Holiday Traditions

Last night as I was frantically trying to get my in-laws' gifts wrapped, packed, and shipped up North I realized that I am stressing myself out for all the wrong reasons. The holidays are not about pretty wrapping paper with coordinating tissue paper inside the boxes...they are about love and kindness and traditions. We forget this sometimes in all of the hullaballoo of the holidays.

My Mom, brother, and I have a tradition of baking cookies before Christmas. We choose our favorite recipes-chocolate chip for Mom and I, peanut butter for my brother - and then pick out a new recipe to try. Then we totally trash the kitchen as we bake up some goodness. There is often a lot of "taste testing" and laughing and comfort. My Dad and grandmother are in charge of tasting the cookies and giving them the thumbs up (which they always do). We never seem to be able to eat all of the cookies (although we try) but it is a tradition that we continue, busy or not, every year.

Baking cookies is a simple thing that seems to bring us all great joy. Traditions don't need to be epic in proportions, they just need to be special, even in the tiniest of ways.

Share some of your holiday traditions with us...

Speak Up!

Today, during one of my classes, I was trying to engage my students in an educated class discussion about the themes from a story that we previously read. Some students were participating, but the majority of the students sat passively in their desks, content with letting others speak.

At the end of the discussion it dawned on me that few, if any, students actually voiced an opinion. There were many general statements and "what ifs" but no real arguments. No one sat up and said "I believe that...because...and..." No one challenged an idea (except for me) and no one verbally fought for their views. It was depressing.

The whole situation ignited a fire within me. Do my students have any original thoughts? Do they have opinions on major topics that will hugely impact their futures? Do they even care about their futures?

I realize that the kids sitting in front of me today are between fifteen and sixteen years old. I realize that they still have much to learn about life (as do I). But, what I refuse to accept is that they are willing to let others dictate how and what to think. Better yet, I refuse to accept that they lack passion for something, anything in their lives. Yes, I know that many students are passionate about their sports, hobbies, or sometimes even their studies, but this world is a big place. There is much going on that directly impacts our daily lives - I am asking my students to care, at least a little bit, about some of these things.

This week, write to tell me what you care about. What is your view of the many issues that shape our society? How do you let your views be known?

To Give or Not To Give

With the winter holidays right around the corner many find themselves in the "shopping mode" that permeates the days leading up to the gift giving season. Some revel in the rampant consumerism while others must count each penny and make a pain staking decision of what they can afford to buy their loved ones. But is this the way it has to be? Do we have to buy each other things that will soon be out of date or even worse, tossed under the bed, out of mind?

I would love to say that I, for one, will be fighting the capitalist beast and foregoing gifts this year. But, the thought of not passing along a little something to those I love - to show my appreciation for them and all they do - is one that I cannot live with. I, along with much of the population, will be watching others tear through bright wrapping paper in order to get to their gifts. On the other hand, some of my gifts will be things that cannot easily be forgotten. Along with the ubiquitous articles of clothing and goodies, I will be giving donations to charities that recipients would support. Take that you big corporations!

If you are still looking for a different kind of gift, I urge you to do the same. Visit the websites below to find lists of charities that would appreciate donations.

Charity Navigator
The Hunger Site (click top tabs to find other resources)
Information on Charities

Word Exploration

Being an English teacher, it is only fitting that I am fascinated with words. I enjoy finding new ways to say "old" things (to my students' dismay) or better ways to say "boring" things. Words can cut like a knife or heal long standing wounds. Words can toss us to the very depths of the Earth or make us feel like we are flying above the clouds. One single word can change your life.

So, it is no surprise that my love of words leads me to explore how words are created. During this exploration I stumbled upon a couple of resources that I could not help but share with my readers. The first resource, a new book about the people that inspire words, is fascinating. The story about the origin of a "sandwich" is well-known, but who knew that a pie maker inspired the word "frisbee?"

The second resource is a blog, Podictionary, that I subscribe to that posts information about word origins and definitions. They tend to present a nice variety of words from typical, commonly used ones to more obscure words. I recommend subscribing to a blog like this to help improve your vocabulary for not only the SAT/ACT, but also your personal vocabulary development.

For this week's response I would love for you to research a word origin and share it with your peers. You can use the resources I listed, or find some of your own. Happy exploring!

It seems almost natural for corporate America to find a way to profit off of everything. We have come to accept these practices as everyday, common occurences. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that internet providers want to start charging users for accessing sites that require more bandwidth, like YouTube or Flickr. It seems that these companies are not already making enough money charging exorbitant fees for what has almost become a necessity in our society, but now they must find new ways to "stick it to the masses."

Thankfully, sites like Amazon, Google, Skype, and Facebook are fighting these impending practices. They feel that the net should retain its neutrality and that all content should be treated equally. I, for one, agree.

Although I am the first to admit that the internet has problems, I also realize how useful the internet can be. The internet has opened up a brave new world of information sharing, communication, and exploration that was impossible only twenty years ago. We are now able to learn about cultures across the world with the click of a mouse. And, we are not only reading about this culture, but we are watching videos showcasing cultural practices, hearing interviews and music associated with the culture, and viewing art that conveys cultural ideals. We would not be able to engage is this multi-media experience if the internet was policed to the point where certain content cost more money. If this was the case, we would be right back to the olden days where the poor are held back from that inalienable right that we call an education, simply due to cost.

Please take the time to read the short article about this issue. I would love to hear what you think...