From Three Stars to Five: The Novel that Grew on Me

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is weird...I have changed the star rating on this book from 3 to 5. Why you might ask? (Please ask...) When I read the book, I couldn't put it down even though I felt it plodded through situations of life that could have been skipped. Just like a enormously wonderful experience that just keeps getting better the more time passes, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao has done that for me like no other book with the exceptions of recent novels I've read by Edwidge Danticat. How ironic is it that Diaz writing is from the Dominican perspective while Danticat's is from the Haitian perspective. Two sides of an island, two countries, two languages. Stories so rich that they remain with the reader forever.

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Dinner with a Bang

What men I have on this Mothers' Day! Jess, Ernie, and I are on the trampoline gazing at the the sky when Jess spots a skunk heading across our yard. The darned thing decided to head into an open door of our shed. The guys move into action: Jess gets his last smoke bomb from New Years; Ernie gets his gun. I'm hanging onto the dogs, so they don't get into trouble. Smoke bomb is thrown, skunk comes out to meet his Maker, and Ernie heads to the bar-b-q pit to flip the steaks. Better than dinner and a movie! (It all seemed a little bit Redneck, but it was fun and dinner was yummy:)

Last play of the ball game tonight

Look at Jess's smile!

Implications Of The Texas S Ta R Chart

This presentation seeks to offer solutions to weaknesses found in our local campus STaR Chart.

Implications Of The Texas S Ta R Chart

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My Prezi on 21st Century Literacy

Reading in the 21st Century on Prezi

Accomplishing Long-Range Goals in Texas Technology: Target Date 2020

While some might see the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology filled with lofty goals impossible to obtain, many Texas educators see the plan as critical to the realization of an education system that maintains and surpasses the demands for learners in the 21^st century. Although all four components of the plan are equally important, I believe that, without a paradigm shift in the way that we provide Educator Preparation and Development to our teachers, Teaching and Learning will continue to struggle, and, in many cases, stagnate. Fortunately, many avenues exist to enable Texas teachers to promote academic excellence through the use of technology; the issue is not a lack of resources, but a refusal by many in education to view professional development in a new way.

Allowing teachers precious time to learn how to integrate technology into their classrooms enables the teachers a comfort level that a one-shot staff development session cannot match. Helping teachers to understand the demands of today's learner creates a sense of urgency that we, as facilitators of that learning, must strive to do a better job to meet these learners' needs regarding technology. Finally, when teachers embrace the idea that we, the "digital immigrants", have an obligation to provide those tools that the "digital-natives" in our classrooms find second-nature in their 21^st century world, powerful and relevant learning takes place.

Schools must find ways to re-think Educator Preparation and Development so that Teaching and Learning will reach the Target Tech level of the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology by 2020.

NCTE, Philly, and Me

And so, at the ripe old age of 47, I embark on a journey to parts unknown...at least, by me. Tuesday, at noon, I'll head to Austin to stay the night with Alana, Branyon, and Branna. Then, Wednesday morning, they'll take me to the airport where I'll board a plane to Dallas, then to Philadelphia. The reason? The National Council of Teachers of English conference!

So many firsts in one trip!

1. First plane trip alone out of state;
2. First trip to the northeast;
3. First time to go to the NCTE conference.

Outside of the great things at the NCTE conference, I want to walk around the corner from the hotel to see St. John's Catholic Church, Chinatown, and Independence Hall. Also, I have a Book Jam invitation for Saturday night which means that I'd miss Tracy Kidder at NCTE, but I REALLY want to hear Alan Sitomer and Sharon Flake.

I have a feeling that this trip will be riddled with decisions. I'll probably end up doing the flotsam and jetsam thing which usually works fairly well for me.

Lastly, I'm hoping I get to hear and maybe (fingers crossed) meet my new favorite YA author Maggie Stievater, author of Shiver! How cool would that be?