It’s only a few weeks into the school year, and I know that I need boosts to keep my energy up. Two such boosts are recent additions to my learning network. Thought I’d share.
The first is one David Warlick mentioned recently — the Geek!Ed! podcast. The four folks that do this podcast are laugh out loud funny, which was handy this evening when I needed a chuckle. They’re also thought-provoking — which makes for a nice combination.
The second is a blog that I’ve been reading for a while, but I only recently stuck it into the sidebar of this blog. (Does anyone look at the sidebar anymore?) Not All Who Wander Are Lost is a blog written by a true master of language. I enjoy the glimpses into family, nature, music, and other details of the life of this stranger who writes with such detail and crispness that I have to pause and savor the words. Here’s a recent entry that is almost prose poetry, a true pleasure to read:
Cassia couldn’t sleep, so I took her outside in
the damp night to listen to the bugs buzz, the peepers peep. Her
year-and-a-half eyes glowed wide with wonder as walked down the
driveway, the pitch black before us, the garagelight fading behind us.
Afterwards, she gave me a snuggle and said my daddy clear as a bell before asking for Mama, and bed.Meanwhile,
Willow had a hissy fit out at the stream this afternoon, so we cut the
fishing short and fumed back through the woods together, though if she
were old enough to make her own way back, she would have. She pulls at
her sister, and natters loudly if we try to talk to anyone else in her
presence. Tonight, on the phone with my mother, of all the wondeful
things we did this weekend, she chose to share did you know that we were pulled over by a policeman in the car?Once,
the wee one was practically prehuman, cute but essentially object.
Once, the elderkid was sweet, generous, gracious and gentle by default.
I suppose they’ll forever see-saw, too, on their own wobbly curves,
sometimes in sync at high or low, sometimes like today, just a study in
opposites.Ah, who am I kidding. I love ‘em, God bless ‘em.
Even if their reaction to my daytime absence were to remain forever
diverse and unpredictable, I miss them terribly when I’m working. So
long, summer vacation. Hello again, teacher’s life.
One other addition to my sidebar is that of Dawn Hogue. She’s a frequent contributor to a listserv that I frequently lurk on. She’s also a CyberEnglish teacher, which is a flavor of language arts instruction that many who read this blog would find valuable, and one that I’ve always been interested in, even though I can’t say that I completely understand it. I’m looking forward to learning more.
What new reads or listens have you discovered?
