"A book ought to be an ax to break the frozen sea within us."
— Anton Chekov
I am rereading Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder in preparation for my review of the book at our next book club meeting. Once again I am struck by Dr. Paul Farmer's singleminded pursuit of healing for the people in the mountains of Haiti. He has been incredibly persistent. He has also been lucky in his choice of educational institution to find a place that accommodates his style of learning.
I will post more about this as I find other resources that speak to the situation in Haiti.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
It is a long time since I posted to my blog. School keeps me very busy, and I have been traveling as well. The first trip was to an Elderhostel event in Chinle, Arizona. We stayed on the Navajo reservation and visited the Canyon de Chelly, a magnificent place with petroglyphs and ancient dwellings that had gone to ruin and were no longer occupied. The red rock weathered differently according its composition, and resulted in incredibly beautiful formations. The place has a sense of mystery and holiness that is hard to describe.
We also saw Navajo weavers, potters, and silversmiths at work; a storyteller guided us through the tale of The Long Walk. We learned a Navajo word each day, too. It was an immersion in the culture.
Albuquerque, NM, was our next stop. The Albuquerque International Balloon Festival takes place every year. This year 500 balloons participated. We attended the mass ascension on October 2nd, an event that began at 5:30 a.m. and went on for hours. About 200 of them went up that first morning. It was jaw-dropping.
Sightseeing and visiting family occupied the rest of our time. Of particular note was a walking tour of Old Santa Fe led by Joel Stein, a veteran tour guide, published guidebook author, and friend. We also liked the Nuclear Museum. I was impressed by the periodic table of elements done in polished stones of various kinds in the main entry hall.
This was a vacation that needed a period of recuperation afterwards!
We also saw Navajo weavers, potters, and silversmiths at work; a storyteller guided us through the tale of The Long Walk. We learned a Navajo word each day, too. It was an immersion in the culture.
Albuquerque, NM, was our next stop. The Albuquerque International Balloon Festival takes place every year. This year 500 balloons participated. We attended the mass ascension on October 2nd, an event that began at 5:30 a.m. and went on for hours. About 200 of them went up that first morning. It was jaw-dropping.
Sightseeing and visiting family occupied the rest of our time. Of particular note was a walking tour of Old Santa Fe led by Joel Stein, a veteran tour guide, published guidebook author, and friend. We also liked the Nuclear Museum. I was impressed by the periodic table of elements done in polished stones of various kinds in the main entry hall.
This was a vacation that needed a period of recuperation afterwards!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
More school things
Fall brings changes in the weather and changes in my students' lives as well. Last week we had a big drop in attendance. I did not think about this right away, but one of the other teachers told me that her class attendance had dropped to less than half, and she thought the weather was responsible. As I considered this, I looked back over the week. Rain, chill, rain and big winds — yes, the weather could have played a role. I'd had hints of trouble brewing when one student said her grandmother in Puerto Rico was sick and her sister (also a student) was going to PR to take care of her.
Then I received a note in Spanish from another mother, stating that her son had been sick and I should please excuse his absences. He brought the note, but that was the only day he came. I assume he is still sick.
One student has had spotty attendance, but promised to start back next week because her mother is laid off and can now babysit her two-year-old daughter.
One student returned early from a nursing assistant training program. He said they had two chapters of homework every night, and the next day had one hour to finish 75 questions on a test. He felt overwhelmed.
Three-fourths of the class are not native English-speakers. They face myriad challenges. Many have diplomas from their country of origin. It takes lots of reading and writing to raise students' reading to the level required to pass the GED test.
Every teaching day is busy and takes planning, and sometimes I just have to make do with whatever and whoever shows up. But most of all I recognize how much effort it takes to stay on the path to a GED. Thank you, students, for your stories that spur me to get up and get going every day!
Then I received a note in Spanish from another mother, stating that her son had been sick and I should please excuse his absences. He brought the note, but that was the only day he came. I assume he is still sick.
One student has had spotty attendance, but promised to start back next week because her mother is laid off and can now babysit her two-year-old daughter.
One student returned early from a nursing assistant training program. He said they had two chapters of homework every night, and the next day had one hour to finish 75 questions on a test. He felt overwhelmed.
Three-fourths of the class are not native English-speakers. They face myriad challenges. Many have diplomas from their country of origin. It takes lots of reading and writing to raise students' reading to the level required to pass the GED test.
Every teaching day is busy and takes planning, and sometimes I just have to make do with whatever and whoever shows up. But most of all I recognize how much effort it takes to stay on the path to a GED. Thank you, students, for your stories that spur me to get up and get going every day!
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