Live and Learn New Mexico!

We are starting on the next steps to our proposal for an XQ super school, which are 1) Discovery (youth input) and 2) Design. I will blog as we go along so that I can refer people to it if they are interested and won't need to repeat myself. It's also the best way to reach all those who are scattered around the state but are interested in the project. Youth Input I've set up a meeting next week in Los Alamos to talk about how people there can participate (Tuesday, Jan. 5, 3:30, at Time Out Pizza). I will be getting input from some of their (disenfranchised) youth, which is important, given the unique character of that community. I've also been working on getting input from the young people I know in the east mountain area , and we will be working on that as well at A New Awakening in Rio Rancho . I haven't heard from anyone who may have read my blog posts on Facebook but hope that people will at some point share their experiences in the comments section under...

L&LNM's concept for a super school was reviewed and approved by the  XQ Super School Challenge  people, and we can now work on fleshing out our ideas and backing up our design with research. Our final design is due in February. Before we move on to the next phases, we should review the concept for our XQ Super School. Below are the questions we were asked and the answers we submitted in the first phase, the Concept phase: LIVE AND LEARN NEW MEXICO! SCHOOL CONCEPT Q:  A bold and compelling idea will be at the center of our school: what is your idea and why does it have the potential to transform high school learning? A.  L&LNM hopes to serve the whole state of New Mexico by using the technology available to make communication across distances easy and by using technology our young people use. We will use the internet as much as possible to run the program, communicate across sites, and plug into professional development and learning opportuni...

I was waiting for an email that told me whether L&LNM has been approved to submit our idea for an XQ super school and then realized that I should look at the website, and sure enough, there it was. Our idea was approved. Now we have little time to get it all together and submit our super school design by February. I've been looking at some of the other concepts in NM communities that have been submitted and they all look great. There is a concerted effort to go global. I'm all for that but I think our twist on that concept -- going local to go global -- is unique. First, we want to help NM communities become stronger. We want to help create meaningful work in those communities. The global community is already happening with the internet, social media, news feeds, etc. We will tap into that without really trying. NEXT STEPS TO BE DONE ASAP  We can start working on the Discovery and Design phases of the XQ challenge at the same time. For Discovery, we need input from yo...

Yesterday I made the mistake of commenting on an article I read on the LA (Los Alamos) Daily Post's Facebook page. It was about healthcare. I wanted to point out that for many of us, healthcare and how to obtain/afford it, was the cause of much stress, stress that caused health problems...a vicious circle. I appreciate the efforts being made to make healthcare available to everyone. I got replies and was thrilled. Most people disagreed with me but their comments made me think and rethink some of my beliefs. I thought we were having a spirited debate until one guy made the comment that I am an idiot. It bothered me all night. I don't believe him for a minute but still, my feelings were hurt. So, like I do sometimes when I can't shake it, I thought on it all night, and I came up with a response. I rehearsed it in my head and I will write it here. It will make me feel better so just humor me. Dear Mr. Mean Guy: You made two comments on our Facebook discussion yesterday...

[This is a re-re-post. I just blogged about voting for Gary Johnson and learned so much from all the angry comments that ensued. I learned that I was right to vote not to vote. It was like watching people on meth, from day one when they experience it the first time (they decide on a candidate) to when they are hooked and they turn on each other in meth-induced anger. Except it is politics-induced anger. The more we "talk" the more competitive and angry we get.  I don't think politics should turn us all into meth monsters. Where's the conversation our democratic process is supposed to ensure? And why do we turn on each other?] Okay, so I watched yet another documentary that got me thinking further about the need to "flip" the way we think so we can solve real problems that we really care about in as non-political a manner as possible. First, let me say that I've learned by watching these documentaries that for many, the films are the only voice the...

I have been thinking about my next step in the credit card war  I'm fighting and thought I would write an update. Since writing the first post, I've been paying for most things with my debit card and actual cash and using my two credit cards sparingly. I pay 2-3 times the minimum payment due each month on each credit card. I pay my bills early. I think that sounds pretty responsible. However, my credit score has plummeted 20 points. Here I am, stress free about my finances because I'm getting rid of my debt but my score goes down. I'm guessing it's because I don't have a "real" job. That's capitalism for you. I will say that Discover, when they learned I was moving last June, offered to defer my bill for a month. I didn't need to take them up on the offer. I wish, though, that they would lower the high interest that I've been living with for decades. I spent a long time getting my finances together but I will always be punished for ...

I have a friend from Ukraine, and when I saw that the movie Winter on Fire   was offered on Netflix, I thought I might watch it and learn a little more about where she comes from. Turns out, it was a very appropriate movie to watch, not only for that reason but also because what happened in the documentary ties in very well with L&LNM's ideas about the future of learning and the need to listen to our youth. We Are American! As proud American parents, we encourage our kids to question and challenge. We push them to think for themselves and be independent, to look to the future because they ARE the future. We want them to find their passion and fight for it. Other parents in other countries share the sentiment. But then our youth do just that -- they speak up. There is no malice or ill intent. All they want is to make positive change. Time and time again, it is government that can't take the criticism; it sees it as a loss of control/power, and it responds wit...

(This is a repost from 12.3.2015, changed up a little) For the past year, my daughter has been driving from Cedar Crest into Abq for her classes at UNM, and it is stressful for her, given the number of crazy stupid aggressive drivers out there. Every time Kelsey leaves for her class, I worry until she returns home. Often, she fights the traffic to class only to have it canceled. That is when I start to get angry about her unnecessary stress, traffic in Abq, and wasting my money on gas/mileage/parking/tuition so my kid can get to a canceled class. So let's revisit my (and many others') idea to bring learning to the local level and use online resources as well to redesign our kids' learning experiences and to reflect true life. Kelsey takes dance classes. That, of course, is a class best done in person, not online. One of her instructors has a dance studio in Edgewood but she drives to UNM each class to teach there. Why can't she have the class at her studio? Many s...

I recently watched another incredibly good documentary called The True Cost . It's about the fast fashion industry. I was just naive enough to think that this movie would not make me as angry as those about our food that I've watched lately. I was so wrong! It again came down to Monsanto and GMOs -- a cotton farmer who follows all of Monsanto's rules gets a brain tumor caused by Monsanto chemicals, has to turn to Monsanto for his medical treatment as well, dies anyway, and his wife switches to organic farming. More than that, though, the movie was about worldwide injustice and worker abuse in the name of a global economy. The more I've looked into how we learn, the more I've discovered regarding who we are as Americans, and I'm not liking it. Capitalists/big business are so good at finding opportunities to exploit. They are doing to other workers in other countries what they did and still do to workers in America. The difference is that US citizens have fo...

When I discovered the XQ Super School site and its directory, I was excited to build a team that would work together to meet this challenge. But it isn't that simple. I realized that the directory is a great way to get people to read my blog and to get the conversation started but I don't think I have a team that will help me do the Discover phase of the challenge. They are serving on other teams that they are closer to, I'm sure. I had also hoped to enlist the help of my colleagues who worked with me at UNM-Los Alamos on the adult ed program. But they have retired and aren't looking to start new adventures. I want them to enjoy retirement and get to know their families again. I need to pull those close to me together to get this done. I am going to enlist the help of my kids and their friends, with the promise that if we win this thing, they will have jobs. They are my staunchest supporters anyway. My son lives in Moriarty, and his girlfriend went to school the...

The deadline to submit any XQ Super School ideas was Sunday. I submitted the L&LNM idea a while back. Will our idea be good enough? I'm not sure because, even among those who have always supported me in my work, there is a clear non-understanding of some of what I'm talking about. The biggest concern seems to be my belief that no single school building will be needed to run this program. People hold onto the idea that we have to send our kids to a certain place to learn. Doesn't anyone listen to Sir Ken Robinson, my hero, who says over and over again -- Why do we put our kids in an artificial environment to teach them about real life? Jump out of that box, people!  The beauty of the L&LNM concept is that, in each New Mexico town we serve, the "learning community"  (what we will call our "classes", although I think we might need to call it a "learning team" at some point) decides the projects they will work on. There may be more th...

I attended a volunteer tutor training yesterday at OASIS in Albuquerque. I will be reading with an elementary school student one hour per week, starting in January. It was an informative session, and I'm looking forward to starting. There were about twenty people at the training, and one stood out to me because of her fear. Fear of what? I'm not sure but I'm thinking everything. Her biggest fear about reading with a student was that she would start off "making a mistake" by not getting the kid's reading level right. She seemed to think that any mistakes she might make would have devastating consequences for the student. Like so many of us these days, she wants to know the answers before she even begins. We still seem to think that teachers/tutors should have the answers to feed their students. We talk about education all the time but we don't talk about learning. So start thinking differently!!! It's as easy as that. Forget education, politics, ...

I just submitted the L&LNM concept for a new high school experience to the XQ Super School Challenge. They will get back to us and let us know if we're on the right track. In the meantime, we can start working on the Discover phase. Here's the first question we must answer: "What are your top three insights about the challenges facing your prospective students in the 21st century, both globally and in your community?  Provide up to 300 words and/or describe and upload 1-3 videos, images, data charts, or other pieces of evidence you can share with your community to illustrate your insights and why they are important." I've got some ideas here but would like to hear from anyone who wants to contribute. Please comment! I know many of you have been listening to our youth for a long time now. Here's your chance to share what you've learned and make a difference. Those of you who are our youth, please speak up. We need to hear from you.  I've...

I get up early in the morning, make myself a cup of chai, and watch a show on Netflix. Sometimes it's just a good mystery, like Murdoch Mysteries , sometimes it's a great new drama, like Madam Secretary (although that show only reinforces my hatred of corrupt political systems. I'm being redundant -- take out "corrupt" in the last sentence.) This morning, I watched half of Hacker Wars , and I learned a lot. I understand better the motivations of many hackers who question how our country operates. They are imprisoned for putting the information out there, and for hacking into systems in the first place. One guy in the movie said it right -- once upon a time, if a hacker hacked into a major corporation's emails, he would have been hired by that company. That would seem a very American thing to do. Instead, if someone exposes vulnerabilities in systems today, he is arrested. Doesn't sound like an American thing to do, does it? I guess it is, though. I...

This is an updated post from a while back. I'm re-posting it in the hopes that more people will read it and join L&LNM in the XQ Super School Challenge . Below are the questions we were asked and the answers we submitted in the Concept phase, which was approved to move on to the next steps of the challenge. LIVE AND LEARN NEW MEXICO! SCHOOL CONCEPT Q: A bold and compelling idea will be at the center of our school: what is your idea and why does it have the potential to transform high school learning? A. L&LNM hopes to serve the whole state of New Mexico by using the technology available to make communication across distances easy and by using technology our young people use. We will use the internet as much as possible to run the program, communicate across sites, and plug into professional development and learning opportunities for staff, faculty, students, and parents. At the local level, in each town and village we serve across the state, we will have site...

They are talking about road rage on the radio, and I'm trying to fill out the XQ Super School Challenge concept form for submission November 15. One question the form asks is what kinds of learning experiences our students will have. We will be a project-based learning school. Each community we serve will have a team of teachers, students, parents, businesses, nonprofits, interested residents, etc. to identify, research, and propose solutions to community and/or world issues.  One example I've spoken of before is Bosque Farms. If we brought back the dairies to that community and produced our food locally, cutting out mega food producing corporations, would we alleviate the global warming problem? Would we bring jobs to our communities? We could take the same project approach to the road rage problem in Abq. A learning team could research the problem, describe it, propose solutions, and then maybe try them out and report on their success.  L&LN wants to do this!! I...

I had planned to blog about the first meeting of the L&LNM XQ Super School team today but something happened on my way home from the meeting last night, not to me but to a four-year-old girl sitting in a car on I-40. Road rage is a serious problem in Abq. It has been for a long time. I used to yell at other idiot drivers back in college until people started shooting at each other from their cars. So I actually decided a while back that I was going to be a courteous driver, which allows me to let go of the road rage. But the rage continues and for those who have guns in their cars, it's too easy to just grab the gun and shoot at another car. And then a little girl gets killed. I have been crying all night. What the hell is wrong with Americans? We talk about guns like they are toys!!! No one ever seems to see the reality of the violence surrounding them. When I heard about the little girl getting shot in her car, I said something about stricter gun laws and the response ...

Last week was quite an exciting week. It really makes a difference to tap into a system that is already in place, and backed by funding , rather than try to build a system from scratch. The timing of the XQ Super School Challenge is perfect! Just when I was forced to start thinking about how to get support for my ideas about learning, there it was! In a matter of days I accomplished what I couldn't in the past year since starting L&LNM. I now have an XQ team of 13 members and an initial meeting scheduled for tomorrow evening (10/20/15). I know of 3 besides myself who will be attending but I've been posting about it on Facebook and inviting people. Will anyone show up? I've asked for an rsvp to liveandlearnnm@gmail.com but don't want to discourage walk-ins so I'm a little nervous. I need to be prepared. I put together PowerPoint slides to help me stay on track at the meeting and to use in case others show up. I also need the presentation in case the medi...

After all this time trying to reach people through Facebook (it's been fun and informative--don't get me wrong), I sign up for the XQ Super School Challenge and invite others who are signed up to read my blog and join my team if they like what they read. Six people have joined the team. Wooooo hooooo! On top of that, I had more Blogspot page reads in a single day than ever before, and someone started commenting on the posts. Another woo hoo is in order...woooo hoooo! It makes a difference to have a system like the XQ challenge website already in place for start-ups like me to benefit from. I'm working with another team member to set up a time for our new team to meet face to face but in the meantime, we can be working toward the first goal, which is to come up with an idea for a super school and submit it by Nov. 15. We will use a flipped classroom approach and get much of the preliminary work done online before we meet in person. We can then use meeting time to conti...

I received an email a while back about the XQ Super School Project, signed up on their website then promptly forgot about it until I got a second email on a day I was more receptive to the information. Now I'm super excited to try to meet their challenge . I figure I'm off to a good start with the ideas I have for running an adult education program. This challenge is for the high school level but if we are redesigning high school, do we even need to label it as such? I mean, many of the principles of adult ed apply to the high school level. In other words, the first thing we need to do is get rid of grade levels defined by age. I've been soliciting ideas from my daughter, Kelsey, who is in college now. We agreed that project-based, problem-solving learning is the way to go. Work on real-life issues, incorporating math, writing, critical thinking skills, etc. into the experience. Don't divide a day into seven or eight classes that separate subjects as if they have no...

My posts lately have been concentrating on getting our HSE program going but I did mention last post that I watched the documentary Cowspiracy on Netflix and had some thoughts that bring me back to earlier ideas for Live and Learn New Mexico! For those of you who have followed the L&LNM blog for a while, you read the post about Bosque Farms and how it was once the dairy capital of NM blah blah. I was living on an amazing property that had been built by WPA projects during the Depression. I proposed the idea that we start to live life on a community, rather than global, level -- that we bring NM's power back by bringing back some of those WPA-type programs. Then I watched  Cowspiracy  and I had to rethink all the ideas I had regarding Bosque Farms. Everything. In a nutshell, Cowspiracy 's message is that we are destroying our world by raising and killing animals for food, a practice that causes 51% of the global warming problem. Foiled Plans I can no longer...

I was encouraged Wednesday to have two returning students in class. But I think I am still going to implement the ideas I talked about in the post last week -- hold orientations, get students onto Khan Academy at the orientation. email assignments, refer them to online resources, and then meet with each student once a month at least. With that in mind, I am going to concentrate on building a program that can be done online and at each student's pace. Today, I will be sending all the students I've met with so far, returning or not, the assignments below to help them get to know the HiSET, the high school equivalency test L&LNM has chosen as an alternative to the Pearson-owned GED. Assignment 1: HiSET scavenger hunt Go to the HiSET website . Write answers in complete sentences for writing practice (no run-ons, fragments, or bullet lists): Name the five test subjects in the HiSET. How much does the HiSET cost? Where are the nearest testing centers? Watch one of vi...