Have Your Say about Education
I’m relatively confident those who are interested or have children know that the Australian Government has come up with a new Curriculum. I have been reading it this week whilst I’ve been off work unwell. I don’t know that I would have had time to otherwise to be honest. It would be great if lots of people did respond to the call for feedback. Click here if you are interested. Yes, you have to register, yes, it’s a lot of reading… if you’re not in the education ‘field’, there are probably words you’ll have to look up~but really, if you’ve ever complained about schools, teachers or education today…. I think …. here’s your chance! These are the documents that teachers in your kids classrooms will use to guide the learning that happens in the classroom.
I hope there is a great diversity of ideas and feedback. I have my own ideas, but I believe everyone does, and that’s how things can improve. We need to express ourselves about the important things. There are only a couple of days left to do it and I’m sorry really that I didn’t share this earlier, but I honestly hadn’t had a chance to check it out.
I watched something awesome this week on TED talks. “Sir Ken Robertson:Bring on the Education Revolution” says it all. I loved what he said. I felt less alone in my thinking. Watch it:
His previous appearance at TED talks “Do Schools Kill Creativity?” is also well worth a watch and perhaps should be viewed first.
I am very excited about the potential for the future of education, but I want to yell “HURRY UP” at times.
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Seeing Paul Dempsey
Last Thursday, Darin and I went to Belgrave after work to see Paul Dempsey at Ruby’s Lounge. It was a busy night. My mind was racing with the events of the next few days. We called in to see Wilma, but missed her. We had dinner at the pizza shop a couple of doors up. It was a refreshing menu. Lots of old favourites.
We had our licences scanned to enter the venue, which was a new experience for me. I was curious about it and the door lady explained to me that it was for safety reasons. Apparently I was revealing my lack of going out in city establishments. I wonder how long it will be before it becomes a local practise.
Leena played before Paul Dempsey and I really enjoyed her. The main act was good too, yet I was tired and cold by then and had an hour and a half drive home. So I left early so I could be home in time to get enough sleep to teach the next day. I know I’m old.
Popularity: 6% [?]
Not Going to UK
Last night I got an email to confirm that I would still be available to work in the UK in September. I have been keeping that option open. It is scary to abandon a plan you felt so sure of. A friend at work questioned me about my decision not to go one day saying that I haven’t had that much luck in relationships so is it wise to abandon my plan for one. The truth is that I kept it as an option. I didn’t abandon my plan. I needed some time to think about it.
These holidays I have had some time to think about it. It is not just about the relationship with Darin, although that is a good enough reason for me. There have been so many times in the last few months when I have felt relieved that I had changed my mind. When my mum was in hospital last week and my sister Kate called from Edinburgh I imagined how it would be to be away at a time like that. When Tom moved to Airlie Beach and didn’t have a job, I was glad I was still here and that I could provide somewhere to return to if it didn’t work out. I’m also glad it did work out.
I really like my life. I like my people, my job and my home. I decided to go to the UK because I was scared of being here alone without my kids. I missed Kate. I thought it would be a good challenge. When I met Darin and we hit it off so well, it changed everything because being in love to me is valuable. It’s risky and scary, but it’s worth it. If it doesn’t work out will I resent it? No. It’s been worth it already. Travel is something that can always be done. I enjoy going anywhere. Seriously! People are what I value most.
So I confirmed that I wouldn’t be available to start in September last night. I feel really pleased with my decision.
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New Moon in Aries – Friday 27th March 2009
The new moon falls in Aries, the beginning of the zodiac. It’s an astrological new beginning. Aries is the start of the zodiac, the baby. My sister, Kate, long time friend Glenn and my Auntie Judy are all Aries natives who have taught me plenty about this sign and the youngest children in their families. Aries is a gutsy, go for it, fire sign and they demonstrate the boundless energy and enthusiasm you can expect.
Linda Hills Sabian Symbols talks about the Sabian Symbols for the March New Moon and I can relate to much of what she is speaking about. I feel divided right now. I just want to move house and have everything done, yet school is in it’s last week, which is usually very busy and requires massive energy and attention. I also had a restless nights sleep last night.
This last month has been big for me. I’ve reversed my decision to work in the UK later this year. I’ve recommitted to my position at school. I’ve made the decision to move house and live with Darin. Both these decisions were big. They feel like the right decisions and were easy to make at some level, once I entertained the idea that I didn’t really HAVE to go. I was relieved that my friends, family and colleagues were pleased and didn’t mock me about changing my plan that I was so confident about 
only weeks before!
There are a whole pile of adaptations and changes that go with these decisions. I’m not going to go into them all here cause they are personal and involve others. I think mostly though things are falling into place. My time has been redirected though and I haven’t put much of it into my online life that was once quite a significant part. I am happy to let go of spending so much time online though to be honest, because the life I have is richer in reality and I have learnt enough to invest less time I hope. I really don’t have any kind of routine right now. I haven’t been exercising and feel quite lucky I haven’t put on weight (especially with the great food I’ve been eating!).
In keeping with setting goals for the new moon, I am going to put them on my blog.
* I intend to move into our future home with ease and start a new life adventure.
*I intend to accept that I will blog less regularly. I will let go of thinking I must do it every day and instead, blog when I have something to say. This will translate to doing more with less I hope.
*I want to return to my exercise that gives me more energy. I have neglected this all term. I have noticed I am less fit and I don’t like it.
That is plenty for now. Most of all I am hanging out to brush off this dark moon thing I’m feeling. Mystic Medusa lightened it up for me with her allusion to one of my favourite picture books…Where Your Wild Thing Is.
I
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House full…
I have a house full of young people. No reason in particular.
Tom cooked yummy pasta for us tonight. Rueben is whining about us leaving him when we depart from here. He will get over it …. because he is going to be the best primary school teacher ever!
I enjoyed this clip…
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Moving Forward!
Last night I looked up Tom’s VTAC offer. He had told me not to bother as he didn’t expect to get one. He’d gone off to the Prom without even checking. He got two offers as he’d applied to a TAFE as well. I feel pleased for him. Both were the courses he wanted, so now he has to choose! He was pretty happy as well as surprised when he called me to say he’d arrived at the campsite and I gave him the good news. He didn’t believe it at first and wanted me to check it again. Two envelopes from VTAC today…. so if there is another person with his postcode and name, as he suggested, there is no doubt now.
I finished the painting today. I had only one coat of paint to do on the upstairs room. I wanted to achieve this yesterday but after the dentist had done some poking around in my back tooth, I had an early night and woke early. It was probably a better time to do it anyway. I am amazed how much better I feel today after nearly a week of feeling so zapped and pained. The blisters have formed scabs and the mouth is feeling a whole lot better. I’ve rested for the remainder of the day because I’m going to visit friends tomorrow. I can’t tolerate another day at home.
I have a phone interview tonight with an agency to get a teaching position in the UK next year. I have the real estate agent coming on Friday to get me up to speed about renting out my house while I’m away. I have storage space that I’ve started moving stuff I don’t use much to. I am getting rid of things as well.
Everything is progressing in the right direction….
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Comfort Food
Rice is what I want to eat when I am sick. I like fried rice, rice pudding, risotto and sushi. My mum has made me a bulk supply of fried rice, pudding and chicken soup. I have been sleeping for a couple of hours, getting up and having whichever of those foods I feel like and then reading or internetting (I know, it’s not a word!) then back to snooze. I’ve watched a couple of films, but nothing memorable enough to mention on Falling Brick.
I’ve had this delicious honey on my rice that a very gorgeous man earlier this year introduced me to. It comes from Tasmania and once I tasted it, I had to own it. It’s as divine on the rice as it was on the yoghurt, fruit and porridge when I first met it. Mmmm honey! I used to always have Golden Syrup on my rice pudding … it reminds me of my nana, who introduced me to that sweet stuff. I ran out though!
I am feeling a lot better though. I enjoy being bedridden as much as I can, after I accept it and call off all my plans. Jane and Sam are over from Perth and staying in Melbourne right now. I’ve put off seeing them until Wednesday. That was pretty frustrating. Not swimming on those great hot days and missing out on hanging out with John was also annoying. The big list of chores I want to get done to prepare for my big move has been put on hold. That was kind of stressful, but having time out to think more carefully about how to do it all, has possibly paid off too.
I think I have worked out what has led me to this situation and taken advantage of the reflection time. I had totally overlooked time out for rest and reflection when spending these holidays. I’ve mulled over my year that was, a bit deeper and dreamt up some new visions for my future. I’ve written a bit in my journal, which hasn’t seen too many words this past six months.
Popularity: 9% [?]
Stripping Wallpaper
I’ve spent most of the day stripping the second layer of paper from the walls of the upstairs spare bedroom today. When I first moved into my home, the three bedrooms had really disgusting vinyl wallpaper on them. Not anything that I could live with, that’s for sure. I got straight into ripping off the outer vinyl layer of paper. I then spent a lot longer soaking and removing all the paper and glue traces in my bedroom.
Asha’s room was finally completed last year when Tom moved in there and he and his dad prepared it for painting, and then painted it. My ex-husband is always very particular about his handyman jobs so it was very well done. I’m not sure how I managed to get away with that, but I think Tom’s super influencing abilities won him over. Whose ex-husband paints a room in their house for them?
As I am preparing my house to let it out whilst I am away, I have to paint my bedroom and the other bedroom upstairs. There was wallpaper on the ceilings of those upstairs rooms and I can’t tell you how much my arms ache from a day of it. I’m not finished yet either. My dad called in to help and brought me a step ladder. That helped a lot actually because I’d been using a rocking chair cause I was too lazy to bring a more stable chair upstairs. I’m like that. A health and safety nightmare.
I really appreciate my parents. They are so supportive of each of us to achieve whatever it is we want to do. I watched mum stress about Kate being away and I know she’ll fret about me just as much, but they still support us to do what we want to do. I feel unconditionally loved by them. All six of us live very different lifestyles and some hugely different to theirs and yet we are all helped out in different ways. I’ve only recognised that and appreciated it lately. I used to think everyones parents were like that.
I moved into this house 5 years ago and did plenty in the first year. Then I met Andy. He distracted me! I did pay someone to paint the kitchen whilst he was here, but in all honesty my redecorating came to a virtual standstill during this period. We were always going away to interesting places during the holidays and I rarely have enough left over energy during the term.
I kind of like doing it though. I like seeing the improvement. I think a lot. Today I was thinking about the things that room has seen in the years we’ve lived here. I had my music up loud and I was remembering when Tom was learning the baritone saxophone and how the noise (and in the beginning it was just noise) would fill the whole court. I was remembering how relieved I was when the old guy on the corner told me he was in the city band and loved hearing the sound of the kids practising their instruments. Asha learnt the drums and flute so there was a lot of practising sounds. I can’t say I loved them.
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New Things
Today I learnt how to use bluetooth between my laptop and mobile. That’s the great thing about working with young people. In our Digital Storytelling class one of the students wanted to put a track from his mobile onto his clip he was making. Our students aren’t allowed to reveal their mobiles at school. They risk having them confiscated. So he explained his situation to me with pleading eyes and as I had my laptop in class, I agreed he could show me how to do it. It was a win/win.
That of course led to a discussion about the use of bluetooth with mobiles. This is how they transfer photos, videos and songs to one another. It’s free. They confessed they do it all day long! We haven’t got a hope! I have spotted a student or twenty “discretely” texting under the screen of a desk, pencil case or book, but I didn’t really think about the bluetooth technology. No wonder they are so distracted at times!
Tom has returned from Ballarat and he brought goodies. Triple J’s “Like a Version Four” is great. I especially love the After the Fall rendition of ‘Only the Good Die Young’ and Paul Kelly’s ‘Rehab’. Oh and ‘Wide Open Road’ by The Panics. He found some xmas tree lights that have actually inspired me to put up a tree this year. They are thongs – how cool. I have a vision of a tree that I can live with now.
I will post a picture when I make it a reality. It will be soon, because he wants to get the tree up before he goes to schoolies in a week or so. Normally I delay the whole Christmas tree thing until after Asha’s birthday on the 10th Dec. Since my birthday is on the 2nd and hers on the 10th, I don’t want to eclipse our birthdays with Christmas stuff. I am doing things differently though this year and Christmas is no exception.
The biggest news of today is that I informed work that I am leaving next year at the end of semester one next year. I have plans. I will expand on them when they are clearer. I know it seems like a lot of notice to give, but it’s challenging to get teachers in our area and I want to give them as much notice as possible.
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Extras by Scott Westerfeld
The last book I am aware of in Scot Westerfeld’s Uglies series is Extras. A new central character is introduced and Tally arrives part way through the novel to save the day. The world has changed and no longer are standards of beauty imposed and brains numbed to accept it. The currency for this new place is fame or popularity and credit is supplied on the basis of face rank.
It is a very interesting idea when reflecting on the rankings that occur on the Internet currently. The protagonist is a young ugly who plots and lusts after fame and finds the reality of it a bit of a rude shock. Her love interest is a young person whose fame was created from introducing a new clique that has had ‘surge’ to prevent him from lying. The truth and fame create all kinds of complications for them in another fast paced adventure.
I enjoyed this book the most of the series. I recommend this series though not only for the interesting way Scot Westerfeld has taken some of the technologies we have already to further levels, but also for the characters and relationships. Many of my students have enjoyed these books and it is difficult to get the first in the series in our school library.
Popularity: 7% [?]
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