It looked to be a miserable day.
I was pushed in to classrooms at both schools that I wasn't sure the teachers that usually occupy the room knew I was coming.
In the morning I had envisioned the varsity basketball coach arriving with an gigantic load of new basketball shoes that needed to be distributed.. no it didn't happen. The students all went to the old classroom and we walked all together to the new one. Everything worked okay. That happened in the 2nd period as well.
At the other school, I had not met the teacher that I was sharing the room with. I had envisioned "pushing in" with my class to a full class. That didn't happen. She taught a 0 period class and was on a shortened schedule, so she was out of their by 4th peiod when I would consider starting my pull out schedule. So that is going to work too.
The afternoon class is impeccably clean. I found out later that she is the daughter of the HR director. So all it well. The room has a smart board and a overhead LcD projector. It is way back by the football field but that won't be in issue once I am there.
The big problem arrived when I got home.
Their was a leak somewhere in the water supply coming into the house and it has continued to pour. There is a moat of 3 inches around our house and the neighbors are concerned that it might take out their carpeting. I call the plumber at 4:30 today and they will be out at 9:30 tomorrow. I hope they can find the issue. In the mean time we are again without water. : ( Pat
Monday, August 17, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Outsourced !
I just watched a great romantic comedy on Netfix instant.
Judging from the title of this expose.. its Outsourced.
The plot is simple: A call center worker saves his job and his "stock options" by leaving the US and traveling to India to train the Indian call center the nuances of American culture. The central figure falls in love with a smart aleck Indian girl who is promised in an arranged marriage to someone else.
The beauty of this film is in the minor details. The ironic twists. Watch for the boat scene where she speaks "American" and he speaks "Indian." Its a laugh out loud sequence. Sue was wondering what was making me laugh. it is priceless.
The cinematography is wonderful. The acting is authentic. The plot is shallow but it moves right along.
If you don't have instant "play it on your TV" put it on your cue.. This is the one romantic comedy of the Summer that really hits its target.
: ) Pat
Judging from the title of this expose.. its Outsourced.
The plot is simple: A call center worker saves his job and his "stock options" by leaving the US and traveling to India to train the Indian call center the nuances of American culture. The central figure falls in love with a smart aleck Indian girl who is promised in an arranged marriage to someone else.
The beauty of this film is in the minor details. The ironic twists. Watch for the boat scene where she speaks "American" and he speaks "Indian." Its a laugh out loud sequence. Sue was wondering what was making me laugh. it is priceless.
The cinematography is wonderful. The acting is authentic. The plot is shallow but it moves right along.
If you don't have instant "play it on your TV" put it on your cue.. This is the one romantic comedy of the Summer that really hits its target.
: ) Pat
Friday, August 7, 2009
Incentives for Good Kid Work
This comes from Smalldog.com. Their email info had this gem in it:
“I’ve been teaching 1st grade for 31 years… love technology and LOVE Apple! Last year, one of my students was autistic, and difficult to motivate. None of my usual rewards would work and get him to complete his work or improve his behavior. That is, until I offered to let him use my iPhone as a reward!
Once I realized THAT using the iPhone was an ultimate reward for him, I added some games to the iPhone. He also LOVED music and was quite the singer, so I added an entire playlist on it for him, too. (Silly me—I added the bowling game app on it and it quickly became one of his favorite games to use—until my iPhone was sent flying across the room when he accidentally ‘let go’ of it while bowling.) It was then I realized I cold no longer let him use the iPhone and I wrote a grant for an iPod touch. He never knew the difference!
He was allowed to earn the reward 2x/day, and for the last 6 months of the school year, he worked hard on his school work and behavior in order to use the touch. After I added a few 2-player games on the touch, I allowed him to choose a friend to play with him during his reward time with the touch and I started to notice his social interactions with classmates improved tremendously, too!”
It might be time to get out the grant writing stick and look for some Itouches.
: ) Pat
“I’ve been teaching 1st grade for 31 years… love technology and LOVE Apple! Last year, one of my students was autistic, and difficult to motivate. None of my usual rewards would work and get him to complete his work or improve his behavior. That is, until I offered to let him use my iPhone as a reward!
Once I realized THAT using the iPhone was an ultimate reward for him, I added some games to the iPhone. He also LOVED music and was quite the singer, so I added an entire playlist on it for him, too. (Silly me—I added the bowling game app on it and it quickly became one of his favorite games to use—until my iPhone was sent flying across the room when he accidentally ‘let go’ of it while bowling.) It was then I realized I cold no longer let him use the iPhone and I wrote a grant for an iPod touch. He never knew the difference!
He was allowed to earn the reward 2x/day, and for the last 6 months of the school year, he worked hard on his school work and behavior in order to use the touch. After I added a few 2-player games on the touch, I allowed him to choose a friend to play with him during his reward time with the touch and I started to notice his social interactions with classmates improved tremendously, too!”
It might be time to get out the grant writing stick and look for some Itouches.
: ) Pat
Monday, August 3, 2009
It all Starts Again Tomorrow
The break is over.. well almost.
This year instead of heading down to UCLA for some CTA training, I am doing roundup at Buhach Colony High School tomorrow. Roundup is the only time that speech and language people have a chance at earning some comp time credits. Tomorrow we will start at 8 and finish at 10. Which really translates into 7:30 to set up and catch some early hearing folks and then 10:30 to catch the stragglers coming in. Its a mad scene and pretty intense in some high school venues. At other times the students just don't come in and we wait and wait.
The four main schools have over 2000 students each attending. All 10th graders are required to be screened for hearing. So at best we have 5 audiometers humming as we quickly seat students, drop on earphones, test through 3 frequencies at screening level and get appropriate responses. A form is checked off and earphones are removed and the next student is ready to sit down and the procedure continues one after another. A good prodution audiometrist can see 30- 40 in an hour. So with five going.. that means 200 students can get their hearing screened in an hour.
For students it is often a social time. The herds of girls come in together and have to be admonished not to talk during the testing. Guys come in a try to blow off the event. We catch the ones that have been trap shooting and not using ear protection.
The tough ones are the mohawlk hair styles and the huge hoops. We spend time cleaning the hair goop off our earphones and try to keep the lines moving. We pray for cool days and rooms that are cool without air con (sound distrations).
So there is no doubt that it is work. But it is interesting work none the less and our bodies and their bodies are not used to doing chairs and production and crowd control.
So think of me Tues morning and the job that starts the year.
: ) Pat
This year instead of heading down to UCLA for some CTA training, I am doing roundup at Buhach Colony High School tomorrow. Roundup is the only time that speech and language people have a chance at earning some comp time credits. Tomorrow we will start at 8 and finish at 10. Which really translates into 7:30 to set up and catch some early hearing folks and then 10:30 to catch the stragglers coming in. Its a mad scene and pretty intense in some high school venues. At other times the students just don't come in and we wait and wait.
The four main schools have over 2000 students each attending. All 10th graders are required to be screened for hearing. So at best we have 5 audiometers humming as we quickly seat students, drop on earphones, test through 3 frequencies at screening level and get appropriate responses. A form is checked off and earphones are removed and the next student is ready to sit down and the procedure continues one after another. A good prodution audiometrist can see 30- 40 in an hour. So with five going.. that means 200 students can get their hearing screened in an hour.
For students it is often a social time. The herds of girls come in together and have to be admonished not to talk during the testing. Guys come in a try to blow off the event. We catch the ones that have been trap shooting and not using ear protection.
The tough ones are the mohawlk hair styles and the huge hoops. We spend time cleaning the hair goop off our earphones and try to keep the lines moving. We pray for cool days and rooms that are cool without air con (sound distrations).
So there is no doubt that it is work. But it is interesting work none the less and our bodies and their bodies are not used to doing chairs and production and crowd control.
So think of me Tues morning and the job that starts the year.
: ) Pat
Sunday, August 2, 2009
When the Minority controls the Destiny
We are in serious times.
It seems to me that at the national level and at the state level the minority is calling the shots.
Its predictable that our state, with its 2/3 requirement to pass a budget that the minority would carry such unpredictable power. The point of a super majority is that you have bipartisan support for any serious expenditure. With the Republican minority holding to no new taxation, and the state in dire need, the predicted results follow. Still a minority should not have that kind of power.
The same thing is happening at the national scene. Health care reform is being held up by a minority with little support. It is still championing its conservative causes through this important legislation. Our survival as an economic force is controlled by a few that want to limit any possible support at the federal level for women's health. This is not fair. The voters voted this kind of thinking out when they elected Obama and congress people in the last major election.
How can we not afford the health care that we have to have? The minority voices should be heard but the majority voices should rule.
: ) Pat
It seems to me that at the national level and at the state level the minority is calling the shots.
Its predictable that our state, with its 2/3 requirement to pass a budget that the minority would carry such unpredictable power. The point of a super majority is that you have bipartisan support for any serious expenditure. With the Republican minority holding to no new taxation, and the state in dire need, the predicted results follow. Still a minority should not have that kind of power.
The same thing is happening at the national scene. Health care reform is being held up by a minority with little support. It is still championing its conservative causes through this important legislation. Our survival as an economic force is controlled by a few that want to limit any possible support at the federal level for women's health. This is not fair. The voters voted this kind of thinking out when they elected Obama and congress people in the last major election.
How can we not afford the health care that we have to have? The minority voices should be heard but the majority voices should rule.
: ) Pat
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