Education

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I tend to tread light when on my blog and speaking about what it is I do for a living. For those of you who do not know, I am an Educator. Some would say that I could just say that I am a Teacher, but I feel that when you strive to go beyond the walls of the classroom, and look past the broken, spineless textbooks, you deserve the title of Educator. 3rd sent me this link tonight, and technically, I was not going to write a post until the end of the week. But keeping up with my promise to myself, and wanting to blog more, I think that this subject deserves to be highlighted tonight. 

I am not sure who this young man is, nor am I sure of what his name is, but what he has to say is a real eye opener. I would be lying if I said that every once in awhile I throw around in my classroom that learning verbs, nouns and such is a very important thing to learn for your future ( and to be fair, it is ,considering that half of today's youth can't write a complete sentence without ebonics or text talk), but in the recess of my mind I know that sometimes these subjects are not what make up a complete education. In any given day I have 50 minutes to make an impact, and like I have stated before ,I fail to do this more than you may think. On the days where I know I have infiltrated more than normal are the days where I step outside the "exams", "papers" and "work" and I just listen to what my kids have to say. Sometimes, they stay completely on topic, discussing the latest novel that we are reading. Weaving in their tales and their life story with the protagonist.  On those days, I'm not thinking about the state test, or the fact that the 50 minutes is winding down. I know that there is no true test for what is being said on these days. That they are teaching THEMSELVES. That they are realizing in these discussions that this is life. 

Some days, I wish I could stomp out the test, projects and quizzes. Some days I wish it could be all discussions and life.

But the truth of the matter is, that is not the case, and I do have to implement certain techniques.... What is Theme?...to make sure you pass on and get an education....

So, how do I tell my kids that their fate is not defined by my test or projects? How do I tell them I define them a lot more by what I learn from them? 

I have no answers for these questions, and truth be told, I don't think I ever will. 

To the young man who says he will not allow an exam to define his fate. Don't. 

Respect

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For a long time, I had no respect for a person that carried a shield. They have the worst reputations. And folks that know me well, no that I have legit reason for once feeling that way. Fast forward to now, and I live quite close to a shield. But this particular shield stands out this weekend for a damn good reason. The men and woman who carry this state shield saved lives this past weekend. The work that they performed should be acknowledged. And for that, I have gained back even more respect for the shield. 

Weekend Wrap Up

This past weekend turned out to be quite nice. 3rd and I managed to get in a date night, something that hardly ever happens. I am starting to not really care for my surroundings, so we decided to head south and check out some places down in Boynton and Delray. 
First up is Bar Louie in Boynton. I am well aware that there is one right down the street from me, but again, I wanted a different scene and that is what I got. At this particular Bar Louie, it was very mellow. We went fairly early in the night, but from the looks of it, you could tell that was how the rest of the night was going to pan out. Just my kinda scene. We did not eat there, but did get a cocktail. The prices were moderate, considering I tend to have top shelf alcohol, and no, just for the record, I do not drink those fancy ass drinks with names like Hurricane, and Tropical Love. Those types of drinks are for the weak, and we all know, that ain't me. 
Leaving there, we headed down to Downtown Delray. We ended up eating at The Office. Sigh...here is where my night gets turned around. The price of food in this place is pretty damn high. I'm talking almost $18.00 you could pay for a burger and fries. They also had something that was called "Adult Tater Tots" as an appetizer. And they were good, but they give you, what it seemed to me, as six damn tots. 3rd and I glanced at the bowl, yes bowl, and then glanced at each other. What the what??? I ordered a martini. Folks, this is the ONLY drink I ask for by name. Now, I thought I said Dirty Martini, and I asked 3rd, and he said that is not what I said, that I just specified what type of vodka I wanted. He may very well be right, but in any event, the martini sucked. I mean, made me mad sucked. And whats worse? They must have purchased their martini glasses from Toys R Us. Minuscule is the key word. At this point, I was about done with this place. The entrees came out, and I must give credit, they give large portions for that. The burger I had was some specialty burger for the night, and the name escapes me, but 3rd had the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich, and he said it was good, but not hot. This coming from a man who loves his wings El Torcho...In any event, would I go back. Hell no. Nuff about this place. 
Our last visit was Salt7. I will be darkening its doorsteps again. This place is pretty cool. Kinda small on the inside, but no one sits in there anyway, unless they are eating there. The drinks are a bit pricey, but they were OK drinks. They have non stop music going on in there, and it is the perfect place to sit in front of and people watch. We saw a man carrying a purse. It was his, and it was nicer than the one I was carrying that night. Did I mention he looked better in skinny's than I ever would? Its that kind of place. 
All in all, we agreed to go back down there again and maybe try some other places. I already know where would be our fallback and where we wont return. If you do live around these parts and are looking to take a short trip somewhere else, I say head south. 

Back By Popular Demand

Yes...I am still alive, and yes, I did take a bit of break, because life got in the way. 
I do not even know where to begin. My last post consisted of me talking about chairs. Why the sudden shift in content you ask? Well, 3rd and I have purchased a home (in case you are wondering who the hell 3rd is, that would be the man I have shared most of the best years of my thighs with. I don't use his full name 'cause the gubment and shiz). 
Home ownership is a mutha. Taxes, mortgages, and upgrades....No one warned me that it is possible to spend over $10,000 on a kitchen. And that's just the damn cabinets. No, hell no, I haven't gone there yet with the cabinets, but I do investigate these things now, and good G-d damn...
So, why didn't I blog about the purchase of the home? Why did I not document that whole process? I mean, I did say that I wanted a journal of my life this year, and that was a huge thing to write about. Well, to sum it up in one word: lazy. I had all these wonderful thoughts of telling about the house and what not, but at the end of the day, coming home, taking care of this new home, my child and 3rd...well, the bed was all she wrote.
I also spooked myself reading other blogs. I have noticed that a lot of blogs that I frequent are stopping there blogs or censoring themselves, and they are doing this due to getting negative feedback from viewers, or being called "sell outs"...For a brief moment, I was spooked. These blogger's have been going at this strong for years. And now, all of a sudden negative backlash has them closing up shop. Then I thought about it. If you were to ever meet me, you would realize that the words you see written on my blog, are the same words that would spill from my mouth. This is my space the last time I checked, and why should I give an 'eff on what others think. I have a sum total of about four readers (shout out to 3rd!), and I KNOW most of my readers (LAKES!). I think if I offend them, well, at this point, their used to it. 
Where was I going with all this?
I'm back..and yes, I have said that before, but I promise, that I will update at least once or twice a week. And every once and awhile, I'll throw in a pic too.