Merhaba!

Well, I'm back from 12 days in Turkey. It was an amazing trip, and though I was ready to come home, I miss being there. I traveled with a fantastic, eclectic group from my church. When you spend that much time with people, they become family. I think that's what I miss the most, being home, is eating breakfast, lunch and dinner together, and experiencing all of the wonders of Turkey together.

I really have to go now....

My plane ticket to Turkey is going to be purchased tomorrow. It still doesn't feel real. I've wanted to go for 3, almost 4 years now, and it looks like I'm really going!

Teaching

When I talk about my job search, people frequently ask me if I've thought about teaching. Those who know me, know I've actually been a teacher - 4 years in 3 different schools. So, I'm like "Yeah...been there; done that." I've got a teacher mug, "Teachers have class" coasters, and even a denim shirt with "McCullough Faculty" embroidered on it.(which I wear to prune my rose bushes, since it's about the only thing that protects me from the thorns.)

So, what I want to know from these people, is are they just making an easy answer, or do they truly see something in me that says "Teacher"?

If it is an "easy answer," why do people think teaching is easy? Just because a person is smart, does not mean they have the gifts to being a good teacher. Good teachers are good planners. They know how to break information down into digestible segments. They vary their presentations of that information to reach each individual learner. They have the patience to re-teach. They have the enthusiasm both for their subject, and the growth and success of their students. They truly care about each and every student, regardless of background, abilities and attitudes.

There is an old snarky aphorism that says that, "Those who can* - do; those who can't - teach." Well I would also say that usually those who can*, usually can't teach.

Awake

So, I'm awake at 12:43am. Unusual for me. I usually have no problem falling asleep. I tried my breathing techniques for relaxing. No dice. I finished the book I was reading, Size 12 is Not Fat by Meg Cabot. Entertaining, but not the type of thing I'd want to read all the time. Yet another chick-lit book set in New York. Are there any chick-lits set anywhere else? That would be refreshing. No offense to New Yorkers, but nothing about that city appeals to me.

Not that I want to read a book set in Houston either. My goal has always been that each move will take me a little farther away from that sticky city. (Think New Orleans without the charm and history.) Don't get me wrong, the people here are wonderful. I just don't think that there will ever be enough money, or grit and determination to make it a classy city.

There are lovely areas outside the city, but there are still the heat & humidity. In The Woodlands, for instance, there is a nice waterway, and Market Street, both of which are great for strolling around, and hanging-out. But there are only about 3 weeks out of the year when you'd actually want to do that.

Maybe I'm just ready for a change. I just can't decide where I want to go.

Happy D-Day!

No, not Doomsday, as in 6/6/06. I mean how is 2006 significant? That's just stupid. D-Day. Yes, historically, it's the anniversery of the invasion of Normandy, the beginning of the end of WWII. But, for me, it's even more.

D-Day, for me = Divorce Day. Yes, on this day in 1996 my divorce was final. I have been divorced for 10 years now. I am very proud of the fact that I had probably one of the most amicable divorces in the history of divorce. My ex- and I could be poster children for how to do it. We're not only friends, but I'm friends with his wife, I adore their children, and we just work together on stuff regarding our children. Recently, my older daughter went to live with her father when he moved away to another state. She's 15. The only real worry I had was how much I would miss her. I had no worries about her being loved and cared for as part of the family.

So, happy D-Day everyone!

Don't Mess with History!

I watched "Kingdom of Heaven" last night. As was my wont(don't you just love that word?), I went to my bookshelf during the movie, to check out some of the facts. Mistake. That is, if I wanted to enjoy the movie. (Braveheart was ruined for me when I came home from the theater, and went to my bookshelf*). You see, I have an avid interest in history, and really enjoy historical fiction, whether it's in novel form or film. Why does Hollywood have to ruin history just so the protagonist can have a great romance? Okay, so Balian, the hero of the story, not only saves Jerusalem from destruction, but gets the girl. Well, that would have made her a bigamist, since her husband was still alive, in fact, she pre-deceases him. He is actually the step-father of her child, Baldwin V, whom she had with Baldwin VI, who died of leprosy. Yes, that makes her Baldwin IV's wife, not his sister.

Then, there's the language problem. Saladin, and all of the "Saracens" were Turks. Actually, Saladin was a Kurd, even. So why were all of them speaking Arabic? Why not Turkish, or even more acurately, Kurdish?

Overall, it was a spectacular movie showing the harsh reality of medieval warfare, and the mixed motivations for the Crusades. And the theme of redemption by having integrity and caring about the people, not just the Kingdom. That the Kingdom of heaven is in your heart, not in the physical world.

*In "Braveheart", William Wallace could not have slept with Isabella, Edward II's wife. She didn't even leave France to come to England until after William Wallace was executed. She later had an affair with Roger de Mortimer and committed further treason (queenly affairs were treason) by overthrowing her husband.

Perfection

So I started this new blog, hoping that I'd write profound or entertaining, or profoundly entertaining things. Apparently I set the bar too high, once again, and have been avoiding writing anything. I have so many brilliant ideas floating around in my head, yet they never see the light of day. And why, you ask? Because I have this impractical idea that whatever I put down has to be just right. I've read that this is not an unusual phenomenon.

So to overcome this fear of imperfection, I will just write and write and write, and hope that noone who is looking for perfection reads my blog. As noone actually knows about this blog just yet, I think it's a safe gamble.

(I'm seeing a new issue with my new, wireless keyboard....it doesn't respond as fast as I type. I can deal with this, as long as I trust that the letters will show up eventually. I usually know when I've made a mistake, and backspace to correct automatically. It's kinda funny to watch.)

I took a nap this afternoon, and so I'm not sleepy. Usually I would be asleep by 10 or 10:30. This pattern is not going to work if I get a job. At least, I don't think so. Maybe it would. Depends upon what time I get home. If I teach, I could take a nap when I get home, do Mom stuff, and then do grading and planning stuff, when my kids clear off of the computer and go to bed. Hmmmm. Will have to think about that.

Greetings

This is my first post here at Blogger.com. I have had postings at LiveJournal, and on MySpace, but wanted one a little more serious - a place where I could actually put coherent thoughts together and publish them. You know, a grown-up blog! So, although I don't have anything to say right this minute, I've now got a place to do it.