Worst feeling ever!

I felt helpless today as I carried my little 18 month niece into the ER as she was having her third seizure of the day. Other great highlights: 5 hours in the ER, eating crappy food, watching a child get an IV, watching a child have two more seizures in the hospital (eyes rolling, unresponsive, twitching, hands clenched, eyes glazed like a doughnut) (helpless again), doctors telling us nothing is wrong after the tests are done, WARNING NEXT COMMENT MAY BE CRUDE- watching nurses shove something up a baby's bum, watching baby pee on them afterwards, holding exhausted-drugged child while waiting for results and to check out, watching child unable to stand or balance because drugs are in the system. And this was only my afternoon.

P.S. She is fine now, they have changed her medication.

Cursive writing vs. Computer keyboarding

A great discussion incurred on facebook with a good friend of me about the the issue of teaching cursive writing or computer keyboarding skills. What is more important? Many people felt computer keyboarding skills were more important, because cursive writing is becoming obsolete. They wondered why we even bothered to teach cursive in schools and we should focused on teaching keyboarding instead. I don't think so.

I feel that we need to find a delicate balance between both, but to not teach it would be a huge mistake. Students need to be able to read cursive writing to survive in this world. Not everything is written in print (look how many cool fonts we have in Microsoft word). Research shows that there is a strong correlation between good handwriting and good readers/writers. I see this correlation in my own students. Most of my low readers have poor handwriting, I decipher student work daily. Also, many of my students can't use the computer (even after having keyboarding), because they can't read the print (in any font) on the computer. Reading and writing are so connected, we need to have them work together.

Fight the Feb. Blues

I remember many moons ago, I was in college (undergrad), I was struggling during Feb. (not because of Feb. 14th) I talked with my institute teacher/friend about my woes. He said, "It's February, everyone struggles in February." Pull out some great quotes and reminded me that we are stuck in the winter blues, fighting to get to spring. The weather plays tricks on us. Warm, cold, warm, cold, etc... Since then, I find that Feb. is a difficult month. I am tired of the winter wardrobe. I want to wear my flip-flops and light jackets. You are stuck in the house for long periods of time. You leave in the dark to go to work and come home in the dark. UGH! NO FEB BLUES THIS YEAR!

P.S. Single ladies, please don't force me to write a excerpt on my feelings about whiny women of Feb. 14th. Don't be lame and watch a bitter girl movie and eat lots of chocolates, instead share your care, not your woes.