Greetings,
I'm pondering where summer went. Tomorrow I will begin the Fall session at University. This semester is overshadowed by two classes that sound quite academic. I have the Research Practicum Course, during which time I will need to conduct and evaluate my own research gathered at a local educational institution. Please pray for me on Friday, that is when I will meet with the principal and induction coordinator to decide if I can investigate their first year teachers. The other 'big' course is the History of Education (yawn). However, I am told by my advisor that the professor is one of the most brilliant minds on campus. I'm not sure if this is a comfort or makes me a bit more nervous about the expectations/work load. I am taking a third course purely out of interest and for an elective. Differentiated Education for the Exceptional Child...aka...how do we teach all the different ability levels in the same room. This is a situation I know will occur in my classroom when I return to teaching, and I also know that any review and support in this area will help any Children of God I may have in the future. So...one for interest and two for requirements.
I'm still wondering where summer went. It isn't just the fact that school is beginning again that leads me to ponder this question. The weather here has been a bit loopy for August. Last night it was in the LOW 50's! Some places even dropped into the 40's. I know folk talk about the lake affect here and all, but that is a bit extreme for August! The warmest day since I've returned has been in the mid-70's! I've been in long sleeves! I've even broke out my fuzzy blanket for reading in a comfy chair! Crazy. I never thought I'd wonder where those dog days of summer have gone.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Grandma's Apron Strings
Greetings,
I was a last minute addition to my Mom's group of friends at the Dakotafest Women's Brunch in Mitchell, South Dakota. The theme for the brunch and the speaker was Grandma's Apron Strings. All of the committee coordinators and ushers were wearing gorgeous vintage and home-made aprons in an array of bright colors.
The invocation for the brunch was given by our very own Sr. Valerie! She started with a great story about the first lady's struggles as homemaker...Eve as the first lady by the way. The story was a great ice breaker and soon she had all the wives, mothers, and grandmothers in the audience on her side! After the crowd stopped chuckling at her story's conclusion, she led us seamlessly through a simple prayer of blessings.
The speaker was also a South Dakota girl...she too was dressed in an apron! Jane Green shared her wonderful sense of humor and lessons she has learned through stories from key points in her life. Her hope was that the women would be refreshed in Laughter, Love, and Living Life. She encouraged all of us to write the stories of our own lives that our lessons and wisdom could be passed on.
The following 'poem' was at each woman's place at the table. A few lyrical lines about the depth that the simple apron can share in our lives. Hmm...it makes me want to find a trusty pattern of my own to wear.
Blessings,
I don't think our kids know what an apron is.
I was a last minute addition to my Mom's group of friends at the Dakotafest Women's Brunch in Mitchell, South Dakota. The theme for the brunch and the speaker was Grandma's Apron Strings. All of the committee coordinators and ushers were wearing gorgeous vintage and home-made aprons in an array of bright colors.
The invocation for the brunch was given by our very own Sr. Valerie! She started with a great story about the first lady's struggles as homemaker...Eve as the first lady by the way. The story was a great ice breaker and soon she had all the wives, mothers, and grandmothers in the audience on her side! After the crowd stopped chuckling at her story's conclusion, she led us seamlessly through a simple prayer of blessings.
The speaker was also a South Dakota girl...she too was dressed in an apron! Jane Green shared her wonderful sense of humor and lessons she has learned through stories from key points in her life. Her hope was that the women would be refreshed in Laughter, Love, and Living Life. She encouraged all of us to write the stories of our own lives that our lessons and wisdom could be passed on.
The following 'poem' was at each woman's place at the table. A few lyrical lines about the depth that the simple apron can share in our lives. Hmm...it makes me want to find a trusty pattern of my own to wear.
Blessings,
I don't think our kids know what an apron is.
The Principal use of Grandma's Apron was to protect the dress underneath, becuase she only had a few, it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.
It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears. From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.
When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids. And when the weather was cold, Grandma wrapped it around her arms. Those big aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove. Chips and kindling wood were brought inot the kitchen in that apron.
From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls. In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.
When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds. When dinner was ready, Grandma walking out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.
It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time-apron' that served so many purposes.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Sweet Corn
Greetings,
The sisters had picked over 140 bushels of sweet corn! The farmer who rents our land always plants some easily accessible rows so we can gather ears for the monastery. This year the small group of sisters was enhanced by our new chaplain and possibly a student from college.
The bushels of corn were immediately enjoyed on the ear, but much of it needed to be prepared for freezing. Shucking parties were held in the afternoons. Then the gardening sisters, both Sr. Virginia and myself, were moved to the indoors to scrub the corn clean of its stringy silks. Finally, two separate evening corn cutting parties were held. It may sound surprising, but it when we gather to cut the corn we have a good time together.
It is amazing how quickly we all fall into jobs on these corn nights. Most of the sisters join the group of corn cutters. However, some choose to pack the five pound tins of corn with cling wrap and tin foil. Sr. Henrietta, one of our elders, keeps deciding year by year if she can help out and there she was this year, sealing the final tinfoil layer. Sr. Carmy came back from preparing her classroom to help carry away the empty cobs and haul them out to the field. The first night we prepared 65 pans of corn for the freezer and the second we completed 48 pans...each a was five pounds of corn! So in total we have over 565 pounds of corn for the year! Whoo-Hoo! The Benefits of Community!
Blessings,
The sisters had picked over 140 bushels of sweet corn! The farmer who rents our land always plants some easily accessible rows so we can gather ears for the monastery. This year the small group of sisters was enhanced by our new chaplain and possibly a student from college.
The bushels of corn were immediately enjoyed on the ear, but much of it needed to be prepared for freezing. Shucking parties were held in the afternoons. Then the gardening sisters, both Sr. Virginia and myself, were moved to the indoors to scrub the corn clean of its stringy silks. Finally, two separate evening corn cutting parties were held. It may sound surprising, but it when we gather to cut the corn we have a good time together.
It is amazing how quickly we all fall into jobs on these corn nights. Most of the sisters join the group of corn cutters. However, some choose to pack the five pound tins of corn with cling wrap and tin foil. Sr. Henrietta, one of our elders, keeps deciding year by year if she can help out and there she was this year, sealing the final tinfoil layer. Sr. Carmy came back from preparing her classroom to help carry away the empty cobs and haul them out to the field. The first night we prepared 65 pans of corn for the freezer and the second we completed 48 pans...each a was five pounds of corn! So in total we have over 565 pounds of corn for the year! Whoo-Hoo! The Benefits of Community!
Blessings,
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Done with Time to Spare!
Greetings,
Here I sit at the University library with time to spare! I have uploaded all my final papers to the online drop box and made copies of those same papers so the teacher will also have hard copies. I have reorganized and stapled my research doodlings and even included my certificate from the online researcher ethics quiz we had to take. I have an hour and a half to spare : )
So, after I log off this computer, I am going to ensconce myself in one of the cozy chairs in the cool corners of the library and read...Pride and Prejudice. I brought it along just in case I was able to reward myself with free time. Tonight, all I shall have to do is pack a bag, find a few toiletries, and seek some sleep for the drive home tomorrow!
See you all soon!
Here I sit at the University library with time to spare! I have uploaded all my final papers to the online drop box and made copies of those same papers so the teacher will also have hard copies. I have reorganized and stapled my research doodlings and even included my certificate from the online researcher ethics quiz we had to take. I have an hour and a half to spare : )
So, after I log off this computer, I am going to ensconce myself in one of the cozy chairs in the cool corners of the library and read...Pride and Prejudice. I brought it along just in case I was able to reward myself with free time. Tonight, all I shall have to do is pack a bag, find a few toiletries, and seek some sleep for the drive home tomorrow!
See you all soon!
Monday, July 27, 2009
An Hour Lost...
Greetings,
Okay, I have long ago accepted that I am an English geek or book geek. I started reading book geek novels in grade school and it only increased in high school and college. Yes, there have been a few deviations from that path (Harry Potter) but by and large I've always loved the classics of American and British literature. I even passed my dismal junior high grammar class by reading and writing reports about Jane Eyre. Early novels that I loved included tales from The Odyssey and Arthurian Legends. Okay, now that you've been given this preface, I hope you understand my irritation as explained below.
I decided to watch a new NBC show "Merlin" as my morning break in reading. At first I found the deviations from the legends okay, but by the end of the episode I was irked! (Sigh) Prince Arthur has a same age servant Merlin who is just learning magic from Gius the castle physician. Lady Morgana is a lovely young ward of the King and doesn't know she is supposed to be an evil sorceress; her serving lady is Gwen (yup, she doesn't even get her full name). It's become a Middle Ages version of 90210 starring Merlin...Arthur is more of a side kick! However, all this I could handle until they reached the end of the episode. They had saved a young Druid boy from being executed and just as Arthur sets him free he asks the boy his name. Mordred. Oh please, I'm done! I love the legends more than NBC...I just lost an hour.
One more thought. I called Joy to tell her of this travesty and we began to think of how we could miscast all of Harry Potter...What if we needed more young handsome folk to sell the series? What if....Dumbledore was Colin Firth and Voldemort was Hugh Grant? What if...they needed a young Minerva McGonagall such as Kira Knightley? He, He, He, He....We envisioned the battles between Dumbledore and Voldemort occurring over tea with much apologizing and mumbling over crumpets. It made us both chuckle. Just a thought...
Any thoughts on who else we should miss-cast into the show? Remember, they would need to be British or at least European for the cast.
Blessings,
PS...Have a great day of Chapter Meetings Sisters!
Okay, I have long ago accepted that I am an English geek or book geek. I started reading book geek novels in grade school and it only increased in high school and college. Yes, there have been a few deviations from that path (Harry Potter) but by and large I've always loved the classics of American and British literature. I even passed my dismal junior high grammar class by reading and writing reports about Jane Eyre. Early novels that I loved included tales from The Odyssey and Arthurian Legends. Okay, now that you've been given this preface, I hope you understand my irritation as explained below.
I decided to watch a new NBC show "Merlin" as my morning break in reading. At first I found the deviations from the legends okay, but by the end of the episode I was irked! (Sigh) Prince Arthur has a same age servant Merlin who is just learning magic from Gius the castle physician. Lady Morgana is a lovely young ward of the King and doesn't know she is supposed to be an evil sorceress; her serving lady is Gwen (yup, she doesn't even get her full name). It's become a Middle Ages version of 90210 starring Merlin...Arthur is more of a side kick! However, all this I could handle until they reached the end of the episode. They had saved a young Druid boy from being executed and just as Arthur sets him free he asks the boy his name. Mordred. Oh please, I'm done! I love the legends more than NBC...I just lost an hour.
One more thought. I called Joy to tell her of this travesty and we began to think of how we could miscast all of Harry Potter...What if we needed more young handsome folk to sell the series? What if....Dumbledore was Colin Firth and Voldemort was Hugh Grant? What if...they needed a young Minerva McGonagall such as Kira Knightley? He, He, He, He....We envisioned the battles between Dumbledore and Voldemort occurring over tea with much apologizing and mumbling over crumpets. It made us both chuckle. Just a thought...
Any thoughts on who else we should miss-cast into the show? Remember, they would need to be British or at least European for the cast.
Blessings,
PS...Have a great day of Chapter Meetings Sisters!
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Monastery Retreat
Greetings Sisters,
I hope that the Community Retreat at the Monastery has started well! I checked my calendar this morning and was reminded that you were all beginning the retreat at home! While I hope for all the best for each of you, I am sad that I won't be home to join you. So, I will keep the house in prayer as you gather this week.
This week my classmate and I will be beginning the field research at a nearby Catholic high school. We will be observing a recovery math course; there are three different sections of 8-12 students each...we will watch the last course which were the greatest strugglers during the school year. I am hoping that after observing and interviewing students for this mini-study I will be able to return to the school for my second (longer) study in the fall.
We have to write-up a possible organization to prepare for our study this Fall. I'm going to piggy-back reading I've done in my Spring class on my continuing work in the Fall. Hopefully, the school will allow me to look into the first-year teachers' expectations in the induction process. Please pray that my write-up gets accepted so I may carry it out in the Fall!
Blessings,
I hope that the Community Retreat at the Monastery has started well! I checked my calendar this morning and was reminded that you were all beginning the retreat at home! While I hope for all the best for each of you, I am sad that I won't be home to join you. So, I will keep the house in prayer as you gather this week.
This week my classmate and I will be beginning the field research at a nearby Catholic high school. We will be observing a recovery math course; there are three different sections of 8-12 students each...we will watch the last course which were the greatest strugglers during the school year. I am hoping that after observing and interviewing students for this mini-study I will be able to return to the school for my second (longer) study in the fall.
We have to write-up a possible organization to prepare for our study this Fall. I'm going to piggy-back reading I've done in my Spring class on my continuing work in the Fall. Hopefully, the school will allow me to look into the first-year teachers' expectations in the induction process. Please pray that my write-up gets accepted so I may carry it out in the Fall!
Blessings,
Monday, July 13, 2009
The Vatican & I Agree
Greetings,
I have long been an advocate for the Harry Potter series, and not just because I'm an English teacher who likes to see books with worn pages in the kids hands. They also carry some wonderfully well developed themes over the seven books of the series. She emphasizes the struggle for good to triumph over evil, the importance of friendship and guidance, the difficultly in choosing to do right, and the pain and sorrow of loss. They are interesting stories for all ages. Today, I found a statement from the Associated Press by the Vatican.
VATICAN CITY - The Vatican lauded the latest Harry Potter film on Monday, saying "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" made the age-old debate over good vs. evil crystal clear.
The Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano even gave two thumbs up to the film's treatment of adolescent love, saying it achieved the "correct balance" and made the stars more credible to the general audience.
The newspaper said the film, which opens Wednesday, was the best adaptation yet of the J.K. Rowling series about the adventures of the bespectacled child wizard Harry Potter and his Hogwarts chums as they battle Harry's nemesis, the evil sorcerer Voldemort.
While criticizing Rowling for omitting any explicit "reference to the transcendent" in her books, L'Osservatore said the latest installment nevertheless makes clear that good should overcome evil "and that sometimes this requires costs and sacrifice."
"In addition, the spastic search for immortality epitomized by Voldemort is stigmatized," the review said.
I have long been an advocate for the Harry Potter series, and not just because I'm an English teacher who likes to see books with worn pages in the kids hands. They also carry some wonderfully well developed themes over the seven books of the series. She emphasizes the struggle for good to triumph over evil, the importance of friendship and guidance, the difficultly in choosing to do right, and the pain and sorrow of loss. They are interesting stories for all ages. Today, I found a statement from the Associated Press by the Vatican.
VATICAN CITY - The Vatican lauded the latest Harry Potter film on Monday, saying "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" made the age-old debate over good vs. evil crystal clear.
The Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano even gave two thumbs up to the film's treatment of adolescent love, saying it achieved the "correct balance" and made the stars more credible to the general audience.
The newspaper said the film, which opens Wednesday, was the best adaptation yet of the J.K. Rowling series about the adventures of the bespectacled child wizard Harry Potter and his Hogwarts chums as they battle Harry's nemesis, the evil sorcerer Voldemort.
While criticizing Rowling for omitting any explicit "reference to the transcendent" in her books, L'Osservatore said the latest installment nevertheless makes clear that good should overcome evil "and that sometimes this requires costs and sacrifice."
"In addition, the spastic search for immortality epitomized by Voldemort is stigmatized," the review said.
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