proving I waste way too much time in the morning...
Put an X by the movies you've seen. If you get more than 70, you're a true movie junkie.
Here are my results:
(x)Pirates of the Caribbean
(x)Boondock Saints
(x)The Mexican
(x)Fight Club
( )Starsky and Hutch
(x)Neverending Story
(x)Blazing Saddles
( )Garden State
(x)The Princess Bride
(x)Young Frankenstien
( )AnchorMan
(x)Napoleon Dynamite
( )Saw
(x)White Noise
(x)White Oleander
(x)Anger Management
total here: 12
( )50 First Dates
( )Jason
( )Scream
( )Scream 2
( )Scream 3
(x)Scary Movie
( )Scary Movie 2
( )Scary Movie 3
(x)American Pie
( )American Pie 2
( )American Wedding
(x)Harry Potter
(x)Harry Potter 2
(x)Harry Potter 3
( )Harry Potter 4
( )Resident Evil I
( )Resident Evil 2
(x)The Wedding Singer
( )Little Black Book
total here: 6
(x)The Village
( )Donnie Darko
(x)Lilo & Stitch
(x)Finding Nemo
(x)Finding Neverland
( )13 Ghosts
(x)Signs
( )The Grinch
(x)Texas Chainsaw Masscare
( )White Chicks
(x)Butterfly Effect
(x)Thirteen going on 30
( ) I,Robot
( )Dodgeball
( )Universal Soldier
( )A Series Of Unfortunate Events
( )Along Came A Spider
(x)Deep impact
total here: 9
(x)KingPin
(x)Never Been Kissed
(x)Meet The Parents
( )Meet the Fockers
( )Eight Crazy Nights
(x)A Cinderella Story
( )The Terminal
( )The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( )Passport to Paris
(x)Dumb & Dumber
(x)Final Destination
(x)Final Destination 2
( ) Halloween
( )The Ring
( )The Ring 2
(x)Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
(x)Practical Magic
(x)Chicago
( )Ghost Ship
( )From Hell
( )Hellboy
(x)Secret Window
( )I Am Sam
( )The Whole Nine Yards
( )The Whole Ten Yards
( )The Day After Tomorrow
( )Child's Play
( )Bride Of Chucky
(x)Ten Things I Hate About You
( )Just Married
( )Gothika
(x)Nightmare on Elm Street
(x)Sixteen Candles
( )Bad Boys
( )Bad Boys 2
( )Joy Ride
( )Seven
( )Oceans Eleven
( )Oceans Twelve
( )Identity
total here: 14
( )Lone Star
( )Predator I
( )Predator II
(x)Independence day
( )Cujo
( )Bronx Tale
( )Darkness Falls
( )Christine
(x)ET
( )Children of the Corn
( )My Boss' Daughter
( )Maid in Manhattan
( )Frailty
( )Best Bet
(x)How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
(x)She's All That
(x)Calendar Girls
( )Sideways
(x)Mars Attacks
total here: 6
(x)Event Horizon
( )Ever After
(x)Forrest Gump
( )Big Trouble in Little China
( )X-men 1
( )X-men 2
( )Catch Me If You Can
(x)The Others
(x)Freaky Friday
( )Reign of Fire
( )The Hot Chick
( )Swimfan
( )Miracle
( )Old School
( )Ray
(x)The Notebook
(x)K-Pax
total here: 6
(x)Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
(x)Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
(x)Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
( )A Walk to Remember
( )Boogeyman
( )Hitch
(x)The Fifth Element
(x)Star Wars episode I: The Phantom Menace
( )Star Wars episode II: Attack of The Clones
( )Star Wars episode III: Revenge of The Sith
(x)Star Wars episode IV: A New Hope
(x)Star Wars episode V: Empire Strikes Back
(x)Star Wars episode VI: Return of The Jedi
( )Troop Beverly Hills
( )Swimming with Sharks
(x)Air Force One
( )For Richer or Poorer
( )Trainspotting
( )People Under the Stairs
( )Blue Velvet
(x)Sound of Music
(x)Parent Trap
( )The Burbs
(x)The Terminator
( )Empire Records
( )SLC Punk
(x)Meet Joe Black
( )Wild Girls
( )A Clockwork Orange
( )The Order
(x)Spiderman
(x)Spiderman 2
(x)Amelie
total here: 16
( )Mean Girls
(x)Shrek
( )Shrek 2
( )The Incredibles
( )Collateral
(x)The Fast & The Furious
(x)2 Fast 2 Furious
( )Sky Captain Of The World Of Tomorrow
( )Closer
total here: 3
(x)Titanic
( )Saved!
(x)Bowling for Columbine
(x)Farenheit 9/11
(x)The Sixth Sense
(x)Artificial Intelligence (AI)
(x)Love Actually
( )Shutter
(x)Ella Enchanted
(x)Princess Diaries
( )Princess Diaries 2
( )Constantine
(x)Million Dollar Baby
( )Envy
( )Eurotrip
( )Malibu's Most Wanted
(x)Big Daddy
( )Black Sheep
(x)The Breakfast Club
(x)West Side Story
total here: 12
(x)A Christmas Story
(x)Spanglish
(x)Pulp Fiction
( )Sleepover
( )The Evil Dead
( )Killer Klowns From Outer Space
( )The Seed of Chucky
( )Vanilla Sky
(x)Nightmare Before Christmas
(x)Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
(x)Interview With The Vampire
(x)The Crow
( )Purple Rain
( )Reservoir Dogs
(x)Wayne's World
total here: 8
(x)Wayne's World 2
( )21 Grams
( )Blow
(x)Edward Scissorhands
( )Clerks
(x)Beauty and the Beast
( )Guess Who
( )Monster in-law
( )Elf
(x)Stuart Little
(x)Stuart Little 2
( )Mall Rats
( )Chasing Amy
(x)Dogma
(x)Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
total here: 7
(x)Beetlejuice
(x)The Last Samurai
( )The Amityville Horror
(x)The Aviator
(x)Romeo and Juliet
( )Barbershop
( )Beauty Shop
(x)Legally Blonde
(x)Legally Blonde 2
( )The Forgotten
( )Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen
( )The Grudge
Total here: 6
Total : 105
Not nearly as much as the person who e-mailed this to me, plus, having just graduated from college and having been unemployed for a month needs to count for about thirty to forty of the list.
That Feeling...
The first time I observed at CHS, I had that feeling, the feeling that told me that being in the building was good for me somehow. Then, SCT approved me to student teach. And now, he's officially announced his retirement.
SCT is actually retiring and several parents and students have made me promise to apply for his job.
Wow!
Blizzard update
Only four school districts in our general area were open today, and all four closed early.
It's still snowing, and temperatures are now plummeting. We'll still probably have school tomorrow at WMS, but it might be a delay. Just a gut instinct.
Blizzard
The blizzard warning we are in until midnight was cute up until I saw my father using both his and MY computer to play Civilization on (almost freezing mine as I was still logged on at the same time and using several applications). This was after he decided to dump spoiled food down the toilet as he hasn't repaired the disposal. Now, my room smells like a combination of spoiled food and guy-b.o. but it's the only place in the house that's quiet.
Over 100 schools were closed today, including area four-year universities that never close.
I'm stuck here.
For a long time.
Or at least until the police department says we can drive on city streets again.
All of our area news networks have their "School Closings" pages and systems ready!!!
Can't Sleep --- Impending Snow Day
According to a news article by Barbara Walters on ABC, here are the top five germiest jobs:
5.) Doctor
4.) Radio DJ (??)
3.) Banker
2.) Accountant
1.) Teacher
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With that said, I began my new job today at the middle school, and I was nervous until my first rehearsal, which for me was my best middle school rehearsal ever. I was still a little wordy, but better. My conducting was clean (SCT if you're reading this, notice that). The teachers there (three total!!!) have worked out a system of communication that allow the students to know when they are ready to start and when they demand attention, and it really works. We didn't have these at CHS/CMS and I could tell a big difference.
Today was the second of two get to know you days, with Friday being my first day as a sub at the school. Good news is I get paid for today and even had full privileges as a teacher in the building. I even get my own keys and my own e-mail address!!! And my own desk!!! Still share an office though.
Thus begins the first of two band placements at this school. If only getting a full time job for fall was this easy!
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Meanwhile, the city I am in is projected to recieve 10 to 12 inches of snow in the next twenty-four hours. At the end of the day today as the teachers were getting ready to leave, the secretary came on and told the staff to have their emergency phone trees ready and the ringers on their phones on. One of the other teachers looked at me and said "Well, we're closed tomorrow," and started clearing off her desk for me.
A snow day always excites me, even if I don't have to work, because I know my students are excited for this.
Weather Channel predicts only 6 to 10 inches, so maybe the central line of the storm has moved south. It did say though that the snow would not let up until 10 am Friday morning. Yay!!!
We're finally getting snow in Wisconsin!!!
Civil Service Strikes Again
It is the dawn of a new day (well, somewhere), and I now get to face the reality of the letter I recieved yesterday: jury duty. Well, I had anticipated this at some point in the last year since I recieved a letter in early February 2005 to fill out the official questionaire for the county, however, just my luck that I'd get called at some point.
Last year I managed to write a letter to the judges asking to be removed from the list until I finished college. Well, I've graduated and now that I'm just starting a part-time subbing job, I get called to civil service.
I'm glad that I'm getting the chance to serve, but, why can't I get called in June. Or July. I'd even volunteer for this during the summer months.
Just not at the start of a new job!!!
Unschooling Continued - Direct Response to CNN Article
Setup: There is an
article at CNN about Unschooling, a new trend that is sweeping the world of home-schooling, which is already a controversial topic in the world of education. I suggest you read
this article before you read any further below.
This is my direct response to the article itself, and the comments made within it. Quotes from the article are in bold/italic typeset. My responses are in a normal typeset.
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"I don't want to sound pompous, but I think I am learning a little bit more, because I can just do everything at my own pace," said Naliah Ellis, a 10-year old from Marietta, Georgia, who has been unschooled for most of her life.While she is correct to say that she is able to learn things at her own pace, there is no real way to assess how well she is learning what she is learning about. Without a curriculum, there is no way to create a system to measure what the child is learning about or what he/she may need to improve upon. Testing in our schools, home schooling included, is done to see how effectively a student has learned a subject and a teacher has taught that same subject.
Another aspect of this statement is that as a ten year old, she has not yet needed to make the right of passage from elementary school to middle school, a passage that many student need help with. True, eliminating schooling in general will make sure that she cannot fail at middle school, it will also make sure that she cannot succeed in that type of setting. There are published studies available from the US Department of Education concerning bridging this gap. There is a problem at this age in switching analysis of reading from analyzing fiction to analyzing non-fiction. This is one of the main problems with the middle school system at this point in time that qualified teachers across the nation are addressing.
Naliah's day starts about 11 am., her typical wake-up time.While some studies have shown that childrens' and adolescents' body clocks differ from the schedules kept by a majority of schools, learning to adapt to the corporate work-day is extremely important for success in life after school.
She studies Chinese, reading, writing, piano, and martial arts.While I agree that these are all important subjects, there are three mainlined areas of the standard curriculum missing: science, math, and social studies. While studying Chinese could include the social issues surrounding people living in China, it often is assumed to mean, "studying Chinese language." Math and science are two key areas that our country needs to catch up on, and while it is possible that she has been assessed as being highly gifted in these two areas, more than likey she is not.
Educational psychology also dictates that a student, if given the opportunity, will only work hard at subjects they are good at, therefore improving confidence in those subjects and decreasing skills in the subjects that are a challenge. If Naliah is indeed creating her own curriculum, then she is not really able to learn about math and science.
She works on what she wants, when she wants.While this may be okay from an outside observer's perspective, and for a part of her day, there lies a problem in that part of the job of an educator is to teach the child how to fit into our society and culture. A good part of our culture is dicated by routines and schedules. You get up at a certain time to go to work, take your break at a certain time, leave at a certain time. If you need to go somewhere, that is scheduled into your day as well. Occurances like jury duty are scheduled ahead of time as well. We need to learn to live with a schedule as a majority of our culture does.
She'll even watch some TV - science documentaries are a favorite...While I am not against TV nor am I against Naliah watching documentaries, the fact that she is watching these shows that she is starved for knowledge. The act of watching the documentary is providing her with the curriculum that she is being denied by her unschooling. There is an obvious interest in this subject area that cannot be explored further in her current educational setting. If she does wish to explore this further, she must ask someone she knows to explain it, and at this point I would hope her mother would be able to or least take her to the library to do so.
...until her day comes to an end at 2 a.m.Why on earth would a ten year old be allowed to be up at this time? What could possibly be this important that she could do other than watch the drunkards going home from the bars? Music cannot be practiced at this time of day due to noise ordinances and the common decency of allowing people to sleep, unless they live in the country. Reading is okay at this time, and studying school subjects as well. But, how often are we adults faced with finding something to do at this time of day?
Another point against this is the fact that our bodies were designed by nature to follow the flow of the sun. The lack of light signals our bodies to become tired and we sleep, the introduction of light reversely wakes us up. Stormy days are evidence to this fact; we are more tired on days with less light than those with more. Seasonal Adjustment Disorder is another example of this problem. Nothing good can really come from allowing a child to stay up until two in the morning.
[Holt] believed parents should not duplicate school in their homes.This is a statement that I agree with. Parents really shouldn't duplicate schools in their homes unless they themselves live in a school. Unless a parent is fully trained in education, and qualified enough to teach all the subjects that they will teach, then they should not turn their dining rooms into a classroom. Part of the No Child Left Behind Act stipulates that a teacher, including all special education teachers, is certified to teach all subjects that they teach. This is also part of the fair and equal education laws that dictates that a child be able to recieve an education that is fair and equal to the education of every other child within a jurisdiction, whether that be local or federal. By duplicating a school within the home, the parents are going against federal and state laws that protect their child's education.
There are no mandatory books, no curriculum, no tests and no grades. Naliah's parents are in touch with the local school district and she takes the district's required tests.Generally, these "required tests" are the same tests mandated by No Child Left Behind and are basic proficiency exams. It is good that the local school system is weighing in on Naliah's education, becuase otherwise, she would not be recieving any.
The addition of tests and measurements however is in direct contradition to the idea of a lack of curriculum. There has to be some guidelines set up that Naliah has to work towards, otherwise she would be unable to pass these required tests.
But proponents of the public education system suggest these children may be missing a key part of the educational experience. "There is nothing like the texture of kids having contact with each other, making friends and relating to different adults in a school setting." said David Tokofsky, a longtime educator and member of the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education. This is one of the main arguments used against home-schooling. Indeed, there is nothing like the experiences gained in school, however, there are still alternative arguments to this.
One argument is the fact that parents already pay school taxes, and their money is going to support this school that their children are not using. It's throwing away money. Another argument comes in the fact that parents are voting for elected officials in the school board to represent their voices for the common good of the educational system. These parents, between voting and paying taxes, are still contributing to the public education system without participating in it. Their loss? Somewhat. At least in Wisconsin, these same parents are still able to send their children to school "a la carte": they can pick and choose what classes their children will attend and teach the rest at home; taking the best and leaving the rest. Children learning within these settings then need to adapt to two separate mindsets: the idea of following the schedule at school, and the lack of one at home.
Naliah, who would be in 4th grade if she attended a regular school, seems to enjoy the "unschooled" lifestyle, even if she's a bit confused when asked what exactly she is learning. "I actually don't know what I'm learning," Naliah said. "I think I'm just having a good time."While enjoying the act of learning is important to the actual learning process, Naliah still needs to be able to identify what she knows. She would probably say she knows how to play piano, and she knows how to read. She knows she can speak some Chinese, and she can earn a belt in her martial arts. However, without tests of form beyond those required by a school system, a child cannot fully grasp what they have learned and how far they have grown.
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My Conclusion:Overall, there are more scientific studies to prove that this does not work as compared to those that prove otherwise. I am appalled that there are actually people out there who think that it is allowable for a child to do this to herself. Unless Naliah is the exception, and I highly doubt that she is, then she and her parents are causing her more harm than good. This cannot lead her to a successful adulthood that is an integral part of our society and culture. There are multiple aims of schools in our country, one is to educate, and another is to prepare the child for their life as a contributing member of our society. Unschooling can do neither.
As an individual responding to this article, and not an educator, I feel the need to express my opinion that there is also a high risk that the child could easily become lazy. She is missing the experiences of school that lead to good memories from youth. She is missing out on sports and music classes. She is missing out on learning opinions beyond what her parents are influencing her to think. She is missing out on a life beyond just her family, a life that will shape who she will become, if she is allowed to succeed in the world.
Unschooling - The Art of Denying Education
Just online again reading the news, and here's an interesting tidbit that I don't know how I feel about. A new educational trend is sweeping the home-schooling portion of our population: unschooling.
Unschooling is a form of homeschooling that has no curriculum and the child sets his/her pace and what he/she will learn about for the day. There is an article at
CNN about it, and it will be on Anderson Cooper 360 tonight as well at 9 pm central time. The article discusses the pros of this type of schooling, which is very flexible for the child. However, it doesn't really delve into the cons of this teaching style.
For starters, we are educating our children in a middle class setting that teaches our children to eventually live in a middle class society that values structure and rules. If you are not teaching a child to follow a socially-set structure, he/she will have a harder time adapting later in life. Another con of the system is that the lack of curriculum will hinder learning in areas that does not interest the child. If a child never studies math, he/she will never learn how to deal with numbers, money, or taxes. There are also problems with the child learning how to behave in social settings and problems with socialization.
The
article mentions how this child in particular only studies certain subjects: Chinese language, reading, writing, martial arts, and playing piano. While some of the activities she is learning about can cause development in other areas of the brain related to math and science, there is no real effort to pursue these subjects other than watching documentaries on television.
As a public educator, though young, I cannot see how this type of learning situation would benefit a majority of students in our country. While this could work for students who are highly gifted and cannot fit into our school socially, it does not work for the average or below average child.
Public education opens minds to the possibilities of other subjects that could be of interest to children. I have never met a child who has not discovered something new at school that they would have discovered on their own through unschooling. Home schooling is one thing, unschooling is completely different and with the exception of the rarest of cases, should not be used as a model for good educational practices.
Technology Withdrawal
It's official, my generation is addicted to technology. From
Anderson Cooper's blog:
"Ok, so I know I should blog earlier in the day, but I just got back from Washington, D.C., and due to my lack of organization, my BlackBerry wasn't charged, so I've been away from a computer all day. Needless to say, I arrived back in New York suffering from technology withdrawal. My hands were shaking, but now that they are dancing on the keyboard, the tremors have stopped."
And he's not the only one, just look at any college campus.
As Time Goes By
Time spent in unemployment seems to move faster than time spent at work. It seems like ages ago that I had been hired as the long-term sub, and now I am just waiting; waiting for the call that says, "We need you here." Waiting for something to happen. Waiting until the day the new music education jobs are posted on our state government's website.
I have found new hobbies during my time off. My graduation present of a new camera has already come into great use; it is 5 megapixels and has 3x optical zoom - just what I've needed all along to enter amateur competitions. My other hobby is an offshoot of one I had been active in through college - writing. I suppose that writing a blog had never been enough for me, and now I've turned to writing fiction stories. I had been writing music throughout college and still do, however, writing in the English language shows results faster.
I've been following the news as well, reading the 9/11 Commission Report (the Executive Summary Pres. Bush read is easier and shorter to read; both are available online though), watching movies, and taking time for family.
One interesting tidbit I found in the
Anderson Cooper 360 Blog was an entry by chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour about listening to rock music in Iran. Here is an excerpt:
"One day, I head underground to listen to...a ROCK BAND!!!! The next day, I head to the mosque to hear the young hardliners wax passionate about the Islamic revolution that happened in 1979, as if it were yesterday, praising the new conservative government for taking them back to those values.Many of these kids just want to play their music. They are not political, yet they have to play their music in secret."
It always amazes me how music transcends worlds; revolutions are often formed and defined by them, memories are made stonger in our minds. There is always music.
