Archive for July, 2003
Cub Scout Day Camp
Author: Andrea
We’ve been there all week. William, Ben and I led the toolbox-building group, while Kevan got to run around with his den doing cool stuff like shooting bb guns, archery, cooking, orienteering, making a boat for the rain gutter regata, etc.
Tomorrow will be the last regular camp day, and then Friday will be the rain gutter race and swimming at the Y, followed by a BBQ and the dens showing the skits they made.
read comments (0)no news is good news?
Author: Andrea
Sorry for the great lackage of updates. I don’t feel well, am miserably considering next year and trying not to think about it(long story) and reading too many emails.
I’m working on side jobs right now (related to the long story), including a web store I’m working on. I’ll post the url once it’s done. It’s just to sell very cool toys, books, games and stuff. I’m not planning to make tons of cash, but to hopefully make some. Other plans are, I’m delivering the Trade Express once a week, and plan to get tutoring jobs.
I got accepted into the nearby state university for the Master’s program, starting in January. I’m getting a MA in Education, Curriculum and Instruction. Why? Not because I want to be a teacher, lol. Just because I want to write lots and lots of things, and I want people to listen to me, hehe. I want to write for kids and people just interesting stuff. I want to write about education, and the unfortunate state of affairs (not that that’s a new topic). So that’s the ultimate plan. Also, I would like to teach some college courses, in education or otherwise.
Coloring Outside the Lines
Author: Andrea
What an annoying book. I was totally looking forward to it, expecting it to be similar to Guerrilla Learning by Grace Llewellyn. Although he was correct about many things, such as the irrelevance of much of what is learned in school, the fact that school can complete hamper learning, and he had some good ideas about how to help children be “smart” (gumption, ambition, creativity, inquisitiveness, and analytic and verbal proficiency) he goes about much of it in ways that I disagree with.
For example, he said he made his children go to bed much earlier than “normal” so that they would wake up at 5:30 in the morning, an hour and a half before the parents were up, in order to have “alone time”. This was not by the kids’ choice, and they did not have free choice about what to do with this time since tv and games were limited.
Speaking of which, tv and games were severely limited. This may sound nice as a way to produce intelligent kids, but it just doesn’t work that way. Instead of boring them into finding something interesting to do, why not suggest, entice or just engage in interesting things oneself. They will more than likely join in; at least mine would.
Overall, I think the book is relatively useless for most people. I can’t remember who recommended it, I thought it was the unschooling list, but after having read it, maybe not. Actually, it might be good as sort of an introduction to mainstream-thinking parents about the perils of education in schools.
Fun stuff this summer…
Author: Andrea
Just gotta throw in some pics from the last couple weeks.
This is at the park a couple weekends ago.
Last Tuesday we went to the Hot Springs.
On Friday we went to the county fair.
About Grading…
Author: Andrea
Even though I think unschooling is an ideal way of learning things (more on that some other time), I have twice found myself in a conversation with someone online where I ended up defending grading. Once it was with another teacher at some kind of charter school who spent hours every day writing essays in each student’s file about their apparent progress. The other time it was on the TCS list when someone voiced the opinion that it is impossible to be a teacher and be moral at the same time, because most, if not all, of the students are not there by choice, but because their parents have someone coerced them into being there. Not only that, but the practice of taking grades, according to this person, is immoral because the student may be negatively affected by a non-passing grade. I responded:
How does one “give” a non-passing grade? As a teacher part of my job is to assess student learning and report to the people paying me (the principal, the parents (it’s a private school) and the students). With math, the most logical way to do this is to give a percentage of correct answers based on a number of problems solved once a particular problem solving method has been learned. This “grade” is merely a percentage which represents the correct answers they have achieved. I am not their parent. I have not forced them into my school or classroom and they are welcome to leave any time they want (they may have consequences from their parents but I cannot control that, nor do I want to). What is immoral about this? How does it “hurt” someone to inform them of the percent of material they have demonstrated mastery of?In actuality, there is more to grading than just the percents of problems. Completion of assignments, even with incorrect problems, can lead to receiving a 100% even though 100% accuracy was not achieved. On quizzes I sometimes allow correcting for half-credit, so that “failing” quizzes can possibly be brought up as high as a 70% (but no higher).
In science, I will have more to deal with. There will be essential concepts that need to be tested to see if my objectives have been met (the California state standards), as well as lab assignments and homework to help achieve those objectives. I haven’t quite decided exactly how to carry this out yet, still thinking about different things.
La la la la la la la la l la la
Author: Andrea
by Kevan
hi today i played the legend of zelda and got kind of far it was fun lalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalala
lalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalala
lalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalala
la……………………the end
Finished Goblet of Fire
Author: Andrea
Me and Kevan finally finished book 4 of the Harry Potter series last night (we finished at almost exactly midnight). We have been reading more this summer, usually 2 or 3 chapters a day. During the school year we sometimes went months without reading it at all. So, it’s finally done and we are going to start on Order of the Phoenix today. I recently joined the HP for Grownups list on Yahoo Groups. It is pretty interesting! Lots of theories and talk. But most of it is about Order of the Phoenix so I’m saving that in a separate folder until we are done with it.
My thoughts on the great Harry Potter controversy among Christians…I strongly believe that if someone’s conscience tells them that it is wrong to read fantasy fiction, then they should absolutely not do it! God’s requirements of one may not be the same as His requirements for another.
I also believe that any work of fiction which glorifies real idolatry, satan, sorcery, or witchcraft is dangerous and I personally would not be interested in them. On the other hand, stories which represent imaginary witchcraft and wizardry and magical creatures, purely fantasy and completely unlike the real world such as Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia, Anne Rice and her vampires, etc. are as far removed from the witchcraft and sorcery of the Old Testament as are superheroes such as Superman removed from real heroes such as firemen.
Harry Potter specifically, to me, is a classic story of good vs. evil. The good are strong, brave, concerned for the well-being of others, self-disciplined, all good character traits. The bad are deceitful, cruel, power-hungry, vicious. The good are always victorious as in all good stories of good vs. evil, though the final battle is far from over. Dumbledore represents the epitome of good - wise, forgiving, protecting, loving. Voldemort is the epitome of evil - spiteful, unforgiving, malicious, backstabbing, conniving. Harry, of course, is the young one striving to find his way, having chosen the good side and trying to become more like Dumbledore.
Of course, the main point of stories such as these is the entertainment value, rather than the real moral lessons that can be taught. The stories are exciting, full of danger, romance, secrets, mysteries and intrigue. The plots are complex, with hints in one book that may not have meaning until 2 or 3 books later, plot twists and turns, and a storyline that keeps the pages turning. I can’t wait to read the next one!
Mwahahahahaha
Author: Andrea
mwahahahahhahahhhahahahahahahahahhahahahahhaha
hahahahhahahahjahahhahahahaha crash stinks mwahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahaha
hahahhahahahahahahahahaha
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kevans a cool dude
Author: Andrea