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damonsangel
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Name: Jenn
Location: Texas, United States
Birthday: 11/21/1975
Gender: Female
Interests: The Beatles, Texas History, mass murderers, Travis, American History, Ian Moore, Scottish accents, my kids (Kyra & Ian), all kinds of music but especially Britpop and Top 40 before the year 2000, movies in general, teaching & education, people-watching, starting collections of things I'll never complete, taking road trips, reading nonfiction, Mars bars, associating with interesting people, napping, kitty-cats
Occupation: Student
Message: message meEmail: email me
AIM:  damonsangel75
Yahoo:  beatlebaby75
Member Since:
4/19/2001
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| It will be nice when I get to the point where I'm not still doing some sort of planning the night before I'm going to teach something. I'm still tired. Going to bed around 10:30 and getting up around 4:ish. I implemented seating charts and a new detention policy today. Let's see if it curbs the biggest class disruptions I'm having: too much student talking when I'm trying to talk and too much student picking and touching and throwing erasers and paper at each other during class. I also have some kids who are already failing after 2 weeks, because they've barely turned a stitch of work in. My tutorial times officially start next week.
But I'm (for the most part) having fun and feeling like this is the right place for me to be!
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| I'm exhausted. I'm trying to find the motivation to get off the chair I'm comfortably situated in, so that I can get in the shower, get ready, and get to our district-wide convocation this morning. I'm definitely going to need to suck down as much coffee as possible before I get there.
At noon, I have to meet Damon and Kyra at the Mood Disorders Lab at one of UT Austin's satellite locations. She's participating in a study on emotions in young teenage girls. Scary! She'll have to fill out some questionnaires and have some brain scans done, which will take about 3 1/2 hours total, but she'll get $100 in exchange. I think that was the deciding factor for her.
I can only stay long enough to sign some parental consent forms, and then I'm back to district meetings. Looks like Clinton and I are going to have to find time this weekend to work on our first-week stuff some more. We still haven't heard from Aaron--the third member of our team--so we're trying to plan for things he can use, too. I'm starting to wonder if he's going to show up or flake out... I hope he shows up!
I've avoided the shower too long. I'm going to start that pot of coffee and get moving. But I don't wanna...
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| So, yesterday was the Fourth of July, and I had intended to write
something especially to celebrate our day of independence. But, as
usual, I spent too much time thinkin' and not enough writin', so I
missed yet another deadline I set for myself.
The current issue of TIME is touting "The Real Meaning of Patriotism"
on its cover. I eagerly found the story and was quickly disappointed
while reading, because I thought it would be more in-depth and
thought-provoking. And then I reminded myself that it's TIME. But
still...
Peter Beinart's interpretation of partisan patriotism
is this: conservatives want to preserve the past, really love our
symbols--especially when they incorporate stars and stripes, and
bristle at criticism of our great nation, while liberals hope for a
future that better fulfills the ideals of the original Revolutionaries,
acknowledge the frequent gaps between these ideals and actual practice
in our history, and feel that criticizing government and society is as
red-white-and-blue as the National Anthem.
Not only was I an
American Studies and History major in college, but I am also a Social
Studies teacher--one that emphasizes multiple viewpoints and the
complexity of history. I want students to think critically about the
world around them, to take an active role in society, and to not let
anyone--including me--spoon-feed them anything. Politically, I lean
liberal. Patriotically, I lean liberal (according to Beinart).
I
don't wear flag pins, or in fact, any item of clothing or accessory
that features stars and stripes. I don't put my hand over my heart for
"The Star-Spangled Banner," but do for the Pledge of Allegiance (which
I'm not sure is even a necessity to have, to be honest). I was
disturbed by the proliferation of flags on cars after September 11. I
criticize politicians and the game of politics frequently, while at the
same time being nearly obsessed with it all. I do own a set of elephant
and donkey Pez dispensers that are really freakin' cool.
I love
the United States. I love it so much that I focused on studying its
culture throughout college, and I want to help students learn about its
history for the rest of my life. In my spare time this summer, I'm
reading a AP US History textbook--just for fun! Because I've chosen to
spend my working life in the service of making better citizens, I feel
that needing to wear or display patriotism or give uncritical respect
to our American myths is unnecessary, in fact, I think it's vexing that
some people do those things so vehemently. But, there's room for all
viewpoints here. It's what the country was founded on.
I spent
my Fourth of July watching a documentary on "American" foods like the
hamburger and hot dog, rooting for Federer at Wimbledon (I know. Has
nothing do with America, unlike the Ladies' Final today), reading Ralph
Waldo Emerson's speech on "The American Scholar," walking some trails
in Northeast Austin, seeing sporadic fireworks in the sky as I drove
back home, and then drinking coffee and listening to '70s music while
reading a book on teaching social studies, called "History Lessons."
Not the quintessential Independence Day activities, but I felt like
there was enough American-ness there to keep me from feeling
anti-celebratory.
So, I'm a history and culture geek. And I'm a
patriot, in my own mind at least. And since we celebrate Individualism
and Self-Reliance so much in this country, isn't my own opinion the one
that should matter to me the most? | | |
| 
You are 3:15 p.m.
You
are the moment when the last bell rings and school lets out for the
day. You are resistant to schedules and obligations, so you love
feeling like you're in control of your life again. You are the very
moment when the second hand hits the 12, and the halls fill with noise
and motion. Even if your after-school time is packed with activities,
lessons, or a job, somehow, you just feel freer in the late afternoon
than you do earlier in the day. Maybe it's all that blue sky and
afternoon sunshine? Nah -- even on rainy days, 3:15 is always a
beautiful time.
21% of the people who took this quiz got the same evaluation.
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| It's Easter! Spring has officially begun! I love the beginnings of seasons, because they motivate me to take some time to reflect and renew--especially this time of year. Historically (for me), March is when I have a near-breakdown and threaten to give up education as a career. But this year, maybe since I'm done taking classes of my own, I feel nothing but passion and urgency about teaching.
Here are some pics from the last few months...things that make me happy...
Kyra getting gumballs, while Junior looks on. She rarely lets me take her picture anymore, so I have to sneak up and shoot quick.
This is Moony, the dominant, sometimes dog-like, yet strangely, the most prim and proper, of all our cats. Cats soaking up patches of sunshine always make me smile.
My mom brought me this, after getting it from a pro-Obama barbecue event in San Antonio in February. It's signed by the artist that made it, and says, "Obama fer your Mama!" on it. It, too, makes me smile. I'm still absorbing and thinking about Obama's speech on race, so maybe in a few days, I can blog on it. Because I'm a student and teacher of the social studies, the currents of race, gender and class that run through all societies at all times are always on my mind. So, it's a big deal.
My son asleep. Ahhhh.... He's so quiet, this way....
This picture is funny to me, because I'm pretty sure Damon took it with his eyes almost closed. He can't bear to look at Jennifer Hudson, so that's why Kyra's laughing. He probably made some big deal about his face melting if he saw her or something. I love that Kyra loves musicals...one of my successes at parenting...
Junior again. We had to kick him off the table so Kyra could open presents, so he moved down to the chair to watch. I know some of you may disagree, but cats are so awesome. Mine endlessly amuse me.
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