Essay prompt: Your friend claims that a virus is alive. Use what you know about the characteristics of living things to convince him that he is wrong.
Response from SStA: Get a lot of books and show him that viruses is not real. If he don't belive me am just gone have't go around the world a find a real scientist and he will tell him that viruses are not real. And he gone belive.
Response from DF: Just give me two points off
Essay prompt: Why do plants have adaptations?
Response from VB: Because I don't want to die. Ex: if I'm in a desert and I'm a cactus and there is not a lot of water in the desert, obviously there is not a lot of water so I will do anything to get a lot of water where I can.
Sometimes I <3 <3 these kids.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
I have ESPN.
Last night, I dreamed that was riding my bike (Bartolo Antonio the Beach Cruiser, named after a character from the opera Il Barbiere di Siviglia [The Barber of Seville] and the classic Italian film Ladri di Biciclette [Bicycle Thieves]) and the chain fell off.
This morning, I put on a new swimsuit and a yellow sundress and rode my bike in perfect sunny 80something degree weather past the little shops of northside Miami Beach to an Argentine bakery, where I got an empanada jamon y queso and an empanada caprese, then to the beach to meet a few of my TforA friends. On the way to the bakery, the chain fell off my bike while I was switching gears. No problem, I had just fixed this situation probably 8 hours earlier in my dream. Weird?
(This has also been a subtle advertisement to attract more visitors to visit me and my new hometown.)
This morning, I put on a new swimsuit and a yellow sundress and rode my bike in perfect sunny 80something degree weather past the little shops of northside Miami Beach to an Argentine bakery, where I got an empanada jamon y queso and an empanada caprese, then to the beach to meet a few of my TforA friends. On the way to the bakery, the chain fell off my bike while I was switching gears. No problem, I had just fixed this situation probably 8 hours earlier in my dream. Weird?
(This has also been a subtle advertisement to attract more visitors to visit me and my new hometown.)
Thursday, May 20, 2010
My social change project
Listen. I'm pursuing a Master of Science in Education and Social Change. I really like grad school, more especially now that we are starting courses on politics in the education system. (In case you haven't heard, studying politics is delicious to me.) For our next class, I get to read the Constitution and two Supreme Court cases, one of them being Brown v. Board.
As part of the social change component of the degree, we have to implement a social change project. I have been dreading choosing my project because I can foresee it being either a very meaningful experience or a disappointment that doesn't ignite me. My senior political science paper, which interested but did not captivate me, qualified as a bit of a disappointment. It was on whether religion overcomes socioeconomic status in forming voter preference.
I had a moment of literal magic today: all of my ideas and interests for this social change project coalesced in an instant, literally like a lightening strike brought them together. I had turned in a preliminary proposal that I didn't really believe in and was on my way to discuss it with a group. I suddenly realized that I want to create a safe girls-only after-school zone where we can discuss self worth and adolescence issues, get girls interested in careers in math and science, learn art/music/writing/dance/whatever they want, learn about the status of women all around the world, and raise money for schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan. This may not seem original but things like this are often left out of the urban education story. This burst of revelation was full of recharging, energizing excitement for a future accomplishment.
The underlying factors influencing my decision:
I think I need to do a lot of research to figure out how to make this incredibly meaningful and transformational, not a feel-good hour to fill the time. I want a logo and an awesome group name. Please let me know of ideas for experts, books, or if you have any suggestions!
(I am also excited because I can see how this project can lead to future opportunities...)
As part of the social change component of the degree, we have to implement a social change project. I have been dreading choosing my project because I can foresee it being either a very meaningful experience or a disappointment that doesn't ignite me. My senior political science paper, which interested but did not captivate me, qualified as a bit of a disappointment. It was on whether religion overcomes socioeconomic status in forming voter preference.
I had a moment of literal magic today: all of my ideas and interests for this social change project coalesced in an instant, literally like a lightening strike brought them together. I had turned in a preliminary proposal that I didn't really believe in and was on my way to discuss it with a group. I suddenly realized that I want to create a safe girls-only after-school zone where we can discuss self worth and adolescence issues, get girls interested in careers in math and science, learn art/music/writing/dance/whatever they want, learn about the status of women all around the world, and raise money for schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan. This may not seem original but things like this are often left out of the urban education story. This burst of revelation was full of recharging, energizing excitement for a future accomplishment.
The underlying factors influencing my decision:
- A few weeks ago, a few of my girl students said they had had thoughts of suicide and that those thoughts were common among their friends.
- Most urban enrichment programs focus on boys.
- These same girl students said one of their shared big fears are that their boyfriends will hit them.
- One of my friends teaches a Saturday girls-only engineering class and loves it.
- I have the most problems with connecting with female students; the weird competitive tense dynamic that sometimes happens between female friends apparently extends to the middle school female student-female teacher relationship.
- I have been looking for a way to do Pennies for Peace and think it will work much better if the girls are invested in it and represent the program rather than having me do all of the promoting. Even more relevant is that we would be raising money to help elevate and educate girls in Pakistan.
I think I need to do a lot of research to figure out how to make this incredibly meaningful and transformational, not a feel-good hour to fill the time. I want a logo and an awesome group name. Please let me know of ideas for experts, books, or if you have any suggestions!
(I am also excited because I can see how this project can lead to future opportunities...)
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Photofintesis!!
My seventh graders were adorable today. That's because the good, funny ones (mostly boys) came to class and the obnoxious drama-causing girls skipped. And because my co-teacher came. She helps a lot to calm them down.
Ms. N: What response is this plant showing?
MB: Photofintesis!!
(Correct answer: phototropism)
TC, after coming back from the bathroom: "I went to the bathroom. I didn't wash my hands. [Sticks his hands in a bucket of sand behind my desk.] In my country, we wash our hands with sand." (This kid is home-grown Miami.)
KG: "If we pour enough water on the sun, and put it out, will it kill all the plants?"
Ms. N: What response is this plant showing?
MB: Photofintesis!!
(Correct answer: phototropism)
TC, after coming back from the bathroom: "I went to the bathroom. I didn't wash my hands. [Sticks his hands in a bucket of sand behind my desk.] In my country, we wash our hands with sand." (This kid is home-grown Miami.)
KG: "If we pour enough water on the sun, and put it out, will it kill all the plants?"
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