Live and Learn New Mexico!

I've been noticing that New Mexico school districts are advertising on TV, appealing to qualified educators to teach for them. Los Lunas comes to mind. Still trying to find answers for the teacher shortage through traditional means... What if we instead networked across the state and enlisted teachers to teach for the district online so that they wouldn't have to relocate?  What if we opened up enrollment to learners statewide? If someone moves from a district they can keep their kids in the same school or continue learning from a favorite teacher. It's a thought. Live classes could be more manageable if there are some learners learning from home. They can still maintain a presence in the classroom with video conferencing. Learners could also take classes with different schools, like a combination of online learning with a school like Pecos Cyber Academy and live classes in their own district. Homeschoolers could benefit as well. One criticism of remote learning is that it

You would think that with my background and education, I would be a stickler for correct grammar and punctuation. Quite the opposite. I studied the English language and its history for my BA, and I have come to realize over the years that language changes and we need to stop holding on to what doesn't serve us anymore. Punctuation for example. Let's start with the apostrophe. There are actually two reasons we use apostrophes. The first is to take the place of a missing letter or letters. Contractions are a good example.  When we smoosh two words together to make one word, or when we shorten a single word, a letter or two are dropped and the apostrophe takes their place. "Do not" becomes "don't", "cannot" becomes "can't", and "we are" becomes "we're." Sometimes we drop the last letter of a word to make its tone more casual. "I'm just thinkin'," again, a missing letter. Another u

1036517156700455/div> I have been thinking about school and all its problems a lot lately. My funny, imaginative grandson Oliver is old enough for early education and I don't think he should go.  School isn't what it used to be. It's an outdated, cumbersome mode of helping our kids learn. I would also argue that it often squelches the spontaneous, sparkling creativity young children possess. Most importantly, it is becoming dangerous to attend public school. I don't think I need to explain more.  We must face the fact that the system could be better. It could reflect all the learning tools and styles that work well in today's world. We need to quit holding on.  Here are some ideas regarding the school bus driver shortage and in many cases, the teacher shortage: 1. Each week (month, whatever), one third of learners in a school learn online, watching live classes at home, public library, or community center. Next week, it's another third, etc.  2. E

1036517156700455div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Yesterday was hell on wheels. Everything went wrong all at once. I found out I didn't win the gymbird 10,000 step contest. I could handle that...no expectations.  Then I got an email saying I didn't make it past the first interview for a job I think I'd love. Sniffle Then, at the local grocery, my card was declined. Thank goddess for Jason, the guy behind me. He paid my tab. You rock, Jason!! You are a kind person. At some point late in the day,  I thought about my pocket rock. I knew when I reached into my pocket, it wouldn't be there. It wasn't. What I didn't know is when I lost it. I checked my bathrobe pocket...my bedside table, the floor...no luck. I had had that rock for quite a while. Losing it when everything was wrong made sense. It's a sign of transition...time to move on somehow. I needed to pick out a new one.  Just days b

I realize, through feedback from friends and readers and going back and re-reading an earlier post, that I had not been clear as to what I had in mind regarding the Be Kind Network.  That's because I didn't know what I had in mind until now. So I'm going to try to explain it better in this post. The network will not necessarily be a physical building or space somewhere, although it could be.  Instead, think of it as a network of like-minded individuals and organizations that rely on effective intercommunication to provide learning opportunities in all shapes and sizes to learners of all shapes and sizes.  For example, I noticed tv commercials  about Acoma Sky City and how they encourage us to visit and learn about their history and their native language.  The Be Kind Network can put the word out, inviting schools and homeschoolers to: --visit the pueblo  --watch a video about it for those who can't visit in person --talk about it and learn about Sky City'

Usually, whenever I get messages from birds, they are positive, affirming that I am headed in the right direction. My bird friends fly overhead or sit on wires and say hey as we drive by. A nod from a raven is a good thing. Lately, however, it seems like their messages are telling me to stay away --away from what, I don't always know.  The first and loudest incident I'm still thinking about was with a raven that hung out at the local day-care I worked at for two really long, discouraging days.  Whenever I was out on the playground with the kids, this huge bird would fly down from its tree, touch the sand briefly near me, cawing loudly. I asked another caregiver if this was normal. She said it lived in tree nearby but never landed like that. And it wasn't usually so vocal.  At the end of day two, my second and last, I knew I was in the wrong place -- for many reasons.  The raven confirmed it. At day's end it flew from the back of the building, over the roof,

I started to post on Facebook an update to my mental health adventure but decided instead to blog about it.  The last five years have been a blur. They included finding myself living alone on the homestead with no car, which resulted in extreme loneliness. Ironically, I'm not alone in that respect; there are way too many lonely people, and that is a condition that is bad for our overall health. It resulted, for me, in serious anxiety and panic attacks and hypertension.  I coped in many ways... I paced my one-acre lot, burning the anxious energy,  gathering rocks, filling my pockets with them. Rocks have great energy and they heal. My home is covered with them.  Collecting rocks led to making art with them. I started wrapping rocks in my own way, and I called it all "good energy rock art".  I shared my love of rocks on Facebook and found many new friends who encouraged and inspired me. I didn't feel so lonely. Another hobby that helped me cope w

I just worked my first -- and my last -- two days at a preschool. I learned a lot but most importantly, I learned that I cannot work with so many little ones. I'm too old and arthritic to do even the fun stuff. I also learned a lot about early childhood education that I was unaware of before. One thing I learned is that the caregivers who work in the business are knowledgeable about raising kids.  They do a good job socializing them and helping them learn to clean after themselves, use the bathroom, etc.  We tend to think of preschool that way. The teachers are parental figures. I held hands and walked with several sweet souls during afternoon playtime, and I was sad to sense anxiety in so many. Some craved my sole attention, asking question after question, grabbing my hand like it was a lifeline. Some followed me everywhere. Some cried if I came near or even looked at them.  I felt powerless to help them, feeling like I could use the help of a counselor.  We are paying attention t