(no subject)
You'll be happy to hear that I haven't posted much lately because real life has been so full of good things: volunteering, cooking, going out with friends. Yesterday I finished knitting my first pair of baby socks. I've gotten into making fancy breakfasts regularly, like quiche and waffles and this gingery rice porridge called jook. To quote Calvin and Hobbes, the days are just packed.
I feel like my life is starting to pick up speed. As of this week I have another new job, and it has many advantages. For one thing, it's a lot more stable than the last one. It's the same sort of thing, but temp-to-hire and with a lot more potential of actually being a decent place to work long term. The hours are much nicer; I don't have to work evenings anymore, Saturdays only occasionally, and Sundays never. Perhaps most importantly, this job is half an hour's walk or a fifteen minute bike ride from my apartment, taking me through one of the loveliest neighborhoods in Portland, especially at this time of year. Resplendent gardens, lots of biking, a co-op/farmer's market on the way... I should really take pictures one of these days. Spring is bewitching... it reminds me of why I wanted to move here in the first place. So this job should tide me over for awhile until I have a more long-term plan, which is actually looking more and more likely.
I am now seriously considering getting my M.A. in education with a Bilingual/ESL/language in general focus. Of course, as someone who left the public school system myself in disgust, I still have huge misgivings about it. But I've been reading some fantastic books that Robyn lent me about education which do seem to indicate that it is possible to teach well, to change the way kids think about the world, and especially to support the kids who need it most, even in public school. I don't want to be naive about it, but neither do I want to be cynical. I would love to be an intelligent, caring teacher to frustrated youngsters like my former self, and I don't want to leave that dream behind just because I know it would be hard. So I am starting to look into programs for next year. There seem to be several promising ones here in Oregon, but I am keeping my options wide open. I also intend to get a volunteer job with one of the several schools in my area to get more experience and hopefully connect with a teacher who can tell me what their job is like and perhaps mentor me. I would appreciate your prayers about the matter if you do that sort of thing. :)
I am reading some fantastic books. Among the education books, my favorite so far is Growing Minds: On Being a Teacher by Herbert Kohl. Kohl's passion for learning, creativity, and sense of humor are contagious. I am almost finished with Fr. Bob's favorite book, The Eucharist and the Hunger of the World by Monika K. Hellwig, which is my favorite book on faith that I have read in a long time, with the possible exception of Sister Wendy on Prayer. Hellwig talks about the different types of hunger (physical/spiritual) and how the eucharist is a call to heal all hunger all over the world. Her writing style is complex yet clear, imaginative and evocative. Luckily, Fr. Bob owns several other volumes by her which he will probably lend me.
Activities for the near future:
Attending a weekly group at my church called Portland Peak Oil. Finally signing up for bellydance lessons! Another trip to Our Nation's Capitol in early July. Indigo Girls playing the Portland Zoo. Seeing Debbie, Katrina, and Joanna. The Country Fair. Picking lots of free berries and other fruit in summer and freezing/canning for the year ahead. Yes, all in all I am feeling optimistic.
I feel like my life is starting to pick up speed. As of this week I have another new job, and it has many advantages. For one thing, it's a lot more stable than the last one. It's the same sort of thing, but temp-to-hire and with a lot more potential of actually being a decent place to work long term. The hours are much nicer; I don't have to work evenings anymore, Saturdays only occasionally, and Sundays never. Perhaps most importantly, this job is half an hour's walk or a fifteen minute bike ride from my apartment, taking me through one of the loveliest neighborhoods in Portland, especially at this time of year. Resplendent gardens, lots of biking, a co-op/farmer's market on the way... I should really take pictures one of these days. Spring is bewitching... it reminds me of why I wanted to move here in the first place. So this job should tide me over for awhile until I have a more long-term plan, which is actually looking more and more likely.
I am now seriously considering getting my M.A. in education with a Bilingual/ESL/language in general focus. Of course, as someone who left the public school system myself in disgust, I still have huge misgivings about it. But I've been reading some fantastic books that Robyn lent me about education which do seem to indicate that it is possible to teach well, to change the way kids think about the world, and especially to support the kids who need it most, even in public school. I don't want to be naive about it, but neither do I want to be cynical. I would love to be an intelligent, caring teacher to frustrated youngsters like my former self, and I don't want to leave that dream behind just because I know it would be hard. So I am starting to look into programs for next year. There seem to be several promising ones here in Oregon, but I am keeping my options wide open. I also intend to get a volunteer job with one of the several schools in my area to get more experience and hopefully connect with a teacher who can tell me what their job is like and perhaps mentor me. I would appreciate your prayers about the matter if you do that sort of thing. :)
I am reading some fantastic books. Among the education books, my favorite so far is Growing Minds: On Being a Teacher by Herbert Kohl. Kohl's passion for learning, creativity, and sense of humor are contagious. I am almost finished with Fr. Bob's favorite book, The Eucharist and the Hunger of the World by Monika K. Hellwig, which is my favorite book on faith that I have read in a long time, with the possible exception of Sister Wendy on Prayer. Hellwig talks about the different types of hunger (physical/spiritual) and how the eucharist is a call to heal all hunger all over the world. Her writing style is complex yet clear, imaginative and evocative. Luckily, Fr. Bob owns several other volumes by her which he will probably lend me.
Activities for the near future:
Attending a weekly group at my church called Portland Peak Oil. Finally signing up for bellydance lessons! Another trip to Our Nation's Capitol in early July. Indigo Girls playing the Portland Zoo. Seeing Debbie, Katrina, and Joanna. The Country Fair. Picking lots of free berries and other fruit in summer and freezing/canning for the year ahead. Yes, all in all I am feeling optimistic.