Thursday, January 30, 2014

Proof that Goodness Comes From an Oven

Our baking day turned out to be a great success. 
 I am a firm believer that the the desire to learn comes from a knead to know. (I couldn't resist.)
Particularly in Junior High (or middle school as they call it here) when no one can see beyond there nose. (I can say this because I too have spent time in that state of mind.) Lessons must be relevant.
Through this lesson we were able to discuss qualities of an organism, cell division, limiting factors, carbohydrates, proteins and lipids and more!
It was also a lesson in patience, measurement, fractions and multiplication, culture and language, the idea that practice makes perfect (student tray on left, my tray on right, booyah) time management, and even hygiene and food safety. By the end of the day other adults on staff at my school had even come in for a lesson, to share a story, and to even grab a quick snack.  What a great way to continue to pass on my mom's legacy, both in teaching AND in baking.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

A Perfect Storm, Mom, Cancer Awareness, and a Baking Day at School

This week is Health Awareness week. We've been having different "dress up" days. Yesterday was dress in the colors of your favorite healthy food. I wore red pants, a white undershirt, and a green sweater. We work a lot on re-stating questions in responses, and making "I think" science statements with lots of evidence to show reasoning. SO the bell work prompt was to tell me what healthy food I was and why. It was fun! Tomorrow is wear your "Cancer Awareness" ribbon color. I'm going to wear the maroon color for Multiple Myeloma. The kind of cancer Mom had. 

My friend Patti, who worked with my mom, at the school I grew up in and she taught at for 14 years just posted a picture of her name on the new building being built at the school. Someone wrote "Wherever you go, whatever you do, don't forget, Pinedale is YOU!" It is me. It was my mom. It is my family even though we're separated by a great distance I regularly think of things I learned there from my mom and all the incredible mentor teachers I have met there on my journey as a student, graduate and now a teacher.

Incidentally we're talking about Cell Cycles this week and yeast is a GREAT example so we're heading down to the "Home Ec" lab to bake some bread with yeast. The way my mom taught me. 
Yeast is a great example of living organisms. My mom would always talk to me about how "its alive" and talk about nurturing the yeasties when would bake.

As I'm preparing to take my "tools" to school, I thought of how my mom would cook with her students. One thing they always remember when I get in touch with them later. Whether it was math, science, or even the skills to write directions cooking is a great way to show how applicable skills are. 

Lastly I grabbed flour sack towels to cover the rising dough. The aprons are in the same drawer. All of my mom's special aprons that I'm so lucky to have. And I get to wear them. Tomorrow. When I cook with my students and teach them many of the things that she taught me.

My heart hurts because I miss her,
because I fell so blessed,
because I'm so proud that I learned so much from her,
because I know she's proud,
and because my only regret is that we can't debrief about it all, laugh a little and build on each others lessons, over a cup of tea and a good long phone call. 

and ahhhhh. None of this was planned. None of this was on my brain until it hit me. Like a truck. Say a little prayer I can keep it together. 




One In Every Color- Clean My Phone Out Edition

My phone camera roll has1,035 pictures in my photo album and that's after my first 3 rounds of clean out today. My phone has too much to back up and all I want to back up is my photos and two apps. Sigh.
So.
Photo dump.
One in every color style.


From Cami. And in Dallas.


Popcorn.


Hangers.


Container Store.


Shoes. Two students who wear the same size swapped shoes.


Paper. In a mall in Dallas.


Swimsuits. In a mall in Dallas.


Slippers. By Carol.


Oh no!!! That's it? Ok time to delete some more! ;)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Saturday, January 25, 2014

The Twisted Sisters

That's what we call ourselves. Fiber art is the tie that binds. We get together on Thursdays and Saturdays. There is no RSVP needed. You come if you can. You create, you talk if you want.
Most of us refer to it as necessary therapy. If possible we schedule life around it.

I love how our group and groups like ours bring together people from many walks of life. They are multi-generational. These are people that will celebrate your triumphs with you, and share your sorrows. This is the place you are reminded that people all have different skill sets, and experiences both in knitting and in life. We learn from each other, and with each other whether in a "knit-along" or in making life decisions.

I am blessed by each group I become a part of and am proud of what our group here in Garden City has become.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Just a Spoon Full of Sugar

I'll be the first to admit, I very much enjoy musical Disney movies.
As a child I watched Mary Poppins more than once and was even more familiar with the musical numbers on our Disney Musical Collection CD's.
When I went with Aunt Audrie to see Saving Mr. Banks it took my study of Disney to a whole new level. All of a sudden I wanted to know and understand all of the perspectives that went into Mary Poppins. Where were these authors coming from? Was P.L. Travers as bizarre as they portrayed her to be or was she (as we wish many other authors had been) just trying to protect a sacred piece of literature.
So began my journey. I ordered myself a copy of her book. Which, I must say is a wee bit bizarre. I found it very amusing but I did not "laugh and laugh" as Walt Disney's character described his daughters doing in Saving Mr. Banks.This has led me to converse with people I know who would might have remembered the book and I find I have to clarify if their enjoyment was the first publication or in connection with the release of the movie Mary Poppins. 
Shortly after...or maybe before, my friend Violet got a hold of a documentary about the Sherman brothers. The Sherman brothers were the composers for Mary Poppins and many other successful movies. This led to a whole new level of insight on Mary Poppins and even other movies. What an evolving exploration of literature and history.

SPOILER ALERT
I think in Saving Mr. Banks, the flash backs are in fact from her perspective as a child. I think they are a bit weird and confused because as a young person, she really didn't have the whole picture. My sister and I talk regularly about our childhood and realize that she and I have completely different views on the same events. Or that I may have been very impacted by a certain event while my sister may not even remember it. 
I think that in the movie Mary Poppins, Bert represents P.L. Travers' father projection, Mr. Banks represents Disney's father and the kite closing represents the Sherman brothers' father.

What do you think? Have you done any exploration of your own?
*I reserve the right to add and alter as my exploration of the matter evolves.