the thoughts of an avid reader

I didn’t have to create a blog because I already had this one up and running. I was almost inspired last night to sit down and write something, but a movie sounded a little more interesting. Robert Fulgham’s All I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten was also sitting on my bed. Reading a couple sections during the movie was easy. Digressions are so easy when blogging.

A problem has arisen. It has been a twenty minute task to try and post an avatar on a wordpress site. I think I am giving up until I can write to someone and ask for directions. All possibility might have been exhausted. The avatar is ready (also something I have had for awhile). In fact, I have had the avatar since college. We used to have Jeopardy competitions (nerdy, I know). The site used to be interactive and three people could meet in a room and compete against each other. There, one could choose an avatar. It was such a new concept we created them through our Yahoo accounts.  As soon as I figure out how to insert the html language that connects my avatar to this site, then you will see how the skinnier computer version of me looks.

It really amazes me that I can learn about the Internet while using it. I don’t even know what some of the words are, and yet I have seen them all over various web pages. What the heck is an RSS Feed? I even tried to read the “FAQ” section and was still lost. This is exciting because I might (finally) be encouraged to regularly use my blog. If you notice, I have actually had it for quite a while.

Back to Classroom Learning 2.0 Thing #2. I really think I am a lifelong learner. It is something that has come naturally. I love to read and I am always craving explanations. Utilizing technology and other sources is normal. However, I do realize that I see many challenges as problems instead of learning experiences. I try to teach optimism to my students (see “Cultivating Optimism”) and still find it easy to complain through the problem. Do I get it done? Yes. But I am sure I could find something positive about the experience.

I set a goal for myself that is pretty broad. I really want to find practical applications of technology in my classroom. There have been several ideas I came up with, but obstacles prevented success. MySpace AND YouTube can be used for positive learning experiences. There are even a couple of WebQuests I would like to try, but they are blocked. I guess I have to learn how to create my own WebQuest in order to get it approved. Going though this process will give me (and everyone else participating) a way to come up with some good ideas to make technology something useful and accessible. I guess the first step is for me to keep practicing (blogs are a little confusing until you get the terminology down).

I would love to sit here and be inspired to write something creative.  I watched another episode of Def Poetry Jams and sat in awe of the amazing performers who are able to write and express some deep emotions through performance.  However, I have just finished a whole day of writing the first parts of the M.A. Thesis and I have not creative energy left.  It is sad that I am writing my thesis about dramatic play and playing “What if…”  But “what if” we had just one more hour in the day?  Would I use it to be productive on work?  Would  I use it to read and/or write?  Would I use it to give back to the world I live in?  Who knows…WE DON’T HAVE AN EXTRA HOUR.  I must do more with what I have.  Wish me luck.

Someone once told me that posting twice in one day is a blog-faux-pas. I have not posted in a while so I am making up for lost time. This one will be quick. I came across a poem that really made me laugh…then made me cry a little. Enjoy.

“Fat Is Not a Fairy Tale” by Jane Yolen

I am thinking of a fairy tale,
Cinder Elephant,
Sleeping Tubby,
Snow Weight,
where the princess is not
anorexic, wasp-waisted,
flinging herself down the stairs.

I am thinking of a fairy tale,
Hansel and Great,
Repoundsel,
Bounty and the Beast,
where the beauty
has a pillowed breast,
and fingers plump as sausage.

I am thinking of a fairy tale
that is not yet written,
for a teller not yet born,
for a listener not yet conceived,
for a world not yet won,
where everything round is good:
the sun, wheels, cookies, and the princess.

The last stanza of this poem is amazing and hopeful.  When will there be a teller and a listener from a world not yet won with greed, hate, racism, bigotry, jealousy, war… I hope in my lifetime.

Is learning for the sake of learning truly worth it? I repeat myself, but do they hear? And is what I am saying true?

“By the time you graduate, a high school diploma will not be enough to get a decent job.”

“I am not a teacher for the money.”

“You are fortunate enough to live in a country where a free education is provided until you are 18. Take advantage of that opportunity. Don’t waste your time.”

Granted I was a self-motivated, needed to read and learn everything kid. I read and read some more. Every time I read something (novel, poem, historical research, grammar textbook), I find something that I never knew and appreciate the fact that I have the freedom to learn, to think, and to have a job that lets me share that love. Is it really plausible that every student who takes advantage of his/her education is going to find success and happiness in the fact that “learning for the sake of learning” is a valuable endeavor?

I asked them, “Why are you here?” It was a rhetorical question that didn’t need to be discussed because I knew everyone would have a different answer varying from, “the Cops’ll get me” or “to learn.” What does that mean, “to learn?” Then I ask myself, “Why am I here?” I usually wake up ready for work because I love to talk about literature. Something inside of me says that teaching is the right thing for me because it is easy. Am I perfect? Far from it. But I don’t want to be perfect. It can’t be that complete this soon in my life.

Metaphor (or simile if you want to insert “like” or “as”). I pick up a book (any length), but let’s say it has 300 pages. I start the book and read as fast as I can because I really want to get into the plot, understand the characters, analyze the authorial perspective, and figure out how history and literary criticism affected the product. I read and read and read. Then I get half way. I get a little sad and somewhat disappointed. I read more. As the end draws near I start to get anxiety because the story is almost done and I eventually have to move on to something else. From page 200 on I usually fan through the end of the book every time I pick it up. I want to see what lies ahead. Then I fan what I have read and see how much I have accomplished. Once I hit the last stretch, 50 pages or so, I numb myself to the world, relinquish sleep, find a comfortable place, and finish. I close the book, breathe, and decide if the experience was worth it. I never really wanted the book to end. It would have been easier to keep reading. Now I have to find a new book. I usually pile 5 or 6 next to my bed and thumb through them until one keeps my interest for a few pages. Repeat.

Can my life, or teaching, be that formulaic? I do. I reflect. I do again. I always have to find new ways to keep myself busy so that I can ignore most other things going on in my life. Teaching and reading have become a crutch, a screen. There is more to life and I can’t find a way to express what I see and what I feel.

Hopefully not followed by the last.