"Life In The 21st Century"

Not to be negative, but I'm VERY HAPPY April will bid it's final adieu for this year. What a month it's been. I've been on Technology Planning committees, gave a workshop on Diversity, sat on a visiting team for a Manhattan School's accreditation (four days away from home) and still was able to oversee my LibraTech area (plus teach my broadcast journalism classes). Oh....I also forgot the M and W word....Mothering and Wifing was also fit into the month somehow.
This week begins Foreign Language week at my school so I'm hoping to post some nifty pictures and ideas for teachers of Spanish and French. But my main goal for the month of May is to STOP saying "but at the end of the day...." It was inadvertently brought to my attention from a dear relative that I say this all the time (incessantly). And when I thought about it long and hard, she was right. I actually do say this ad nauseam. But, at the end of the day, who the heck cares?

 

my brother is working (he's on the right side-a handsome chap eh?) on a movie that I, as a mom and an educator can relate to. Oh gosh...I'm sounding more like the people I promised I'd never mimic...my parents. So it's true, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

So Akeelah and the BEE is ready for release and RIGHT up my alley. Not to mention, I can't wait to see it. Even the trailer has me wanting to study my Websters more. Here are some PR pixs.

Anytime I get KUDOS from people for being 'who I am' I can't help but think about MY DAD. Dad was THE 21st century educator and parent back in the 60s, 70s, 80, 90s and 00s (until his death at 63) and BOY is he missed. Anyway...here's to you Dad!

"My Dad...Anthony Bodden In Earlier Days"

Never in a million years, did I ever think I'd be writing (typing) about a past that would not have a future.

But I do believe that the beauty of blogging is to help document for others, The Teachable Moments. And please know that these moments occur when we least expect them to.

Today was just an average day. My kids' school was closed (again) due to parking lot paving that needed to be completed last week. But due to the excessive rain, it prolonged the event to yet another day off. I was livid; "another day off?" I cried. But little did I know that my 8 year old son would have a life lesson that would far surpass any history lecture ever given to him.

So...with my kids out of school today, my mom was the DB (designated babysitter). They had a great day at the movies and a mandatory nap at noon (something I haven't been able to enforce). But what was really awesome was the card my mother gave to my son. It was a memento of a card given to my father from his friends from work. The card was special in many ways; so special that it made me rethink my youth.

The card was a picture of a Linotype printer. The same one that my dad worked on when he was a Linotype operator, many years ago. As a kid, I heard much about Linotype. I actually credit my father for being the reason behind my passion for technological pursuits. But never had I actually seen a real Linotype machine. The Royal was all I came close to when it came to technology; although I did dabble in the King's Quest Series (awesome game) through our IBM computer (it was an early 80s model).

Anyway, inside the card were well wishes to my dad from his co-workers who all played a role in the Bowne Co. of Linotype operators in NYC. These were men from different racial backgrounds, but they were brothers who truly loved eachother. So (my mom told me today) when my father received the card (about 5 years ago) he cried. Linotype printing (and his family) were his life. Consequently, my life was spending time typing on the Royal typewriter in an effort to emulate my dad. Then came that dreadful era of computers.

Computers entered the picture. The young bosses and computer savvy technicians were in full blast and had virtually taken over the industry and the jobs from these "men" who had been doing this forever. I still remember my dad saying, "gosh, they're not much older than you." I was probably 13 at the time mind you. Unfortunately, this ended that part of my father's profession and livelihood. He tried very hard to adapt to this new way of typesetting; but it never seemed to work out for him. I wonder why? And probably will never know because he is deceased now and chose NOT to discuss these issues with us. He was a very proud man. But I do know that my son was very interested in what this huge machine meant to his grandfather. He wants the card by him at all times now. This has of course sparked my interest in trying to understand my father better and this era that has become virtually obsolete. I'd also like to integrate its relevance into my journalism classes and how Linotype printing set the framework for computing (I think).

Here's what I found out (so far): "The Linotype Machine: Thomas Edison called it the "Eighth Wonder of the World"
"Mergenthaler's invention measured 7 feet tall, 6 feet wide and 6 feet deep. It allowed newspapers to compose pages four to five times faster and caused thousands of hand compositors to lose their jobs. A skilled Linotype operator could cast four to seven lines of type a minute. The Linotype operator's key strokes told the machine which letter molds to retrieve from the magazines and the machine assembled a row of metal molds, or matrices, that contained imprints of those characters. Then, the machine poured molten lead into the matrices and the result was a complete line of newspaper type, but in reverse, so that it would read properly when it transferred ink to the page. The machine automatically restored the matrices to the magazines after the lead was poured."

More to come.

Is there anything that's NOT GoogleFide already? My gosh, I see that name everywhere (even in my sleep as I count Google Sheep)

But really, jokes aside, over at (just ONE of the many) Google blogs there's a post today about the updated feature of Google Scholar, Google Calendar,

I wonder if the Google Family will be opening up a restaurant soon? Hmmmmm....I wonder what they'd call it.

Now We're Talkin'...
New York Offers Housing Subsidy as Teacher Lure

Last week I presented a workshop on Diversity at the Lycee Francais school (here are some resources). I've spent time reflecting on some of the issues raised by some in attendance.

Here are some meaty issues worth thinking.
-Some African American students resent having to celebrate Black History Month.
-How should we celebrate diversity?
-Diversity should not be a stand alone subject but EMBEDDED into curriculum.
-Once you have a diverse population in a school, what do you with it?
-It's difficult for white teachers to understand the internal racism that occurs within people of color.

My thoughts are to take: diversity, culture, ethnicity and anything that makes us who we are, out of the closet (no pun). Because, the more we obsess about it...the more we're divided by the diversity and not united. Sorry to be preachy.

It's a relationship that started out very hostile. He would look at me and stick out his tongue a few times. I, on the other hand, would look the other way in PURE disgust. He was trying to slide into my life; while I was not interested in his slick ways. I can spot a snake in the grass when I see one.

But I must admit, recently I've developed a genuine fondness for SNAKEY, my son's pet snake.

I find myself looking in his cage (adoringly) to see that he's still breathing (hard to tell). And now that's he's eating larger sized mice, he's also growing by "leaps and bounds." It doesn't even bother me anymore when he wraps his little, adorable head around his evening dinner. Even my daughter is excited about bringing him to school to show her first grade friends.

  

I guarantee this...when I show my students this New York Magazine cover, NO ONE will know that IT'S NOT THE REAL THING. If you look closely and your eyes are in good shape, there's a disclaimer that reads: "This is a fake picture. Brad is an impostor; Angelina is a computer clone. The baby has not yet been born. If the blessed event occurs by the t ime of publication, let's just pretend this cover never happened." NOT!!! It happened already and I'm sure the cover was meant to DUPE people like me. If not, then why is the disclaimer so teeny?

Talk To The NY Times.

I'm curious to see what my Broadcast Journalism students will ask in the letters to the NYT Executive Editor Bill Keller. He's fielding and handling some HOT topics at the NYT's website.

It's great that he's opening up for questions. Why doesn't he just blog?

  

  

  

Is it me? I tried explaining to my broadcast journalism students today (at length) that joking about race is NEVER okay. And I'm pleased to announce that MOST of them 'got it' but BOY there are some students I'm REALLY worried about. These FEW (and I mean few) STUDENTS actually believe that calling each other 'racial slurs' is COOL and it's me that doesn't 'get it'. I argued it and am still 'BLUE IN THE FACE' (no pun of course). But the best part of today was hearing from one of my more genteel and insightful students (and these kids forget that they become our children when they enter our class rooms). Anyway, he says, "My parents raised me to NOT think about race at all. We're all the same. I only learned about differences when I came to school."

How do we teach students about cultural sensitivity and/or inclusion if laughing about how someone speaks is OKAY?

I was in high school in the 80s and darn it, I thought we made strides. Or...maybe it's just a 'given immaturity' based on the age that rebellion is inherent no matter what.

BUT.... after proof-reading this post, I realize (with heavy heart) that it's not my students that don't get it; It's most likely...me.

Some interesting trivia from a recent email in my box this morning. This Wednesday, at some point the clock will read 01:02:03 04/05/06. And..."it will never happen again." Although, how do we know that?