All of these were take on the same day. Remarkable changes during the day. Blue skies and cumulous clouds- changing throughout the day to storm clouds... 11 second video with a surprise of burst of... wait for it...
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Yes indeed. Forgot to mention in the last blog, I was in New Jersey only because the flight I was on had a stop over in Atlantic City, NJ. Otherwise, I would have never known how beautiful that state was. I did arrive at my destination about 2,5 hours later, Pine Island, FL. My husband picked me up looking rested and tan and drove me to get something to eat at the diner close by "our warmer home in the winter." No sooner thanI was served my fish taco, when I heard the horn honk from a passing boat. It was my son & new daughter-in-law (first time I have seen that word in print!) drive up in the boat!! So wonderful to see them since they live up in St. Paul, Minnesota. Below are a few pictures of our adventures with them. Patrick "channel surfing"PATrick & annaLARRY FLFancy way to say"New Jersey!!" ...on route to Florida? Not sure why...but an adventure and another eye opener for me. I expected all of New Jersey to look like this: But instead ... ...it was full of trees, green grass... ...and pristine beaches. Go figure? ... I have to get out from under my rock and visit other sites in the USA like NJI would love to share the views from different angles of the campus on my journey to class today. Amazing buildings, views and scenery at NW. View walking along Sheridan Road to classes Stead Hall Inside the School of Communication offices Rocks along Lake Michigan painted by NW students!! SPECTACULARToday is my lucky day to meet with Ann who is giving me a tour of campus! Earlier in my blog, I wrote of the coincidence of meeting Ann on campus...and it didn't happen just once but twice! I met her by chance coming out of her campus job at the theatre as I was heading to the bookstore. We met today at Starbucks at the Norris Center...it is upstairs and I did not even know it! She "filled me in" on all things collegiate. We are like minded in so many ways. How can she be so mature at such a young age? Then offto dinner at a Tapas restaurant in downtown Evanston. A first for me.! I LOVE the concept of "sharing a meal" Spanish style. Bacon wrapped dates and crab with avocado. Delish! And I got a mural idea from the restaurant wall. Ann will be visiting Africa as soon as the trimester is over, to journey on an adventure of a lifetime. Please pray for the safe travels of ANN 2.0Memorable day at Hawthorn. So many friends and colleagues are retiring this year and today = a party honoring them. Quality people, each and every one of them and touching so many lives of children. I was thrilled to be asked to sit at a table with Carol Richardson, our dedicated Consumer Education teacher who has taught for 35 years... and has the most DIFFICULT TEACHING JOB in the District. Imagine... 6 kitchens of 25 adolescents cooking all at the same time??!!! That does not even take into account the grocery shopping for 50 people almost daily, and the clean-up!! YIKES. I cannot even cook for 2!!!! She is one of the most organized people I know. I will miss her. :-( Carol is the gorgeous one in the middle in blue. Judy, Debbie & Jeanne were our right arms back in the day when we were afforded aides in our classrooms. We will all remain close friends forever. :-) I am also very sad to have my close friend, Becky Hill retire as well. We have been "lunch pals" for eons and have watched our families grow from little ones- into having families of their own. There are no words to say how much she will me missed. Below are the paintings that I have been working on over the past few weeks which were gifts for them- painted from the bottom of my heart. I hope they enjoy them as much as I did working on them.
Today, Seminar Class was at one of our professor's back yard in Evanston. We had a barbeque and feast..."one of the best seminars I’ve ever had the privilege to participate in. Rozy and Madeline did a superb job of orchestrating a rich conversation about Finnish Lessons 2.0, helping us tease out the points that mattered most to us individually and as a group. It was richer conversation because of the way they framed it." Penny Lundquist It was a the best ever OUTDOOR CLASSAnticipated today! I am getting to see one of my students Nic D. at the Drury Lane Theatre production of Billy Elliot. ...and HE IS BILLY ELLIOT!!! I knew in 6th grade what a special student he was...always "marching to his own drummer" and that "glint" of something magical about him. "The search required a young actor who brought incredible raw talent, but needed to be cultivated to stand up to the impossible task of performing the role of a boy whose dance ability leaves one breathless." Chicago Tribune http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/reviews/ct-billy-elliot-review-20150417-column.html Above is the review of the musical from the Chicago Tribune - it is playing until June 8th, 2015. GO SEE IT! So proud of Nic, got a signed Play Bill in the lobby afterwards and gave him a giant hug. HE IS BILLY ELLIOTTEarly to rise today... 3:45 A.M. to get to Midway airport by 5:00 A.M. to get to Northwestern by 8:30. Only issue, I got there at 5:45 which meant 3 hours of study time, reading and paperwork in the car. Best part, got a PRIME PARKING SPOT. Rare. This glorious picture is the Alice Millar Chapel on campus, where the new Golden Apple Fellows were introduced. The stained glass windows were glorious...like being in Heaven. After lunch, my storytelling professor, Rives Collins was the main speaker of the ceremony. He told an AMAZING story about 5 year old "Trisha" who could not wait to learn how to read. Sadly, found she had difficulty doing so, but DID love to draw. She was labeled stupid by those around her but had one teacher who believed in her. She turned out to be the famous storyteller and illustrator Patricia Polacco. Below is the book Rives retold the story from: GLORIOUSLook out...incoming! Our youngest has graduated from college today. Where did the time go??? Remembering it was just yesterday dropping her off at her dorm, feeling the sadness of parting and not wanting to stop hugging goodbye. "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." (Gotta love Ferris Bueller!) Statistics Major, Business & Religious Studies Minors "Counting on" a job after summer study abroad in Ireland. Looks like she is not the only one that has to move on from here... As parents, we also now must make plans for the future, for we too have GRADUATEDSpent the day oil painting and finally completed it. No can't show it yet... I will next Friday. Spent the day acrylic painting and finally completed it. No can't show it yet.. I will next Friday. Spent the day starting another acrylic painting, didn't complete it, I will tomorrow...AND again, I will show it next Friday! Great day, just PAINTINGSeminar today was led by Golden Apple Teacher Mark Larson, who introduced us to Dr. Tim Dohrer who is the Director of the Master of Science in Education Program at Northwestern. It was a very productive and colorful conversation discussing the issues of teachers in today's world, especially the eduction classes being offered at college campus's... or I should say the lack of. Northwestern's yearly tuition cost is now almost $50,000 a year and it's education program for teachers is dwindling. Are there students and parents out there who would spend that much money and have their children study in order to become lowly teachers? How did this noble profession earn it's poor reputation? Is not teaching and learning the basis of our country's existence and future? We were given a documentary DVD to view, called "TEACH" (below in you tube form.) If you have 35 minutes, please watch! Afterwards, we were invited to view a new documentary, "The Road To Teach." just released this March and shown at the McCormick/Tribune auditorium. The video was shown to students at Northwestern enrolled in it's education program. Three college students pursuing possible teaching careers, travel the United States in 30 days, maneuvering a large van. They begin their journey in California and end up in Washington D.C. Along the way, they make stops at a variety of schools and meet many different teachers ranging from preschool to high school (including alternative forms of education). They ask poignant questions and are given frank answers. The students are unique and personable and I enjoyed watching their journey and loved each of the stories. Again, please read about their exciting adventure! TEACHThe cool way to say "Lake geneva"Today was a "field trip" to one of our favorite spots on the planet about 40 miles north of Vernon Hills. Yes, it was about 50 degrees and these girls were in bikinis out on their pier. Brrr!!! ...but the swan was not cold swimming in the chilly water. Many piers were not installed, set up on shore during the winter/spring months, making them an obstacle course! There is a 21 mile "path" around the picturesque lake and below are some of the "trails" you may encounter while walking the lake. Each path is unique in it's own way. One must prepare for stumbling blocks along their journey around the shores of LGLearned a great new game in Storytelling to use with students that is quick, fun and QUIET, teaching them to pay attention using ONLY their eyes. Directions: Class stand in a circle, starting with one chosen person, they glance at each person as you go around the circle and choose one person as "it" with a longer stare. That person raises their hand when chosen. They continue the game by doing the same - just like tag, except no chasing, running and it is perfectly silent. Great fun! EYE TAGFirst time driving downtown Chicago in a very long time, in order to meet friends at the Haymarket Restaurant where THE MOTH StorySLAM was held. We were under the impression "professional storytelling" would occur. Wrong! This venue was an open-mic storytelling competition, which is held twice a month in Chicago, open to anyone with a five-minute story to share on the night’s theme which was "SAVED." When the doors open, storyteller hopefuls put their names in The Moth “hat”. A half hour later, names are picked, and one by one, storytellers took to the stage. The ten featured stories are scored by teams of judges selected from the audience from 0-10. After hearing a story about a volunteer who traveled to South America to teach needy girls who did not want his help, followed by stories of abuse, abortion, suicide, illness, unteachable children who hurt others, etc., my husband and I were the ones who needed to be "SAVED"... from THE MOTH"When a Grandparent passes away, a library burns to the ground."
A "three alarm fire" occurred on May 4, 2015. May you rest in peace, Dad. Field Trip today to Cantigny, the country home of Colonel Robert McCormick, the owner of the Chicago Tribune and WGN radio & television. He was a "Renaissance Man," ahead of his time. It is a very special place located in Wheaton, Illinois. 8th graders have been going on this trip for years, but today, we were able to visit and explore. The gardens and views are spectacular, including an "Idea garden", where inspirational ideas surround you. There were gardens in boots and shoes with broken dishes and bottles used in designs and trellis's. We continued to the war museum starting with the 1st infantry of the army in WWI where McCormick served as a colonel and ending at Desert Storm. The artifacts and settings put you on the battlefield of each war. Quite profound. Last was the tour of the mansion. TAKE THE TOUR!!! Amazing connections made with other people and their journeys - so many people, lives and situations are linked together. And we were able to see where the scene from "A League Of Their Own" was filmed when Tom Hanks' character meets Mr. Harvey at his mansion. Breathtaking. CANTIGNYToday in the Cohort class of the 10 of us, we discussed our philosophy of what we think schools should be and what students should learn. Bottom line, STUDENTS are the focus and schools need to do a better job on focusing on them as unique individuals instead of "the same". We watched a video shared by Madelyn. It is below and I would recommend viewing. This boy speaks from the heart and is so articulate for such a young age. We continued a discussion on what makes a teacher "memorable," reading and discussing an article by Richard Traina. 1. Know their content 2. Care about their students 3. Be authentic, distinctive character, and "human" MEMORABLEI visited Antioch High School today and the classroom of extraordinary teacher Kelly Mac! She teaches very special children who are autistic- impaired in ability to communicate and interact with others. Kelly's classroom is colorful, child oriented and perfectly organized. Students are independent and self reliant in getting their own materials and turning in work. They are also very conscious of time and schedules. I observed students being serviced in speech as a whole group and began and completed Mother's Day projects. I was impressed with their range in abilities and talents and am reassured that ALL students are able to learn and create. What a delightful group of unique young people! UNIQUENESSFrom the book Fables ~Arnold Lobel The Camel Dances The Camel had her heart set on becoming a ballet dancer. “To make every movement a thing of grace and beauty,” said the Camel. “That is my one and only desire.” Again and again she practiced her pirouettes, her releve’s, and her arabesques. She repeated the five basic positions a hundred times each day. She worked for long months under the hot desert sun. Her feet were blistered, and her body ached with fatigue, but not once did she think of stopping. At last the Camel said, “Now I am a dancer.” She announced a recital and danced before an invited group of camel friends and critics. When her dance was over, she made a deep bow. There was no applause. “I must tell you frankly,” said a member of the audience, “as a critic and a spokesman for this group, that you are lumpy and humpy. You are baggy and bumpy. You are, like the rest of us, simply a camel. You are not and never will be a ballet dancer!” Chuckling and laughing, the audience moved away across the sand. “How very wrong they are!” said the Camel. “I have worked hard. There can be no doubt that I am a splendid dancer. I will dance and dance just for myself.” That is what she did. It gave her many years of pleasure. Satisfaction will come to those who please themselves. FABLESVisited remarkable students now at Vernon Hills High School continuing to take Art. Instead of writing, I will just show pictures..they do paint a thousand words! talentYes, it took this long for Spring to finally arrive! Flower shopping is an annual family event. Alyssum, periwinkle, gardenias, wave petunias of many colors - a flat load of annuals plus one package of giant sunflowers to be planted by my husband. We spent the day mowing, cleaning up the lawn, trimming bushes, pulling weeds and planting baskets.
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August 2015
AuthorI have been given the amazing gift/opportunity to attend courses at Northwestern University and become reenergized in creating my own art. |