Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Saturday, September 16, 2006
My Dad
Hi:
I was the Charlie Battery personnel clerk for the 653 Field Artillery
Battalion(observation) stationed in Fort Sill, Oklahoma in 1993.
Our men (118 enlisted and 4 officers) were hand picked on the basis of
their hi I. Q. scores.
We were trained to work with sophisticated plotting equipment in
detection of the location of enemy artillery. We used : Sound detecting
devises, Radar, and Flash triangulate using a high degree of math.
I was notified by Battalion commander to prepare to move the Battery to
Desert Rock, Nevada on temporary assignment.
I packed up the 201 files and made sure everybody had their required
shots.....
We caravaned across country in trucks and jeeps, sleeping over at
different Armories along the way......
Our last stop,before arriving at Camp Desert Rock was Bolder Dam/ Here
we spent the night sleeping in the Bolder Dam theatre.
Jerry Lewis,(comedian) stopped by and talked to our small group. He
later invited the whole group to be his dinner guest at the Copa Room in
the sands. (that was fun...the hotel sent buses for us and we met Dean
Martin (Lewis's straight man) and everything was on the
house...including all we could eat an drink.
Camp Desert Rock is a tent station..with a fe quonset huts.
I lived in a nine man tent and worked with other battery personnel
clerks .. our commanding officer was Lt. Joseph Bruining.
We were under the impression that we were there to train in plotting the
location of atomic artillery.....(we were there as guinea pigs....and
we were sent down ranger every time the guys at Camp Mercury (the
attached facility) decided to detonate a bomb.....
For most of the men..this amounted to five or six shots....Both Apple
and Tea Pot.........
The drill went like this....the men were loaded up in trucks around 2:00
A. M.....and driven into the desert about fifty miles down range. We
were given density goggles (3.2) had on our regular field dress along
with our helmets and liner. We also were given a dose meter that was
to register the amount of exposure to radiation. (the theory was that
if we got 5 rinckon of exposure, we got to go home. Nobody ever went
home)
The shots that I experienced were all tower shots. We were told to enter
the six foot deep trenches (long and deep machine dug straight
trenches...about four in number located about 4,000 feet from ground
zero)
The tower was about 100 feet in the air.....and it was eerie....as the
sun slowly started raising some one on a loud speaker began the count
down.......starting at 10....I got as far down in the trench as I could
in the fetal position..with my gloves over my opaque density goggles....
I heard the announcer say: "two" and all of a sudden everything lit
up....even with my eyes closed and with the goggles I could see the
bones in my hands....
the trench began shaking violently,moving two feet back and forth...
ad then sage brush, dirt, rocks came flying over my head......
We were then told to come out of the trenches. We walked to the area
where the tower had stood....it had been vaporised.
as we walked through ground zero, we were swept with brooms and Geiger
counters were buzzing.....
Our unit was stationed at Desert Rock for four months.
We loaded up our equipment and caravaned back to Fort Sill.
David B. Gardner SP3
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Two Days to Go
So my next appointment is Friday... We will see if I am fit to hit the streets or if I am looking forward to an extended sentence of hopping and hobbling. The last thing I would want is to rush this and prolong any long term problems... So day by day we will see what we will see...
I was just sitting on my couch... and I can't help but crack up when I look at my leg. I mean come on... Mild mannered, masters degree, technology teaching me... The one that seldom comes out of the house, avoids parties, and likes to knit and bake pies, and I am the one with 6 screws and a metal plate in my leg. From skydiving no less. I could never have imagined a less probable injury for myself. I always took pride in my abilities to avoid all seemingly dangerous situations, and attempt all with extreme caution and guidance. So it just seems like a funny way to start each day; wanting to get up in the morning and get breakfast, and then realizing... you can't, you decided to go skydiving... It just seems like someone else's life, definitely not mine. Well at least I made it to 22 without ever having a major illness or any visit to the doctors that wasn't related to an ear ache or sun burn. So I guess that's good enough...
I really can't wait for this all to be over, it is really wearing me out. All the simple little tasks I took for granted, getting to my classroom, doing wiring, upgrading machines... It's all so much larger of a task than before... And I am tired all the time...
Anyways... We will see what we will see...
And in other news, since people are over my ordeal...
Autumn accidentally burned her eye with acid the other night. She was working late on a project and a small bit of the chemical got into her eye. She flushed it profusely with fluid and sought medical assistance. She seems to be doing better and we will be monitoring her progress... As a new visitor to the ER I wanted to welcome her to the winners circle... Wear that wrist band with pride... It's like the ultimate badge of shame... Kind of like the runner up token for the Darwin Awards...
We thought that if things keep going like they are that we will be coming to a freeway off ramp near you... Can you just see it... With an eye patch and leg brace, cardboard signs in hand... "Starving artist blinded by acid, and unemployed teacher, broke leg in skydiving accident" . Well hopefully she will be feeling better soon, and it won't have to come to that. I just want her to know that no matter what career choice she makes, she'll never be alone...
I was just sitting on my couch... and I can't help but crack up when I look at my leg. I mean come on... Mild mannered, masters degree, technology teaching me... The one that seldom comes out of the house, avoids parties, and likes to knit and bake pies, and I am the one with 6 screws and a metal plate in my leg. From skydiving no less. I could never have imagined a less probable injury for myself. I always took pride in my abilities to avoid all seemingly dangerous situations, and attempt all with extreme caution and guidance. So it just seems like a funny way to start each day; wanting to get up in the morning and get breakfast, and then realizing... you can't, you decided to go skydiving... It just seems like someone else's life, definitely not mine. Well at least I made it to 22 without ever having a major illness or any visit to the doctors that wasn't related to an ear ache or sun burn. So I guess that's good enough...
I really can't wait for this all to be over, it is really wearing me out. All the simple little tasks I took for granted, getting to my classroom, doing wiring, upgrading machines... It's all so much larger of a task than before... And I am tired all the time...
Anyways... We will see what we will see...
And in other news, since people are over my ordeal...
Autumn accidentally burned her eye with acid the other night. She was working late on a project and a small bit of the chemical got into her eye. She flushed it profusely with fluid and sought medical assistance. She seems to be doing better and we will be monitoring her progress... As a new visitor to the ER I wanted to welcome her to the winners circle... Wear that wrist band with pride... It's like the ultimate badge of shame... Kind of like the runner up token for the Darwin Awards...
We thought that if things keep going like they are that we will be coming to a freeway off ramp near you... Can you just see it... With an eye patch and leg brace, cardboard signs in hand... "Starving artist blinded by acid, and unemployed teacher, broke leg in skydiving accident" . Well hopefully she will be feeling better soon, and it won't have to come to that. I just want her to know that no matter what career choice she makes, she'll never be alone...
Monday, August 28, 2006
Week Three
Lets see...6th of August... now the 28th, 2 more to go till I can walk.... In the mean time I have made huge progress... I can now move 4 out 5 toes and have gracefully mastered the arts of driving and indipendantly showering without drowning myself. Other accomplishments to be noted include returning to work, putting a bell on my crutches, and adding a Nalgege Bottle to the list of things hanging around my kneck.
Other than that, my world is going in slow motion... the only things that are going fast are the approaching dates coinciding with past due bills... Not looking good... I paid the lights and the cable, but the phone is next... then the rent, and the car, and the loans... but since I am such a unique being when it comes to odds, I could probably win the lottery. Though I recognize that lottery games serve more as an I.Q. test and a tax for stupidity instead of for entertainment purposes.
I love whatching the debt consolidation comercials... When asked how they coped with their mounting bills people gave some interesting responses: I used to put a pillow on my face and scream, I used to cry myself to sleep at night, I refused to open them... That is kinda the way I deal with them too... I only open ones marked with a red star and immidiately lose them there after... And for the life of me I can't keep my loans straight, so many of them, and even the bill collectors mix up their names...
Well at least I am working... One thing at a time...
Now back to my main focus... Wiggle your big toe.
Other than that, my world is going in slow motion... the only things that are going fast are the approaching dates coinciding with past due bills... Not looking good... I paid the lights and the cable, but the phone is next... then the rent, and the car, and the loans... but since I am such a unique being when it comes to odds, I could probably win the lottery. Though I recognize that lottery games serve more as an I.Q. test and a tax for stupidity instead of for entertainment purposes.
I love whatching the debt consolidation comercials... When asked how they coped with their mounting bills people gave some interesting responses: I used to put a pillow on my face and scream, I used to cry myself to sleep at night, I refused to open them... That is kinda the way I deal with them too... I only open ones marked with a red star and immidiately lose them there after... And for the life of me I can't keep my loans straight, so many of them, and even the bill collectors mix up their names...
Well at least I am working... One thing at a time...
Now back to my main focus... Wiggle your big toe.
Monday, August 21, 2006
I have sausage toes!!!!
Ankles
Originally uploaded by Miss Clare.
For the love of God... This is the first time I got to see my leg in over 2 weeks... and I have a frankenstein leg... Yes, beautiful Vienna Sausage toes and a Jimmy Dean Sausage Ankle... 3 more weeks and I can walk, till then I will just occupy my time with work, and driving around... since I now have a beautiful walking cast... after that, physical therapy and I guess I will be about done...
So what did we learn boys and girls???
Don't forget to Flair.
Good Times
Pain
Originally uploaded by Miss Clare.
This is me getting the stiches out, in case you were wondering what my face looked like...
Friday, August 18, 2006
Feeding the birds
Feeding the birds
Originally uploaded by Miss Clare.
All of my non-crippled friends were conserned that I wasn't getting out enough... to which I would roll my eyes and launch anything near me at the time... But I agree, watching television and choking down chocolate twinkies isn't my style...
So my friends decided I should get out and feed the birds... there is something rewarding about giving food to little critters.. Not really, I just like hitting them as hard as I can and seeing how far they jump... they like it just the same, bread is pretty soft... Next time I'll bring the sling shot... J/K
Look What I Can Do
Dragon Fly
Originally uploaded by Miss Clare.
Yeah... I was stoked when this little guy landed on me... Really made my day... Flew in, landed on my foot and then let me catch him... he's my pick for the bug of the week... Unlight the wasps that attack me on my way to my doctor's appointments...
Way to Be there
Comforting
Originally uploaded by Miss Clare.
There is nothing better than having your friends come by and laugh at your x-rays as a way to encourage a speedy recovery... Aparently I have a hilarious spiral fracture...
Day one
Car
Originally uploaded by Miss Clare.
Hobbling back and forth from the bone department... This process originally took a team of two to get me in and out of cars...
Not Pretty
Not Pretty
Originally uploaded by Miss Clare.
Well it isn't that bad, just a spiral fracture... and you cant see all the lovely details in this shot, thought I would keep it tame for everyone. The shots from the hospital still need to be developed...
Unvieling
Unvieling
Originally uploaded by Miss Clare.
Are you ready? I know everyone loves before and after shots... so here you go.
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Roselet Tart
Roselet Tart
Originally uploaded by Miss Clare.
If Martha Stewart had disclosed that the prep time for this dish would be in excess of 5 hours, I would have told her to take a hike! But no, it seemed like a simple enough dessert to attempt.... Just fold the nectarines into a rose, and gently transfer them to the tartlet that you already baked for an hour... Not mentioning the psychotic level of perfection required in the slicing. I ended up rejecting many slices because they were thicker in width than my hair. Yeah, I stood over that pie for hours... hands shaking, and rocking back and forth...Anyways, this is the latest, and longest creation in the making, I will keep you posted on the next one...
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Not that anyone was wondering
But I have left you all in the dark as to an explanation for all the random photos... But anyone who knows me will be less than surprised by my recent captures. As a matter of fact, people tend to expect this kind of thing from me, but just to clarify and explain the context and story behind the photos.
Autumn is finishing up the final years of her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree... She is currently working with silk screening as one of her lab courses. One of the processes allows her to use photos in her artwork... A very complicated and intricate process, but none the less Autumn needed some creative shots to integrate into her latest work.
Then the plot thickens, Kristy (from Bandon) was traveling home to Portland from Bandon, where she was preparing for an upcoming wedding... She came to the crossroad between Eugene and Florence, gave me a call and thought why not make a day of it?
So she came up and joined us for the day... Kristy is one of my original subjects of photography, and had the opportunity to dawn her favorite gown and parade around town with us. So as a modest photographer, armed with some hard core technical gear, I threw on a prom dress and set out to hit the town. We had Autumn take her little pink raft and skim across the surface of one of the huge fountains in the downtown area, right next to the local police station and court houses... We expected someone to notice or care, but the onlookers only sat stunned and applauded our efforts...
That and a few brief scenes by the train tracks and in dumpsters, and that was our day... And I love the lawn mower shots... captures a lot seeing a young lady in a wedding gown, dragging a mower over the lawn...
Anyways, that's what we were doing and why...
Laters
KC
Autumn is finishing up the final years of her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree... She is currently working with silk screening as one of her lab courses. One of the processes allows her to use photos in her artwork... A very complicated and intricate process, but none the less Autumn needed some creative shots to integrate into her latest work.
Then the plot thickens, Kristy (from Bandon) was traveling home to Portland from Bandon, where she was preparing for an upcoming wedding... She came to the crossroad between Eugene and Florence, gave me a call and thought why not make a day of it?
So she came up and joined us for the day... Kristy is one of my original subjects of photography, and had the opportunity to dawn her favorite gown and parade around town with us. So as a modest photographer, armed with some hard core technical gear, I threw on a prom dress and set out to hit the town. We had Autumn take her little pink raft and skim across the surface of one of the huge fountains in the downtown area, right next to the local police station and court houses... We expected someone to notice or care, but the onlookers only sat stunned and applauded our efforts...
That and a few brief scenes by the train tracks and in dumpsters, and that was our day... And I love the lawn mower shots... captures a lot seeing a young lady in a wedding gown, dragging a mower over the lawn...
Anyways, that's what we were doing and why...
Laters
KC
Friday, July 28, 2006
Friday, July 21, 2006
Ding Dong My Camp is Done
Yes, yesterday was the final showdown for my class. The parents came to see some of the final projects their children had created and I spent my time wildly trying to burn CD's and finish the year book. That was a total fiasco. The students had made all the finishing touches on their book, but the sheer number of pages made organization a nightmare. Trying to apply a coherent order to the final project was fun... I was afraid of forgetting pages and having students return home to realize their work had not made it in.
I had a great visit from my favorite parent, where she complained that my class was not enough about bugs... Which was interesting, since at the beginning of the class she had stated that her child had previously taken a bug class and would be much more engaged with the computer side of the class. Well regardless of expectations, the course description clearly stated that this class would be focusing on the world seen through a bug's eye view, referring to the microscopes that would be bringing our surroundings into a new level.
All in all I feel that the class was a success, the students learned many new skills, created power points, keynotes, pages, inspiration, kidspiration, and garage band projects, as well as using digital cameras and proscope microscopes. They gained fine motor skills related to navigating with a mouse, understanding of many new programs and so much more...
Had lots of fun, nice to have a break.
Laters
I had a great visit from my favorite parent, where she complained that my class was not enough about bugs... Which was interesting, since at the beginning of the class she had stated that her child had previously taken a bug class and would be much more engaged with the computer side of the class. Well regardless of expectations, the course description clearly stated that this class would be focusing on the world seen through a bug's eye view, referring to the microscopes that would be bringing our surroundings into a new level.
All in all I feel that the class was a success, the students learned many new skills, created power points, keynotes, pages, inspiration, kidspiration, and garage band projects, as well as using digital cameras and proscope microscopes. They gained fine motor skills related to navigating with a mouse, understanding of many new programs and so much more...
Had lots of fun, nice to have a break.
Laters
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Quite The Eventful Day
So today, I wake up early... Watch what disgracefully passes for animated entertainment these days, pop in a movie, and begin my day. Starving for human contact and company I head over to Autumn's house at 10 AM, it is completely silent as everyone was still sleeping in compensation for the previous evening's activities. I begin cleaning and wandering about, waiting for signs of life from the basement to become apparent... Finally they stir and wander up stairs. After a spectacular breakfast I acquire Autumn and head toward Deetering farm.
We drive out Coburg and make our way... Suddenly we come to a halt as the town slows to a crawl. Apparently we had come in the middle of the small towns only festivities... As a natural leader, I don't accept defeat or traffic willingly. So I chose to blaze my own trail and find an alternative route. Soon I am leading the way down winding streets and alleys with 4 cars trailing behind. I navigate my way back to the main road and join the procession. It doesn't take long to realize I am now part of the parade. With children on a flat bed truck hurling tootsie rolls at the onlookers from in front of me, and a tractor covered in American Flags following behind. So Autumn and I take this opportunity to practice our Miss America Waving skills and blend in as best we can. So at each turn when the parade slowed down, Autumn would jump out of our moving car and pick up the candy that was thrown from the float in front of us... We would then spit the loot and redistribute it to our own waiting onlookers... This went on for some time before we were finally free of our ordeal.
So we arrive at the farm, spend hours picking blueberries at a mere $1.10 per pound. Quite the steal these days... After loading up on raspberries and blue berries we made our way home, stopping by the McKenzie River to skip stones in the water.
After depositing our berries at the house and enjoying a smoothie so chalked with seeds that I resorted to sputtering them across the floor...
Next we made our way to our local pawn shop to make our latest additions to my already obscenely large movie collection.
Back to the house to kill some time and then off to Pink Martini, in what was one of the best shows I have ever seen. Sitting in the arena, eating my Ben and Jerry's ice cream, I was able to whiteness dancers on stilts and in flamingo dresses accompanying one of the most out ragious marching bands I have ever seen. After that came the real show... Pink Martini got up and sang every song I had ever heard them play, plus three from their new album. The event went on for hours. At the end, I did my usual maneuvering and took off like a bat out of hell to be the first one out of the parking lot, narrowly avoiding 600 mini vans all trying to get out of the parking lot and head home...
But wait there's more... After finally arriving at home I lay down to relax only to hear a woman screaming for her life in the parking lot behind my home. My friend ran outside with a 4 Ft. sword and called the cops. Apparently the woman had ran down a cyclist and tried to flee the scene of the accident. So after being detained she was still screaming that it was her boyfriend that she had mowed down and that it was ok. So the cops and ambulance showed up and took care of it all. Lots of screaming and running made for an interesting end to an overwhelming day...
Good night Folks, I'm out.
We drive out Coburg and make our way... Suddenly we come to a halt as the town slows to a crawl. Apparently we had come in the middle of the small towns only festivities... As a natural leader, I don't accept defeat or traffic willingly. So I chose to blaze my own trail and find an alternative route. Soon I am leading the way down winding streets and alleys with 4 cars trailing behind. I navigate my way back to the main road and join the procession. It doesn't take long to realize I am now part of the parade. With children on a flat bed truck hurling tootsie rolls at the onlookers from in front of me, and a tractor covered in American Flags following behind. So Autumn and I take this opportunity to practice our Miss America Waving skills and blend in as best we can. So at each turn when the parade slowed down, Autumn would jump out of our moving car and pick up the candy that was thrown from the float in front of us... We would then spit the loot and redistribute it to our own waiting onlookers... This went on for some time before we were finally free of our ordeal.
So we arrive at the farm, spend hours picking blueberries at a mere $1.10 per pound. Quite the steal these days... After loading up on raspberries and blue berries we made our way home, stopping by the McKenzie River to skip stones in the water.
After depositing our berries at the house and enjoying a smoothie so chalked with seeds that I resorted to sputtering them across the floor...
Next we made our way to our local pawn shop to make our latest additions to my already obscenely large movie collection.
Back to the house to kill some time and then off to Pink Martini, in what was one of the best shows I have ever seen. Sitting in the arena, eating my Ben and Jerry's ice cream, I was able to whiteness dancers on stilts and in flamingo dresses accompanying one of the most out ragious marching bands I have ever seen. After that came the real show... Pink Martini got up and sang every song I had ever heard them play, plus three from their new album. The event went on for hours. At the end, I did my usual maneuvering and took off like a bat out of hell to be the first one out of the parking lot, narrowly avoiding 600 mini vans all trying to get out of the parking lot and head home...
But wait there's more... After finally arriving at home I lay down to relax only to hear a woman screaming for her life in the parking lot behind my home. My friend ran outside with a 4 Ft. sword and called the cops. Apparently the woman had ran down a cyclist and tried to flee the scene of the accident. So after being detained she was still screaming that it was her boyfriend that she had mowed down and that it was ok. So the cops and ambulance showed up and took care of it all. Lots of screaming and running made for an interesting end to an overwhelming day...
Good night Folks, I'm out.
Monday, July 10, 2006
Monday and Extended Weekend
Alright, sadly I don't have too many pictures for you this time, but I will post the ones I have soon...
Thursday: Madly put away class, return library books, make credit card payment, go grocery shopping, collect camping gear and get on the freeway in an amazingly short amount of time... Drive to Salem and meet up with Sara.
Caravan in with Sara and embark on 2 hour journey to Tilamook for camping extravaganza. Arrive watch 2 movies and pass out.
Friday: Wake at the crack of Dawn... Cook breakfast... Eggs potatos, and onions... Wander around, and hit the river. Kyak up steam and chill out with a few beers and play some cribbage with Sara while waiting for new guests. Savagely burn a random spot on my back and whimp out to take a nap. Sammy arrives and I begin to prepare the next meal... More sleeping... Wake up and begin the next, next meal... shishkabobs and salad.... Sleep... Help Liz assemble her scrap book.
Saturday: Hitch a ride with Sara's Step mom to Corvallis, meet friends, drive back to Salem to retrieve car. Aquire car... Back on freeway to sit in gridlock for hours while work crews clean up huge accident in left lane. Drive past rolled car and ex-owner who is shrowded by a yellow sheet. Enter Eugene, sleep.
Sunday: meander to Autumn's house, meet crew, head out to the fair. Work at Autumn's mom's booth, sell pottery, and eat everything in site. Sleep.
Monday: Teach kids to use kidPix. Have students begin work on their movies. Yearbook, introduce Inspiration, and slideshows in Keynote.
And that was about it...
Sleep.
Less than thrilling, I will add the usual flare later, I am exausted.
KC
Thursday: Madly put away class, return library books, make credit card payment, go grocery shopping, collect camping gear and get on the freeway in an amazingly short amount of time... Drive to Salem and meet up with Sara.
Caravan in with Sara and embark on 2 hour journey to Tilamook for camping extravaganza. Arrive watch 2 movies and pass out.
Friday: Wake at the crack of Dawn... Cook breakfast... Eggs potatos, and onions... Wander around, and hit the river. Kyak up steam and chill out with a few beers and play some cribbage with Sara while waiting for new guests. Savagely burn a random spot on my back and whimp out to take a nap. Sammy arrives and I begin to prepare the next meal... More sleeping... Wake up and begin the next, next meal... shishkabobs and salad.... Sleep... Help Liz assemble her scrap book.
Saturday: Hitch a ride with Sara's Step mom to Corvallis, meet friends, drive back to Salem to retrieve car. Aquire car... Back on freeway to sit in gridlock for hours while work crews clean up huge accident in left lane. Drive past rolled car and ex-owner who is shrowded by a yellow sheet. Enter Eugene, sleep.
Sunday: meander to Autumn's house, meet crew, head out to the fair. Work at Autumn's mom's booth, sell pottery, and eat everything in site. Sleep.
Monday: Teach kids to use kidPix. Have students begin work on their movies. Yearbook, introduce Inspiration, and slideshows in Keynote.
And that was about it...
Sleep.
Less than thrilling, I will add the usual flare later, I am exausted.
KC
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Cheryl
Cheryl
Originally uploaded by Miss Clare.
These are the bacon-kabob's that I mentioned... A great idea for lazy people... and they make the most delicious bite sized morsels ever... You can put some sauce on them or enjoy them in their original splendor...
Shishkabobs
Shishkabobs
Originally uploaded by Miss Clare.
These are better than they look, and the bacon ones are insane.
My Lunch Break
My Class
Originally uploaded by Miss Clare.
So through out my day I am busy tending to my class and preping for the next one... So my breaks are a welcome moment of relaxation and reflection in preparation for my next shift of avid students.
So it comes as some surprise that at the same time, each day... I am suddenly inturrupted by random students staking my class out as a hideout or recreation area. It first began with the students who would follow me from wing to wing and not leave my side... That was fun, they were my little stalkers...
Now they have evolved... I just want to read a bug book... I won't bother you... I can be quiet... I have heard it all... and reguardless of my explaination of the facts, they seldom if ever leave my room... So my moment of peace is suddenly spun into watching my students redesigning my room with their toys and eventually cramming themselves into their lunch box as a means to gain some much needed attention...
I just thought this was cute.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Weekly Update
So this week, things are really going better in my largest class. I don't know if it's the weather, students getting used to me, or that they are all worn out from a big weekend, but they were borderline perfect by my newly lowered expectations. They really know what they are doing... Be completely off the walls for the first week, and set the bar for the rest of the Summer. So of course by comparison, now they couldn't be better...
So we actually made some progress Monday. I set them up in front of the projector, and showed a slide show using proscope images. I then explained that we would be making these today and that they could be used to wow their parents.
So we went over the concepts as many times as possible and like it or not, most of them got it.
And we assembled our class tree... I went on a mad hunt to find some brown paper, through my self on the ground with Sharpee in hand, and quickly traced out the ugliest tree known to man. I then promptly sprinkled a handful of scissors on the ground and announced I needed helpers. Those kids took to the task like a swarm of locus, and in moments flat my tree was on the wall...
Other developments... Apparently I am going to have some visitors for the next few weeks. It turns out that Korea mandated Talented and Gifted education be available for all eligible students in 2000. So the next logical step would be to observe countries that you surpass in every category... Sure. Yes, academically they are doing better than us from what I can tell, so I was surprised to hear there would be a group of 33 teachers coming all the way from Korea to observe our humble little camp. But why not?
Just Keep in Mind: the group of observers is twice the size of my largest class... I can't even imaging the effect it will have on my class of 4. They say, just do what you normally do and don't worry about the crowd. This all is beginning to make me feel like a exhibit in a museum. I just hope they can read the signs and won't try to feed us...
anyways, that's all folks.
So we actually made some progress Monday. I set them up in front of the projector, and showed a slide show using proscope images. I then explained that we would be making these today and that they could be used to wow their parents.
So we went over the concepts as many times as possible and like it or not, most of them got it.
And we assembled our class tree... I went on a mad hunt to find some brown paper, through my self on the ground with Sharpee in hand, and quickly traced out the ugliest tree known to man. I then promptly sprinkled a handful of scissors on the ground and announced I needed helpers. Those kids took to the task like a swarm of locus, and in moments flat my tree was on the wall...
Other developments... Apparently I am going to have some visitors for the next few weeks. It turns out that Korea mandated Talented and Gifted education be available for all eligible students in 2000. So the next logical step would be to observe countries that you surpass in every category... Sure. Yes, academically they are doing better than us from what I can tell, so I was surprised to hear there would be a group of 33 teachers coming all the way from Korea to observe our humble little camp. But why not?
Just Keep in Mind: the group of observers is twice the size of my largest class... I can't even imaging the effect it will have on my class of 4. They say, just do what you normally do and don't worry about the crowd. This all is beginning to make me feel like a exhibit in a museum. I just hope they can read the signs and won't try to feed us...
anyways, that's all folks.
Monday, July 03, 2006
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