Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Our Weigela and the Finches (Last of the Memorial Day Weekend Photos)
Just a few pictures. The weigela bush was given to Cheryl by her grandmother...
Monday, June 2, 2008
Leaving the List
I unsubscribed today from the reading teachers listserv. Perhaps someday I'll sign back up, but for now I've decided that we can do without each other. I told list members that anyone that wanted to communicate with me privately could, but that I wouldn't respond to emails that went to both me AND the list. (I was tired of being talked AT while they postured for each other...)
I write about this here on my personal blog instead of on my education blog, Constructivist Leanings, because there really isn't an educational issue involved. I'm simply blogging about my experience on the listserv.
On May 24 a list subscriber asked if anyone knew anything about a particular curriculum package - a package designed to address dyslexia. She said it: the "D" word.
Mention of the "D" word almost always provokes a response from another list subscriber, Hugo Kerr, who says basically that dyslexia doesn't exist and that we should not talk about it because doing so is counterproductive and helps to perpetuate the myth of dyslexia.
My synopsis of his words, I'm almost certain, wouldn't suit him and he'd claim that I've misrepresented his views (set up a straw man); but I don't believe I've done that. And Hugo's words are available for anyone to read in the listserv's searchable archives, hosted by the International Reading Association. Just type "Hugo Kerr" in as a search string. You can do much the same thing with this Google search. (Actually, all of the deep links here come to your courtesy of the IRA's website - except, of course, the actual Google search just mentioned.)
So someone jokingly told Hugo to cover his ears and, on cue, Hugo showed up to explain about dyslexia. He started with:
And me, being who I am - well I jumped into the discussion...
I've always been a little puzzled by Hugo's position. In the four or five years I've hung around the list, my knowledge of reading has grown and I am now certified in reading. But that doesn't mean my knowledge doesn't have its limits. The irony in this discussion is that I've come to largely agree with Hugo. But there are nooks and crannies in his position that trouble me and I've never been able to decide why until now. I thought this might be the opportunity.
Hugo is a hard person to debate. I tend to follow a process: listen to someone, try to restate what they said so that you can be sure you understand them, formulate and ask a question. The problem with that process (in my experience) is that Hugo rarely agrees that you have adequately restated his position; he seems to become defensive and usually says in effect that "it's more complicated than that" - which, of course, gives him a way out, later, if you think you see some contradiction or problem in his reasoning. When all else fails, he seems to close down discussion if it appears that his position is going to undergo serious challenge. And that is what he offered to do on this occasion.
Frustrated, I suggested that perhaps I'd just remove the discussion from the listserv and, given that I had a lot of his material to look at from the archives, try and work out what I thought of his position on my blog...
Well, you'd a thought that someone peed in the punchbowl. Hugo asked that I not mention his name; I thought that request was silly, given the fact that he's got a new book on the subject out (check his website) and has published more that 1,200 postings on the reading teachers listserv. How do you talk about someone's views without saying their name?
That was May 31. Since then I've been berated, bullied, and kind of threatened. Evidently at least a few of the more vocal people on the list have been under the misimpression that a listserv is a series of private conversations. If I quote Hugo, I'm betraying a confidence (even though it's all right there in Google). I've always thought that when I wrote the listserv I was stepping up to the mic in a room with twelve HUNDRED people in it (the approximate number of subscribers, I think) and that what I said was being recorded for posterity. Some list members haven't arrived in the 21st Century yet...
So I signed off the list today.
You can access individual emails from the beginning of this particular conversation about dyslexia until Hugo suggested that we drop the discussion here.
You can read individual emails from the conversation starting with Hugo's suggestion that we quit the discussion and running through the point where discussion turns to the question of what to do about me here.
And you can access individual emails from the conversation leading up to my departure here, in the reading teachers listserv archive.
Enjoy.
And boys and girls, remember! The microphone is still on...
I write about this here on my personal blog instead of on my education blog, Constructivist Leanings, because there really isn't an educational issue involved. I'm simply blogging about my experience on the listserv.
On May 24 a list subscriber asked if anyone knew anything about a particular curriculum package - a package designed to address dyslexia. She said it: the "D" word.
Mention of the "D" word almost always provokes a response from another list subscriber, Hugo Kerr, who says basically that dyslexia doesn't exist and that we should not talk about it because doing so is counterproductive and helps to perpetuate the myth of dyslexia.
My synopsis of his words, I'm almost certain, wouldn't suit him and he'd claim that I've misrepresented his views (set up a straw man); but I don't believe I've done that. And Hugo's words are available for anyone to read in the listserv's searchable archives, hosted by the International Reading Association. Just type "Hugo Kerr" in as a search string. You can do much the same thing with this Google search. (Actually, all of the deep links here come to your courtesy of the IRA's website - except, of course, the actual Google search just mentioned.)So someone jokingly told Hugo to cover his ears and, on cue, Hugo showed up to explain about dyslexia. He started with:
Seriously, this is a real issue and a real and worthy battle. There are very real issues of disempowerment and ingrained failure around this one. I will content myself with my regular plea for deliberate deployment of scepticism...The response was fairly brief and ended with Hugo suggesting that the conversation be continued off the list. Someone else suggested that Hugo try to restate his position on dyslexia for "the sake of all the teachers out there who haven’t heard your persuasive argument" - new list members who might not have been around the last time the "D" word popped up. Hugo's response ran to just under 440 words.
And me, being who I am - well I jumped into the discussion...
I've always been a little puzzled by Hugo's position. In the four or five years I've hung around the list, my knowledge of reading has grown and I am now certified in reading. But that doesn't mean my knowledge doesn't have its limits. The irony in this discussion is that I've come to largely agree with Hugo. But there are nooks and crannies in his position that trouble me and I've never been able to decide why until now. I thought this might be the opportunity.
Hugo is a hard person to debate. I tend to follow a process: listen to someone, try to restate what they said so that you can be sure you understand them, formulate and ask a question. The problem with that process (in my experience) is that Hugo rarely agrees that you have adequately restated his position; he seems to become defensive and usually says in effect that "it's more complicated than that" - which, of course, gives him a way out, later, if you think you see some contradiction or problem in his reasoning. When all else fails, he seems to close down discussion if it appears that his position is going to undergo serious challenge. And that is what he offered to do on this occasion.
Frustrated, I suggested that perhaps I'd just remove the discussion from the listserv and, given that I had a lot of his material to look at from the archives, try and work out what I thought of his position on my blog...
Well, you'd a thought that someone peed in the punchbowl. Hugo asked that I not mention his name; I thought that request was silly, given the fact that he's got a new book on the subject out (check his website) and has published more that 1,200 postings on the reading teachers listserv. How do you talk about someone's views without saying their name?
That was May 31. Since then I've been berated, bullied, and kind of threatened. Evidently at least a few of the more vocal people on the list have been under the misimpression that a listserv is a series of private conversations. If I quote Hugo, I'm betraying a confidence (even though it's all right there in Google). I've always thought that when I wrote the listserv I was stepping up to the mic in a room with twelve HUNDRED people in it (the approximate number of subscribers, I think) and that what I said was being recorded for posterity. Some list members haven't arrived in the 21st Century yet...
So I signed off the list today.
You can access individual emails from the beginning of this particular conversation about dyslexia until Hugo suggested that we drop the discussion here.
You can read individual emails from the conversation starting with Hugo's suggestion that we quit the discussion and running through the point where discussion turns to the question of what to do about me here.
And you can access individual emails from the conversation leading up to my departure here, in the reading teachers listserv archive.
Enjoy.
And boys and girls, remember! The microphone is still on...
Bye Bye Birdie
Our bluebirds flew today. The five babies are gone. I cleaned the box out, so we'll see if we get another nest...
Saturday, May 31, 2008
The Morning After... (Back from the School Trip)
I work up sore and tired this morning after spending 17 hours yesterday involved in our annual school trip.
The trip went pretty well. And the truth, I suppose, is that I got off a little lighter than some of the other teachers. Most participants met at the school at 4:30am. I was able to meet the bus at the Walmart at Claypool Hill on US Rt. 19/460. I got to that parking lot about 6:30am - the bus didn't make it until almost 7:00.
The charter buses we took to Sevierville were comfortable. We ate breakfast from a McDonalds on the two buses with about 150 kids, parents and teachers. We had originally planned to take the kids to the Knoxville Zoo. We settled instead for two hours at Rainforest Adventures Discovery Zoo. From there we took the kids to WonderWorks where we ate lunch, toured the educational exhibits (mostly science related), play some laser tag, saw a dinner show, and brought the kids home.
I had a really nice group of fourth graders that were my responsibility to monitor while we were in the two stops.
The bus let me off at Walmart again at about 10:30 last night and I was home by 11:15pm - probably an hour or more before the bus got back to the school.
To my knowledge there was only one single incident where a student’s behavior created any problems and it was handled quickly by the boss. The trip was pleasant and successful.
I didn't really expect to be sore. I guess my body isn't tailored for bus seats anymore - even if they are nice, comfortable charter bus seats. I suppose I also did a more walking then usually yesterday...
The trip went pretty well. And the truth, I suppose, is that I got off a little lighter than some of the other teachers. Most participants met at the school at 4:30am. I was able to meet the bus at the Walmart at Claypool Hill on US Rt. 19/460. I got to that parking lot about 6:30am - the bus didn't make it until almost 7:00.
The charter buses we took to Sevierville were comfortable. We ate breakfast from a McDonalds on the two buses with about 150 kids, parents and teachers. We had originally planned to take the kids to the Knoxville Zoo. We settled instead for two hours at Rainforest Adventures Discovery Zoo. From there we took the kids to WonderWorks where we ate lunch, toured the educational exhibits (mostly science related), play some laser tag, saw a dinner show, and brought the kids home.
I had a really nice group of fourth graders that were my responsibility to monitor while we were in the two stops.
The bus let me off at Walmart again at about 10:30 last night and I was home by 11:15pm - probably an hour or more before the bus got back to the school.
To my knowledge there was only one single incident where a student’s behavior created any problems and it was handled quickly by the boss. The trip was pleasant and successful.
I didn't really expect to be sore. I guess my body isn't tailored for bus seats anymore - even if they are nice, comfortable charter bus seats. I suppose I also did a more walking then usually yesterday...
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Yellow Iris Plants in Bloom in My Creek
I took these photos over the Memorial Day weekend. My property has a creek that runs through it. Iris plants grow along the bank and in the creek itself. At the moment they are in bloom...
Monday, May 26, 2008
Memorial Day: The Long Weekend
In a few minutes I'll go to bed and the long weekend will be over. Tomorrow I ride a bus across the twisty roads of McDowell County, WV, with some fifth graders to visit the middle school they'll attend next year. Wednesday and Thursday are normal instructional days. Friday is the school trip - the charter buses will leave the school before the crack of dawn and return around 10pm (hopefully) and the kids will have all seen the Knoxville Zoo (among other things).
Friday night I had a tooth ache. At least I thought it was a tooth ache. I contemplated going to the ER with my own pair of pliers and asking someone to pull a back molar. In retrospect, sinus pressure may have contributed to the pain. I took 2400 mg (or so) of ibuprofen on Saturday, 1800 mg on Sunday, and none today. It no longer hurts. Go figure...
Saturday Cheryl and I helped chaperon an eighth grade prom. Dinner at Big Daddy's before the event. Home about 11:30.
Sunday night we watched the cup race. I cried when Tony Stewart blew a tire with two laps to go.
Today I blogged, cooked, mowed some (not much), talked to my Mom on the phone, took some photos outside (the bluebirds, our irises in the creek are in bloom, some finches on our birdfeeder), and participated in a discussion on the International Reading Associations listserv.
Now, bed...
Friday night I had a tooth ache. At least I thought it was a tooth ache. I contemplated going to the ER with my own pair of pliers and asking someone to pull a back molar. In retrospect, sinus pressure may have contributed to the pain. I took 2400 mg (or so) of ibuprofen on Saturday, 1800 mg on Sunday, and none today. It no longer hurts. Go figure...
Saturday Cheryl and I helped chaperon an eighth grade prom. Dinner at Big Daddy's before the event. Home about 11:30.
Sunday night we watched the cup race. I cried when Tony Stewart blew a tire with two laps to go.
Today I blogged, cooked, mowed some (not much), talked to my Mom on the phone, took some photos outside (the bluebirds, our irises in the creek are in bloom, some finches on our birdfeeder), and participated in a discussion on the International Reading Associations listserv.
Now, bed...
This Year's Baby Bluebirds
I mentioned on April 27 that we had our bluebirds back. The egg count eventually rose to five, but I can only count three hatchlings without moving them around (which I don't want to do). Last year I think the first set of babies left the nest around the second of June. That's about a week away and this year's kids look almost ready for that.
Mom and Dad bluebird have been very busy feeding the babies. We watch them fly hither and thither in search of protein for the little ones.
We'll see when they actually fly. Last year we cleaned the box out and they laid a second set of eggs. Something climbed the post, opened the latch, and took the eggs. So this year I've added the bungee cord around the box to prevent that...
Certification Update: Reading, Autism Added in WV
Note: Visit my education blog, The Green Cup
Since my last note on certification back on May 3, my West Virginia license has been updated.
At the moment my WV license reflects the following active endorsements:
It has also been brought to my attention that talking about the certification process in Georgia makes people at work feel threatened and/or cheated because there is an easier route to particular certifications than the one they took. And so, I guess I'll stop talking about it there. The irony is that certification alone means very little in the context of WV's hiring process. Seniority becomes the issue there - and I have very little of that.
Since my last note on certification back on May 3, my West Virginia license has been updated.
At the moment my WV license reflects the following active endorsements:
- Type: 21-Professional Teaching Certificate
Endorsement: Mathematics
Assignment: 0509
Status: Original Expiration Date: 06-30-2009 - Type: 21-Professional Teaching Certificate
Endorsement: Social Studies
Assignment: 0509
Status: Original Expiration Date: 06-30-2009 - Type: 21-Professional Teaching Certificate
Endorsement: Elementary Education
Assignment: 0K06
Status: Original Expiration Date: 06-30-2009 - Type: 21-Professional Teaching Certificate
Endorsement: Early Education
Assignment: PK0K
Status: Original Expiration Date: 06-30-2009 - Type: 21-Professional Teaching Certificate
Endorsement: Mentally Impaired-Mild-Moderate
Assignment: 0KAD
Status: Original Expiration Date: 06-30-2009 - Type: 21-Professional Teaching Certificate
Endorsement: Multi-Categorical (LD, BD, MI)
Assignment: 0K06
Status: Original Expiration Date: 06-30-2009 - Type: 21-Professional Teaching Certificate
Endorsement: Multi-Categorical (LD, BD, MI)
Assignment: 05AD
Status: Original Expiration Date: 06-30-2009 - Type: 81-First Class Permit
Endorsement: Multi-Categorical (LD, BD, MI)
Assignment: 0KAD
Status: Renewal Expiration Date: 06-30-2008 - Type: 21-Professional Teaching Certificate
Endorsement: Autism
Assignment: 0K06
Status: Original Expiration Date: 06-30-2009 - Type: 21-Professional Teaching Certificate
Endorsement: Autism
Assignment: 05AD
Status: Original Expiration Date: 06-30-2009 - Type: 21-Professional Teaching Certificate
Endorsement: Reading Endorsement
Assignment: PKAD
Status: Original Expiration Date: 06-30-2009
It has also been brought to my attention that talking about the certification process in Georgia makes people at work feel threatened and/or cheated because there is an easier route to particular certifications than the one they took. And so, I guess I'll stop talking about it there. The irony is that certification alone means very little in the context of WV's hiring process. Seniority becomes the issue there - and I have very little of that.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Abbey's 21st Birthday
Today is Abbey's birthday. My younger daughter turned 21 today.I spoke to Abbey for a few minutes this afternoon. She was in a good mood, happy with that moment of her life. How much more can a parent wish for than that their children live happy?
Abbey was grocery shopping when I reached her today on her cell phone. She is in Charleston, SC, at the moment. She moved to Charleston a couple of months ago.
Abbey talked about things she'd done today. Among them, she got a library card. As a teacher, that made me smile. Abbey loves to read. And she reads the good stuff, things I read at her age - like Tolstoy and Dostoevsky...I don't get to see Abbey as often as I'd like. But at least I get to talk to her.
Happy birthday, Abbey.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Running the Furnace in May...
It's May 18th and we've resorted to running our furnace to keep the house warm today and a couple of days last week. Not that it's cold outside, just unseasonably cool. Today's high was about 58F and the weather might best be described as "dreary drizzle." We did have a brief thunderstorm about 5pm. But after hours of drizzle and temps in the 40's last night, the inside of the house eventually drops down into the lower 60's.
I've neglected my personal blog. Two weeks of not writing is a long time in the blogosphere. The end of the school year has me preoccupied with other things - high stakes testing, special education paperwork, summer classes for me, vacation plans, and the like.
The fact that the weather has warmed up enough for the grass to grow doesn't help. I've spent the better part of two days this month working with a chainsaw to take out our overgrown and unmanageable hedge before it consumes the power lines to our house.
Yesterday I planted this year’s tomatoes. I need another plant or two.
So today I'm catching up on my writing while it rains outside...
I've neglected my personal blog. Two weeks of not writing is a long time in the blogosphere. The end of the school year has me preoccupied with other things - high stakes testing, special education paperwork, summer classes for me, vacation plans, and the like.
The fact that the weather has warmed up enough for the grass to grow doesn't help. I've spent the better part of two days this month working with a chainsaw to take out our overgrown and unmanageable hedge before it consumes the power lines to our house.
Yesterday I planted this year’s tomatoes. I need another plant or two.
So today I'm catching up on my writing while it rains outside...
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