I haven't written in a while, and I definitely haven't blogged in a long long while. The last few weeks have been rough, but a network once taught me that challenge is an opportunity to prove who you are. I've done my best to show that my heart holds respect and empathy. Today is a day where I don't know what to do, where to go, or where I belong. It is a hard feeling. So I wrote this a few days ago, and I will share this.
A Villanelle
-drafted between 8/17-8/24
- in the nocturne hours.
Treme Forest
-Cid Galicia
Walking alone, perception feels far fetched, in the forest.
Looking feels far, thinking feels far, and feeling--feeling feels further.
Away is where I want to be; here sings only the quiet chorus.
Lost pine trees, like lost pages in a thesaurus,
Word for word and leaf for leaf pushed purser.
Walking alone, perception feels far fetched, in the forest.
Our past is hard to leave behind, when little lies before us.
New is so far, and an unheld hand is a poor precursor.
Away is where I want to be; here sings only the quiet chorus.
The empty words close-strangers pour contort us.
As Crane's red devils gather, I blot and murder.
Walking alone, perception feels far fetched, in the forest.
In the lights of drinks and dance, both angels and demons glow glorious.
Hips, heels, hooves, and hands all deemed demurer.
Away is where I want to be; here sings only the quiet chorus.
Would I dare to flare her heart or her riffs toward us
I'd dare not, for I dare no more to drive her furious.
Walking alone, perception feels far fetched, in the forest.
Away is where I want to be; here sings only the quiet chorus.
Saturday, August 26, 2017
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
The Witches of Lang and Student/Teacher Blogging
Part 1: Blog Reading
In started this new year at my new school, I have decided there are some new key curiosities...passions I want to create and pursue. I have narrowed the list down to three for the beginning of the year: Digital Citizenship, Metacognitive Processes/Analysis, and Student/Teacher-paneurship.
In a sense this post is a great starting post topic because it taps into all three--Student Blogging. Sometimes,often times, the best learning comes when teachers are also learning and then modeling. I want being an ELA teacher to inspire and push me to write in the same vein I want the feel of being a student at my school and in my class pushed and inspired to find and build their voice and identity through reading and writing. I want to design a blogging unit to build culture, reading, writing, and thinking skills.
I started digging for research and resources and found something extremely helpful. I found a woman, Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano. Just to be clear, I did none of the work for the information below. It is a lot of copy and paste in order to give all of the information a more efficient design for my own personal understand, collecting, and organizing. On her site, you can find a lot of very interesting info about her and her practices:
-Third Culture Kid (TCK)
-Born in Germany
-Raised in Argentina
-Lived shortly in Brazil
-Now planted in the United States
-Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish
-Minor in International Studies
-Masters in Education
-Emphasis in Instructional Technology.
She has worked as
-World Language teacher
-Technology Integration Facilitator
-21st Century Learning Specialist
-Social Media Coordinator
-Professional Development
-Educational Consultant.
"Her passions include globally connected learning, technology integration, contemporary upgrades and amplification of the curriculum, documenting for learning (from digital portfolios, digital storytelling, new forms of teacher observations, to building institutional memory), blogging as pedagogy, visualize learning and developing & maintaining a Personal Learning Network."
=======================================================================
I am using this post to organize and review the first seven articles in the first unit. It will help me plan and organize my thoughts before sharing them with staff and students. Let us journey...
She has two archives. The first title you see below; it was designed to help teachers. The second is an actual unit plan. First I will walk, us, through the seven articles below.
“Stepping it Up: Learning About Blogs FOR your Students”
Part I: Reading
Part II A: Writing
Part II B: Student Writing
Part III: Commenting
Part IV: Connecting
Part V: Reciprocating
Part VI: Consistency
Part VII: Quality
-------------------------------------------------------------Learning About Blogs FOR your Students: Reading
Misunderstanding about Blogging
-only real used for technology integration
Understanding
-more about Writing than Tech
-starts with Reading
#1 As a Teacher
-become an avid blog reader
-read a variety of blogs
-be exposed/learn the potential blogs have in student learning
-formulate/address learning outcomes
-outcomes need to go beyond "tech-integration/LPS"
"Connective writing is, for the most part expository writing, but the process starts with reading […] But more than just reading, bloggers that write in this way learn to read critically because as they read, they look or important ideas to write about. It is an important first step, for as Samuel Johnson said, “I hate to read a writer who has written more than he has read”.
#2 As teachers the more regularly we read blogs the better we'll become at:
-RECOGNIZING learning opportunities via a blogging platform
-FORMULATING learning outcome for students seeing quality examples of other blogs
-IDENTIFYING curriculum learning outcome and match them to blogging
-UPGRADING and REPLACING: blogging can replace traditional assessment
-GAUGING the quality (or lack) of blogs they read, but also the quality of their own students’ blog (relevant to their age group)
-GETTING USED to the new genre of digital reading and writing
-RECOGNIZING that writing is changing The writing process. Hitting the publish button on a blog, might just be the beginning, not the end of writing.
-UNDERSTANDING the grammar of social/networked writing. How ideas are linked, connected, expanded, influenced, etc.
-EXPERIENCING the culture of sharing
-BROADENING their horizon by being EXPOSED to an array of content and global points of view
-ENGAGING in reflective practice being
-AWARE that there is a Global Learning Community out there and available to them anytime/anywhere
-LEARNING and CONNECTING in their own professional journey
-REALIZING that blogs are self-designed, self-directed, and interdependent with all other media forms.
-OBSERVING the ability of blogs (over time) to function as a tool to curate learning
*************************
"Blogging is about writing, but it begins with reading. […] Teachers recognize that in order to be a good writer you have to read good writing. Yet when it comes to blogging, most want to write immediately and sit back and wait for the world to pay attention. It won’t happen. Provide as much time for your students to read blogs as write."
She remixes his thoughts to say:
Blogging is about writing, but it begins with reading. Teachers recognize that in order to teach about blogs, they have to read good blogs. Most want to jump immediately in and have their students start blogging, sit back and expect students to write quality blogs. It won’t happen. Teachers need to take time in reading other blogs, before they expect to be able to lead their students in quality blogging.
**********************
Silvia says to start with your PASSION!
"Passion is what will make you read when you are too tired or have too many other things to do."
#4 Make a commitment to:
-Read at least 4 blogs regularly
-Make it as easy as possible
-Set aside a few minutes EVERY day to read them.
-Be aware of your own learning as you are reading.
-Take notes
-Read the comment section of the posts as well to get a feel for the conversation style
-Learn to recognize quality commenting
-Start to practice commenting on your chosen blogs to become part of the conversation
*********************
Blog Sites/Writers I discovered through her article:
I’m Head of Digital Learning and Practice at Wesley College in Melbourne, Australia. I was previously Director of ICT and eLearning at Toorak College in Mt. Eliza. I’m fascinated by Web 2.0 applications and their potential in educational settings. I launched myself headfirst into this world in 2008 and have found the experience to be transformative . It’s my aim to share what I discover with you through this blog.
As a teacher; learner; consultant; speaker; and collaborator, I'm on the lookout for opportunities to engage in meaningful conversations with others who see themselves as learners. Professional development; project based learning; and Creative Commons are topics that are always on my radar.
http://www.maggiehosmcgrane.com/
I've been teaching for 25 years in international schools in Europe and Asia and am currently working at the American School of Bombay in India. My blog reflects my thoughts and wonderings as a tech coordinator, a R&D core team member and a member of ASB's Design Thinking team.
http://blog.williamferriter.com/
Bill Ferriter has about a dozen titles—Solution Tree author and professional development associate, noted edublogger, senior fellow of the Teacher Leaders Network—but he checks them all at the door each morning when he walks into his sixth- grade classroom!
http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/
As a 4th/5th grade teacher, I read a lot of middle-grades literature. I have noticed that it is not uncommon for the villain of the story to be a mean teacher or a teacher who doesn't really understand or appreciate children.
http://www.teachthought.com/author/terryheick/
Educator focused on social improvement through learning innovation. Director of Curriculum, TeachThought.
https://tuftsacm.wordpress.com/tag/max-goldstein/
Monday, July 13, 2015
Branches 2 & 3: Circles and Cycles Part 2
Writers are the Best Teachers
To teach effective writing, you yourself must be an effective writer. We can't teach what we don't know, and when it comes to writing, it's important to continue honing your craft. If you haven't engaged in much formal writing since college, you will remain a less effective teacher. No matter what you teach, try starting a blog, writing articles, or developing short stories -- all terrific ways to engage the mind and keep your skills sharp. Reading is important, but reading alone isn't enough to strengthen your writing skills, or to make you a credible authority on the subject.
--David Cutler
High School History, Government and
Journalism teacher from Boston
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Time
It is time to reconstruct my writing practice--scheduled on the daily, but ordered and categorized separately...specifically. I enjoy, and am quite good at organizing and scheduling my time. The image below was, in general, how my weeks worked over this past school year.
I reduced my life fraction down to five core pillars and allocated the time I had.
However, once the school year ended I found myself with an un-renewed contract, an 8 hour manual labor day job, and a need to recharge my heart-mind-and-soul.
I have since then found a new school, stopped the day job, find myself feeling fairly recharged, and now ready to rebuild a new life schedule. But, before I get there, I want to use this space as a canvas for my organizing personal composition projects:
1. I have a blog: Under the Willow Tree I want to upkeep.
2. I have a poetry chapbook in the works.
3. I have two graphic novel story archs.
4. I want to stay active with my poetry writing.
5. I want to start profiling myself as an educator on some quality education websites, respond to articles relevant to my practice, and then submit some of my own.
(the first title at the top is a link to a post a site called Edutopia.)
6. I will have to write consistent lesson and unit plans.
Sunday, July 5, 2015
Branches 2 & 3: Circles and Cycles Part 1
Branches 2 & 3: Circles and Cycles
Those of you who know me would not argue that as much as I can keep them "relevant," I do my best to remain a creature of habit. Here I sit on this Sunday morning at a cafe ruminating over teaching, my social tendencies, writing projects, and love/attraction/sex. All of this with a background chorus of hip-hop/rap music. This entire construct, a recycling, I have circled and cycled through for the last three decades.
Those of you who know me would not argue that as much as I can keep them "relevant," I do my best to remain a creature of habit. Here I sit on this Sunday morning at a cafe ruminating over teaching, my social tendencies, writing projects, and love/attraction/sex. All of this with a background chorus of hip-hop/rap music. This entire construct, a recycling, I have circled and cycled through for the last three decades.
Teaching
There are certain phrases concerning my struggle with education the last half decade. Originally, that struggle was the reason I left California. And, ironically enough, the same exact struggle I ended up landing in when I came to New Orleans.
-education use to be a humanity, now it's politics and business
-we use to develop young humans and now we develop adolescent operating systems
-administrations are not transparent with staff and students
-...and so on
-and it may not be all that simple, but I am binary and need as highly a reduced fraction as
possible to drive myself into powerful and purposeful action.
Some networks seem to do things better than others--most networks have some different interests or strength they focused on. You would think there would be more cross-collaborate, like teachers who support each other cross-curricularly. Maybe they do, and due to where I have been for the last two years, I have been unaware. Giving where I am now, I have high hopes, potential certainty, that that will change for me.
Where have I been the last five years professionally:
Nola Year #1: ReNew Schools/Elementary Reading Remediation & Kindergarten Co-Teaching
Nola Year #2: McDonogh 42/ 7th & 8th Grade ELA
Nola Year #3: Carver Collegiate/Founding Freshman Teacher of Composition
Nola Year #4: Sophie B Wright/English II World Lit. General/Pre-AP
Nola Year #5: Sophie B Wright/English III American Lit. General/AP
Nola Year #6: Success Preparatory Academy...Here we Go!
Transition Why's
Nola Year #1: Wanted to go back to Secondary ELA Full Classroom Teaching,
had no spaces + lack of admin follow through.
Nola Year #2: School lost their charter, take over network re-offered me position--
charter network offered me a square on my "bucket list."
Nola Year #3: Admin lacked enough transparency for me to feel comfortable come EOY
Nola Year #4: Stayed--received highest growth award/offered AP training.
Nola Year #5: Lack of transparency, dialogue, openness.
Each school/network is like relationship with a significant other. Both sides of the relationship have strengths and weaknesses. What are they willing to compromise and what are they not? This is what creates the temporary or the longevity of the relationship. Sometimes you stay for the children, until you can't. Each school/network added a positive piece to my New Orleans experience, and I hope i returned the same. I am for excited for the culture I am joining at Success Prep this year!
to be continued...
Part 2: Introversion/Attraction/Friends
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Branch 1: Words worth Wordsworth
Something I have been piecing together for the last few weeks. I finally dug throw all the notebooks I had left parts in, collecting them together, and rough drafted them.
Words worth Wordsworth
We will sit upon the same steps,
Within touching,
Within talking,
Within all synchronization possible,
And yet, only the silence will connect us.
Only the wind raking through the branches above
Will be our discourse, of coarse
Wordlessness will fit me like a vest and tie
And you like a dress and eyes, and I
Will unspeak so loudly through all those talking
Around us that you will pause, you
Will tense and pause and look at someone else so,
You will not look at me, and we
We will remember.
That Thursday
In the park
Under the tree
We sat on my sweater, we
Talked and told
And asked and listened
And broke and bonded
and re-broke and re-bonded, until
Until the silence could only be shattered
Into words worth Wordsworth:
We leave you here in the solitude to dwell,
With these our latest gifts of tender thoughts;
Thou like the morning in thy saffron coat,
Bright gowan and marsh-marigold farewell!
Cid Galicia
2.21.2015
8:18pm
Saturday, January 3, 2015
Branch 3: Following Resolutions with Actions
Productive Morning
-work of spirit
-work of relationships
-work of self
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
============================================================
Good Morning World,
This is a follow up on my post from yesterday, where I am continually reducing the fraction of larger ideas/goals to successful actions steps:
1. Took the larger context specific weekly schedule and reduced/specified it into resolution based actions steps.
2. Then began to single a specific day with specific actions.
...and now to work out!
-work of spirit
-work of relationships
-work of self
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
============================================================
Good Morning World,
This is a follow up on my post from yesterday, where I am continually reducing the fraction of larger ideas/goals to successful actions steps:
1. Took the larger context specific weekly schedule and reduced/specified it into resolution based actions steps.
2. Then began to single a specific day with specific actions.
========================================================================
I am inspired for my new year; one goal of which was to recommit to my spiritual health and strength.
Today's readings in prep for church tomorrow:
1st Reading: Jeremiah 31:7-14
2nd Reading: Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-19a
Gospel: Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23
====================================
Found this cool website full of preacher notes:
https://www.workingpreacher.org/
====================================
On a humorous note, words i had to look up because I'm out of practice! lol
Edifying
-to instruct or benefit, especially morally or spiritually; uplift:
Admonition
-counsel, advice, caution
Doxological
-a hymn or form of words containing an ascription of praise to God
Have a great day y'all,
Cid
...and now to work out!
Friday, January 2, 2015
Branch 3: New and Old Beginnings
Happy New Year!
Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.
-T. S. Eliot
============================================================
Being one who finds strength in the binary, I take great joy in beginnings and ends. The year is complete; there have been joys and sorrows, successes and failures, learning and growing. As I look back on 2014, I have no regrets. I feel I pushed myself to live with love and honor; now that i can be more objective, I can see what parts of my life were not the strongest or most healthy and now begin to forge ahead with new and old ideas, plans, and action steps to be and live better, stronger, and healthier. I am all for New Years Resolutions and took some inspiration from this man:
Pope Francis`New Years Resolutions Suggestions
– “Take care of your spiritual life, your relationship with God, because this is the backbone of everything we do and everything we are.”
– “Take care of your family life, giving your children and loved ones not just money, but most of all your time, attention and love.”
– “Take care of your relationships with others, transforming your faith into life and your words into good works, especially on behalf of the needy.”
– “Be careful how you speak, purify your tongue of offensive words, vulgarity and worldly decadence.”
– “Heal wounds of the heart with the oil of forgiveness, forgiving those who have hurt us and medicating the wounds we have caused others.”
– “Look after your work, doing it with enthusiasm, humility, competence, passion and with a spirit that knows how to thank the Lord.”
– “Be careful of envy, lust, hatred and negative feelings that devour our interior peace and transform us into destroyed and destructive people.”
– “Watch out for anger that can lead to vengeance; for laziness that leads to existential euthanasia; for pointing the finger at others, which leads to pride; and for complaining continually, which leads to desperation.”
– “Take care of brothers and sisters who are weaker … the elderly, the sick, the hungry, the homeless and strangers, because we will be judged on this.”
========================================================================
Here is the path to the destinations of creating my own resolutions
I took myself out of the immediacy of my current New Orleans life. Stepped out and ventured back home to California. I wanted to compare the who I am now to the who I was. The idea was to see those places and people who first helped inspire the tenants that I would chose to forge my male adult identity.
I reviewed parts of my life with family and listened to their responses, did the same for my brother, and shared my proud love to my sister, who is now a mother, and introduced and welcomed my niece, Giulianna, to our family.
I revisited my college town, the first real steps of building and creating the masculine warrior and poet I now identify as. I was able to reconnect with good friends, mentors, and God. And again share my year, and listen to their ideas and responses.
And now, I have returned to my current home and started to have those conversation of the experiences of the year past, with those here, and forging into the new year. With a more clear mind, I will put myself back in the mix with my New Orleans city and New Orleans friends--share my realizations, listen to their responses, and move forward.
========================================================================
Happy New Year! Here are the Topics of Growth of my Resolutions:
-it appears to be a lot, I know, all important and necessary.
-reasonable steps at a time.
-lots of planning, successes, failures, and re-planning.
Scheduling
Writing Projects
Reading Growth
Work/Life Balance
Spiritual Fitness
Physical Fitness/Diet
Solitude/Community Balance
Financial Stability
Romance/Dating/Sex
World News/Political Awareness
Art/Culture Awareness
Friendships
========================================================================
Steps Complete Thus Far
1. Turning the larger concepts into specific actions, tasks, and goals.
2. Draft #1 of my weekly schedule
========================================================================
Final Thoughts
I will be coming to a very important milestone in my life, at least according to my design. I will be 35 in February. The promise I made to myself was the change in focus from pleasure, in the moment, and rash decisions to a true ownership of male adulthood: health, education, financial stability--simply a true focus and commitment to my life in the long term. One truly difficult part of that is my Black and White vs Gray internal and external struggle. My idea is not to sacrifice all of my binary aspects as the thoughts and beliefs they are, it is more of maintaining an openness and love for those who are not me and shifting my balance of expectations between myself and those I truly care about.
-that is not very specific yet, but it will be over time. Also i have me working since 7am, and my brain and hands are tired.
Peace,
-Cid
Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.
-T. S. Eliot
============================================================
Being one who finds strength in the binary, I take great joy in beginnings and ends. The year is complete; there have been joys and sorrows, successes and failures, learning and growing. As I look back on 2014, I have no regrets. I feel I pushed myself to live with love and honor; now that i can be more objective, I can see what parts of my life were not the strongest or most healthy and now begin to forge ahead with new and old ideas, plans, and action steps to be and live better, stronger, and healthier. I am all for New Years Resolutions and took some inspiration from this man:
– “Take care of your spiritual life, your relationship with God, because this is the backbone of everything we do and everything we are.”
– “Take care of your family life, giving your children and loved ones not just money, but most of all your time, attention and love.”
– “Take care of your relationships with others, transforming your faith into life and your words into good works, especially on behalf of the needy.”
– “Be careful how you speak, purify your tongue of offensive words, vulgarity and worldly decadence.”
– “Heal wounds of the heart with the oil of forgiveness, forgiving those who have hurt us and medicating the wounds we have caused others.”
– “Look after your work, doing it with enthusiasm, humility, competence, passion and with a spirit that knows how to thank the Lord.”
– “Be careful of envy, lust, hatred and negative feelings that devour our interior peace and transform us into destroyed and destructive people.”
– “Watch out for anger that can lead to vengeance; for laziness that leads to existential euthanasia; for pointing the finger at others, which leads to pride; and for complaining continually, which leads to desperation.”
– “Take care of brothers and sisters who are weaker … the elderly, the sick, the hungry, the homeless and strangers, because we will be judged on this.”
========================================================================
Here is the path to the destinations of creating my own resolutions
I took myself out of the immediacy of my current New Orleans life. Stepped out and ventured back home to California. I wanted to compare the who I am now to the who I was. The idea was to see those places and people who first helped inspire the tenants that I would chose to forge my male adult identity.
I reviewed parts of my life with family and listened to their responses, did the same for my brother, and shared my proud love to my sister, who is now a mother, and introduced and welcomed my niece, Giulianna, to our family.
I revisited my college town, the first real steps of building and creating the masculine warrior and poet I now identify as. I was able to reconnect with good friends, mentors, and God. And again share my year, and listen to their ideas and responses.
And now, I have returned to my current home and started to have those conversation of the experiences of the year past, with those here, and forging into the new year. With a more clear mind, I will put myself back in the mix with my New Orleans city and New Orleans friends--share my realizations, listen to their responses, and move forward.
========================================================================
Happy New Year! Here are the Topics of Growth of my Resolutions:
-it appears to be a lot, I know, all important and necessary.
-reasonable steps at a time.
-lots of planning, successes, failures, and re-planning.
Scheduling
Writing Projects
Reading Growth
Work/Life Balance
Spiritual Fitness
Physical Fitness/Diet
Solitude/Community Balance
Financial Stability
Romance/Dating/Sex
World News/Political Awareness
Art/Culture Awareness
Friendships
========================================================================
Steps Complete Thus Far
1. Turning the larger concepts into specific actions, tasks, and goals.
2. Draft #1 of my weekly schedule
========================================================================
Final Thoughts
I will be coming to a very important milestone in my life, at least according to my design. I will be 35 in February. The promise I made to myself was the change in focus from pleasure, in the moment, and rash decisions to a true ownership of male adulthood: health, education, financial stability--simply a true focus and commitment to my life in the long term. One truly difficult part of that is my Black and White vs Gray internal and external struggle. My idea is not to sacrifice all of my binary aspects as the thoughts and beliefs they are, it is more of maintaining an openness and love for those who are not me and shifting my balance of expectations between myself and those I truly care about.
-that is not very specific yet, but it will be over time. Also i have me working since 7am, and my brain and hands are tired.
Peace,
-Cid
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