Monthly Archives: January 2011

31 January 2011

Teach for America

By Nicki

My daughter has again applied to Teach for America.  Last year, after a full year of substitute teaching on a per diem basis, she was waitlisted twice before being turned down.  This year, while already on her third extended substitute position and some additional per diem assignments in between, she was offered a shorter application process and was accepted.  She even was placed in the area of the country that she chose as her top priority.  I am very proud of her but am now, after a family conference call the night of her 24th birthday, thinking this may not be for her.

I wrote in a previous entry about how most of the parents were truly trying to micromanage their adult children with the information they were seeking on the call.  I admit I am picky about those in charge of almost anything.  I have high expectations, which were probably too high for this particular call as I feel that I have more tele-conference call experience than either of the two Teach for America representatives.  This worries me as one of these women is in charge of the area my daughter has been placed in and will be her main contact and source of information.  She did not impress me as being the “in charge” or the “I have all the information” type.  My daughter looks for that in a superior and I have seen the frustration she has experienced on a local level this year when the administrator is not this type of a person.

Here is a timeline that was offered that is specific to the Connecticut region for this  year.

  • Induction: This is a period of time to get to know the area that you are being placed in and to get to know the other corps members that will be in the area with you.  For my daughter’s region, induction will start on June 19th.  Corps members are expected to come to induction as if they are, at that point in time, moving to the area.  Items will be put in storage until living arrangements are found later in the summer.  This is approximately a one week time period.
  • June 27th my daughter is expected to report to Institute.  Here is where I start to be unhappy about what she is going to have to do.  My daughter has a degree in elementary education.  She has spent a full college semester student teaching in what is close to a neighborhood school in a suburban school district and in an elementary school in a city school district.  Institute is where Teach for America teaches the 98% of people who are not education majors how to teach – a good idea in practice but not a necessity to someone who has an education in education and who has been substitute teaching for two years.
  • Elementary teachers are put in two categories for getting offers from schools in Connecticut.  If an elementary teacher is offered a position from a charter school, those on the phone call are told the offer could come before or during Institute.  If the person is being offered a position in a public school, the offer could come as late as the actual start of school.  I do understand these time frames as schools have to wait until budgets are in place to know if hiring can take place or not.  My issue is with moving away without a firm offer in hand.

While I totally agree with the premise, or mission of Teach for America – to bridge the educational inequities in our country, I do not believe the process that the organization is using, especially in this economy, is the proper one.  There are a lot of educated educators out there – not that having a degree in education makes a person a good teacher – who are unemployed due to the economy.  Why make it harder for these people to do what they want to do – teach?

2 comments   |  tags: | posted in Family, Just my Thoughts

25 January 2011

Come visit with me

By Nicki

I am heading over to Mike’s blog as a guest.  Come over to MichaelRunner – An Aspiring Endurance Athlete to see what I have to say about Running in NY – Upstate, That Is.

 

I want you to know that I have met Michael.  He and I met up with my friend Steve and his friend and pacer Chris prior to the Wineglass Marathon.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , | posted in Fitness, Just my Thoughts

24 January 2011

Parents

By Nicki

I have seen parents who hover over their children in high school.  I have also seen it, to some extent, in college.  I am amazed that I just heard it in a conference call of mostly parents whose adult children have been accepted into Teach for America.  My biggest concern, and one my daughter has pursued answers to herself, is that she not duplicate work she has already done.  She is already a certified teacher birth through grade 6 in New York.  Does she really need to take certification classes in Connecticut?  I mean I understand if she does but no one seems to know for sure.  There lies my first problem.  No one seems able to give a straight answer to the question.

 

But back to parents.  On the call I just hung up on – yes, it is rude but I had already spent an hour of my time and learned nothing that convinced me my daughter saying yes to this was a good idea – there were parents who wanted to know if Teach for America would pair up their child with a roommate to live with.  There were parents who thought the Institute time was inconvenient and couldn’t their child go to one in a city other than New York.  Institute is where student teaching takes place and those in Teach for America who were not education majors in college – 98% of the corps members – get classroom management training.

 

I could not help but think these parents are going to micromanage their children’s lives forever.  When I was asked if I had anything I was interested in finding out more about, my concern was very specific.  It was regarding transfer of certification.  I am not concerned for my daughter’s personal safety.  She is an adult and knows not to go walk out at night alone – a point that was made on the call.  I am not concerned about a roommate for my daughter.  She is an adult and will either find a roommate or will pay more in rent and live alone.  I am not concerned about the dates for induction or institute.  I know these are required and that, if this is what my daughter chooses, she has to go the dates that these events are taking place.

 

I simply said the choice to become a corps member was not mine but my daughter’s and I didn’t have any general questions.

 

Do parents ever let go of their children?

2 comments   |  tags: , | posted in Just my Thoughts

24 January 2011

Snow & Winter in Upstate New York

By Nicki

I have to say that the winters now are not as harsh as I recall from my childhood growing up in upstate NY.  We do not get as much snow nor as much cold – as I am looking for my gloves to put on as it is so cold that typing is making my hands cold – as we did “back in the day.”  That said, I was out shoveling Friday morning  so that the car could get out of the driveway after a  two hour school delay.  The snow and the moon just appealed to me so you have winter in photos.

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Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , | posted in Art, Just my Thoughts

14 January 2011

Social Nation – A Book Review

By Nicki

Have you ever wondered what social media does for those who use it?  I know that I have used it to make additional contacts and to find some freelance assignments.  I have, on many occasions, wondered about companies and their use of social media.  I think almost all corporations can use social media.  The problem is most do not know how to begin or what interaction with customers should be like.  Social media is not a one way street.

 

Enter Social Nation by Barry Libert.  If I were to teach a course on social media to businesses or freelancers, I would use Social Nation as the text book.  Libert is the founder and CEO of Mzinga.  Mzing provides social software that manages social interactions on behalf of 300 well-known companies.  Libert starts his book by talking about why social media is important.  He also goes over why social skills – just as if you were in the same room as a person – are important in the world of social media.  The first part of the book ends with an assessment of your personal skills, putting each person in one of eight categories.

 

The second part of Social Media has seven principles for building your social nation.  These principles, well common sense, are very important guidelines.  I have watched companies, and individuals, on social media ignore community and just spew out one statement or opinion over and over.  These entities and people are the ones that no one wants to continue to associate with as time goes on.  People want to be able to know that interactions, conversations – whether in person or on a computer – are important to whoever is at the other end.

 

The third part of Social Nation is a single chapter that includes how to get yourself started and pitfalls to avoid.  Getting started is an important part.  There are definitions so we all know what we are talking about.  It is sometimes hard to know exactly where to expend energy.   The pitfalls also help one know where to avoid expending energy.

 

All in all, if you are interested in social media, if you are responsible for a business’s social media, Social Nation is a MUST read.

 

I did receive a copy of Social Nation: How to harness the power of social media to attract customers, motivate employees & grow your business for review but the thoughts here are my own and were not influenced by the author or his agents.

2 comments   |  tags: , , | posted in Book Reviews

2 January 2011

2011 Race Schedule

By Nicki

So I know that most people list “resolutions” at the beginning of a new year.  I have already told you all where I stand on the word resolution.  I will say that some of my 2011 goals – which are in rough form at the moment but will be here soon – involve running.  I can’t imagine my life without running.  To that end, here is my 2011 race schedule to date.

Before I let you see the race plans, let me say I intend to run two marathons, four to five half marathons (five if I have issues and only run one marathon), a hand full of 5Ks and some other races that I just really loved last year.  I am planning on topping out at 1600 miles for the year.

January 2011:   The January Freeze Series hosted by the Triple Cities Runners’ Club will be my only January races.  I am not driving to Cazenovia for the Chili Chilly this year.  I am planning on running at least one, and hopefully more than one, of these 10K races at Otsiningo Park.  I also intend – for me, the girl who swore she would never run a race – to join TCRC this year.

February 2011:  My first marathon is slated for February 19th.  This is a family trip to Myrtle Beach.  Hotel room is booked.  Kids are looking forward to the trip.  Youngest thinks he will bike the day after the marathon, just not sure how far as he doesn’t want to do the 100K ride without someone else doing it with him (don’t even think of looking at me!).

March 2011:  I am going for two races in March. I am going to run the St. Patrick’s 4 miler on March 12th in Binghamton and then travel to Rock Hill for the Celebrate Life Half Marathon.  This is a beautiful race and I fully intend to be there.  There is an outside possibility I will run the Chenango Fork XV at the end of the month but not totally sure on that race yet.

April 2011:  I am running the Skunk Cabbage Half Marathon in Ithaca on April 10th.

May 2011: I am running the Mountain Goat 10 miler the first Sunday of the month.  I am hoping that it is slightly less warm – it was 80 plus at the finish last year – than last year.  I am running the inaugural Binghamton Bridge Run Half Marathon on May 15th.

June 2011:  I am running the Vestal XX on June 18th.  I am also intending to do the Red Dress Run at the end of the month. The Red Dress Run is a 5K and is held on a weeknight.

July 2011:  I am running the Boilermaker in Utica again.  I loved this race last year, even though it freaked me out to take eight minutes to reach the start line as there were so many people registered and running the race.  I am also hoping Jeanne is putting together a 5K to benefit the Newark Valley High School cross country team.  While I am not a grass runner, I had a blast at this run.

August 2011:  My friend Chris is trying to convince me to participate in the Cayuga Lake Triathlon.  I am not totally sure about this but it is August 7th.  On the running front, I am looking at the Turning Stone half marathon on August 21st.  Last year I did the Catharine Valley Half  which was a trail run sort of.  While it was nice, Turning Stone is just a couple hours away and will help me in reaching my goal of four half marathons this year.

September 2011:  I would love to head to Delaware to run in the Dogfish Dash which is a 10K but I am hoping to run a second marathon in October so will run the Ithaca 5&10 again this month.  This will be a birthday run for me this year.  Can’t think of a better way to turn 50.

October 2011:  I learned a lesson last year when I didn’t register in time to run the Wineglass Marathon that I need to plan ahead.  Unfortunately, I am now torn.  I will run either Wineglass at the beginning of October or will run the inaugural Empire marathon in Syracuse mid-October.  I do have to take into consideration that this is my son’s senior year in high school which may come into which weekend is better for me to be running a marathon.

November 2011:  I will run the Turkey Trot 8K that TCRC has as it benefits the scholarship program they have.  Last year’s Turkey Trot allowed TCRC to give out four $1000 scholarships this year.

December 2011: Again, I will register for the It’s a Wonderful Run 5K.   Hopefully, I will not feel like crap and not go to the race.  I will also run the Y’s Resolution Run at the end of the month as that was fantastic!

10 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Fitness, Just my Thoughts

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