Sunday, October 25, 2009

Taking Time Off From Blogging and Other Ruminations

Greetings from Pagan Sphinx land. The heart and soul I put into my art posts needed a bit of nourishment today, so I'm coming by to say hello and tell you how it's going. In a word, my studies are rather dry. One is reading instruction related, the other math related ( oh, joy).  The way I'm accustomed to working with children when it comes to pre-reading, emergent and early reading goes entirely out the window while taking courses to help the deficient reader. Out goes the fun of bringing a story to life through drama, art and the sheer joy of enjoying a great story and its illustrations while lying on the floor with little ones' hands on their chins as they are held mesmerized. If I become a special education teacher, I will have to find more fun ways of teaching reading that still get the skills in or I fear I shall wither and die along with my students. And there-in the problem lies for me. And if regular public education weren't standardized and boring enough, special education is twice as much so.

Why I am doing this, you ask? I'm doing it for the kids who are falling further and further behind so that one day they may be able to enjoy reading and learning on their own terms and not just to satisfy a bar imposed on them by the bureaucracy that is public education.

I'm doing it for myself, too. I'm trying to conquer my fear of the public education machine. Suffice it to say that I have to stay in public education because to go back to private-non-profit would mean working for a stipend. Been there, done that and flat broke. For those of you who are unfamiliar with education, yes, there is in fact another sphere of education where the pay is even less than the public school system.

I've strayed far-off!  One of my classes is not too bad. The other is gruel with sop ( I did mention rumination. Sorry.) I have gruel with sop twice a week and I have to drive over an hour to get it. It's a long story and going any further about it, will only make it likely that I will break out in hives.


I have a new avatar (above) Not that you'll be seeing it much, since I'll be blogging hardly at all for the next couple of months, as some of you who read my last post  know. It's a detail from a painting by Surrealist Leonor Fini.
  
I am smitten!

There is another surrealist by the name of Remedios Varo who has really caught my fancy, as well. I wish I had time to compose an image-laden post on her work but as it is, I'm already taking liberties with my limited by time by putting this out to share with you.

But I'm glad I did.  :-)

All the love,
Ms. Sphinx




Remedios Varo

And here is Music for Sunday:  Suzanne Vega's song Ironbound.




8 comments:

  1. Glad you are "fini."
    We had been wondering about you.
    Just hold your higher, aloha energy; do your best, and magically it will flow positively with the kids. Just being there with them, not seeing their defficiencies as much as their hearts, will bring lovely results.
    I'm NOT a child psychiatrist - but I will play at being as one when I adress their nat'l convention here in Waikiki a week from today. I worked with really stigmatized and special ed kids in my afterschool session. They blossomed because I valued them....sermon over LOL


    Aloha, Friend!


    Comfort Spiral

    ReplyDelete
  2. oohhhh- love that artist!!!!! they are fantastic those paintings :)

    i won't get started on public education :) good luck :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Now I know why I never did go into the teaching profession.
    Did I ever tell you about my youngest, who had a party with many of her fellow teachers, about a year after they finished grad school. They sat around and asked one another what they thought they'd be doing in 10 years. Every one of them said they would NOT be teaching. All were disillusioned by the system and administrators.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I hpoe the course goes well, rough as well as smooth. All the best!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yes, take time away from blogging, find and experience what is calling to you.
    The art you have shared is wonderful and unique- the later making it even more wonderful.
    I bow to you for your interest/passion in wanting to make learning interesting for students. If only that were always the case with teachers! I feel teaching is one of the most important jobs there is, as well as parenting.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hang in there, Gina. Your posts are so worth waiting for, we'll be here when you get time to dally. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  7. those painting are outrageous, love them

    I'll be waiting for ya :)

    ReplyDelete

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