Live and Learn New Mexico!

I always wanted to write. When I was a kid, I was going to write a novel that would be turned into a movie. That h as n't happened...yet. At the different jobs I held over the years, I wrote reports and grant proposals. I analyzed the data and told everyone what it meant. I was more of a technical writer than anything else. I worked at both Los Alamos National Lab and Sandia Labs as a writer/editor and did a lot of Web work.  Then I discovered blogging and that is what I think I am in part -- a blogger. This led to activism as I started writing about standardized testing, learning, teaching...then along came A.R.T. and the big one -- DAPL.  Curating the Good Stuff As I've worked on social media over the last two years, promoting L&LNM, I also became a curator-- someone who finds those who are saying and doing important things and then shares them with others on social media.  I've been reading Ten Little Indians  by Sherman Alexie. He wrote the colle

Michelle Worley, L&LNM. We were planning to get out and blog Abq's Central Avenue but it's super windy out and it ain't happening. So I decided to blog about Madrid, NM, the quirky little town we all know about but do we really?  I found out there is a lot I didn't know. This is what I learned: 1. The derelict house there on the main street, the only one that has not been maintained, seems to be occupied. I think there should be such a house in every little town. They make for great scary stories among the kids.  2. Madrid had the first lighted ballpark west of the Mississippi (thanks to Paul for that info). The photo on this post is one Paul found of a baseball game in Madrid in the 1930s. 3. The "sign" of the trumpeter that is located in the ballpark is not a sign but an old Christmas decoration. This information from Caroline led me to look into it further. According to http://www.visitmadridnm.com/history/ -- "Beginning in the

Michelle Worley here, L&LNM blogging today about the beautiful Turquoise Trail, as I've done before, but this time I'm taking a look at the dark side -- the litter. I wasn't aware that there was so much trash along the side of the highway until my son, Daniel, and his companion, Mariah, decided to collect cans to make a little extra money. They rode their bikes up the Trail from Cedar Crest to the Lazy Lizard bar, which is next to a gas station/convenience store. They figured there would probably be some cans around there. They were right. I think it was the guide at the OASIS walk I went on last week who told us about how someone put little flags everywhere a dog had done its business out in the area we were walking. There were so many bright flags that it looked like a field of flowers. If we did the same with every piece of litter, every can, we saw on a strip of the Turquoise Trail, would it look like a field of flowers? I'm not going to go so far as t

Michelle Worley here, for Live and Learn New Mexico! (L&LNM). I've blogged about Abq OASIS before. They offer great classes for people over 50, and I've been taking a lot of them. This fall, I'm taking the Abq Walks class. We meet at a different open space/neighborhood each week, learn about the area, and get a good walk in.  Today's walk was a little slower, more like a stroll, but that is because we were busy looking at artificial dinosaur bones and miscellaneous artifacts that had been placed into the sides of the Arroyo de las Calabacillas when they shored it up back in 1998 to better deal with flooding issues.  The arroyo, where we walked today, runs under Coors Blvd. but you wouldn't know it. I used to live in the area and didn't know about the arroyo and its treasures.  Dinosaurs in the arroyo So let's go back to 1998, when Michael Wallace took advantage of the opportunity to make the arroyo project something people could learn from. O

I didn't bother to watch the debate Monday. I am not interested in what those two presidential candidates have to say. The candidates I would have liked to hear from were not represented, which reinforces my decision to not support a corrupt system by actually voting in a sham election that reads more like a bad television reality show. I am much more captivated by what is happening with the Dakota Access Pipeline. Now there's democracy in action,  the very people who were in this country in the first place exercising their right to speak out -- literally raising their voices -- against corruption and greed. And yet, I am hearing nothing of it on my favorite radio morning show or from mainstream news. What's up with that? So I plan to blog about it long and loud, get the word out in my own small way. I've signed the No DAPL petition and pledged to send supplies to Standing Rock this week. I'm Liking and Sharing Facebook posts. I'll keep this short today a

I've been fascinated by the DAPL protest, watching people whose rights have long been violated stand strong against American capitalism/corporatocracy and take their power back. This is much more than a protest against something that will hurt our planet -- it's also oppressed/underserved populations realizing that they have a voice and using it. I have had many feelings about the protest. I wanted to go to Standing Rock and show my support but it didn't feel right.  I have absolutely no American Indian blood in me and because of that, this protest just seemed like something I can't be a part of. But I still want to find a way to show my support because this issue -- jeopardizing water supplies in the name of money -- is one the world should be paying attention to.  Leading the Way Who has stood up to lead the charge? The tribes, pueblos, first nations, indigenous cultures around the continent and even the world, of course. I'm watching it play out on social medi

Today I am having a hard time wrapping my brain around the tragedy of Victoria Martens, who was killed by her mother and two other meth addicts a few weeks ago. More of Victoria's story has come out since and it isn't pretty. In fact, it's so ugly, I can't quit crying for that little girl who deserved so much better.  I know, too, that Victoria isn't the only child out there in desperate need of help, and obviously, agencies like CYFD aren't able to solve all the problems. They never will be, either, as long as we work on a money model. I could go on about money but I'm tired of it. I would rather look at things with some common sense and compassion.  What if we tried tackling this problem as a community? What if it wasn't about money at all but resources?  I listened to the conversation about Victoria on my favorite radio station this morning and the point was made that teachers had reported concerns about her a while back but CYFD's actions w

I wrote the following article last spring for a NM magazine that will remain nameless. The article was never published and I never was able to find out why. I think it was just an oversight. However, because it was never published, a lot of kids at Tomasita Elementary School were disappointed. I thought about this for a while and then realized all I need to do is blog about it. It may not reach the  same number of people the magazine I refer to does, but at least it would be something.  So here is the story of the Tomasita Elementary Zumba Family and the difference they make in seniors’ lives.  Please Like and Share to help me make this oversight up to the kids and their sponsor CJ Mays. *********** What started as an after-school club to help Tomasita Elementary School kids get into better shape and be happier turned into something much more. A year and a half ago, Cynthia (CJ) Mays, secretary at Tomasita Elementary School in Albuquerque, encouraged students to make b

Today  OASIS  class registration opens for the Fall 2016 Session. I have to wait until 10:00 to sign up and I plan to start right away. Last session I missed a lot of great classes because I waited too long to sign up. I have 35 minutes to wait so I thought I'd blog about them. First of all, let me say that the classes I've attended have been well worth the small fees ($8 for 1.5 hour class). Great instruction and conversation for much less than taking a college class. A wide variety in subject matter, too. Here are some that I plan to sign up for this session: 1. Breaking the Cycle of Homelessness & Poverty: Field Trip to Saranam (I had never heard of this place and can't wait to see what they do.) 2. Food Waste: Where Does it Go? (and do I really want to know? yes, I do) 3. Qigong/Breathing Meditation ("incorporates breath and movement awareness") 4. UFOs: An Introductory Course (YES!) 5. Earth Sheltering for Sustainability (I just found some

Today, I attended a CNPE seminar about the role of the intern in a nonprofit setting. I learned a lot about the differences between volunteers, interns, and work study students.  As I learn how to establish and run L&LNM, I continue to strongly feel that really there isn't much strength behind the nonprofit. We have to do everything within a capitalist model -- we still have to compete for funds and follow employment laws. Secure jobs and money are still the "reward" we all call the American dream.  I get it but I don't. What is the point of being a nonprofit if we have to make it all about money? I believe that money isn't the answer to any of our problems, that we can do a lot without spending a dime.  Back to the seminar -- just in time, one of the presenters mentioned that nonprofits can offer non-monetary incentives to their volunteers, as long as they aren't brand new cars or something. A gift card or a pizza party would work. I thou

I went to the Outside of the Classroom meeting yesterday. Good turnout. There were many young people there, many paid to attend, which is fine. We live in a capitalist society; every effort we make should be rewarded with money, right? We have to play the game for now. I paid my daughter, who helps me with L&LNM, to go with me. I have to say it was nice to talk about what we learned in the car on the way home. I learned a lot. I learned that, in all the years I've worked in education, the conversation hasn't changed one bit. At this meeting, we participated in a world cafe activity,  where you talk with one group about a topic, report out to the group at large, then regroup and talk about a follow-up topic and again, report out. The topics centered around the systemic problems we see in our education system, the mindsets we need to break free from, etc. But the conversation was the same old stuff that had little to do with systemic problems. The same ideas of helping s

I finally sat down to explore the  Civnet  website. CivNet is a locally grown endeavor. I had signed up as a beta user not long ago and I've been getting regular email updates as people post their project needs on the site. Yesterday, I went through my emails and started clicking on all the links in each CivNet message. I found many wonderful things.  Green bike lanes One of the first projects I noticed posted was for green bike lanes. What did that mean? Is this a project to put in bike lanes that follow sustainable, environmentally safe practices? Turns out, no. It means what it says -- this project needs people to help them paint the bike lanes on the Lead and Coal bridges green. I could help with that. I didn't sign up for anything, though, not yet.  Identify learning labs Instead of putting it in my own words, I will quote the purpose of this project.  "This initiative will enhance the learning experience by pairing "learning laboratories" wit

L&LNM would like to start a program that converts houses from oil/gas to solar/wind/sustainable energy. We would convert one house at a time, and the people who own the house, their neighbors, etc. will do the work with help from local businesses/schools.  In many towns, there is a Rotary Club or similar organization, and they often award small grants for projects like this. A small grant could be all it takes to convert one house to solar. After one house is converted, those who worked on it and learned can help with the next house.  People are gaining skills that could get them jobs but more importantly, people are helping each other achieve incredible things without going into debt. Communities are pulling together to solve problems. Short post today so use that time you just saved not reading and go out and learn something new!

Live and Learn New Mexico! (L&LNM) has been focusing on getting the word out that we are here to help New Mexicans learn toward a better life. This spring, we have been concentrating on the New Mexico part of our name. We have been researching, blogging, and curating (supporting other NM organizations on Facebook by Liking and Sharing their posts).  Just as we suspected, New Mexico is full of amazing people who know we can change things for the better if we just pull together as communities and help each other succeed.   For the last year and a half, as I've been blogging and putting my posts on Facebook, I've "boosted" some by paying to get the post out to more people. This worked to build a following but I discovered that FB will only help so much.  If I boosted one post twice, for example, I'm pretty sure FB just re-sent it to the same people I paid to reach the first time. Boosting a post twice was a waste of money. Then a kind person read one o

I have never been more ashamed and embarrassed to be an American, so much so that I feel the need to explain to other ordinary people who don't live in the US that I am not what my government purports me to be. 1. I'm not a capitalist. I've spent my adult life trying to get that good job with benefits. I played the game, competed, job hopped, moved up the career ladder. It took me a long time to realize that basically I was providing cheap slave labor for businesses that gave me NOTHING in return. Why was I working so hard when my employers in no way, shape, or form cared about me, and when I felt no confidence that I would be able to retire EVER? 2. I am not a member of a democracy. The average American has no voice at all. Elections are rigged. Political processes are a joke. Presidential candidates are a joke. Our government shares a bed with big business. It's all about money, and I'm tired of money. The correct term for what we are is Corporatocracy. 

This is my first week volunteering for Bethel Storehouse in Moriarty, and I have talked to them about offering a free high school equivalency test preparation seminar. They offer many services like that to residents in the area. They were open to the idea. So I started thinking... We won't offer a regular class unless we see the need. What we will offer is a monthly (or more often if needed), 2-hour session to show people where to register for a GED/HSE (high school equivalency) test, find websites to help them prepare (e.g., Khan Academy, Google), and other helpful information they might need. We can also offer tutoring hours for those who might need some one-on-one help and for those who have no computer at home. This means we need tutors/teachers and computers/internet access. Could we use Bethel Storehouse space to have a tutor be around a few hours a week for walk-in help? I will check on that. I also need to find the closest public library. They usually have computers

Michelle Worley here. I was looking at old blog posts and decided to update this one. I think the message is good, and I have more readers now. Woo hoo! Enjoy. Ten years ago, I was stressed out, and that resulted in some serious weight gain. My blood pressure was off the charts, and my cholesterol was high. I started taking prescription drugs but didn't like them. They worked but very slowly, and they had side effects that made no sense to me. My parents, especially my mom, were firm believers in the power of prescription drugs. Maybe it's because so many breakthroughs in medicine were made in their lifetime. My mom went to the doctor for every little thing. She even volunteered at the local hospital after she retired. She died in a hospital of a hospital-acquired respiratory ailment. I've hated going to doctors all my life and luckily, never really needed to see them but at one time as an adult, I came to believe in preventive medicine, which to me was a yearly exam.

So I drove into town today just to get out and feel sorry for myself because L&LNM did not make it to the next round of the XQ super school challenge. I needed some music therapy, and that is best done in the car on the road. My first choice to listen to is almost always the Imagine Dragons. They were the ones whose song, Trouble , got me home after my stressful high school reunion -- "I took a photograph of me, I was only 19, I looked a little lost at sea, I keep trying to find me." I'm home again today, and I feel much better. Thank you, the Imagine Dragons, for your song, Underdog -- "That sounds like my luck. I get the short end of it. I love to be the underdog." As I listened to the song, I started thinking...isn't that what New Mexico is in a way -- the underdog? And don't we kind of like being the underdog because it sets us apart, and there's so much potential there?  Also, underdogs are the ones people root for. I say let's e

I haven't blogged in a while, mainly because after entering the XQ Super School challenge, I was tired. I needed a break. But I also had little to say, and I haven't been feeling passionate about too much. I decided to ride out the bloggy feeling... Then the new season of The Voice started. I love the show, as many do. More than I do the contestants, I have found myself watching how the coaches have learned and grown as coaches over the years. I only recently realized that what is happening on this show is a good example of what I would like to see happening in our kids' learning. Is it that important to win? The Voice is a competition, of course, with many levels. First, there is the level of the singers who compete in teams then as individuals to ultimately win. Then there is the level of the coaches. If a team member wins, their coach wins as well. Like teachers in our public school system, they are judged on how well they coach their teams to success. If you wat