you didn’t always get along with your teachers. Let’s now pretend that I have taken all that information and have already decided who is going to be the student who will give me trouble, and who will be the student who will get good grades…. all without having met you or given you a chance to prove yourself, and I treated you accordingly. Is that fair? Would you like me to treat you that way based on just the stuff that I have read and what other people say about you, or would you like me to give you a chance to get to know you, because maybe you have changed and maybe you have learned from your mistakes?”
My students , who are ESE (lower performing) and ESOL (English Speakers of other languages and immigrants) got it. Now why can’t adults?
And this is my last post on this election. It was an interesting conversation to have because of the makeup of my classes.
Archives for November 2016
The Day After (NaBloPoMo Day 9)
It’s a new day and we can make it what we want. Last night’s election has caused shock waves across the world (including my own house) but it up to us to change the status quo, for us to flip the script and for us to change the direction of our country. One man or one woman does not define America, 350 million men, women and children of different ethnicities, faiths, orientations and income levels, define America. We have to listen to one another, help one another and be kind to one another. We have to stop the hatred, stop the rhetoric and stop all the behavior that divides us. A house divided cannot stand, and right now, the United States is pretty well divided. This is not who we are. Fear is driving us, rhetoric is driving, hate is driving us. We are stronger when we are united and the sooner we realize that, the sooner we will move forward as a country.
Election Night 2016
I’m going to edit photos and try not to panic. A more coherent post tomorrow.
Random thoughts on a Sunday (NaBloPoMo Day 6)
1)Sometimes I have too much to do and then I freeze and procrastinate and then panic to get everything done. I think maybe it has something to do with working under a deadline for so many years.
2) I used to hold my tongue and not speak up when I thought people were being ridiculous. I’ve gotten over that.
3) Most of the time, I like my dogs better than people.
4) I’d love to experience a real Fall and a real winter so I don’t feel like me knitting stuff is an exercise in futility.
5) I would love to take a month off, go to the mountains with books, knitting, my camera and my writing. (alone, well, maybe I’ll take Bacchus…Amanda wouldn’t let me take Idunn)
6) Maybe for #5, I’ll go to Scotland instead.
7) Bacchus would need a sweater. I’d have to knit him one or five.
8) And booties.
9) I miss my family in Louisiana. All the time.
10) I watch too much Bravo Tv.
11) I wish I was still writing as much as I used to.
12) I’m really not liking my job this year. I loved it last year, and this year I feel so out of my element that I hate going to work some days.
13) The only thing getting me through this year is working with my TSA kids.
14) I’ll be 45 on my next birthday, and for some reason, that is starting to bother me.
15) I drink too much tea. (well, how much is too much, really?)
16) I’m in desperate need of a manicure.
17) Mariah Carey is annoying.
18) I really need to more organized. I think it would help my feeling of always barely treading water.
19) I need to learn to say NO
20) My favorite meal is my mom’s roast, rice and gravy, blackeye peas and cornbread.
This was all train of thought, and that is a tad scary. lol Feel free to share 20 random things in your post.
I’m Tired, so you get a photo. NaBloPoMo Day 5
Busy day finishing up the TSA Leadership Conference, getting home, and promptly crashing on the couch. I took a two hour nap then started watching The Crown on Netflix. I’m not going to spoil it, and will do a more in depth review when I’m finished. Meanwhile, how about a puppy photo to tide your over until a proper post on Sunday.
Hanging out with 26 teenagers is exhausting (NaBloPoMo Day 4)
Florida TSA Leadership Day 2.
But I did reward myself with this:
10 Things About Me
My lovely daughter, has a new blog over at Peonies and Paperclips and her post today was 10 Things about Me. I had done this years ago when I had my old blog, but haven’t updated it, so since imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, here we go.
- I have lived in Florida for 14 years, but I still consider myself a Louisiana girl. The name of my blog truly describes who I am. I am a Misplaced Southern Belle. Florida is not the South. It might be geographically Southern, but mentally, it is not…at least south of Tampa, where I reside.
- I have had this blog in some form of another since 2004. It started off as a knitting blog and evolved. It was even mentioned in Southern Living at one time because of knitting. (I don’t knit that much at the moment. It’s hard to knit when it’s 90 degrees…in November.)
- I am a high school teacher and I teach English Language Learner students…and I don’t speak a foreign language. I joke that my students will speak English with a Southern accent.
- I own Kiki Mac Photography and I shoot part time. A lot of my photography evolves around working with Southeastern Guide Dogs where I photograph Guide Dog U when the raisers turn over their dogs for training and I photograph Puppy Raiser Day which is when the dog has been matched and the raiser gets a chance to meet the new handler.
- Speaking of Southeastern Guide Dogs, my family and I are puppy raisers. We raise puppies for SEGD and then turn them over after a year or so to be trained as guide dogs. We are on puppy number five. Yes it’s hard, but seeing what they do for people who need them is worth it.
- I have been married for twenty-three years and have one daughter and four dogs.
- I miss Louisiana and my family every single. day.
- I drink unsweetened iced tea every day. I think it’s an addiction.
- I used to write for travel magazines and got to travel the state and write about it. I miss that!
- I’m 44 years old and am a Leap Day Baby…yep, I’ve had 11 birthdays.
Ok, so that is the quick and dirty 10 things about me. Feel free to share 10 things about you and leave a link to your post in the comments.
Sneaking this one in
Getting this post in with 13 minutes to spare. Long day at work then headed to Orlando to the TSA Leadership Conference with 28 teenagers. Within five minutes of getting their keys, one entire room of boys lost all four keys. I can’t make this up. The drive up was unusually long and we are all tired. We have a full day tomorrow but I think that I have more downtime than at other competitions and I will be able to write a proper post complete with photos. OH, my daughter has started a blog after years of me hounding her. Go see her at Peonies and Paperclips. It’s work in progress, but I’m so proud of her. Ok, really too short to count, but at least I got a little bit of writing in.
NaBloPoMo What the Heck?
As it appears that I’m going months between posts, I’m am going to participate in National Blog Posting Month, otherwise known as NaBloPoMo. It’s a sister event to National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWrMo). As there is no way that I’m going to write an entire this month, I’m going to try and write a blog post everyday and see how far I get. First off, there are some challenges. I’m leaving tomorrow for three days to chaperone 26 teenagers at a conference. I’m sure those blogs might be boring, but I can least attempt it! Coming this month will finally be my posts and photos of my road trip to Louisiana and my trip to photograph a wedding in Texas, something I have never done. I might even try some food blogging! Oh! Knitting makes a return too!I am really hoping that this jump starts how I feel about blogging and reminds me how much I used to love it. If you have anything you’d like me to address, put it in the comments and I’ll see what I can do. Here’s to hoping for a productive blogging month.