Music and Mentoring

Tonight, after a very peaceful and productive start to the first workweek in 2010, I have music and mentoring on my mind. To begin with, my sister purchased an iPhone (3G 16GB!) for me during the holidays and I have got to say that I love it. Almost more than shoes. Not only do I have my vast personal music collection (ranging from Tracy Chapman to TI, from Shirley Cesar to Carlos Santana, from Adelle to At Last and back to Sam Cooke...well you get the idea - I LOVE most any kind of good MUSIC) neatly arranged and available at my finger tips...I also have my latest and greatest infatuation - PANDORA (thank the good Lord for the music genome project for giving the world such a gift) everywhere I go. I am listening to the smooth sounds of Sade and others inspired by her genius as I type. I think I might just make it through another year at work after all!

I also have mentoring on the mind. January is national mentoring month and I can't wait to get my girl scout troop back in action - we have been on hiatus since September but we re-grouped in December - just in time to see Princess & the Frog as a group - it was great. And with our First Lady Michelle Obama ("Lady O")as Honorary National President, I have one more great thing to encourage our young ladies...maybe we can arrange a visit to the White House next year (you know it takes that long to get a sponsor and get clearance for all of the girls)...yes, that is exactly what we will do. In the meantime, I am open for great scouting ideas for our troop...and yes we ARE selling cookies so be generous - we want to donate some boxes to our faithful troops over seas and go to Great Wolf Lodge!.

That's all for tonight - peace.

Bonne Anne!

Well! It has been since OCTOBER for my last post. As you can probably imagine, I have been BUSY BUSY BUSY. Updates: K12 still rocks - my son and I are really getting the hang of pseudo-home schooling. I can't tell you how much work it is - but how worth it. My first three chapters of the dissertation are finished - in draft form at least! I am now working on the focus group and survey protocols. I can't WAIT to be finished.

Disney released the Princess and the Frog and it is a HIT in my book - very well done and my son agrees! In one year we have a black Princess on the big screen and a black Queen in the White House - my goodness how the times they are a'changin!

My eight siblings and I have a family retreat last month to close out the year on a HISTORIC note...more coming on that so stay tuned. FAMILY. Live it. Love it.

I am looking forward to each blessed day in 2010 with baited breath and tip-toe anticipation; whatever the Lord has in store for me - IT IS GONNA BE NICE!

...I Still Have Mountains To Climb

(we've conquered hills). Well its coming up on week four (or five?) of our virtual school journey, and I feel like we have so much to do! Just about every evening, we go over the day's lesson, we check work we discuss what problems he may be having and it is both exhilarating and exhausting. Although the K12 curriculum has everything one could ask for (so far it really is very impressive, great stories, detail, and depth for each subject), I still have to play the role of teacher/learning coach and this is very time consuming. So a word to anyone reading who might be considering this: planning and organization appears to be a key factor that is helping us get over the hills (and hopefully will get us over the mountains too!).

Today my son learned more about Latin and Greek root words, Sumer, and elements...and so did I! That is the thing I find about K12 virtual academy that (if you do it right anyway), it really makes the parent become a true partner with the student as they are learning. I wish I had more hours in the day...

The dissertation (another mountain) is coming along (still slowly, still surely). I have approval to use the data set I need. I've reviewed 85% of my new research. Now it is just a matter of putting together chapters 1-3. Can I do it before the semester is up...? I had PLANNED to be finished before October was up! So, again with the adjustments in the schedule, but for a most worthy cause. We keep on pushing and climbing.

A is for Apple!

Well, we went on our first field trip with the K12 VA VA Academy yesterday and it was GREAT! My son got to meet another 8th grade student in the academy, and I got to pick fresh apples. The day was heaven sent - I mean it was really that beautiful. AND K12 paid for the field trip expense (not gas, but the admission and snacks, and hey, that's more than you usually get with regular school!). My son and I were very pleased.

We are still having some of the same difficulties that you would expect with traditional junior high school - keeping the student organized, on task (and off Facebook - man I should have made him wait till he turned 14 or 15!!!), but I still must say I am very pleased with this learning format. I have much more control and access to the curriculum and learning tools. I have the lesson objectives right at my finger tips. I don't have to wait until tomorrow to ask the teacher what he was supposed to be doing today, or what he should have learned, or what he should know by next week. Its ALL RIGHT THERE!!! Thank God for technology. I truly believe this is the way to go - or at least some hybrid of this format blended with in-class instruction.

I am also making VERY good progress on moving that mountain that is the dissertation - Ph.D. - I SEE YOU....