Live and Learn New Mexico!

Now that I've latched onto the idea of renovating this Bosque Farms property to preserve history, I've been looking at historical preservation grants. They are out there but they are small grants and aren't allowed to be used to purchase property. However, I can use the money to hire an architect to write a report on what needs to be done and how much it will cost. Or I can hold a meeting in the community to educate residents about the history around them and the goals I have to make this place a valuable asset in the community once more. I'm leaning toward the second -- if I could get the community excited about this, I could get a lot done more quickly. Besides, I have architect/builder friends who can help with determining what work needs to be done to renovate the place. My next step is to look up the original 42 land parcels. After all, this doesn't have to be just about the property I'm on; it could be about the original land grants and bringing them

The whole Opt Out movement has distracted me lately but it's time to start focusing on building this nonprofit already! I've been researching Bosque Farms . When the owners of this property put it on the market, I read in the realtor's description that it was the headquarters for the WPA (Works Progress Administration, which later became Work Projects Administration). During the Depression, as part of his New Deal legislation, President Roosevelt created work through projects implemented across the country. There was actually a Bosque Farms project in which 42 families were given land to work into farms. However, the soil was too alkaline so the government helped them convert to dairy farming, which was much more successful. Later, the swampy land was drained so that some farming could take place. What more compelling reason to fund my ideas for this property than to point out that what I want to do is exactly what the WPA set out to do back then -- create jobs in th

I was thinking about my post yesterday about how politicians are much like peacocks. It's our limited perception of what peacocks are that lead us to judge politicians as such. I focused on the words "pride" and "party" to show the similarities. I owe peacocks an apology. Today, I thought back to when I first moved to Bosque Farms and felt that connection to these funny birds. I had looked up their symbolism at that time, and revisited it today. It reminded me that there are so many noble aspects of the peacock that we have lost sight of. We have reached the point where, like we do with so many things these days, we only see the external. We see the beauty of the bird, the superficiality. After looking up more positive qualities of the peacock, I realized that it is still a great metaphor for the politician -- the one that is and the one that could be. In my mind, the majority of politicians display those superficial qualities of the peacock, the ones that

First of all, I want to say that I truly adore those crazy peacocks that live in our neighborhood. The two in the photo are looking through our barn door.They are funny, ridiculous birds. I love my dogs, too, but honestly, if any of them were people, with the same personalities, I'm not sure I'd like them so much. Same with peacocks. What would they be like if they were people? Easy answer. They would be politicians. Let's start with what a group of peacocks are called -- a "pride" or a "party". LOL. I worked for the State of New Mexico between 1997 and 2005, first for the Legislature then the Public Education Department. Legislators at that time, in general, were DEFINITELY in favor of a good party. In fact, the whole legislative session each winter seemed to be one big party in many ways. And don't get me started on the "pride" aspect of the peacock. No one is more proud of himself than the average politician. No humility there. M

I just read that Texas is getting rid of Pearson for their testing needs. At first, I thought excellent! That really sends a message. But then I thought a little more. Is this really about one evil test publisher who is trying to take over the standardized testing world? Or are we talking about a test publisher who saw the opportunity to capitalize (literally) on the goals of No Child Left Behind and all of the "research-based" practices associated with it? What's wrong with being good at capitalism? I was program coordinator for the NM Reading First program at the PED for a while. That is when NCLB was fairly new. The push was to make the teaching profession a research-based profession. What did this mean? Well, for Reading First, it meant that teachers were given palm pilots that helped them assess their students' progress in real time. They were thrilled with this new tool. But the thrill didn't last long. Research-based teaching practices also meant sc

For all of you who still cling to that misguided belief that television has nothing good or worthwhile to offer, I'm here to say that you need to join us and watch a few of the truly extraordinarily good, thought-provoking shows on the tube/computer/smartphone/whatever these days. I am watching the last season of Parenthood, in which Adam and Christine start their own school. The school opens and, almost immediately (and realistically) they are faced with the lunch vendor walking out, unable to meet all the special dietary needs of the students, and they can't find another. So Adam says no problem. They will just start a culinary program as of that day and the kids will work with Adam in the kitchen and learn to cook their own lunches. YES, ADAM!! FLIP THAT CONCEPT! I started taking notes, planning to use this for my blog. Then the "class" happened and there was chaos and I thought I saw what was coming. Here was the part where they realize they have to have s

All those great teachers out there know who they are accountable to and it ain't legislators and test publishers (Them), although you would think as much, given all the crap coming down on teachers these days. Accountability -- what does that really mean? To Them, it means that teachers are obviously not teaching well enough for our kids to score better on standardized tests compared to other countries in the world. To Them, everything a teacher is can be summed up by the test scores of their students. To Them, teachers are the reason for the lower scores. It's all the teachers' fault. To teachers, accountability means doing right by their students and making sure they become lifelong learners, a term that has become less meaningful from overuse but still holds merit. To teachers, accountability means working with their students and their parents to make sure they meet their needs.  To teachers, accountability is about assessing, not testing. It's funny -- testi

I just watched a clip from New Mexico in Focus and was so impressed by what the teachers on the clip said about testing, teaching, and learning. If you would like to hear a thoughtful, knowledgeable discussion by true experts, watch this. There were many references in the clip to our PED leader, Hannah Skandera. I had to Google Image her just now because I realized I had little idea of what she looks like. In my mind, she is another Monsanto -- a faceless, evil, menacing presence, threatening the mental health and livelihood of all NM teachers. On the surface, and politically speaking, her goals seem to support NM students and teachers, but her actions say otherwise. I've read all the Harry Potter books; I know an evil menace when I see one. Now that I see Skandera is an attractive, harmless looking person, I have made my fictional version of her that type of villain who seems nice enough on the outside but secretly plots to take over the world. No one is fooled, however, be

I've mentioned it before -- back when I had maybe 2 regular readers -- that I have given myself a year to get L&LNM  up and running. I think I've made good progress but I took a look at my bank account and realized that I really need to make funding my #1 priority. I've submitted two grant proposals and am working toward the really big one for YouthBuild but what if I run out of money before getting a grant? From day one I worked on acquiring freelance/contractor work that can supplement my income. And I paid off many debts so that I don't need to make so much money each month. Wyzant has given me one regular student and I should be getting more hours with her over the summer but that is not enough. So I kept looking at job search emails that were sent to me (many are not good but many, you should be happy to know, are. ZipRecruiter is one). I ended up as a local coordinator for the Academic Year in America (AYA) program . (Facebook page: https://www.faceb

When I learned about the concepts behind flipping classrooms , I immediately saw the real possibilities for improving my adult learning program and my teaching in the ESL classroom. I started flipping every idea I ever felt passionate about and found that changing the way I think in this fundamental way led to Live and Learn New Mexico! What we are witnessing with the Opt Out movement, in my opinion, is flipped thinking in action. I will be referring to We/Us (teachers, students, parents, and anyone who cares deeply about learning) and They/Them (politicians, test publishers and others who may care -- and think They know -- about education but not so much about learning). Standardized testing is a top down punitive measure in which legislators and test publishers are sending the message that We should be accountable in the classroom, that We have to jump through all the hoops, that We have to make the grade, so to speak. We started to question this -- why are our jobs on the line

Every day I take a look at what's happening with the Opt Out movement but today I realized that for most schools at this point, the testing has come to an end for the year. Now that they have actually lived through the ordeal, I would love to hear from students who took the test. I ask the following: How did you feel before taking it?  Did all the furor over it make you more nervous?  How do you feel now that it's over? Are you glad you took it?  Do you feel it was a fair test that realistically measured your learning?  Do you think it's fair to use student test scores to determine teacher accountability? If given the chance to do it all over, would you take the test again or would you join the opt outers? Why?

The Opt Out Movement is an exciting thing. It is so much more than standardized testing; it's our chance to see if citizens can effect significant change through democratic processes rather than bowing down to the capitalist practices of test publishers and legislators who support big business. This movement is the average American citizen angrily protesting because we've already tried to work through the political system.  We have spoken to our legislators but we have not been heard. It's not at all about democracy, which fosters cooperation and the idea that every person in our country has a voice. It is all about capitalism and supporting big business. It's all about competition, who has the most money, and who can be bought. Schools are under siege. They are threatened daily with the loss of funding if they don't test and show positive results. BIG WOO! I think we are all starting to see through that one. I'm more concerned about our teachers. They sti

(this is a repost from yesterday -- I had trouble editing and just redid it...) I was easing into my Monday, reading the blogs I follow on  blogger.com , and saw on  CoolCatTeacher  that it is Teacher Appreciation Week.  It was good to see that the blogger decided to concentrate on teaching and not testing or politics or loss of self-esteem. But I had to wonder, Do teachers feel appreciated right now? Is it really going to mean much to have legislators, test publishers, and school administrators say they appreciate teachers when their actions say otherwise? Do they really think that making it last five days rather than just a day of teacher appreciation makes teachers actually feel appreciated? And who is the genius who scheduled all of the testing to take place during this time of appreciation? I bet that really makes teachers feel good.  I'm sorry but having a few nice activities at school to honor teachers (or will the testing preclude any such activities?)  is almos

I was easing into my Monday, reading the blogs I follow on blogger.com , and saw on CoolCatTeacher  that it is Teacher Appreciation Week.  It was good to see that the blogger decided to concentrate on teaching and not testing or politics or loss of self-esteem. But I had to wonder, Do teachers feel appreciated right now? Is it really going to mean much to have legislators, test publishers, and school administrators say they appreciate teachers when their actions say otherwise? Do they really think that making it last five days rather than just a day of teacher appreciation makes teachers actually feel appreciated? And who is the genius who scheduled all of the testing to take place during this time of appreciation? I bet that really makes teachers feel good.  I'm sorry but having a few nice activities at school to honor teachers (or will the testing preclude any such activities?)  is almost an insult when there are so many other forces attacking them as if they were criminals

I just watched Pump , a documentary about the oil industry, and I am irate. Luckily, this beautiful spring morning counteracts the anger somewhat. I may go out and get donuts at Rebel Donuts . Today they are helping Viva! Animal Rescue raise funds. Back to Pump, I learned that my feeling that Americans need to work from a grassroots perspective rather than through a deeply flawed political system that supports capitalism, not democracy, is valid. I took a bunch of notes as I watched. I can't believe what I learned. I need more time to think about it before I blog about it. I think that my bigger purpose for today will be to enjoy some slow learning in our community as we go out to look for a new place to live. We will get donuts later. This morning, my kids and I will find a good local restaurant that makes awesome huevos rancheros and immerse ourselves in a little New Mexico culture. Enjoy your weekend and learn something!