Happy New Year from Mooklettes

i hope that 2010 was a good year for each of you who come to pay me a visit here. for us, 2010 brought some challenges, but also many blessings...we are very lucky to have so much: family love, dear friends, health and well-being.

in 2011, with some luck and hard work, one of the mooklettes will be leaving the nest for the first time and all of us will be rooting for him along the way.

i hope that the coming days give us a chance to be in each others company, to share a laugh, or offer support.

may all the blessings of 2011 be yours!

peace

merry christmas

The Christmas stories in the Bible - and they are multiple and contradictory - are obviously myths. They are obviously not to be taken literally. They are meant as signs to the deeper, profounder truth that Christians hold to: that the force behind all that exists actually intervened in the consciousness of humankind in the form of a man so saturated in godliness that merely being near him healed people of the weight of the world's sins. This is so enormous and radical an idea that it is not suprising that early Christian writers told stories to bring it more firmly to life. But they were stories, telling of a deeper more ineffable truth. If only contemporary Christians could let go of the literalism in pursuit of the far more extraordinary fact of the Incarnation.- andrew sullivan

 - peace and good wishes

to a special group of "monarchs"

this is a little love letter to my former 6th graders...who are now all in their 20's...

one of the best things about facebook is, (and i'm grateful to those of you who have 'friended' me) it gives me a chance to see who you have become, to be so proud of watching you all go into the world to use your talents, and reminds me of the incredible journey we took together.

there was something very special about being a class of 17 kids who stayed together all day, and even if at times, it felt too small, it gave us a chance to work things out, to communicate and to grow together. all life skills i see you guys using everyday.

i have to say that you each pushed me to be the best teacher i could be- i knew i owed it to you and you all expected my "a-game", because that is what you were bringing.

our philosophy at the time was "joy in learning" and i'm pretty sure we nailed it. i know i had achieved great joy in my teaching, which is not a small gift. one that sustains me and guides me today.

i just wanted to take a minute and tell you that i'm still rooting for you all, gratified to share in your lives, then and now, and so grateful to know that such fine people are in the world...

my favorite things

as my nemesis, oprah, closes out her show (props to her for being successful and all. whatever.) i thought i'd take a page from her book. sadly the page i take won't be running a marathon in 4hrs (credit, where credit is due). she always does this crazy give away show, which i have never seen, but hear plenty about. so if i had a bunch of money, an obscene amount of influence and the entire top floor of a downtown chicago high rise, what would i give you?

• every episode of 30 Rock, so you could laugh with me instead of reminding me that i am a total nerd
• your choice: vibram five-fingers or crocs, because no matter how ugly they, like broccoli, are good for ya'. also, it would be really cool to see a whole bunch of people walking around wearing either of them, without shame or irony
• a prime rib, as made by mr. mooklettes. i don't know how he'd feel about having you all over for dinner, but honestly you have not lived until you have had his prime rib...
• a copy of Food Matters, by Mark Bittman. after that prime rib, you're gonna need to be a "lessmeatatarian" like I am.
• a comfy sweatshirt: nothing screams sexy like the sight of me in my 20 year old Loyola sweatshirt with holes and frayed cuffs. you should be able to rock that look, too. (bonus, add in flannel pj bottoms and my crocs. i KNOW, hot, huh?)
• ivory liquid: it's not just for dishes. guaranteed most dependable bath bubble for all your soaking needs
• steel cut oats in a five pound bag: sure to induce guilt over not giving your body enough whole grains. tasty, too.
• now this one is really personal: a big case of Hefeweizen (and not the crap from costco). just the thought of giving beer away makes me weepy, but it is important to share. spare me the "i can't see through this beer" comments, grab an orange slice and be quiet.
• your choice (again): my nude portrait (thx Louisa), my boxed set of vintage Erma Bombeck paperbacks(thx Cheryl), my Picasso (yes, it is real, don't ask-long story), or my amazing Polaroid (thx Jen). I can't give them to you, because I'd miss them too much, but you can come over and spend time with them.
• a day off work: on a day when every one else is working. just us, hanging out, shooting the breeze. (what can i say, i'm a giver)

what i really would love to give you is time to play, time to be free from worry and stress, time to enjoy the lives you work so hard for. but, i'm not omnipotent, i'm not oprah!

peace!!

here's one thing i'm thinking about...

every now and then we enter the presence of the numinous and deduce for an instant how we're formed, in what detail the force that infuses every petal might specifically run through us, wishing only to love us into our full potential. usually the closest we get is when we love, or when some beloved beams back, which can galvanize you like steel and make resilient what had heretofore only been soft flesh. it can start you to singing as the lion pads over to you, its jaws hinging open, its hot breath on you. even unto death. Lit, Mary Karr pg 386

sometimes writers so capture a moment, it takes my breath away. this is one of those times, where as writing, it just works. those sentences are a universe unto themselves. beyond that, the idea they represent is so real and stunning, those words nearly glimmer for me.

i hope each of you have moments where you are able to so clearly realize why you exist and are able to make that love/passion real for the universe. i am trying, and sometimes failing, to notice those moments and to hold them close.

our lives are fleeting, they move fast, we all have so much to do, but what is the point of doing all those things, if they are removed from helping us connect with others? no, i am not romanticizing doing the laundry, but isn't even that act a representation of showing care and concern for others?

i hope that each day i use my talents to make some one's life better, to show some care and concern for other's troubles, to make the load lighter for them. (i am quite sure that i often fail in this regard, so consider it a work in progress.)i also know it is okay to take time for oneself, to nurture the interior, to be alone and to be quiet. the trick, i guess is finding the balance.

as Conan O'Brien says, "work hard and be kind"- to do only that would be enough.
-peace

it's that time of year again...

paul, my fabulous brother-friend, over at www.peopleforothers.com blogged all this past week about gratitude, and even busted out the categories. of course, he has way more eyeballs visit his page every day, so i don't even try to compete, however, as always, i thought he did a great job, even if I was NOT specifically mentioned. (an oversight, i am sure)

as usual, i find myself a bit more reflective come november, rather than new year, because advent is beginning and it is time to turn our attention to christmas and the many blessings that this time of year brings.

in so many ways, it has not been an easy year, but i find if i pay attention, i can usually spot the good in a situation...(except when i'm being a lunatic- then all bets are off. i promise i try to avoid lunatic behavior, but i am human and it does happen).

*my kids and my hubby each work so hard every day to do what's right and to reach out to others. they are also good for a laugh, and excellent adventures when we are on the road...
*my sis: always in my corner
*my brothers (including Paul): you each go out of your way to love your pesky little sister
*my folks: it has been a difficult, difficult year, and once again, you have shown me how to handle tough times with dignity and grace.
*my extended family: i am richly blessed with a huge family of aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws, nieces and nephews. i am thankful for the times when our lives overlap and we are in each others company. i am also thankful most of you are on facebook, so the gap between visits doesn't seem so long.
*my friends: you push me to be my best self, you hold me close,you look out for me, you inspire me and enlighten me.

b-roll list:
as always i remain grateful for the following: books, going for a run, hot baths, good tunes, cheap wine, and my little laptop.

mary chapin carpenter is one of my favorite singer/songwriters. here is her "thanksgiving song". please ignore the cheesy video that accompanies it...

blogging for education reform

i have way more to say on this topic, as regular readers know...but here is where i am today:
-there is no magic bullet
-insisting that a group of kids be taught with only one method is wrong
-dictating to professionals how to do their job, and insisting they march in lock step with other classrooms leads to failure
-claiming that assessments are solely indicative of learning leads to kids who do not think for themselves
-eliminating personal relationships among students and teachers leaves kids feeling further disenfranchised and not engaged
-scapegoating teachers does nothing to make up for an epidemic of bad parenting
-you would not want your own child taught in the manner of which most of the current "ed reformers" are advocating.
-no matter how you try to parse it, every child in this nation will not be at grade level in 2014. that is just ridiculous, so stop it. take it out of NCLB and grow up.
-i am not a failure, neither is my school, neither is my district
-public schools take all comers and everything they bring into the classroom with them.
-teachers unions are not half as bad as you have been led to believe. in fact, without one, i'm pretty sure i wouldn't want to be in a classroom today.

solutions:
-let me do the task I was hired to do
-hold me to high standards and apply them equally to my peers
-don't micromanage my instruction
-stop tying federal dollars up with nonsense designed to co-opt public education and convince parents that charter schools are the only viable option
-recognize that there is more than one meaningful way to assess learning
-hold kids and parents accountable for state test scores
-stop trying to insult me with schemes like merit pay, which do nothing to change anyone's classroom practices, except make it more likely that someone might want to cheat on a test.

the only thing i ever wanted to be was a teacher. i'm proud of that. i could have done anything else, still could, but i don't. i am here for your kids, i bring my best self every day, i demonstrate respect for them by being prepared. prepared to engage them where they are. i build the bridge that gets them from "cat, bat, sat" to discussing a novel.i hold them accountable, correct,praise and motivate. i do it because this democracy needs citizens who can think and reason for themselves.i teach because as much as the kids may learn from me, there isn't a day that goes by that i don't learn from them.
-peace

funeral playlist

hmmm...not sure if I have ever posted on this topic and it bothers some people when i mention it...

i keep a playlist called 'funeral' on my ipod, just for when it is needed, so my kids don't have to quarrel over what music to play, and as a bonus, they could burn a cd for you when you leave...

some songs have been on it from the first time i started it, some get delisted. all of them reflect some aspect of who i am, have been, what i hope for, etc. some are religious, some are standards, some is schlocky pop.

can't decide if i should list the titles. it could be anticlimatic and maybe the actual list isn't important, it is just my little reminder for myself to notice, to remember, to be kind, to work hard, to love completely and to help others.
-peace