My first experience teaching anything to people younger than me came through summers spent as a Boy Scout camp counselor. I loved camp and I loved being part of the team that worked so hard to make each week a memorable experience for our visitors. When I signed up to help chaperone my middle daughter’s [...]
Archive for the ‘good living’ Category
Camp Learnsalot
Posted in good living, teaching on April 11, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Obama clinches second term
Posted in good living on April 10, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
If you figure it is a package deal with Michelle, then consider me lining up in the “Four More Years” camp: First Lady a Beaver Believer!
The dirt on good health
Posted in good living on April 9, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Oregon State researchers have found girls who spend too much time inside in pretty dresses may have health problems later in life. Turns out all that icky boy stuff — playing in the mud, rolling on the grass, etc. — may actually give the little rascals a boost when it comes to a healthy immune [...]
I have to revise my whole curriculum!
Posted in Cool science, good living on February 17, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Yes, an afternoon of careful study with a student has determined … My exciting jar full of pond life is teeming not with leeches but planaria. We tried a few tests, all of which were inconclusive, before throwing one under a microscope for a close look. Diminutive, no segments, greenish hue, two clear eye spots, [...]
A long-awaited treat
Posted in good books, good living on December 21, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
You grow up with certain literary figures and it’s almost natural to imagine them in a movie … for example, “Matthew Looney,” of course … but I had long ago given up hope that the most cinematic of them all would make his way to the big screen. I’m thinking of a young Belgian journalist [...]
Getting to the point
Posted in good living on November 24, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Sometimes it is the little things. On a quick stop today through a local Goodwill looking for a cheap glass vase, I spied a promising treasure stacked up at an empty checkout stand. Was it for sale? Yes! Price? $2.99, and if it doesn’t work, you can bring it back for store credit. Sold. The [...]
Three quick facts
Posted in good living on November 1, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Beavers lose yet another game. Followed by a Colts debacle on Sunday. Hard to remember a time when two teams I root for have sunk so deeply into futility in tandem. But on a more optimistic note, the latest episode of This American Life focuses on middle school. I haven’t heard it yet but can’t [...]
Science brings modern convenience
Posted in good living on October 1, 2011 | 2 Comments »
When the lyrics to a song from the nice, science-oriented band Aquabats prove true, you have to stop and marvel. Hence, the latest news out of Massachusetts had me humming the Aquabats’ remarkable paean to the scientific method, “The Cat with Two Heads.” I haven’t had a chance to teach my students the lyrics yet [...]
And on the seventh day …
Posted in good living on August 15, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
First weekend of the school year and how did I spend my Sunday? Doing nothing for school. A year ago, such behavior would have been reckless, virtually suicidal. And I am not saying that there was nothing to do for school — I could have done plenty. But there was nothing that had to be [...]
Berry treasure
Posted in good living, Uncategorized on July 6, 2011 | 1 Comment »
Being on the road meant missing raspberries in Indiana … But now they are just getting ripe in Oregon. We picked about 17 pounds’ worth yesterday in about 25 minutes, which meant berries & whipped cream last night and raspberry jam being made this morning. No change on the job front, a discouraging situation as [...]
