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Avos 1:10: Hillel, the outsider. Top
Hillel] used to say, one who seeks a name loses his name, one who does not increase [his knowledge] decreases it (or: will perish), one who does not study deserves death, and one who makes use of the crown [of Torah] will pass away." This mishna is unusual in several respects. 1. It is in Arameic. Surely there is some significance the the use of Arameic. In addition, it introduces multiple statements of Hillel, very unlike the pattern so far of one statement per Tanna.  2. It has four parts, which is unusual. The regular pattern thus far is a three-part statement. 3. It is cryptic. Every mishna we have seen so far is clear and self explanatory while this mishna is obscure. One may speculate that Hillel represented a turning point in the relgious organization of Jewry, a final diminution of the authority of the Cohanim and its replacement with the office of Nasi. In the beginning of the series we saw how the royal family was replaced by Shimon Hatsadik and the rule of Cohanim. Now, we have a shift back to the David's descendents by the way of... converts. We have already seen that Hillel's teachers were converts or descendents of convert- Shemia and Avtalion. We saw how these esteemed teachers were beloved by the people for their expression of the qualities of peace and seeking harmony that appear to have been abandones by the priestly class but taken up by the rabbis. In fact, Hillel, as well as Shemaia and Avtalion taught that they and their followers were the true students of Aharon. Once the Bnei Baseira abdicated in favor of Hillel, and regarding a question of Temple practice no less, new aristocracy was ready to be established -  the aristocracy of learning. It in this context that we can understand Hillel's criticism of Bnei Baseira for not learning from two "gedolei hador", Shemaia and Avtalion, or, to put it in a different way, for not recognizing who the true gedoler hador were - not priests but Shemaia and Avtalion.  Hillel was born in Babylon and, according to the Iggeret of Rav Sherira Gaon, Hillel descended from the tribe of Benjamin on his father's side, and from the family of David on his mother's side. Interestingly, we are not told anything about Hillel's father, not even his name. It may be that this was in order to emphasize his Davidic origin, or because his father was not in any way distinguished. Whatever it may be, as we go through the next several chapters of Avos, we notice that there are two lines of transmission that span Ch. 1-4 - the line of the Nessiim and the line of rabbis and students. Hillel stands at the head of each line. Chapter 1 concludes with Hillel's progeny to R. Shimon ben Gamliel (whose teachings in 1:22 echoe those of Shimon Hatsadik) onto Rebbi and his children. In the middle of chapter 2, we finish with the line of the Nessim and again return to Hillel, tracing the line of Hilel and his students, through R. Yochanan ben Zakkai and his students. This back and forth organization can be understood as follows: 1. Moshe to Shimon Hatsadik (Ch. 1) 2.Zugos (pairs), under the overall authority of the Priesthood (Ch.1). 3. Shemaia and Avtalion - petering out of the priestly model and the development of the rabbinic model - from teacher to student (Ch.1). 4.Hillel as the originator of the line of the Nesiim (Ch.2-3) 5.Hillel as the originator of the rabbinic model (Ch. 3-4). This understanding is crucial for organizing and understanding the flow of the next three chapters. One can read it as an argumentt for merit based rather than hereditary leadership. It also serves as the basis for the following explanation of our mishna. 1. He would also say: One who advances his name, destroys his name. One does not seize leadership on the merit of his family name but through personal accomplishements in learning. 2.H e who does not increase, diminishes . One cannot bank on his forefathers' accomplishments but must succeed by his own efforts and contribution 3. One who does not learn is deserving of death. Again, priesthood is not enough but learning is paramount. 4. And one who make personal use of the crown of Torah shall perish. Crown of Torah is not inherited but earned. Source
 
bank Top
SOOOOOOO life is great. i was just thinking to myself the other day about how long i've actually had this thing. if i can remember correctly, i think i've consistantly updated it since i was in the 7th grade. the fact that i can go back and read entries from almost five years ago is incredible. i have every single detail about my life from then up until now on this website. it just blows me away. anyways, casey and i are fabulous. almost a fourteen months together. we went away to santa cruz for our year anniversary, it was so amazing. i love santa cruz so much, and being able to spend time with my favorite person ever in such a special place to me for such a special occasion was so nice. we had such a great time. we are currently looking for our own place to move into, because the both of us living with my parents gets kind of crazy sometimes. don't get me wrong, my mother loves having us here, but there's just not enough privacy and it kind of sucks feeling so dependent on her still. so we've been looking and looking and found a few decent places, but nothing we're head over heels for yet. we're hoping to be out by the end of summer...HOPING!!! i went for about a month being jobless. i started to get in a state of major depression and i started to feel worthless. i had no money in the bank , and i felt like i was never going to find another job again. well, that's all over thank goodness. i've been working for a children's boutique in malibu for the past three weeks. i work 10 to 6 every day except mondays and wednesdays. my first time working full time. it's kind of hectic, but i'm starting to get used to it. it kind of sucks having to sacrifice doing certain things, or going certain places sometimes due to the fact that i work all the time, but all i'm concerned about at this point in my life is making a living for myself and getting a start on my future. it kind of scares me to think how fast everything has happened lately. i'm finished with high school, forever. i still feel like i'm just on another break, but i'm coming to the realization that it's actually over. which reminds me, my graduation is on the 18th! i'm working full time now. sacrificing alot, not going out as much, coming home exhausted and wanting to do nothing but cuddle with casey. i'm still stunned by the fact that i actually drive, and have a car. even though i've been doing so for almost six months, i'm still amazed that i'm fully dependent and i can go wherever i want, for the most part. i'm growing up fast, mentally. which has it's ups and downs. i'm just so thankful to have such an amazing person in my life to settle down with and know that i'll have by my side forever. someone who i'll get married to someday, and have children with, and grow old with. and i'm just so excited, knowing that i have such a great future ahead of me. i think i should update this thing more often. like i used to, with detail for detail about my days. i know i'll appreciate it when i'm older... Source
 
Yard Sale World Domination Top
So, on Saturday, we had ourselves a yard sale. It turned out the yard sale was moderately successful, but Somebody Little pulled off one hell of a lemonade stand. The little angel works on her sign. She adds extra pizzaz while digesting a totally healthy dinner of hot dogs, green beans and chocolate pudding. Before, #1. Before, #2 Beloved's electronics table. That would be my original Santa Pub Crawl elf suit on that chair. Yes, yes. 7 a.m. on Saturday. Someone is ready to rock. The little angel inherited a painted-faced helper around 10 a.m., and the money they made was deposited directly into SOMEONE's piggy bank . She totally cleaned up, yo. We made $115. I put four loads of crap in my trunk after the garage sale ended and drove directly to Goodwill. There was no way in hell that shit was going back in my garage. No way. And that's how we roll. ----------------------------- Winner of Dustbuster contest and Father's Day review and Black & Decker edger and trimmer review at Surrender, Dorothy: Reviews! Source
 
A Teacher's Noon Top
I've come up with a new metaphor for this particular moment of my career: noon.  I am way past my first few jobs, like ice cream scooper, and arts and crafts counselor, which represent my pre-dawn career. Actual dawn occurred for me after college as a permanent substitute teacher in Providence Public schools, which led me, first, to flee the country, and then, pursue a masters in education at Street College.  Think of my masters degree program as breakfast.  Following breakfast, five years ago, the sun rose on my career as a middle school English teacher in New York City public schools.  I've now taught through the morning of my career, and have almost reached twelve o'clock noon. There is still plenty to be done, but I need some lunch, or I won't last. Only in this career, there is no lunch hour, no cafeteria, not even a kitchen in sight. In fact, there's no dinner either, and certainly no dessert. Just keep working 'til bedtime, says the contract. If you're good, you'll be able to take on more and more work at work. The satisfaction of being able to do it well will sustain you, both professionally and personally.  Your students need you more than you need lunch or dinner, so don't think about it. Just do it. Here I am at the noon of my career with no lunch, watching countless colleagues bail out and head to various careers that feature 2 course lunches and 3 course dinners.   All metaphors aside, when I was asked by www.publicschoolinsights.org what I thought should be done with the federal stimulus money for education, I wrote about the need for incentives--in the form of career opportunities with real promotions--to keep good teachers in the classroom teaching.  Check it out here. You'll also find interesting suggestions from three other teachers from the Teacher Leaders Network about how federal education stimulus money could be spent in meaningful ways.       Source
 
Mortgage rates jump: lock in now, or wait? Top
Floaters got sunk this week. Anyone who is in the market for a new mortgage, be it a straight-up purchase or refinance, and was letting their rate float in hopes of locking in at a lower rate instead got smacked with a near quarter point rise in the 30-year fixed rate. According to bank rate's latest weekly survey (conducted Wednesday morning) the 30-year fixed average was at 5.45%, up from 5.23% That's the highest level since February, and more than a half point above the 4.9% borrowers in early April could snag. So what's a floater to do now? Well, if you've lost your betting mojo, lock in and be happy. Yes, happy. Let's remember that 5.45% is still seriously good. It was only one year ago that the average 30-year fixed rate was 6.1%. And long term, it is all but assured that a 5.45% fixed rate is going to look darn nice. It may take some time before the Fed gives up the fight and has to let rates rise to attract buyers for all the debt we now have to pay off, but it will happen. So while today's 5.45% is high relative to a month or two ago, it is likely to be one you will boast about in the coming years. Okay, enough of the long-term perspective. What if you're still in betting mode and wondering about the next few weeks and months? Well, that's one big crap shoot. The recent spike has been caused by action in the 10-year Treasury market (the 30-year fixed rate tends to follow movements in the 10-year note.) Late last week the bond market started worrying about inflation and servicing the federal deficit, and one thing led to another and the 10-year Treasury yield shot from 3.4% last Thursday to above 3.7% during trading yesterday (Thursday) before closing lower at 3.67%. Plenty of market watchers are expecting the trend line on the 10-year Treasury to keep moving up. But here's where it gets interesting: there's not as clear a picture if a continued rise in the Treasury will automatically cause the 30-year fixed to also rise. The big wildcard is Ben Bernanke and his merry band at the Federal Reserve. The Fed has been actively buying up long-term Treasuries and mortgage backed securities in an effort to help keep yields low. When rates started rising the past few weeks the Fed signaled it wasn't too concerned; in fact it seemed to be cheered by the notion that those slightly rising rates were a sign the economy was gaining a bit of strength. But now there's a sense that the continued rise-capped by the big spike this past Wednesday-could refocus the Fed's effort to push yields down; it has yet to use up even half the money it has allotted for the buyback programs, so it's got plenty of gunpowder ready. That could be good news for rate floaters; assuming the Fed is still worried that rates rising too quickly and too far will put the kibosh on the already anemic credit market recovery, it's a decent argument to assume the Fed will soon ramp up its repurchases in an effort to push yields back down after their recent spike. As David Rosenberg, the former Merrill Lynch economist now at Gluskin Sheff noted on Thursday morning: "It's one thing to have a Treasury yield backup when mortgage rates are still declining, but that is no longer the case. The yield on the 30-year fixed-rate is already up 20 basis points from the lows; 1-year ARMs have jumped 17bps. This is not what the Fed wants to see." Indeed, the recent rate uptick has sent a chill through the still frigid housing markets. According to the Mortgage bank ers Association, mortgage applications dropped 14.2% this week compared to a week prior. The bet's yours, floaters: lock in now at what still qualifies as a terrific interest rate, or put your money on the Federal Reserve pushing yields down in the coming weeks. Which way are you leaning? If you would like to get loan information from recommended bank s, or get started and view all homes, condos, investment properties, pre-foreclosures bank owned foreclosures (REO's) or thinking of selling your property, please visit our website at: County Properties San Diego or County Properties Riverside Source
 
Smart Homeowners Learn Mortgage Basics Top
David Bach helps you understand the basics about your mortgage; how much you can afford, how to get qualified, what term is best for you and much more. You'll learn how to find a lender of integrity to help you make these important decisions and prepare you for the homebuying process and serve you after you've bought your home. Remember, homeownership is still the single most important investment you can make in your lifetime. If you would like to get loan information from recommended bank s, or get started and view all homes, condos, investment properties, pre-foreclosures bank owned foreclosures (REO's) or thinking of selling your property, please visit our website at: County Properties San Diego or County Properties Riverside Source
 
Where's the association? Not here - Business - ReviewJournal.com Top
Where's the association? Not here - Business - ReviewJournal.com : "With homes priced from the mid-$200,000s, Hillside was touted as an affordable new-home community with picturesque mountain views when Astoria started building in late 2006. That was before the Las Vegas homebuilder went into 'hibernation,' essentially shutting down its operations. San Diego-based Key and its Cleveland-based affiliate, AH Reo, now own the community following a foreclosure sale of a deed of trust by Astoria Alexander LLC, developer of record for the property near Alexander Road and Las Vegas Beltway." ----------- Green pool water, brown grass, and no HOA, all because of the developer. Some would say, one out of three ain't bad. Source
 
Train wreck on the horizon Top
Alabama County Set to Halt Services, Shut Buildings (Update1) - Bloomberg.com : "June 5 (Bloomberg) -- Alabama's most populous county is preparing to stop road maintenance, close courthouses and shutter services for the elderly after a court struck down taxes that pay for about 35 percent of its budget. Jefferson County, which includes Birmingham, released a plan to cut $52 million from its budget as it appeals the ruling against its business and occupational taxes to the Alabama Supreme Court. Without that revenue, the county has said it is at risk of running out of money as soon as this month. The loss of the tax money was another blow to a county that has been struggling to avoid bank ruptcy since last year, when Wall Street's financial crisis caused its interest bills to soar on more than $3 billion of bonds." ------------ It looks as though the poster child for the fiscal crisis of local governments will be Jefferson county, Alabama. This has been looming for some time. Source
 
Vallejo causing big fight in state - The Reporter Top
Vallejo causing big fight in state - The Reporter : "What started as a municipal bank ruptcy in the city of Vallejo has morphed into an all-out fight between California's local governments and unions over the sanctity of labor contracts vs. the autonomy of cities and counties. Next battle zone: the floor of the state Assembly, where legislation requiring local governments to get state approval to file for bank ruptcy protection is headed for a vote later this week... If the bill becomes law, California will join 16 other states that face some level of bank ruptcy filing oversight. Another 22 states don't allow localities to file for bank ruptcy protection, Wills said." --------------- I haven't seen any head counts on this, but I am guessing that it will pass, because of the enormous power of California's public employee unions with the Democrat-dominated and very liberal legislature. If it passes, will some cities proceed with their disincorporation strategy, or is that an idle threat? Source
 
Banks vow smoother short sale procedure Top
Lenders, including bank of America and Wells Fargo, say they are making it easier for delinquent borrowers to avoid foreclosure by selling their homes for less than they owe on them. Their efforts dovetail with a strategy unveiled last week by the Obama administration to promote such short sales. Demand for short sales has burgeoned because falling home prices have made it impossible for many homeowners to get high enough prices to repay their lenders if they run into financial trouble, such as a job loss. A short sale has an advantage over foreclosure for the homeowner because it is less embarrassing and does less damage to his or her credit. And for the lender, it is less costly than having to repossess, market and maintain a vacant property. Also, keeping a house occupied can help preserve a neighborhood. However, because of the complexity of such transactions -- including the need for approval of a sales price by lenders, investors and mortgage insurers -- the sales often fall apart. Real estate agents complain that by the time they get an answer from the bank on an offer, the potential buyer has lost interest. At bank of America, the nation's largest mortgage servicer, more than 60 percent of approved short sales do not close, which is why the bank wants to streamline the process, said BofA Senior Vice President David Sunlin by telephone Thursday. Sunlin, who manages short sales for the bank , said the bank 's first goal still is to negotiate a mortgage modification that will let a borrower keep his home. But he said during those negotiations the bank can simultaneously obtain the documentation needed to qualify the borrower for a short sale if the modification doesn't work. In the past, Sunlin said, the bank did not begin the lengthy process of qualifying a borrower for a short sale until it had received a purchase offer. To expedite short sales bank of America has enlarged and updated staff training and set up a phone line dedicated to short sales that borrowers and their agents can use. Also, Sunlin said, in 60 to 90 days the bank will roll out a Web program it will use to find and track the short sales of houses with mortgages that it services. He said the Web portal also will accept qualifying documentation from clients wishing to do short sales. Sunlin said it typically takes 45 to 60 days for the bank to tell a client if a short sale offer can be accepted, and up to 90 days if an investor must approve it. The goal, he said, is to shorten the wait to a week. "By doing this, we should see more private sales instead of more sales of bank -owned (houses)," he said. Sunlin said short sales will also benefit from an amendment to President Barack Obama's Making Home Affordable program announced last week that will standardize short sale application and acceptance forms. It also provides monetary incentives to servicers and helps cover relocation expense for homeowners. David Knight, senior vice president at Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, said in an interview that his bank has been working many months to reduce delays in the short sale process. He said the bank is working closely with borrowers' agents to increase the likelihood that the listing prices on a short sale will be accepted. The lending and real estate industries have been on a crash course to learn about short sales since the housing market bust, Knight said. "The big challenge is none of us really understood the process," he said. By LESLIE BERKMAN The Press-Enterprise ................................................................................................................................................................................................... If you have equity in your home, we will sell your home and get top dollar in this challenging market. If you do not have enough equity, and you must sell your property as a short sale we have the expertise to do so also. Please feel free to contact me today for free counseling at my website, click. County Properties San Diego or County Properties Riverside - 23 years of brokerage experience and trust . Source
 
Consumer confidence climbs to eight-month high Top
Consumer confidence rose to 40.8 in May compared with the previous month and now stands at 54.9 (1985=100), according to a report released yesterday by The Conference Board. The Board's Present Situation Index increased to 28.9 in May from 25.5 the previous month, while its Expectations Index rose to 72.3 this month compared with 51.0 in April  "Continued gains in the Present Situation Index indicate that current conditions have moderately improved, and growth in the second quarter is likely to be less negative than in the first," said Lynn Franco, director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center. "Looking ahead, consumers are considerably less pessimistic than they were earlier this year, and expectations are that business conditions, the labor market and incomes will improve in the coming months. While confidence is still weak by historical standards, as far as consumers are concerned, the worst is now behind us." Consumers' short-term outlook improved significantly in May, according to the report. Those expecting business conditions will improve over the next six months increased to 23.1 percent in May from 15.7 percent in April, while those anticipating conditions will worsen declined to 17.8 percent this month compared with 24.4 percent in April. If you would like to get loan information from recommended bank s, or get started and view all homes, condos, investment properties, pre-foreclosures bank owned foreclosures (REO's) or thinking of selling your property, please visit our website at: County Properties San Diego or County Properties Riverside Source
 
Pacific Beach Real Estate Top
Pacific Beach is a neighborhood of San Diego, inhabited by young people, surfers, and college students. Now the population is becoming a bit older and professional due to rising property and rental costs. "P.B.," like peanut butter, but missing the jelly, is its name to local residents. P.B is home to one of San Diego's larger nightlife scenes, with dozens of bars, eateries, and clothing stores. The golden beach in Pacific Beach goes on for miles from Mission Bay to the cliffs of La Jolla. The boardwalk, running along the beach, is always crowded with pedestrians, cyclists, rollerbladers, and shoppers. Pacific Beach is one of the main centers of nightlife in San Diego. With summer approaching Pacific Beach will definitely be a busy scene! This is a discussion on the sales prices of homes sold recently as compared to last year. In the past 90 days, there have been 23 homes that have sold and closed escrow in Pacific Beach, CA. These homes range in prices from a low of $390,000 for 2 bedroom 1 bath, and 686 square foot home on Hornblend St. With a high price of $2,696,325 for a 3 bedroom, 3 baths, and 2,396 square foot home on Ocean Front Walk. The average sold price is $841,256 the average price per square foot is $498.82 and the average days on market are 88 days. Sales price compared to list price is 95%. During this same 90 day period last year, there were 36 homes that sold and closed escrow in Pacific Beach, CA. These homes range in price from a low of $458,500 for a 2 bedroom, 1 bath, and 864 square foot home on Noyes St. Up to the high price of $3,000,000 for a 2 bedroom, 1 baths, 968 square foot home on Ocean Front Walk. The average price of these sold homes one year ago was $881,329 and the average price per square foot was $636.54. Also, the average days on the market were 35 days. Sales price compared to list price is 94%. Comparing these figures to the current market are the following; the average price decreased by 4.5% and the average price per square foot decreased by 21%. Comparison on the number of sales decreased by 36%. The prices have decreased now leveling out, in line to the rest of the market. The market is starting to show signs of a higher demand for buyer  in the market. The above statistics is a broad sample of data, to get a specific value of a home or if you are thinking of buying in this area, please contact me. If you would like to get loan information from recommended bank s, or get started and view all homes, condos, investment properties, pre-foreclosures bank owned foreclosures (REO's) or thinking of selling your property, please visit our website at: County Properties San Diego or County Properties Riverside Source
 
Right steps to take before disputing a credit error Top
Right steps to take before disputing a credit error Credit scores and reports continue to be one of the most important factors in determining whether consumers are extended lines of credit, and the amount they are offered.   Credit reports provide lenders with a consumer's credit history, including missed or late payments.   Consumers concerned about errors in their credit reports should contact the three major credit bureaus to dispute the inaccuracies.   MAKING SENSE OF THE STORY FOR CONSUMERS   ·        Not all lenders report to the three major credit bureaus – Equifax, Experian and TransUnion – which means a mistake could appear on one, two, or all three reports.   Rather than calling or mailing a dispute letter to one central agency, the errors must be disputed separately with each bureau.   ·        Consumers may obtain free copies of their credit reports once a year at www.annualcreditreport.com .   This report will only show credit history, and not credit scores.   To obtain a credit score, consumers can visit www.myfico.com .   ·        T o dispute an error, consumers first should contact the lender that reported the information to the credit bureaus.   Next, contact the credit bureaus using the numbers listed on the credit reports.   This also can be done online at www.transunion.com , www.equifax.com , or www.experian.com .   If the report is more than 60 days old, consumers should obtain a new report, which may have a new phone number.   Also, if the report was obtained from a third-party site rather than directly from the credit bureau, consumers may have to order a report from the bureau to begin the dispute process.   ·        Bureaus typically have 30 to 45 days to "resolve" disputes.   If it's a simple factual error that is acknowledged by the lender, it could take as little as two weeks.   Either way, consumers are notified of the bureau's decision via regular mail or e-mail.   If you would like to get loan information from recommended bank s, or get started and view all homes, condos, investment properties, pre-foreclosures bank owned foreclosures (REO's) or thinking of selling your property, please visit our website at: County Properties San Diego or County Properties Riverside Source
 
Slow Dancing With "That Class" Top
You know that class .  Every teacher who teaches multiple classes in a day--especially in middle school--knows that class . You've planned an excellent lesson; maybe you've used it successfully for years. It goes over swimmingly with 810 and 812--these students exclaim how they love your class. Then comes 813. You brace yourself as they enter the classroom, because you never know what to expect with them. For whatever reasons, students in that class respond differently. Some days they are great, but on others, they don't settle down and it's a struggle just to begin class--they seem content to socialize while you wait or dole out detentions. Sometimes they start out cooperative and engaged, and then devolve into petty quarrels with each other. They often fall behind the other classes, or the classroom environment is so full of distractions that students have trouble being productive. The usual strategies seem to work one day and not the next. You find yourself shortening lessons to make up for lost time. Students often ask you to teach even though kids are having side conversations, but you know this is a trap and refuse. You ask yourself, why is this happening?  There are some students with challenging behavior in this class, but there are challenging students in all of your classes.  This class doesn't even have any students with diagnosed special learning or emotional needs.  What's more, you spoken with students individually and met with their parents, but the progress is almost always temporary. Is it you? But your lessons and teaching style seem to work in the other classes. And other teachers report similar experiences with the same class. Is something just off with 813? Last week I made some progress in my thinking about my 813 (a pseudonym). It started when I was absent for a day to score NY State ELA tests.  I left a movie for the students to watch. The film, "Smoke Signals," is actually an important piece of my curriculum, and I told the substitute that I needed the students to really watch the movie. If students were talking, I said, he should pause it and ask them not to talk during the movie, and continue when they are quiet. I also left a worksheet for students to make observations as they watched, and which explained that we would be discussing the movie when I got back, so they should pay close attention. As you might imagine, 810 and 812 watched the movie with no problems. But 813 talked so much, the substitute eventually turned it off altogether.   When I got back, the students of 813 were upset. "But we weren't even being bad! I mean for 813 , we weren't bad. No one was disrespectful. We were just talking," they said. I took a good 15 minutes to hear multiple renditions of the story and discuss the situation with them. I explained that I had instructed the sub to pause the movie if they were talking. I also asked them if they would be able to understand the movie if they were also talking to one another about other things... After a little while, they seemed to understand.   We put the movie on. They started talking a little bit, then a little more. I paused the movie. They protested! We discussed the reasons behind my expectation that they watch silently again. They got quiet. I put the movie on again. They started to get into it! Someone made a comment in response to the movie. This provoked a string of comments that got loud. They were missing important dialogue. I paused it again. They got annoyed. Then they got quiet. I turned the movie on...and so forth. The other classes finished the film in 2 class periods--one with the substitute and one with me--and loved it. We had brilliant student-centered discussions the following day, which were so interesting that the students asked for another day to continue (and we did).   Meanwhile, after 2 days of the film, 813 was only halfway through it. I had a dilemma. Should I give the class extra periods on the movie? How much time? What about the discussions? A colleague recommended not finishing the movie, canceling discussions, and giving them a test on the entire film. Alternatively, I thought of allowing them to finish the movie, but forgoing the discussions. Or, I could allow them to discuss the half of the movie they had seen. But all of these options would defeat the purpose of having them watch the film in the first place: to get experience analyzing an entire work of "literature," its conflicts and the resolutions of those conflicts, its themes, and the craft decisions made by the screenwriter and director to achieve the effects the movie has on the viewer. This would build story understanding and discussion skills that we would put to further use in discussions of an entire novel.    I spent a while thinking about who was responsible for the fact that 813 hadn't seen the whole film--me or them. I didn't want to enable irresponsible behavior by giving them unlimited time on anything. But the discussion experience had been so rich for the other classes and so well-timed in the curriculum, I hated for this class to miss the opportunity.   Then I thought, does it even matter who's at fault? Here we are, either way. Maybe this class is just slower than the others. Not slow intellectually--in fact they are some of the most insightful students in the grade when they apply themselves. They are behind in terms of their group process . I teach a CTT class and give that class extra academic supports when they need them. Maybe 813 needs some extra social-emotional supports that the other classes, for whatever reasons, don't require. Though somewhat counterintuitive, maybe spending time learning how to watch a movie carefully together might be the most productive thing for this group.  I remembered my mentor at Street College, Madeleine Ray, telling a story about a class she taught years ago in Harlem. As the story went, she always kept bread and butter in the room for the students. When, on occasion, they broke out the bread, one boy in the class always tried to eat more than his share. When the students reported it to Mrs. Ray, she said, "It's okay. Let him eat. We can always get more." Contrary to everyone's expectations, every time they ate bread, she let him eat until he was full. Then one day, just as she predicted, the student stopped eating extra bread. His need had been filled and, more importantly, he made the decision on his own to limit himself. Sometimes we make the mistake of trying to control everything, and ration everything when it comes to our students, even when it's not working. Afraid to take risks, we ignore the real problem and continue to do what's already not working. Often, we deny our students the opportunity to make important decisions for themselves.       There was no real reason for me to limit 813's time, when they clearly needed it to reach the learning objective I had for them. Like Madeleine had done with the bread, I let my class take as much time as they needed to finish the movie. I explained to them that they were two days behind the other classes, and that I had debated over how to handle it. When I told them that it was necessary to finish the movie before having the discussions, and the discussions were necessary for their education, they seemed to feel some urgency.  By the forth day, they were watching silently. They finished with fifteen minutes left in the period and elected--without my input--to begin discussions right away. They listened to one another and even stayed voluntarily for part of lunch to continue the discussion.   Mind you, day two of discussion we were back to starting and stopping, starting and stopping. But I'm coming to see this as the practice they need. My patience and persistence are more valuable to them than my instinct to control them or cover up their weaknesses. For now, I'm content to slow dance.     [image credit: http://carcino.gen.nz/images/index.php/5922d576/6faaad84] Source
 
Undergraduate Internships in Urban Classrooms a Good Idea Top
Over the past three weeks I had the wonderful opportunity to work with an undergraduate intern in her sophomore year from Amherst College.   She dedicated this portion of her January recess to observe, assist, and finally try a few days of teaching in my classroom, during a tough stretch of preparation for the state ELA test. My intern was from the Midwest, and had never spent time in the "inner city" or in a public middle school (in fact, she was home-schooled for most of her own education).   But the sometimes-rough edges of my classroom, the school, and its surrounding neighborhood did not seem to deter her.   She was incredibly committed, non-judgmental, and enthusiastic about teaching.   My students and I came to truly appreciate her calm presence and thoughtful observations and suggestions.   Though she came in a little shy to work with the entire class at once, she got past it.   She wrote in a letter to me, "You…gave me confidence to get up in front of the class and actually teach.   I surprised myself by hardly being nervous at all!" I was thrilled when at the end of three weeks she shared that she would like to become a teacher in a public school, and was strongly considering teaching middle school!   Score one for the team!   I was also pleased when she told me she would like to get her masters degree before entering the classroom.   In her words, "I just think I would be so much more confident that way."   She said she knows her experience at my school was positive in large part because of all the work us teachers had put into setting up our classrooms to be the learning environments they are.   It was somehow relieving to me to realize that this very young (age nineteen?), aspiring teacher understands the immense amount of work and skill it takes to teach, and that she is still so excited about doing it.   I know one day, not so far from now, her students will be very lucky to learn from her.   That I had anything to do with this (and during test prep no less!) makes me really happy. A few notes about undergraduates and the choice to teach today: At some point, my intern mentioned that Amherst College does not have an education department and offers only a few education-related courses through other departments (like Literature and the Teaching of Writing--or something close to that).   This was strange to me, because my alma mater, Brown University had a vibrant education department with which many undergraduates were involved.   When I asked her if she knew why there was no education department at Amherst, she said, "Well I guess that since we are already paying so much for our degrees, the college assumes most people would choose careers that pay more than teaching does."   Wow, I thought.   I completely understand what she is saying, but it came as a blow nonetheless, and reminded me once again that I make a significant quality of life sacrifice in remaining a classroom teacher, when so many other, higher-paying professions are available to me. (Note: I have no knowledge that my intern's explanation for this is true, but it is telling nonetheless.) On the other hand, she mentioned that, due to the current economic crisis, a major shift is occurring on campus.   Normally a high percentage of Amherst students go into bank ing.   Since this is not an easy option today, many more students are considering programs like Teach For America or NYC, DC, or Chicago Teaching Fellows, which promise an unusual amount of job security in troubled times.   The result is that said programs are becoming increasingly competitive.    Ironically, as candidates look for ways to improve their resumes, some undergraduates attempt to show an early interest in teaching by becoming interns. I wonder how increased competition for one of the more secure jobs in the nation will play out for our profession and schools over the next few years.   Will it up the standards for who gets to enter the classroom without training and what kind of commitment they will need to demonstrate?   Will it influence many potential candidates to spend time in schools prior to applying; and will some make the choice, like my intern, to get a master's first?   [first image is the author's: taken of a previous student teacher I worked with in a different school  second image found at  blog.derekjansen.com]     Source
 

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