Recipe Challenge Day 2 and Other Stuff

Today was my first day back to work in three weeks. Let me just say, I had a lot of grading and webmails to catch up on, but fortunately, I am a fast worker and am pretty well caught up now! Woo hoo! The kids start back tomorrow, so I'll have lots of calls to make as well as some lessons to plan. Today I got to try working while Dylan was home with me since his school was closed, and I did have to work past my scheduled hours to get accomplished what I planned to, but I did AND Dylan and I walked and fed the ducks (which I a counting as my exercise for the day) so all is good.

And now to the good part... food. Tonight I made Stacked Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas via Pinterest and Perry's Plate. I even took some photos (although the one's on Perry's Plate are better.) The finished version was quite tastey. I did deviate from the recipe a bit as far as ingredients go. I roasted the following veggies for my version - poblano pepper, red pepper, carrots, red onion, garlic, cauliflower, corn, and black beans. Here is a close-up of the pre-roasted beauties.

I used pre-made salsa, white corn tortillas, spinach, and a cheddar-jack mix for the after roasting step. I used more cilantro than the recipe calls for and added a couple of tomates to my salsa because I only had a little salsa. I think this would have tasted even better with homemade salsa, but I worked with what I had and the veggies I needed to use. I opted out of sour cream because I just wasn't feelin' it tonight, but I am sure it would be a tastey addition.

Here it is all melted and bubbly.

I served it with some fresh fruit salad (just cut up apple, orange, and strawberries) and called it a meal. This little guy enjoyed it, so I guess I did something right.

And in other news, I have a "lead" on one of my goals for this year. One of my friends asked me to audit the on-line photography course he has put together, and I jumped at the chance! I am hoping to learn some photography tips and tricks especially since I have been trying to familiarize myself with my dad's camera and its plethora of lenses.

Oh, and I am also following the declutter and organization plan over at My Simpler Life. Today's assignment was to set up a donation station which I already have - my garage (well a corner of it anyway.) The goal is to work consistently throughout the year to get rid of the excess I have and hopeful put it in the hands of someone who might need/want it via Freecycle, giving to friends, and/or donating to charities.

So, what about you? What did you do/cook today?

2012 is Here

So, it is 2012, and I have been reflecting on 2011 and resolutions. I have come to the following conclusions.

All but the closing of 2011 was good. And even with my dad's passing, I am blessed beyond measure. I am hoping 2012 will be a year of growth and productivity and my blessings will continue.

With that said, I'm not really in to resolutions; they tend to be very specific and often short lived. Instead, I am just going to keep working on becoming a better person mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I figure that pretty much covers it all. ;)

Some of the specific goals I have are to work out consistently. I am really good at exercising hard for a month or so and then falling out of the routine and doing nothing for a month or two until I start the cycle again. That pretty much sums up me and exercise for the majority of my life, so my goal is to work on consistency. I am hoping that since I have found a yoga studio I like and can work into my schedule that I will be able to accomplish this goal. Plus, I have also seen a resurgence in my running and cycling desire, so maybe I can hang on to something for a consistent bit.

The other goals I have all center around being positive and focusing on strengthening the blessings I already have - becoming a better, more patient mom and wife, expanding my knowledge of the topics I enjoy (nutrition, gardening, sewing, fitness, technology, photography, and education) and maybe even familiarizing myself with some knew topics, and increasing my faith. I also want to work on letting go of things that I can't control... because, well, I can't control everything (even if I desperately want to.)

So with all of these things in mind, I thought I would start out the year with a fun "challenge" of sorts. I enjoy cooking and Pinterest so I am going to work on cooking some of the new recipes I come across on Pinterest and documenting my thoughts on the recipes here. I am going to shoot for 4-5 Pinterest recipes a week for a month or so, but we will see how it goes.

I tend to cook pretty healthy and don't use a lot of pre-packaged foods and people always seem to be interested in what I cook at my house, so I shall do my best to share with you all. If I am feeling particularly feisty, I might include some photos, but don't count on it.

So I shall go ahead and begin with tonight's dinner. For dinner tonight I made Yoshinoya Beef Bowls via Pinterest and Iowa Girl Eats. I didn't take any photos, but there are some good ones on the Iowa Girl's page, so you can get a peek there.

I followed the recipe as it is laid out on the site and it turned out pretty darn tastey. I served it over brown rice with Mukimame and freshly steamed broccoli and carrots. By the way, as far as vegetables go, I usually just steam them. And, if you don't have a vegetable steamer, I would suggest investing in one. It is the most often used kitchen "gadget" I have.

The men folk seemed to enjoy the meal. Dylan tasted the meat but then opted for just the veggies and the rice, but that is his normal routine; he is the most unusual three year old eater ever. At least he didn't spit the meat out. :) One bite was it though.

Kyle on the other hand ate everything on his plate as did I. So, I am thinking it is a keeper. It is a quick, easy and pretty nutritious meal. I think I will try it with chicken next. You should give it a try. :)

If you use Pinterest to pin recipes and I am not following you, please let me know so I can get you added. I need all of the ideas I can get.

I hope you all have a fantastic 2012. Feel free to let me know what you ave cooking in your kitchen as well!

The Death of Uniformity

I have been thinking a lot about education lately. Partly because school is starting but mostly because of all the budget cuts and new standardized tests being debuted in Texas this year.

I have always been a fan of the idea of public education. That as a nation we should work to educate all of our citizens. That we have a duty to provide a free education, but I have never been a fan of how the theory actually plays out in school policy, mandates, standards, school districts, and in the classrooms around the nation.

I think back to when I was in school, and as I reflect I see all of the accommodations teachers made for me in order to make the educational mold fit me as well as it could.  In elementary school I was ahead in reading and writing skills, and I remember my teachers giving me additional work in order to keep me occupied and challenged. I was also assigned to assist the ESL students with their work. As I progressed through school I became a bit more fidgety and perhaps harder to keep on task and I recall always being the student asked to run errands for the teachers. At the time I thought it was because they liked me better, but I see now that it was really to keep me occupied so I didn’t get too off-task. And by high school I had perfected the ability to sit and stare or doodle when I was done with work or was just plain bored… oh, and I was absent a lot. I am sure I frustrated the heck out of my teachers because I made decent grades (certainly not stellar) but I wasn’t living up to my potential. Honestly, I didn’t see the point. I was bored and I did enough to get in to college which is what I perceived the point of public education to be. Although I am sure my teachers did the best they could, I was disillusioned with public education even while I participated in it, but I really never could articulate why.

As I’ve gotten older and worked on the teaching end of education, I have come to realize what I feel is the crux of our educational problem – unyielding uniformity. The idea that we must teach all kids the same thing, on the same timeline, and in the same manner. The educational community pays lip service to such ideas as differentiation and multiple intelligences but these ideas rarely ever make it in to the classroom. I’m not blaming this on teachers because they are set up to fail. In their educational courses they are taught about all of these wonderful strategies and ways to make the curriculum come to life for the students, but the system is set up in such a way to make this nearly impossible – the TEKS (standards) are the same for every child, students are tested at the end of the year and are expected to perform at the same level, class sizes are huge and often difficult to manage, access to technology and resources is sparse, and in many districts teachers are provided with a teaching calendar which dictates what they are to teach when and often times how they are to teach it.

Scientifically we know that people learn differently and at different rates, so why is it we have created an educational system in direct juxtaposition of this idea? Quite frankly it is ludicrous.

So now that I have stated what I perceive to be the problem, how do I suggest we fix it? The concept is easy enough but it would require a total revamping of the educational system we have come to know. It would require our nation to embrace our differences and to develop an educational system that caters to them.

In my utopian educational system this is what I imagine:

• A variety of types of schools – traditional, trade, virtual, career based, after hours, year round, etc.

• Community involvement – pairing of students who want to learn a trade in a sort of apprenticeship with a master or masters in their area of interest.

• Flexibility in course requirements – it is ridiculous to think that all students need four years of high level math and science. Perhaps the United States should attempt a version of “tracking” where students are tested for aptitude and interest and guided into an area of study (note I said guided and not required).

• Realism – I strongly believe that all children can learn; however, not all children can learn at the same level. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. Can’t we play up our strengths instead of focusing on our weaknesses?

• Realistic standards – take a look at the TEKS for various grade levels and you will note many skills, concepts, ideas that you never developed or have ever used. It is ridiculous to me to spend time attempting to teach all children skills, concepts, etc. that they will never need within their lifetime. Why not focus on realistic standards for all and allow students to self-select other standards they would like to work towards?

• Testing – testing would not be standardized. If testing were to be continued (and notice I say IF) it should test actual basic skills and chart individual’s growth from year to year instead of creating a standard that everyone must reach in every discipline studied.

• Resources – technology, staff development, job shadowing, apprenticeships, etc. would be available as needed. Teachers would have the resources they need to educate their students and help them grow.

• Creativity – creativity and problem-solving would be infused in learning. Both teachers and students would be encouraged to take risks and try new things.

I could go on forever with my wish list, but the unifying thread throughout it all is that we – teachers and students – would be seen as individuals and would not be bound by uniformity. Schools could be different and offer different courses. Creativity and individuality would be praised. Students would understand the relevancy of their education because it would actually be relevant. Students would be assessed on their educational growth and not penalized for advancing slower or faster than their peers.

Perhaps I am just being naïve and idealistic. What do you think? How would you fix the educational system or do you even think it needs fixing?

Born to Learn

So, I was searching around on the good ol' Interweb and came across this site.

So far, I have only taken a cursory look around and watched this video, but I am already a fan.


Born to Learn from Born to Learn on Vimeo.

What are your thoughts?

Wall Decor and a Cape!

Sarah and I have been sharing crafty ideas over on the awesomeness known as Pinterest, and when I saw some of the wall decor she has been making, I decided to try my hand at it too.

And I'm not going to lie, I'm kind of impressed with what I have made. I mean, they're no Monet, but they are cute and look nice in our bedroom. I am happy with that.

The first piece of wall art I made is my version of this post from kiki creates.

It was SUPER easy to make. I made a quick trip to Aaron Brothers and picked up a Nantucket frame and then I headed to Hobby Lobby for some cute paper. When I got home, I made very small modifications to the file Sarah so graciously shared with me, and then I printed it on a piece of Vellum. Then I backed it with the cute paisley paper, framed it up and hung it on the wall in our dressing area. Cute and sweet!

After my initial wall decor creation I decided to try another project. I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted to make, but I knew I wanted something to hang over our bed. I have two silver frames that are 11x14 and have been in storage (aka the garage) since we moved in our house over a year ago, so I thought I would pull them out and do something with them. After brainstorming several options, I finally decided to go with monograms.

Once I finished thinking through what I wanted the final product to look like, I made another trip to the Hobby Lobby and picked up some white spray paint, white mats, and some scrapbook paper.

I painted the frames white, put the mats into the frames, and then I started working on the monograms. To begin, I printed out a K and an A in the font size and type I liked, I taped it to the solid colored paper I purchased, broke out the X-Acto knife and started cutting around the letters. Once I was done cutting, I backed them with the printed scrapbook paper and framed them up.

This is the finished product. I think they look pretty good. Now I just need to hang them on the wall!

After spending some time decorating the walls, I decided to make something for the boy. I chose something quick and easy! I decided to re-purpose one of my old T-shirts into a cape for Dylan a la this tutorial on the Summer Institute.

So quick! And definitely worth it!

Tomorrow I am taking my sewing machine over to Sarah's house for some collaborative craftiness. I'm not sure what I am going to make yet, but maybe I'll come away with something to share.

Reflections on My First Year of Teaching Online

The new school year is rapidly approaching, so I thought I would finally take a couple of minutes to reflect on the previous school year. Last year was my first year teaching all courses online and my first year teaching with TCAH. And although it was a challenging year, it had a happy ending.

TEA threw us a curve ball last year right as the school year began which basically capped our enrollment way below what was anticipated, so many students had to be shifted to a private section (as did teachers). With all of the moving around and the 300 students I had at the beginning of the year, I was seriously beginning to think that perhaps I had made a wrong decision. But, I decided to hang in there and keep plodding away. By the second six weeks things had calmed down a lot and by third six weeks I began to feel settled and like I was beginning to get some solid ground beneath my feet. (My student load was also much lower than at the start which helped a lot).

I am not sure I would have stayed had it not been for the awesome administrators and fellow teachers... not to mention the really nice families I worked with. They were all super helpful and encouraging. I also really like the mission of TCAH and the way in which learning is laid out, so I decided to invest some more time in the school, and I am glad I did.

Overall, especially with the difficulties we overcame, I feel like I had a really good first year. 

Here are a few accomplishments I am specifically proud of this school year:

• 99% pass rate for 8th grade Reading TAKS (with 100% participation)
• Taught a few low-key staff development sessions and presented to a few visitors
• Learned how to manage my time to accomplish my daily goals
• Attended several field trips and met lots of families
• Cultivated good relationships with my homeroom students/families

Although I feel like I had a very positive year, I still have areas in which I would like to grow and improve.

Which brings me to my goals for this year:

• Really get to know all of the readings and lessons assigned to the students
• Make my live teaching sessions more interactive with students
• Increase my contact with families
• Familiarize myself with the new STAAR test and requirements
• Give more specific feedback on students' writing

Last night I was thinking about the questions I answered in my previous post about online teaching and how it is different, and I decided I left out a big chunk of information so I thought I would add it here for clarification.

Teaching in an online classroom isn't foreign to me like it is to many traditional teachers. I had the experience of working in a one-to-one laptop district for ten years prior to moving to my new online position. I taught in a traditional classroom with students in front of me, but the majority of their work was done on the computer, so I was used to using a computer to generate lessons, post lessons to a learning management system, and grade lessons digitally. So, although I was learning a new system and way of doing things last year, I already had the majority of the technology skills and experiences I needed to be successful. I think this allowed me to have a much easier and seamless transition than some of my other first year colleagues. I also think this is one of the reasons I don't "see" as many differences in face-to-face instruction and online instruction (besides the physical).

I also had the opportunity to teach and develop online courses for my previous school district, and I obtained my Master's degree via online classwork. So, I was going in to the position with some experience to reflect and pull on when needed. I am very thankful for that. I believe my prior experience really served me well last year.

I am looking forward to beginning the new school year now that I have a year under my belt. I think it is going to be an even better year for me and my students! I wish you success with your school year as well.

Faux Play-Doh

I bought Dylan some Play-Doh a couple of weeks ago and he really seems to enjoy playing with it. So in the spirit of keeping Dylan happy and occupied this summer, I decided we would try making a homemade version of Play-Doh. We used the base recipe from this site as our guide. We didn’t scent it but we added some coloring. Although I think the scented Play-Doh would be fun, I didn’t want any encouragement for Dylan to desire eating the Play-Doh… maybe we can try scenting it when he is older.

Anyway, the faux Play-Doh turned out pretty well and we have been playing with it for the last couple of days.

Here is a riveting photo of the faux Play-Doh as it is cooling. I mixed the green and Dylan mixed the purplish dough. He was quite proud of himself.

And here are some photos of Dylan having fun with the faux Play-Doh and some cookie cutters.

It has been a good time and a fun little activity for all of us.