http://kjolson.edublogs.org Ms O's troupe of tangents, affair of asides, multitude of meanderings, bevy of blatherings. Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:24:40 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en My dear friend, Beth, just blogged about things she loves, and I thought it was a great idea for me on this long, Education Minnesota (State Teachers' Convention) weekend as I'm home recharging my batteries and trying to get caught up in grading and homework. Things I Love Early October days when ... http://kjolson.edublogs.org/2009/10/15/things-i-love/ I'm thinking that perhaps it would behoove teachers to be students as often as possible.  Formally, I mean, as we're always students--we're always learning from our kids, our peers, our classroom experience--and should be students of life.  I'm talking bona fide, sit-in-a-desk, have homework, students. I just started my Master's in ... http://kjolson.edublogs.org/2009/10/10/teacher-as-student-and-so-forth/ A few weeks ago, I had the distinct pleasure of being asked to write a guest blog on Bedford-St. Martin's Press High School Bits blog, authored by my online friend and colleague Jodi Rice.  (She's doing silly things like getting married, traveling around the world for a year, and other ... http://kjolson.edublogs.org/2009/10/05/guest-bloggity-blog/ It's the time of year when I get excited about planning my upcoming year; reflecting on what worked last year and modifying, choosing news stories and texts in some cases, finding new ways to teach the material, revamping what I do and still like.  It's not stressful because I have ... http://kjolson.edublogs.org/2009/07/26/reclaiming-reintegrating/ Today, I'm happy to be American, and I'm proud of my President and his words. That's still a new feeling, for me; until recently, it had been a long time.  Today, I have a crush on President Obama not only because he can speak beautifully, but because he's willing to (in ... http://kjolson.edublogs.org/2009/06/05/my-crush-on-the-president/ Mock Trial lost Round 5 (Regional Finals) today after five and a half months of intense work; if they'd won, they'd have gone to State next week (in Duluth).  As it is, we're done. The score was 253 to 245.  Yes, we lost by only eight points (and one of the ... http://kjolson.edublogs.org/2009/03/04/i/ Let go of the dead now. The rope in the water, the cleat on the cliff, do them no good anymore. Let them fall, sink, go away, become invisible as they tried so hard to do in their own dying. We needed to bother them with what we called help. We were the needy ones. The dying do their own ... http://kjolson.edublogs.org/2009/02/26/he-departs-as-air-bill-holm-1943-2009/ I spent a lot of time at the local clinic yesterday, and that always means some excellent quality people-watching.  I was not, indeed, disappointed. Soon after I sat down at the first station, a young couple--maybe 28, 30 years old each--sat next to me.  Man and woman. I heard them before I ... http://kjolson.edublogs.org/2009/02/24/the-accidental-observer/ Because I live in a democratic Republic, where civil rights are not majority rule, and equality is something we promise to protect in our Constitution. Because commitment should always be supported. Because I'm in love with my best friend, and he and I enjoy benefits by legally marrying, and others should have ... http://kjolson.edublogs.org/2009/02/10/dont-divorce-us/ As an addendum to yesterday's blog, a communication I sent to Governor Pawlenty, R-MN, this afternoon, via his website: Dear Mr. Governor: I'm writing to let you know that your continued vetoing of statewide health insurance for Minnesota's teachers, and your general non-support for Minnesota teachers and education, is forcing me to ... http://kjolson.edublogs.org/2009/02/05/dear-mr-governor/