Accountability in Teaching

Accountability for whom? The teacher? The student? The Administrators? There is so much accountability that there is no teaching really going on. That's why you don't see any significant increase in scores, if any. I think if the administrators spent more time getting money and actually running the school and try to meet the needs of the teachers that would give more time for the teachers to teach, which in turn give more time for the student to learn. 

But instead the administrators are trying to tell the teachers how to teach and not getting the resources the teachers need/require to be successful. So the teacher spends less time teaching because he/she is spending that time trying to get the resources they need to teach. 

And people wonder why no one wants to teach?! We don't have to worry about not having doctors, we need to worry about not having teachers. Without teachers there will be no doctors, lawyers, engineers, pilots, architects, eat. Instead we will have a service society that is ignorant and subservient to the rest of the world. 

If the USA dose not put education more importantly teachers at the forefront of US priorities we are doomed! 

I wish I would have had the love of learning when I was a child that I have as an adult.  Kids are held back by people labeling them and telling them they can't succeed... This is done by lowering the standard that kids are held to, or holding all kids to the same standard when all kids are different. You would think educators would understand that every kid is different and by that virtue there is no norm. 

If you have a group of kids that 75% are by definition over achievers, what is the norm for that class? How do you make the others feel they are just as successful as the over achievers? Do you segregate the kids now like they use to do? You know smart from the dumb (me when I was in special Ed). Or do you just not compare the kids to a norm or standard and just compare them to their ability. Encouragement goes a long way. It is proven that kids look for encouragement and praise where ever they can get it. 

It's like drugs... They will act out for the attention. They want guidance and discipline in the absence of either they will go rouge! i.e. Gangs!! 

I think I got off on a tangent... Any way the fix to the education system is out there but no one likes the answer because it's too simple.

Getting To Lilongwe, Malawi

I left Nashville and arrived to Atlanta with no problem. Plane ride one out of the the way. I hung out in the airport and boarded my flight to South Africa.

Tick Tock Tick Tock! We were and hour and a half late taking off. As soon as we got to our cruising altitude, I did just what I said I was going to do and went to sleep. 9 hours later, I woke up just in time for a snack. Only 7 more hours left! I took out my iPad and read Fifty Shades of Grey. Before I knew it, dinner was being served. Nice. I knew that we would be landing in an hour and a half! When I looked out my window on our descent, I could see huge fires just a blazing! Very cool. I learned that is normal. They burn everything here...Made it to my hotel by 6. Went to sleep around 9:00 and woke up at 2am and was up for the duration.

I love that Tambo airport in SA. HUGE. And very nice. It was like a shopping mall! Went and checked in to my flight and waited about two hours and once again, I was airborne. Nice flight on South African Air and their dinner was awesome! No picking there. I ate the entire lunch.

Arrived at Lilongwe and I could here the boys yelling Aunt Teri!! Over and over. They were easy to spot! That was very nice. I wish we could meet the planes in the states!

We got to the house and David had to rush off back to the Embassy for a official fourth of July function so Shannon took me to the one and only little cafe that is also a plant nursery.

The boys should be all the different fauna and recited each name expertly and when I got back to the table, I had a Caramel Latte and a piece of Carmel Cake. Yumm.

We let the boys play on the playground which featured an old tractor that Jorden would love! Then back to the house where Shannon had fresh dough rising for homemade pizzas!!

We went to a BBQ/Farewell on the fourth then can home to pack for our 4 day Safari!! I can't wait!!

Next post will be Monday!!

The Eyes Have It!

I have been distressed for the past 5 weeks. All that stress and worry disappeared this morning, as I woke up, stretched and remembered.... It all started three months ago when I went to see Dr. Barbara Bowers about Lasik. Although I could get the LASIK, it would only last about 2-3 years. Lens replacement was the better procedure for me. Multivocal intro ulnar lenses from ReStor. Ok. I made the decision. First eye was May 22nd and the 2nd eye, May 29th. The first surgery went well. Although I would not be a druggie as I could not even handle the little bit of narcotics I received for the 20 minute surgery. I went home and slept, not before I had lunch, or so I'm told because I certainly don't remember it. The next day, I put my glasses on, minus the lens for the eye which no longer needed a lens, and NICE! The vision in my right eye was amazing. At my post op appointment the following day, all looked great, figuratively and literally! As we started to discuss my next surgery, we hit a snag. Seems that the following Monday was Memorial Day and thus, my surgery would have to wait for June 5th. Great. I would have to walk around wearing glasses with only one lens. As the week wore on, I was beginning to notice that trees were looking like green cotton balls. Distress. I'll look at the trees the next day, maybe my eyes are just tired. The following morning, I get up, put my drops in, and wait. I go outside and , egads! Cotton trees again. What is going on? I turn the tv on and, not good; not clear. I can't wait for my pre-op appoint ment on May 30th. Time slows to a crawl and I am so disappointed. Perhaps this isn't going to be all that I thought it would be. Finally my appointment time has arrived. They take me back, check my pressures, put all the necessary drops in, and I wait. Dr. Bowers comes I. And takes a look as I tell her all my concerns. She tells me what is causing my distress. There is a film building up on the back of my lens, completely normal she assures me. Fourth percent of patients develope this film and a simple laser procedure, YAG, will take care of this. I don't understand how a film would cause me to be blurry. But fine. She said she would do this in August. AFTER my trip to Africa, but fine. She wants to wait and see what happens to my other eye. My next surgery came and went. I could see my phone, my clock, my books, my magazines with NO glasses!! WOW! I am so so so happy and thrilled. But I still can not see distance. And I cant understand how a "film" will cause that. I'm distressed. I tell Jennifer Nashe says not to worry. Easy for her to say. I start to contemplate Africa. I start to imagine this once in a lifetime trip in nothing but blurry. BLURRY?! I don't want to see Africa blurry. Tell Jennifer again. And again. And again. I go to my week post-op. go through all the drops and measurements and see Dr. Hobbs. He assures me all is well and the YAG will take care of the distance problem. Ok. I don't understand HOW! Make my appointment for August and leave. I am suppose to pick up paper work the following day for my insurance. It's Friday and Dr. Bowers has left for the day by the time I get there. I talk to the receptionist and I tell her I just can't wait until August. She makes my appointment for June 28th, yesterday. Jennifer drives me to my appointment yesterday. We wait. And wait. I have my eye exam i am distressed still because I don't understand at all how this can help me see distances. I get dilated. I wait. I wait. Come on already!! Dr. Bowers comes in and takes a look. Nashe puts more drops in and I wait some more. She takes me to another room, lasers each eye, repeatedly, and sends me on my way. I will be dilated for the next 12 hours. Great. More waiting. I get up this morning, put my drops in and, you guessed it, waited some more. Finally, I went outside to look at my trees... I SEE TREES! Not cotton trees; well defined trees! Hallelujah! I still don't understand, but I guess I don't need to understand because I can see so much clearer. Granted, it is still not perfect. She said there will be a little tweaking LASIK in a few months, but WOW! I can say now with absolutly NO reservations that I am VERY happy with the results of this surgery! Now I can see all of Africa through crystal clear eyes! Bring on the big cats!

I'm back!

I'm sorry I have been gone so long. I deleted FaceBook and I do not intend to ever go back. There was just too much information about too many people that I really do not care to know their every detail of their day. Watch back in a few days.

All in a days Work

Sunday Indulgence

For most people, Friday is the Weekday favorite; for me, it is hands done, Sunday Morning!
Jennifer does not understand. But I love to sit in my basement, turn on the TV and watch CBS News Sunday Morning with a nice hot cup of coffee. Ahhhh. Bliss.
I love the variety of tidbits, sort of like a broadcast version of the Sunday paper. It starts with a run down of what's to come on the show for the morning. It covers the headlines, the fine and performing arts, interviews, as well as more in-depth stories from headlines. These stories do not focus on the already known stuff. They go deeper and broader and are just so much more relaxed than the hard-nosed interviews of the typical newscast. They focus on the little known interests of the interviewee. And opinions! Commentators Ben Stein and Nancy Giles deliver their opinions with wit and humor that keeps me begging for more! And I can't leave out Bill Geist doing his human interest stories and Mo Rocca! The whole show just makes me see the world in a much more colorful way. Kind of like looking at the world through a Kaleidoscope. I can see all the different angles of a story or a person or a subject. And it always ends with a nice 60 second clip of a tranquil scene from nature. Ahhh. Nice. My Sunday Morning is just not the same with out CBS Sunday Morning Show!

New Camera

Here are some pics from the new Nikon D60