And soon...
Answer next week.
Books I'm reading now (which should also give you another hint because I'm reading really slowly):
Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Need more help?
Here's another hint about my activities.
And soon...
Answer next week.
Books I'm reading now (which should also give you another hint because I'm reading really slowly):
Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris
And soon...
Answer next week.
Books I'm reading now (which should also give you another hint because I'm reading really slowly):
Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Luck
I have none. I absolutely cannot rely on fate, luck, chance, the stars, etc., to get me anywhere. I don't win when I gamble, but I don't lose either (well, not more than an evening's worth of entertainment anyway); I don't win raffles; I've never been upgraded to first class on a flight; and everything I've achieved has been through my own hard work. I know there's something to be said for that last, but sometimes I wish for something to happen easily and without effort. Oh, yes, and wishes don't work for me either.
That's all. Just a thought.
--Gabi
Books I'm reading now:
Phoenix Rising by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris
That's all. Just a thought.
--Gabi
Books I'm reading now:
Phoenix Rising by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris
Saturday, May 28, 2011
The Last Lesson
As you know, this was my last week of teaching. A colleague, a science teacher whom I greatly respect and who taught one of my twins, shares final thoughts with parents and students every year. This year he shared them with me and with his permission, I'm sharing them with you.
A Final Mr. Brügge Story...
It’s a tale of the 18th letter of the Greek alphabet. In science we are far too lazy to write out the full name for ideas and concepts so we often use letters from the Greek alphabet as shorthand for math and science ideas.
The 18th letter in Greek is sigma, which looks a bit like an arthritic capital E. Although it’s not a symbol we use in 8th grade, it will soon become part of your high-school or college science vocabulary.
We use sigma to stand for the sum of mathematical terms. More broadly, however, we are all sigma. We are the sum of our experiences. Some of this we control and some is simple a given because of the circumstances of our birth.
I would like to think that we are actually greater that the sum of our experiences. It should be, then, our job to make the most of our sigma. I offer four free pieces of advice in order to get the most out of your life:
1. Be passionate! I know that passion and middle school probably should not ever appear in the same sentence, but I mean the passion for understanding. Become the local expert on how to take apart a computer—and put it back together, of course. Know the name of every aircraft that passes overhead. Memorize every baseball statistic since Babe Ruth. These passions may or may not lead to a career but they will bring you joy throughout your life.
2. Say “thank you!” Tomorrow at the promotion ceremony, thank the adults who are there to see you walk across the stage; they are there because they love you. Ten years from now when you think kindly about one of your former teachers, look her up and send a note. A sincere thank you will serve you well always.
3. Admit when you are wrong! I’ve made a point this year to give out homework passes when I make a mistake in GradeBook Wizard. While I don’t make too many mistakes, they do occur. The small things are easy to own up to; the bigger ones take character. Trust me, your marriage—please wait at least ten years—will be much happier if you understand this very important concept.
4. Be sigma! You have the ability to take your experiences and become more than the simple sum.
Yours sincerely,
Steve Brügge
Since I am now stepping into a new world, so to speak, his words spoke to me. No, I"m not an eighth grader, but I don't think these thoughts are limited to the young in years. The young in heart can always benefit as well. Thank you, Steve, for letting me share.
--Gabi
Books I'm reading now:
Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh
A Final Mr. Brügge Story...
It’s a tale of the 18th letter of the Greek alphabet. In science we are far too lazy to write out the full name for ideas and concepts so we often use letters from the Greek alphabet as shorthand for math and science ideas.
The 18th letter in Greek is sigma, which looks a bit like an arthritic capital E. Although it’s not a symbol we use in 8th grade, it will soon become part of your high-school or college science vocabulary.
We use sigma to stand for the sum of mathematical terms. More broadly, however, we are all sigma. We are the sum of our experiences. Some of this we control and some is simple a given because of the circumstances of our birth.
I would like to think that we are actually greater that the sum of our experiences. It should be, then, our job to make the most of our sigma. I offer four free pieces of advice in order to get the most out of your life:
1. Be passionate! I know that passion and middle school probably should not ever appear in the same sentence, but I mean the passion for understanding. Become the local expert on how to take apart a computer—and put it back together, of course. Know the name of every aircraft that passes overhead. Memorize every baseball statistic since Babe Ruth. These passions may or may not lead to a career but they will bring you joy throughout your life.
2. Say “thank you!” Tomorrow at the promotion ceremony, thank the adults who are there to see you walk across the stage; they are there because they love you. Ten years from now when you think kindly about one of your former teachers, look her up and send a note. A sincere thank you will serve you well always.
3. Admit when you are wrong! I’ve made a point this year to give out homework passes when I make a mistake in GradeBook Wizard. While I don’t make too many mistakes, they do occur. The small things are easy to own up to; the bigger ones take character. Trust me, your marriage—please wait at least ten years—will be much happier if you understand this very important concept.
4. Be sigma! You have the ability to take your experiences and become more than the simple sum.
Yours sincerely,
Steve Brügge
Since I am now stepping into a new world, so to speak, his words spoke to me. No, I"m not an eighth grader, but I don't think these thoughts are limited to the young in years. The young in heart can always benefit as well. Thank you, Steve, for letting me share.
--Gabi
Books I'm reading now:
Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Last Week
Not as in the past, but the future. Why? Because this is my last week of teaching eighth grade. If I teach next year, it will be in a different job, probably at a different level. But if I don't teach at all...
Leap, and the net will appear. --John Burroughs
I still have one year of college tuitions (two of them) to pay, so the idea of not having an income is scary. But if I'm not working, I can write. Full time. Without distraction. For hours and hours a day. And I know I'm capable of it. I did it before I started working (to pay tuitions, unshockingly enough)
So this is my last week in the classroom. I will miss the kids and the occasional success I had showing them the joy of words and literature. But I won't miss the rules and regulations imposed upon teachers by people who claim to want the best for students but in practice end up seeming only to want to save their own jobs. Yes, I'm leaving the teaching field convinced that school does not exist for the students (how else can you explain a proposal to save money by having the students stay home for three weeks?). It's rather sad.
But on the other hand, it's with a sense of fear and freedom that I face the week after next.
I'll let you know if the net appears.
--Gabi
Books I'm reading now:
Discord's Apple by Carrie Vaughn
Dark Jenny by Alex Bledsoe
Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh
Leap, and the net will appear. --John Burroughs
I still have one year of college tuitions (two of them) to pay, so the idea of not having an income is scary. But if I'm not working, I can write. Full time. Without distraction. For hours and hours a day. And I know I'm capable of it. I did it before I started working (to pay tuitions, unshockingly enough)
So this is my last week in the classroom. I will miss the kids and the occasional success I had showing them the joy of words and literature. But I won't miss the rules and regulations imposed upon teachers by people who claim to want the best for students but in practice end up seeming only to want to save their own jobs. Yes, I'm leaving the teaching field convinced that school does not exist for the students (how else can you explain a proposal to save money by having the students stay home for three weeks?). It's rather sad.
But on the other hand, it's with a sense of fear and freedom that I face the week after next.
I'll let you know if the net appears.
--Gabi
Books I'm reading now:
Discord's Apple by Carrie Vaughn
Dark Jenny by Alex Bledsoe
Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Little contest
Right here on this blog site, I'm running a contest to celebrate AS YOU WISH. You can win this magic wand book mark (about four inches long) just by leaving a comment here. 
In one week I'll use random.org to choose a winner. I'll send it anywhere the post office will let me (So, yes, international).
So spread the word and leave a comment. (And check back in a week to see if you've won. I have to get your address somehow)
And pick up AS YOU WISH anywhere you buy books. If they don't have it, make them get it. Remember, ten percent of my royalties go to Best Buddies International.
--Gabi
In one week I'll use random.org to choose a winner. I'll send it anywhere the post office will let me (So, yes, international).So spread the word and leave a comment. (And check back in a week to see if you've won. I have to get your address somehow)
And pick up AS YOU WISH anywhere you buy books. If they don't have it, make them get it. Remember, ten percent of my royalties go to Best Buddies International.
--Gabi
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