Artistic Vision
It’s a right-brain kinda thing.Archive for Family
Dinner at Beau Monde
We took a drive to Philadelphia to eat at a restaurant called Beau Monde. It’s a creperie meaning everything you order is stuffed into a crepe. It sounded interesting.
The lady at the door wasn’t kidding when she told us at 8:30 that we’d have a 30-45 minute wait. I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised this being a city establishment and it being Saturday night. Needless to say, 45 minutes later we were sitting down with a menu in hand.
Update about my sick days …
Ok, so here’s the skinny. I met with my Super and it went well. I had to be honest and tell her I’m not sure what I can do about the situation. In reality, this isn’t going to stop - my family comes first. She totally understood that; she actually finished my statement for me regarding me taking care of the fam so that was cool.
She commented that the letter was a form letter and needed to be rewritten because it sounded entirely too severe. It was sent because a report was run at the end of the month.
What was reassuring was that she believed she knew me and what I was trying to do with the art program. She knew that I was there late and not running out when the last bell rang. She knew that I was committed and not there merely for a paycheck. She said this wasn’t going to affect my performance evaluations because she felt confident that she knew what I was about as a professional which is a good thing to hear.
In the end, she thanked me for my conscientiousness in setting up the appointment on time and meeting with her. So, overall, a good (and reassuring) meeting.
Traditions
My wife and I just finished watching White Christmas. It’s a tradition of ours this time of the year. What a great movie! We also watched this brief retrospective with Rosemary Clooney. I have to admit that there was something sad about watching it. Maybe it was the fact that all of the main players have died, or perhaps it was the fact that Danny Kaye wanted to be closer to Bing Crosby but Crosby just wasn’t the type of man to allow many to get close to him. Vera Ellen was just an incredible dancer.
I highly recommend the DVD which was also packaged with It’s a Wonderful Life. We haven’t watched It’s a Wonderful Life yet. I’ll let you know about the version that came in this package.
Lesson Learned
Of course, right after I commit to start posting more regularly, my kids get sick. Then my wife gets sick. Now, I’m sick. LOL!
Oh well. School has been interesting. I was asked to help out with a poster project to “celebrate” Safe Schools Week. Well, I thought it was a good idea but it has proven so much of a hassle. First off I wanted something more than the detritus the kids normally do for their posters (i.e., print stuff out on the Internet and slap it down on poster board with no thought). I decided to give a lesson on poster design that touched upon propaganda. I found websites featuring some WWII propaganda posters and the Armenian Genocide. Using these as a foundation, I also found information about poster design and we read an article detailing the key components of effective posters.
I felt confident that I gave my students a solid foundation. Unfortunately, what I hadn’t counted on was a) their laziness, b) their lack of experience thinking through problems such as this (despite being exposed to marketing messages everyday via magazines and TV), c) their inexperience doing relevant searches for photo resources, and d) their lack of experience working with projectors, cut paper, colored pencils and X-Acto knives.
In the end, I should have thought through the project more and just realized it was too early in the school year for me to introduce a project that pulled together so many advanced skills. At least it was advanced for my particular group of urban high schoolers. I know that many are getting something out of doing this project, but it has been draining because a two-week project has become a month-long project.
I guess the real lesson was for me!
I’m back …
Ok, school has been beastly and the kids have been passing sickness back and forth to each other and my wife, but I hope to be posting somewhat more regularly.
Halloween was a blast. Friends brought their two little boys over to walk around with us. Everyone looked great in their respective costumes. My kids did an awesome job listening to us as we navigated the neighborhood going from door to door, and we didn’t get home too late. My son was Buzz Lightyear this year and my daughter was a pumpkin.
Kids are awesome; what a blessing! I’m really excited about the holidays this year. Both of the kids are at that wonderful age where everything is magical and exciting. Of course, I’m not thrilled about what my daughter might do to the Christmas tree. LOL!
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