Stream of consciousness(5)

B50:

5:46 … Libyans and Egyptians rise up over a “film” that decries Muslims and Allah.  The film according to sources was taped and then digitally sent via Youtube.  Extreme Muslim conservatives got hold of the ‘Youtube’ entry and from there it spread across the Arabian landscape. Over it, a US diplomat, believed to be the US Ambassador to Libya, was killed by protestors.  There are conflicting reports over more casualties.  Who's the originator of the piece? One dangerous fanatic … an Independent Baptist (who calls himself Christian), who loudly speaks untruth about Islam.  What a woeful day for all, but especially for the families and victims of violence.  Paradoxically, the democratization of ‘free speech’ which allowed it to get out there (and everywhere!) is the fierce, sharp weapon used to cause a raging revolution.  What a sad testimony for democracies indeed.  And what a terrible act of violence in the name of Christian believers!

9:15 … Smart young learners showed off this morning their understanding of fictional elements.  One student shared that characters could be people or animals.  Another one spoke of time and place thought about when one comes across the term, ‘setting’.  Still another bragged about problem-solution element mostly found in story plots.  What a joy to hear of their conquered understandings!  I’m so proud of teachers and their work with students!

10:40 … Academic Mission Possible:  In my neck of the woods, about what are schools focused upon these days, you ask?  Hard work, commitment, hard work, collaboration, hard work, assessment, assessment, assessment, and a fight for rights!  When students’ end-of-course assessment performances increase, material reward is given to their teachers.  If not, teachers are put on warning or fired.  Accountability … that’s key.  While teachers are fatigued by testing attached to instructional performance, they must push themselves harder and make every teachable moment count.  It’s easy enough, eh?  NOT.  Look at what’s happening in Chicago’s city/public schools in the last few days – unionized teachers went on strike over job evaluation tied to testing.  Unfortunately, there’s a blame game going on and from the looks of it, more disagreements on how best to measure growth of learners.  Distressingly, not all adults that affect young minds, even though they’re aware of it, invest in researching other factors that affect learning.  One camp says community support, parental/home attention, health, economics, psycho-social, deprivations, and learning resources create gaps in learning successes.  Another camp says, "When a child comes to a learning environment’, teachers are most responsible for bringing about growth."  From these, one can conclude, and easily adopt that familiar mantra, ‘It takes a village to educate children!”

2:47 … Day is almost over.  What have I completed today?  Hmmm … I at least screened/assessed academic preps of four more newcomers.  Families and children are building new lives in the city.  I wonder.  Why do families move around so much?   What a pain for both children and adults!  Politics, time, economics, even natural disasters lately foretell which human movement will take place.  Getting uprooted from what we know and being transplanted to someplace else is terrible.  One must settle and make roots again and again.  One must adapt to one’s new-found setting.  One must find anchors and working jobs to make a living.  And the children?  They suffer loneliness and loss the most. What a drag!

4:48 … Home at last.  Cinn and Dink are waiting at the porch for their walks of expectation.  That untiring anticipation for time, quality time with ‘pet parents’, amazes me.  Critters do demand attention, as real parents’ children do.  They ask for love and they give love.  They want their adoptee parents to be there every single day for play, care and nurture.  I’m glad to be a pet parent of rambunctious shih-tzus! 

7:21 ... Regardless of stupid acts of people, life offers always, something very good … life itself.  When we are given the grace of life, it is always up to us to do something remarkable in the course of day.