My Happy Place...A Creation Studio

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...

     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...

      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...