I've decided that Fall is the hardest season here in TX. It just doesn't seem fitting to decorate in the traditional colors of the season when it is still 90 degrees outside. It feels weird to wear a pink tank top in the middle of Oct, but I did just that the other day. I can't even begin to think of turning on the oven for an hour to make pumpkin bread or meatloaf. I used to love wearing sweaters and had tons of them....not anymore.
But I really, really hate cold weather. And come January I'll be impatient for spring to come because I've had enough "cold" (highs typically in the 60s in Jan). So, here we have 2 seasons - summer and January - both last too long.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Is this what we want for our schools?
No Child Left Behind - Football Version
I am aware that the following analogy has been making its way around the internet for at least two years now through numerous blog posting and e-mail forwards, but felt that I needed to post it here today. It applies the No Child Left Behind Act to the world of football. Consider the students to players, teachers to be coaches and the league to represent administrations, such as local school districts, and the US Education Department.
1. All teams must make the state playoffs and all MUST win the championship. If a team does not win the championship, they will be on probations until they are the champions, and coaches will be held accountable. If after two years they have not won the championship their footballs and equipment will be taken away UNTIL they do win the championship.
2. All kids will be expected to have the same football skills at the same time, even if they do not have the same conditions or opportunities to practice on their own. NO exceptions will be made for lack of interest in football, a desire to perform athletically, or genetic abilities or disabilities of themselves or their parents. ALL KIDS WILL PLAY FOOTBALL AT A PROFICIENT LEVEL!
3. Talented players will be asked to workout on their own, without instruction. This is because the coaches will be using all their instructional time with the athletes who aren’t interested in football, have limited athletic ability or whose parents don’t like football.
4. Games will be played year round, but statistics will only be kept in the 4th, 8th, and 11th game. this will create a New Age of Sports where every school is expected to have the same level of talent and all teams will reach the same minimum goals. If no child gets ahead, then no child gets left behind. If parents do not like this new law, they are encouraged to vote for vouchers and support private schools that can screen out the non-athletes and prevent their children from having to go to school with bad football players.
5. Coaches will receive an entirely new team for every game with whom they have had no previous contact. They will not be allowed to select their players, or even ensure that they all play at a similar proficiency level.
6. Although four quarters of a game are required to be played in order for the game to be completed, the score at the end of the third quarter will be used as the final score.
7. Coaches who win games will be rewarded with monetary bonuses. Coaches who lose games may also their jobs. No incentive is made to increase the skill level of students, only to win games. If it is possible to find a loophole in league rules to disqualify a player, because he is injured, or is used to different signals from the coach, then by all means take advantage of it - exclude the player and do not waste precious time training him.
8. Teams in wealthier areas that are already outfitted with nice facilities, such as clean and safe field and locker rooms, assistant coaches, and specialized training programs will be competing against teams that are forced to practice with deflated balls, broken goalposts, and coaches more suited to synchronized swimming than football. Only by winning championships can teams expect to receive additional funding. But, by losing a single game, teams will have their budget slashed and even face having their team taken away and players dispersed to other teams.
9. The league administration will demand that coaches drill, drill, drill skills into the players. There is no time for activities that do not directly relate to the game. Coaches will instill in players that the only way to win the game is to do the same basic plays over and over again, but no value will be placed on coming up with alternative plays. If players are confronted with a situation that is not in the playbook, and the coach is not present, they will be expected to freeze and await further instructions - independent thought, and initiative are discouraged.
I am aware that the following analogy has been making its way around the internet for at least two years now through numerous blog posting and e-mail forwards, but felt that I needed to post it here today. It applies the No Child Left Behind Act to the world of football. Consider the students to players, teachers to be coaches and the league to represent administrations, such as local school districts, and the US Education Department.
1. All teams must make the state playoffs and all MUST win the championship. If a team does not win the championship, they will be on probations until they are the champions, and coaches will be held accountable. If after two years they have not won the championship their footballs and equipment will be taken away UNTIL they do win the championship.
2. All kids will be expected to have the same football skills at the same time, even if they do not have the same conditions or opportunities to practice on their own. NO exceptions will be made for lack of interest in football, a desire to perform athletically, or genetic abilities or disabilities of themselves or their parents. ALL KIDS WILL PLAY FOOTBALL AT A PROFICIENT LEVEL!
3. Talented players will be asked to workout on their own, without instruction. This is because the coaches will be using all their instructional time with the athletes who aren’t interested in football, have limited athletic ability or whose parents don’t like football.
4. Games will be played year round, but statistics will only be kept in the 4th, 8th, and 11th game. this will create a New Age of Sports where every school is expected to have the same level of talent and all teams will reach the same minimum goals. If no child gets ahead, then no child gets left behind. If parents do not like this new law, they are encouraged to vote for vouchers and support private schools that can screen out the non-athletes and prevent their children from having to go to school with bad football players.
5. Coaches will receive an entirely new team for every game with whom they have had no previous contact. They will not be allowed to select their players, or even ensure that they all play at a similar proficiency level.
6. Although four quarters of a game are required to be played in order for the game to be completed, the score at the end of the third quarter will be used as the final score.
7. Coaches who win games will be rewarded with monetary bonuses. Coaches who lose games may also their jobs. No incentive is made to increase the skill level of students, only to win games. If it is possible to find a loophole in league rules to disqualify a player, because he is injured, or is used to different signals from the coach, then by all means take advantage of it - exclude the player and do not waste precious time training him.
8. Teams in wealthier areas that are already outfitted with nice facilities, such as clean and safe field and locker rooms, assistant coaches, and specialized training programs will be competing against teams that are forced to practice with deflated balls, broken goalposts, and coaches more suited to synchronized swimming than football. Only by winning championships can teams expect to receive additional funding. But, by losing a single game, teams will have their budget slashed and even face having their team taken away and players dispersed to other teams.
9. The league administration will demand that coaches drill, drill, drill skills into the players. There is no time for activities that do not directly relate to the game. Coaches will instill in players that the only way to win the game is to do the same basic plays over and over again, but no value will be placed on coming up with alternative plays. If players are confronted with a situation that is not in the playbook, and the coach is not present, they will be expected to freeze and await further instructions - independent thought, and initiative are discouraged.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
25 Random Things, as requested by my friends on FB
1. I’m a rule breaker – ok, not at all, I just didn’t want to bore 25 people with my unimaginative list. Family and dearest friends, feel free to go back to your own profiles now.
2. I actually love rules and create them for myself sometimes. For example, the only friends I accept on FB are those on my Christmas card list or those I see on a regular basis (and it would be awkward if I didn’t accept them). I have made 2 exceptions to this rule.
3. I’ve lived in 4 states and visited 32 states (including the southernmost point in the continental US) and 4 foreign countries.
4. “Why are you telling me?” is my philosophy. Ihop’s is “Oh, yeah, that’s what you think!”, Middle’s is “I can’t stand it!”, Princess’s is “No!” and Larry’s is “Clearly some philosophies aren’t for all people.” Don’t know what I’m talking about? – go listen to “My New Philosophy” from You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, the musical.
5. On the Myers Brigg test – I tested as ISFJ, but “feel” that I am really more of an ISTJ. I’m married to an ENTP and that makes for a great adventure!
6. I am very photogenic.
7. I own a sterling silver apple necklace, many Clemson-related items, some rashguards and Yes! REAL cowboy boots to represent where I’ve lived. I do not wear them all at once.
8. I love to read novels, but find that when I do, my house is a wreck and my kids are hungry and have nothing to wear! I read anyway.
9. I can’t stand having a messy house! I know it is always clean, but the mess drives me crazy.
10. I am married to someone with ADHD (self-diagnosed) and raising a daughter with ADHD (diagnosed as “moderate”, “combined-type” by a neurologist), who seem to love making a mess and can’t remember where they put anything. Of course, this is just part of the great adventure mentioned in #5.
11. I have seen my husband’s skull. Yes, the bone in his head that is supposed to be protecting his brain. It was fractured and sticking out through a gaping hole in his forehead…..some 7+ years ago. Aahhhh…there’s that great adventure again!
12. I started a blog once. There is one entry called “22 Pieces of Clothing, 6 Worms and 2 Snails”. Curious? It’s at eljck.blogspot.com . Maybe I’ll get back to that soon….
13. My son blogs several times / week. My daughter has her own wikispace. My photos are at eljck.shutterfly.com . Let me know if you need the password.
14. My mom became a mom on Mother’s Day (because of my birth!).
15. I once dyed my hair pink when my mom was out of town. My dad was furious and it wouldn’t come out, so the hairdresser then had to dye my hair blond again. Sorry, there are no pictures!
16. I am always hesitant to try new technology, but find I really like it, once I get used to it. Of course, with MY son, I’m pushed to try new technology at a crazy pace. Hence, why I am on FB – to learn about it before he gets here. He loves this stuff!
17. Larry and I produced 3 children with 3 different colors of eyes – hazel, green and blue.
18. My Wii fit age is the same as my chronological age.
19. I love to bake. I love dark, very dark, chocolate – hey, it has health benefits!
20. I love roller coasters and am glad that my son is now big enough to go on the good ones with me!
21. Two common ingredients that I omit from my recipes because Larry and I do not like them are onions and mayonnaise. We do have some things in common after all!
22. I do not like seafood and once got sick in a restaurant because my mom, dad and Papa were eating lobster.
23. I have a super-sensitive nose and very sensitive ears. Ask Jimmy about “reading the tv” when he lived with us!
24. I have always been proud to be a Southerner, but I have some Yankee relatives and In-Laws! Ssshhh!
25. I wasn’t born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could. Now, I am home.
2. I actually love rules and create them for myself sometimes. For example, the only friends I accept on FB are those on my Christmas card list or those I see on a regular basis (and it would be awkward if I didn’t accept them). I have made 2 exceptions to this rule.
3. I’ve lived in 4 states and visited 32 states (including the southernmost point in the continental US) and 4 foreign countries.
4. “Why are you telling me?” is my philosophy. Ihop’s is “Oh, yeah, that’s what you think!”, Middle’s is “I can’t stand it!”, Princess’s is “No!” and Larry’s is “Clearly some philosophies aren’t for all people.” Don’t know what I’m talking about? – go listen to “My New Philosophy” from You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, the musical.
5. On the Myers Brigg test – I tested as ISFJ, but “feel” that I am really more of an ISTJ. I’m married to an ENTP and that makes for a great adventure!
6. I am very photogenic.
7. I own a sterling silver apple necklace, many Clemson-related items, some rashguards and Yes! REAL cowboy boots to represent where I’ve lived. I do not wear them all at once.
8. I love to read novels, but find that when I do, my house is a wreck and my kids are hungry and have nothing to wear! I read anyway.
9. I can’t stand having a messy house! I know it is always clean, but the mess drives me crazy.
10. I am married to someone with ADHD (self-diagnosed) and raising a daughter with ADHD (diagnosed as “moderate”, “combined-type” by a neurologist), who seem to love making a mess and can’t remember where they put anything. Of course, this is just part of the great adventure mentioned in #5.
11. I have seen my husband’s skull. Yes, the bone in his head that is supposed to be protecting his brain. It was fractured and sticking out through a gaping hole in his forehead…..some 7+ years ago. Aahhhh…there’s that great adventure again!
12. I started a blog once. There is one entry called “22 Pieces of Clothing, 6 Worms and 2 Snails”. Curious? It’s at eljck.blogspot.com . Maybe I’ll get back to that soon….
13. My son blogs several times / week. My daughter has her own wikispace. My photos are at eljck.shutterfly.com . Let me know if you need the password.
14. My mom became a mom on Mother’s Day (because of my birth!).
15. I once dyed my hair pink when my mom was out of town. My dad was furious and it wouldn’t come out, so the hairdresser then had to dye my hair blond again. Sorry, there are no pictures!
16. I am always hesitant to try new technology, but find I really like it, once I get used to it. Of course, with MY son, I’m pushed to try new technology at a crazy pace. Hence, why I am on FB – to learn about it before he gets here. He loves this stuff!
17. Larry and I produced 3 children with 3 different colors of eyes – hazel, green and blue.
18. My Wii fit age is the same as my chronological age.
19. I love to bake. I love dark, very dark, chocolate – hey, it has health benefits!
20. I love roller coasters and am glad that my son is now big enough to go on the good ones with me!
21. Two common ingredients that I omit from my recipes because Larry and I do not like them are onions and mayonnaise. We do have some things in common after all!
22. I do not like seafood and once got sick in a restaurant because my mom, dad and Papa were eating lobster.
23. I have a super-sensitive nose and very sensitive ears. Ask Jimmy about “reading the tv” when he lived with us!
24. I have always been proud to be a Southerner, but I have some Yankee relatives and In-Laws! Ssshhh!
25. I wasn’t born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could. Now, I am home.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
22 pieces of clothing, 6 worms and 2 snails
Yes, that's right. I actually counted the articles of clothing just inches away from the hamper in my son's bathroom. Does he have an eyesight problem? Is he just a poor basketball player who can't make the shot? A disrespect for the rules? Or is he just plain lazy?
Now, if you're wondering, I did not find 6 worms and 2 snails underneath the clothing (your first assumption that I actually picked up the clothing would be incorrect - he's 9 years old and is perfectly capable of picking up that mess!). I found the 6 worms and 2 snails (which have yet to be determined whether they are alive or dead) in an empty Cool Whip container. This would be the first major homework assignment for DD7. We will be making terrariums tomorrow in school.
Now, if you're wondering, I did not find 6 worms and 2 snails underneath the clothing (your first assumption that I actually picked up the clothing would be incorrect - he's 9 years old and is perfectly capable of picking up that mess!). I found the 6 worms and 2 snails (which have yet to be determined whether they are alive or dead) in an empty Cool Whip container. This would be the first major homework assignment for DD7. We will be making terrariums tomorrow in school.
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