I'm in the process of putting What me, BUSY? Never!!! under re-construction. Part of this process is the face-lift underway. I'm searching for a new template for the blog, with possibly some more depth to it besides the blog itself.
This is not my favorite template on the planet, but it will have to do until I find the one I want.
Or break down and actually buy web design software.
Or break down even more and hire a web editor.
I like the idea of the web editor. I'd like it even more if I could afford one.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
My Shameless Plug for Bigfoot
I figure it was time I give my dear son Bigfoot a shameless plug over here in What Me, BUSY? Never!. I have to admit, his work on YouTube is good.
This in one of his friends in his Boy Scout troop. How anyone can solve a Rubic's Cube in that kind of time is beyond me. But, then again, I'm one of those people who spend an hour over a 100 piece puzzle.
Have fun!
This in one of his friends in his Boy Scout troop. How anyone can solve a Rubic's Cube in that kind of time is beyond me. But, then again, I'm one of those people who spend an hour over a 100 piece puzzle.
Have fun!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Paying Tribute to Seattle's Mayor
Actually, I just got this through the email from my mom. I don't normally repost the work of other people, but this was way too true for all the snow we've had here. So, instead of an intelligent thoughtful New Year's posting, which I'm still working on, please enjoy this lovely tribute to the mayor of Seattle. Thankfully, I don't live in Seattle, let alone King county. And as much thanks goes to the monkeys running Seattle and King Count, I plan on never living there.
This says it all!!!
"T'was the week before Christmas, and next to the Sound,
Not a creature was stirring, for all were snowbound.
Greyhound busses quit running, no matter the fare,
And the mail men and garbage said they just couldn't get there!
The children were sliding Queen Anne Hill on their sleds.
While roofs were collapsing on old people's heads.
And mamma in her boots and I in my cap,
Were stuck in the snow and ice and such crap.
When at the Home Depot there arose such a clatter,
I trudged from my car to see what was the matter.
A group of sad souls were waving their cash,
They couldn't buy shovels, they'd sold in a flash.
Tires were spinning and just wouldn't go,
And chains lay broken in the dirty old snow.
Then, what to my surprise did my eyes look over and see?
Eight representatives of SDOT,
With a fat politician so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it was Mayor "Salt Nick".
More rapid than gun bans, his excuses they came,
"To save our environment the roads stay the same!
On Broadway! On Boren! On Yesler and Denny!,
To clear off these roads would cost such a penny!
Sliding down Thomas and onto a wall!
The busses hung over I-5, ready to fall!
Still, he insisted it wasn't his fault,
As the world's greenest mayor he wouldn't use SALT!
That stuff's corrosive, could hurt the fish.
(But the Puget Sound's SALT WATER you ignorant kish!)
So snowy Seattle continued to stew,
But Mayor "Salt Nick" just hadn't a clue.
While I stood there astonished, on nearby TV sets,
I saw the airport was packed, no de-icer for jets.
Since others couldn't get down the roads to the ferry,
The city decided to close Denny and Cherry.
Police cars and fire trucks were highly impaired,
Citizens got no impression that Mayor Salt Nick cared.
A house that caught fire, or a rape in progress,
Was less important than "going green" in Seattle - I guess!
An accident closed the I-90 bridge,
And people couldn't drive down Phinney Ridge.
Shovels, and salt had just flown off the shelf,
And I laughed when I heard him in spite of myself.
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
He tried to convey we had nothing to dread;
He spoke many words, but did little work,
Yet Seattle knew they should never have elected this jerk.
Then thumbing his nose at his citizens' plight,
He turned to the crowd and exclaimed "We've done right!",
And then to his limo refusing to yield,
He left to get solar panels installed on Qwest Field.
But I heard him exclaim, as he skidded past me
"Happy Christmas to all, heck, I give myself a 'B' ".
For those not aware, Mayor Greg Nickels is rated by many as a buffoon.
Gone time-travelling. Will return last week.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Wordless Wednesday: Being Themselves, Week 3
This is the child we periodically babysit, wearing Bigboy's outrigger hat. I love her hammed up expression.
For more of Wordless Wednesday, visit 5minutesformom or Wordless Wednesday
Friday, November 21, 2008
Taking a Time Out, the Computer Is Anyway
I have no problem coming back to my irregularly scheduled blog posting.
Just as soon as I have the screen taken care of on the computer. The screen on my laptop cracked today. This would be, out of all irony, the only computer in this house.
I'll be posting once again, once I have this screen issue taken care of.
And I'll tell you all about it.
Have a Great Day!
Just as soon as I have the screen taken care of on the computer. The screen on my laptop cracked today. This would be, out of all irony, the only computer in this house.
I'll be posting once again, once I have this screen issue taken care of.
And I'll tell you all about it.
Have a Great Day!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
And The Final Three Top Reasons For Using k12 Begins
And so it would be that the life of this hectic homeschooler got just a little too hectic to keep up with her own blog. But then again, my life doesn't always give me the time to sit and write in front of the computer. Once again, I'm back to my continuation of my top ten reasons for using k12. My number 3 reason would just so happen to be:
k12 writes directions with a purpose.
I've learned in life there are two types of directions.
One type of directions is designed to exercise social control over people. I've found, through experience that this type of direction is designed by people and given by people for the pure purpose of watching thevictim person execute the directions. I'm not sure what thrill people get out giving directions for the pure pleasure of making someone else do something. I find this behavior oppressive and revolting. May someone please bring the porcelain goddess? I'd like to throw up from over exertion of social control.
My dad Dick Fife is very good at doing this. I remember being asked to do stuff just so he could look important. He never gained any respect out of anything he asked us to do. then again, we never felt respected in the first place.
School teachers are another good example of directions being given for personal pleasure. Frequently, I hear from parents, complaints about directions teachers give. I hear all about Johnny's teacher tells him to do something just because she wants him to. Or I hear about how Johnny gets bored in school because she spends so much time giving directions that there isn't time left for doing the work he's supposed to do in the first place. I've heard it all. I've witnessed it all.
If there is a teacher reading this post, please tell me in non-union speak what kind of example youthink KNOW you are setting. For the desire to see if you can handle practicing what you preach my sake, and my sake only, I can only accept scholastic format essays with your bibliography in AP format. Please send me a "Thought for the Day" comment requesting complete instructions.
Notice my kids aren't in a regular school anymore for a reason.
Bigfoot was subjected to a teacher who did this. Yes, I would happen to be talking about the last teacher he had in a school. She turned him off from school by using social control as a silent excuse for giving the directions that she did.
After all, If a child has a math worksheet sitting on his desk when he comes back from recess. Wouldn't you think the child already knows he's supposed to complete the work? I would think so. So, Bigfoot (before the big feet came) would find a worksheet on his desk, take out his pencil and do the work. typically, he would finish before she would even begin the math lesson. Of course, this means he now has nothing better to do than dance on his desk, talk to third graders, talk to second graders (who were doing the worksheet he had already finished), read a book, fall out of his chair, and just be generally distracting.
Her response? Get ready for this. She would tell him to sit down and follow along.
Hello!!! He is already DONE! Why aren't you following along with him? His answers are correct. What is your problem? He did what you expected him to do. He finished early. Give him more work. Let him work two pages of math to everyone else's one.
Every time she would give directions, as far as I can figure out, she had no other purpose but to keep the kids where she wanted them. If anything moved beyond her box, she lost all understanding of her classroom. Every time I was in that classroom, I got the message that she wanted these kids to follow her pace for no other reason than to keep them where she wanted them.
Will someone please educate me as to how kids are expected to grow mentally if they're repeatedly told to be controlled by another person? This is nothing more than the same social control of Red China. I don't dig it.
On the other hand, there are directions that can be given that will actually help kids become better people. This type of direction is meant to make the world a better place.
I have come to the conclusion that public schools aren't allowed to exercise this type of direction giving. Kids may become high achievers out of their own individual gifts rather than the suppressed work force that now drives Bill Gates into India for employment recruiting. Kids may end up sounding intelligent if given directions made for sheer purpose of generating a greater good.
Which brings me to why I dig using k12 for homeschool material. There are no directions given out of social control. All directions given come with a purpose designed for learning. My kids need to write some of their math answers using complete sentences, not for the sake of passing the waste-of-taxes WASL, but for the development of communication. My kids are put through directions explaining the writing process, not as a waste of time, of clearly to teach the benefit of thinking about what you really want to say before you say it. I've never seen directions given in any k12 material that didn't have learning clearly in mind.
As a result, my kids now have a better understanding of handling their schoolwork. They both understand what needs to be done, and the benefits that come from it. I have better listeners in my kids (for the most part). I have two kids on their way to becoming better citizens.
I can't help but enjoy it.
k12 writes directions with a purpose.
I've learned in life there are two types of directions.
One type of directions is designed to exercise social control over people. I've found, through experience that this type of direction is designed by people and given by people for the pure purpose of watching the
School teachers are another good example of directions being given for personal pleasure. Frequently, I hear from parents, complaints about directions teachers give. I hear all about Johnny's teacher tells him to do something just because she wants him to. Or I hear about how Johnny gets bored in school because she spends so much time giving directions that there isn't time left for doing the work he's supposed to do in the first place. I've heard it all. I've witnessed it all.
If there is a teacher reading this post, please tell me in non-union speak what kind of example you
Notice my kids aren't in a regular school anymore for a reason.
Bigfoot was subjected to a teacher who did this. Yes, I would happen to be talking about the last teacher he had in a school. She turned him off from school by using social control as a silent excuse for giving the directions that she did.
After all, If a child has a math worksheet sitting on his desk when he comes back from recess. Wouldn't you think the child already knows he's supposed to complete the work? I would think so. So, Bigfoot (before the big feet came) would find a worksheet on his desk, take out his pencil and do the work. typically, he would finish before she would even begin the math lesson. Of course, this means he now has nothing better to do than dance on his desk, talk to third graders, talk to second graders (who were doing the worksheet he had already finished), read a book, fall out of his chair, and just be generally distracting.
Her response? Get ready for this. She would tell him to sit down and follow along.
Hello!!! He is already DONE! Why aren't you following along with him? His answers are correct. What is your problem? He did what you expected him to do. He finished early. Give him more work. Let him work two pages of math to everyone else's one.
Every time she would give directions, as far as I can figure out, she had no other purpose but to keep the kids where she wanted them. If anything moved beyond her box, she lost all understanding of her classroom. Every time I was in that classroom, I got the message that she wanted these kids to follow her pace for no other reason than to keep them where she wanted them.
Will someone please educate me as to how kids are expected to grow mentally if they're repeatedly told to be controlled by another person? This is nothing more than the same social control of Red China. I don't dig it.
On the other hand, there are directions that can be given that will actually help kids become better people. This type of direction is meant to make the world a better place.
I have come to the conclusion that public schools aren't allowed to exercise this type of direction giving. Kids may become high achievers out of their own individual gifts rather than the suppressed work force that now drives Bill Gates into India for employment recruiting. Kids may end up sounding intelligent if given directions made for sheer purpose of generating a greater good.
Which brings me to why I dig using k12 for homeschool material. There are no directions given out of social control. All directions given come with a purpose designed for learning. My kids need to write some of their math answers using complete sentences, not for the sake of passing the waste-of-taxes WASL, but for the development of communication. My kids are put through directions explaining the writing process, not as a waste of time, of clearly to teach the benefit of thinking about what you really want to say before you say it. I've never seen directions given in any k12 material that didn't have learning clearly in mind.
As a result, my kids now have a better understanding of handling their schoolwork. They both understand what needs to be done, and the benefits that come from it. I have better listeners in my kids (for the most part). I have two kids on their way to becoming better citizens.
I can't help but enjoy it.
Monday, November 3, 2008
My Top Ten Reasons to Use k12 Continues
This last spring, I began, through the inspiration of our off-campus enrollment, a ten part series on why I love using the k12 program. Somewhere along the line, I fell off my own bandwagon. I can go into further detail about that later. It feels good to be back on my own track.
My #4 top reason for enjoying the presence of k12 in my life...
On-line lesson planning.
Every morning, I log into k12.com check our daily lesson schedule, andattempt to set two kids into gear for the day.
Lesson planning isn't entirely done for me. I have to participate in the planning process just as much as the program does. I have to pay attention to everything Bigfoot and Beadgirl are doing.
If they need more work to do, I can add to their day. If they need to spend more time on certain material, I can adjust the daily lesson plan to meet their needs.
All of this on-line convenience sure beats writing out lesson material for everything. Before our discovery of k12, I was hand planning everything. That meant going through each textbook, deciding how much of what to cover, assigning it, and hoping nothing distracted the plan.
Like that never happened.
My #4 top reason for enjoying the presence of k12 in my life...
On-line lesson planning.
Every morning, I log into k12.com check our daily lesson schedule, and
Lesson planning isn't entirely done for me. I have to participate in the planning process just as much as the program does. I have to pay attention to everything Bigfoot and Beadgirl are doing.
If they need more work to do, I can add to their day. If they need to spend more time on certain material, I can adjust the daily lesson plan to meet their needs.
All of this on-line convenience sure beats writing out lesson material for everything. Before our discovery of k12, I was hand planning everything. That meant going through each textbook, deciding how much of what to cover, assigning it, and hoping nothing distracted the plan.
Like that never happened.
