I've got the Internet going nuts.
My mom is hot stuff.
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Strawberries. Mmmmm.
Mama and Baby Celebrate Spring Break!
It’s been a while since I’ve been able to muster up enough energy to write a blog. Or really, do anything more than take care of my baby, kiss my husband on the forehead, check the Huffington Post and go to bed. And oh, yeah, teach full time too. (obviously, my priorities are not hard to see through).
Mostly, I blame the Educational Industrial Complex for this. i.e. Test Prep. i.e. Pearson. i.e. Ed Reform and all the suckers who buy into that political bullshit. I’ve decided to lay all that to rest: Spring Break is HERE! April will soon be here! Summer peeks through the murky depths of test prep season!
I’m not going to rehash the atrocities of The Test and its current effects on sound pedagogy and student (and teacher) engagement. Instead, let’s focus on the glamourati for the rest of the year: Spring Break, Soleil’s First Birthday, and The Awesomeness of After the Test.
Cornelius in his Spring Break outfit.
Spring Break
The Manhattan: both the whiskey and the city @ Morton’s Steakhouse
Those who work in industries that do not award sporadic vacations like Spring Break may sometimes balk at the nifty 10 day collection of free time that’s given to educators and students nationwide. True, it’s nifty, and perhaps a little unfair. However, without it, schools would implode.
The Minor family Spring Break is going strong! It began with Pajama Day, and was met with a Date Night where the parents drank actual Hard Alcohol and stayed up for a late night movie at the IFC. Ironically, we saw a Michel Gondry film focused on NYC youth called The We and the I. Excellent film, go see it. Another Pajama Day. THEN SPA CASTLE. Words can’t express the gratitude we have for the Koreans and their amalgamation of spa services for the people of NYC. A-MAZING. We continue to pajama it up, and are looking forward to our weekend excursion with our Georgia Family in Athens, where Soleil will be baptized with her cousin Matti by their Grandpa Reverand Minor!
Soleil’s First Birthday
Soleil, sporting her Michelle Obama DVF outfit (via Gap) at 11 1/2 months.
Soleil’s first birthday is coming soon! Last Spring Break, Cornelius and I walked and walked and walked all over the city anticipating Soleil’s arrival. She chose to come on the last day of Spring Break, and it was the sweetest moment of our lives. This year, her birthday (April 15) does not fall on Spring Break, which is fine. Instead, it always falls on tax day. Hah! We are happily enjoying all aspects of Soleil and most aspects of parenting. The one year milestone for babies is a reflective time; bittersweet in a nutshell. But that’s for another post. We love our baby girl.
The Awesomeness After the Test
I love when the Test is over. It’s blissful. Serene, really. Firstly, teaching gets exciting again. There’s units like “Rebuilding Reading Life.” Yes, yes, and YES. That is the kind of stuff I love to teach. I’ve been a bookworm all my life, and there is nothing more exciting than letting all my biblio-love infect the kids I teach.
Additionally, shared struggle is always something that brings people closer together. And when kids, teachers, and colleagues have to go through something like test prep together, when it’s over, everyone embraces. Both literally and figuratively. Class community is at an all time high, teachers get chummy with each other again, and the Last Day of School is in sight.
Last day of School? Enough said.
Viva La Spring Break!
How I Roll.
I’m hanging out with a few thousand of my closest teacher friends today at the college as we are hosting a day of free professional development for teachers from all over the country. There are more than 100 seminars and sessions today — all aimed at the art and what in recent years has become the politics of teaching.
I’m leading two groups. My first one is one at noon on the “bring your own technology” movement that is changing how many schools interact with tools like cell phones, tablets, and laptops. My second session is on a more familiar topic — struggling readers.
I’m looking forward to sharing ideas across the day. As we work together, I’ll be posting resources here and to my twitter stream on the right. If you are not in NYC today, check back often, and follow along @MisterMinor #TCRWP
Resource Update:
- Here is a small group planner that well use as we discuss struggling readers.
- Here is a chart that illustrates how we can move an analog writing process into a digital one.
- Here is a planner that I use to mind map tech solutions to curricular questions that arise in my classes.
-Corn