This thing called Cancer

A colleague of mine was talking to me about his young son who is terminal. As I sat and listened to him talk I began to wonder about this thing called Cancer. It has taken so many of our lives, it has killed so many and we still have not solved it's puzzle: What causes this thing called Cancer? I can't help but wonder how this disease can strip us of life, early life and often without notice. My father was a survivor of Cancer but was beaten down because of it. He had lung and brain cancer; two bouts fought with all of him human strength-won yet ultimately lost-weak, frail and limited in mental capacities when he died of related complications last November.

It stopped my in my tracks. A young boy. My colleagues son, who is terminal. How he carries on with strength I don't know. He says to me after a long pause with tears streaming from his eyes, "it sucks"... this Cancer thing I have been speaking about. I am angry of the priorities of our nation. We spend billions on war...and spend millions on research for Cancer. We are dying at home and killing the innocent abroad. Our nation is missing out on the opportunity to help millions of victims. Missing out on curing a deadly disease that strips us down to nothing. If we had any sense at all we would set our priorities to cure this awful disease and take back our ill and help them to live! Seven years old and terminal. I couldn't help but cry for my colleague today. I felt his pain. His suffering. His inability to understand why this is happening to his son. I could only say "take care" but I wanted to say to him that I feel his pain and I will be praying for him. In a moment of silence...I am praying for my colleagues son that he finds a way to beat this thing called Cancer

Malcom Gladwell Gone Mad: Random thoughts about nothing

In Malcom Gladwell video conference May 12, 2008 - Gladwell seems to have gone mad. Gladwell, in his typical way, argues another 'so what' topic. This guy is mad. Why does it matter first of all that athletes are tested or teachers are tested or lawyers are tested for the rigor of their professions? Gladwell suggests that it is not accurate to try and test skills and abilities of athletes, teachers and lawyers. Putting a battery of test to raise the standards does not necessary guarantee any more success then testing an average Joe from the streets. Is Gladwell suggestion that professionals and the average Joe have the same skill sets? Is Gladwell suggestion that screening for fitness, cognitive capacities and knowledge does not guarantee any tangible results. He even suggest that those who test well in a battery of cognitive and physical tests fair poorly in everyday work task on the job. The only premise I agree with in all of Malcom's arguments is the truth that human performance is best tested on the job not in an artificial setting. The rest is just him spouting off about seemingly obscure, random thoughts about nothing. This being said, I still enjoyed listening to him...

See for yourself...click on the title and view video

Authentic Intellectual Work

At the Gates meeting on Tuesday the discussion was around "Authentic Intellectual Work." What is meaningful, intellectual work? It doesn't happen in isoloation and is typically from the constructivist model of learning. Learning can happen when students construct their knowledge through organization, interpretation, evaluation, synthesis of prior knowledge to help solve problems. Authentic Intellectual Work comes when students engage and construct knowledge through a variety of modalities. Their cognitive work usually come in the absence of the teacher. Most "deep" thinking can be done via- so called- hight level thinking. What is this? What does it look like? Accessing prior knowledge is the start of developing authentic intellectual work. To come to a deeper understanding in learning the learner must test their understanding with other opinions and theories (compare\contrast). Must build new understandings (transfer) from previous knowledge and develop new theories to test their understandings. The testing comes when we analyse the work done and come to a new conclusion about what our new learning is.

What seem to be missing in the conversation was where creativity fits in. In the world of high stakes testing and standardized learning, creativity seems to be a lost art. Bloom's new taxonomy state that when we recreate a new understanding and create something entirely of our own making- this is the highest level of knowing, understanding and being able to do what is necessary to show evidence that learning has occured. This is what I would argue to be "authentic intellectual work."

What happened to inquire, discovery, trial and error? These are the things that test our true understanding (authenitic if you will) of our own learning. Jean Jacques Rousseau said "The person who has lived the most is not the one with the most years but the one with the richest experiences." Learning come best through our experiences, and without this our creativity is lost.

Leaving

What does it mean to be leaving? What are people leaving? What are they running from? Where are people going? Who are they running from? Are they running? Why are they leaving? What keeps them from staying? Why are they not staying?

Leaving is a strange thing...because are we really ever present? Do we ever take seriously living in the moment? Do humans take advantage of opportunities to live from moment to moment? I don't think so. Humans are always looking and chasing something they cannot ever have. Leaving happens because people are unsatified with their lives. People are leaving because they are chasing something they may never find. Humans refuse to stop and examine who they are and what is keeping them from wanting to stay put. People are afraid of staying to facing themselves. Fear keeps us from facing ourselves. Fear drives us to leave. Fear consumes us. Facing our fears and not allowing our fears to consume us will keep us living in the moment...being present and will not win over us leaving.

Sara McMann's worst enemy on the mat is herself

This is a story that will move the biggest rock on the planet. Sara McMann. A Silver Medalist at the 2004 Athen games in Wrestling. In the last three years she has lost her brother to a senseless death and her finasee in a tragic car accident. Yet, she has perservered and is attempting to reach her goal to be an Olympic Champion. Stories like this amaze me. The resolve of some people and the depth in which people can reach down and find themselves in the worst of circumstance is extraordianary. You wouldn't know why Sara was crying at the Medal ceremony in Athens in 2004. Her then finasee was able to comfort her in a time where Sara was a medalist in the Olympics. Anyone would have love to be in her place, but do we or will we ever understand the pain that Sara suffers from her devastating loss of her brother and just a short time after, her loss of her fiansee. WOW...I know who's corner I will be in when Sara wrestles for the Gold this year in Beijing, Sara McMann's because she is a survivor, a battler and a worrior in having overcome her huge losses in her life.

Placement

News of my placement came to me from a gentle voice saying "you will be with us next year." Wow, made my day and was a suprise. I have been working in teaching for 12 years and 10 in the same place and now I will be doing more of my professional development at my home school. My principal intership should be very challenging but I feel up for it at this time in my life. It will be great to work with people I have built relationships with at this school. This will make for a better experience knowing the staff and feeling comfortable with the staff. I am happy to hear this news...it is great news.

Comparing two novels

Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnic and Sarah's Key by Tatiana De Rosnay are two very different novels but can be compared in many ways. I finished Adam Gopnic's novel last week and seem to have the Paris theme in novels right now. I just finished Tatiana De Rosnay's novel a few minutes age. They are both the same in the following ways. Adam Gopnic's has written a follow-up novel called Through the Children's Gate: A Home in New York . Adam lived and worked in Paris for the New Yorker Magazine and moved back to New York in 2000 with his wife and child. Similarly told in Tatiana's Sarah's key, the author lived in Paris, moved back to New York and lives their with her daughter. Two completely different genres, two very similar told stories about two major cities. I personally enjoyed Tatiana's Sarah's Key which could be compared to the well know "Sophie's Choice" about the Holocaust. This particularly version was told regarding how a group of Parisian women and children were rounded up by their own Paris police force and sent to die in an imprison camp and eventual gas chamber. The story is told through two characters; the novelist voice as a journalist trying to find the truth about this dark time in Paris history, and through a young Parisian who's brother was left behind in Paris in hidding place. The Mother and Father were separated from her only to be gassed at Auschwitz. Sarah is courageous enough to attempt to escape only to be caught and told she could be put to death if the officer told. Sarah, with her charm, convinces the officer she must return to save her brother who is locked in place at her home in Paris, which only she has the key to. So as the title of the novel, Sarah's key. I will not tell you anything more other then it kept me reading all day today it was so good.

In Gopnic's Paris to the Moon the story is more about life in modern day Paris. The adapting and adjusting to being an American in a foreign country. Each author handles this sensitive issue with ease. Both Gopnic and Rosnay explain the difficulty of handling living in Paris with an identity of an American. Interesting enough, the reason both author can handle this so masterfully may be because Adam Gopnic is a dual citizen (Canadian/American) and Tatiana De Rosnay is of English, French and Russian discent. Gopnic now lives back in New York, Rosnay lives with her husband and two children in Paris

PARIS FRANCE

Paris France. The city of romance. The city of lights. A beautiful city I miss. Went to Paris in 1996. That was 12 years ago. No wonder I miss this place. I am reading Sarah's Key, a story about the Vel' d' Hiv.. this black day in Frances past. July 16, 1942 the Paris Police supported the Gestapo by rounding up thousands of women and children in the city. Parisians had know for over a month that something was wrong, going to happen but the men are the ones who went into hiding. The women and children thought they were safe. Apparently this was not the case. They rounded up all of the Jewish women and children and sent them on trains to Auschwitz. The book, written by Tatiana De Rosnay is a historical fiction novel of the Vel' d' Hiv account. To think of Paris under attack, people; especially women and children being rounded up to be killed is unbearable. The author tells her story from a little girls point of view as well as her journalistic accounts and an interview with a survivor.

Quiet Thursday at Home

Today was a sick day. I had a cold and felt stuffed up in the head. I was home today where it was very quiet. My kitty Jessica was home with me but she was just in and out today. She rested on the chair, couch and on the floor in the sunshine. It was so peaceful and quiet today. Nice to have some time to slow down and think...stop and rest and get well. Quiet allows for time to think and process what is happening in my life. Things happen so fast in our world that we need time to process what has happened. We don't do this enough. We don't stop and take time to understand what has happened and why it has happened.

For instance: The Ferndale Coach was found dead, shot in the head possibly by a husband of women who he was having an affair with. Tragic. Have we stopped to think about this. No, and if we have we will think only for a while ( a few minutes) and then move on, blocking out what our true feelings are about this tragedy.

What has happened and why? We need time to stop and think, process and reflect... learn from others and take life lessons to heart...not just move on and forget. This is why our nation is in trouble.