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Response to Intervention: The Benefits and Challenges

Good morning everyone! The weather outside is gray and wet, but the weather inside is sunny and toasty! I've been held captive by my warm bed while I blog and sip my cup of hazelnut Jane (the female version of "Joe").  I am sure there is a better place to be, but for some reason, I cannot think of it.  As many of you know, I have a grandson, Giovanni, who is on the autism spectrum.  His language has been progressing lately in leaps and bounds, and every time I am with him, he astounds me with his expressive language.  From his early years when eye contact was absent, I am now more than blessed by his four-year-old self's ability to hold my gaze and talk about silly things.  Oh, the conversations we have!  However, I often wonder how he is fairing in school.  He is in a special education preschool five days per week, three hours per day.  He loves the interactions with the other children and is still learning how to play nicely with them. Aside fro...
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A Misguided Thread = A Bobbin Error

     I have had a very busy schedule this week and unfortunately, my curriculum development course was put on the back burner until today (Saturday).  This morning, my very expensive Baby Lock sewing machine was hefted into the back of my car and escorted to the sewing shop forty minutes away to be "looked at", because I was sure that there was something seriously wrong with her.  She was skipping zigzag stitches, just like my other two Brother sewing machines.  I was beyond upset due to the same issue occurring with my other two machines.  The reason I purchased her was because I knew she was the top of the line and was extremely well-built, therefore, I was hopeful to not have any hiccups.       I have been sewing for more than thirty years and troubleshooting machines is unique to each machine.  In a huff last night, I expressed to my husband that my new machine was doing the same stitch skipping as my other two machines, bu...
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The Learning Puzzle and the Importance of "Owning" Your Education

      At what point do students begin to "own" their learning?  From Kindergarten to their fourth year in high school, does it ever sink in that they are a product of their academic investments?  As a former elementary and high school student, I often thought school was a place that was meant to "teach" me something, but many times, I unplugged my mind and my heart and the desire to learn was just not there.  Don't get me wrong, I love learning, but I never fully owned it for my betterment until I was much older.       Growing up, my father was fairly strict, especially concerning our education.  I loved taking the hard courses in high school to see if I could understand the subject matter and excel at them.  I was a B- student for the most part, but it wasn't until I learned about life and the value of an education that I began to achieve higher marks and own my learning.  I am about to finish my Master's degree in Native...
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The Naturalistic Approach to a Comfy, Cheaper, and Multifunctional Couch

      Lately, I have been learning about the ways to revamp a school's curriculum.  Call it fate or destiny, but this curriculum development course has me thinking about the various ways I make changes in my own life.  Most of the time, I know that a change needs to happen, but do I really ever break down the reasons why they need to happen?  For example, I have recently made a major change in my diet and have become vegetarian and pescatarian.  My blood type is Type A, and I know that Type A's are vegetarian by divine design, with the added consumption of fish.  I didn't arrive at this conclusion by reason alone or by reading a book about it.  I began to think about the killing of cows, chickens, and pigs.  I began to consider how they must feel when they see their offspring killed or their parents.  Quite frankly, it left a rotten taste in my mouth.  I have read numerous books on the benefits of eating veggies and fish only, ...
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Educational Systems in the United States vs. Finland, A Comparison

    Preface:  The rule of thumb in statistical analysis is to compare fairly equal samples.  This rule still applies whether these samples are population or geographical square miles.  The size of the samples needs to be fairly equal.  Keep this in mind when we discuss the differences in educational systems in Finland and compare them to the United States.         In 2012,  American Educator  author and teacher, Pasi Sahlberg,   wrote an article about the miraculous educational system in Finland.  Sahlberg described in detail Finland's need for social and economic equity and a democratic state, and how these two concepts changed the country's educational system post-WWII.  The article depicted a glowing report of Finland's educational reform from 1972-1978 and helped readers to understand why the old system was no longer working and the reform was needed (Sahlberg, 2012).  Sahlberg (2012) identified tha...
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Creating Peace in the Chaos

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Have you ever thought about what it takes for you to create?  We all love to create something in this life, right?  Whatever your passion is, think about how you get there.  Do you have an inner desire to begin or do you plan it thoroughly?  I am a planner, but I tend to create in utter chaos.  In my bedroom, I have a creation station area.  Everything was moved into this area to free up our guest bedroom, which used to house everything crafty.  However, when I dive into creating something these days, it is often an exploration that usually ends in spilled coffee, lost items under my sewing desk, or a crammed attempt in tight quarters.  No matter how much I organize, it is always chaos, but isn't life like that sometimes? Lately, I have been on a paper kick.  I started making bookmarks out of different papers and designs.  Some have paper clips, while others do not.  The end product is the same...a bookmark.  The journey to get...
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