So.

So many interesting things these last two weeks. An exercise in priorities? Or in blogging. Rather than write an incredibly long blog post today, I think I shall post one or two interesting things today and then spool out this week in the same manner. Ready? Ready.

First, I had a conversation with a friend on twitter yesterday, not particularly deep or anything, in fact it was one of those end of day, “how was your day?” kind of things. She likes to take photographs so a good question for her is: Did you get to take any pictures today? For me, questions tend to involve interesting things that happened with students or my kids or what I’m reading. So, during this conversation, she used TWO words that I DIDN’T KNOW AND HADN’T EVEN HEARD OF BEFORE! I love that.

Started it all. Because, when I objected to being called “puddin'”, she said:

And then I said to her, “100 teenagers will know these words tomorrow.”

And then she said, “Really, you’ll tell them about the words?”

And I answered, without thinking, “they learn what I learn.”

And it’s true. And they are glad it’s true. The converse is also true, of course, or it wouldn’t be a conversation. I learn what they learn. [I know, you are thinking, is she EVER going to tell us the words? Um, not yet. You may of course, look ahead.] Today, I was invited to sit in on a small group discussion of post-WWII America. The four students had researched the Cuban Missile Crisis, Birth Control, McDonald’s, and JFK, and the discussion protocol included each student presenting highlights but then answering the following two questions. 1) What do all the topics have in common, how do they hang together? The students decided that they all involved an element of a certain kind of risk-taking that was new in post war America. 2) What are the responsibilities of an American Citizen? (A question that runs throughout the course.) So that was really enlightening and interesting.

Finally, from

What a great word!

Two other things that are at the top of the pile!

Finally…

From one of my (and maybe your, now) favorites: Joe Hanson of It’s OK to be Smart fame…

Here’s the credit and the info, followed by the first of SEVERAL really awesome string sculptures. Click the picture to see the rest!

In other news, I purchased a TI N-spire calculator for the ipad and I might love it more than anything. I’ll send pictures of what I’ve been doing on it in my next post. Now, off to read…