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Geography Camp

Another year has passed and its time once again for the famous Summer Academy for Minority Scholars at Texas State University in San Marcos. So far we have been to the Institute for Texan Culture in San Antonio, taken a tour of 4 different religious sites in Austin, and participated in a necrogeography tour of the San Marcos area, visiting 3 old cemeteries. One of the burial grounds was that of slaves from the Kyle area; most of those graves were unmarked, but clearly distinguishable by sunken places in the ground.
The 30 students and their teachers are preparing PowerPoints about the many different cultural groups that settled Texas, including the Wends, Irish, Czechs, Vietnamese, and my group, the Lebanese.
Tomorrow morning we'll do our presentations and depart for home. Some groups have as far to drive as Los Fresnos, and another is from Buda, 20 minutes away. All of us plan on returning next year.

Barsana Dham, Driftwood


Uhland Cemetery


Log cabin, Institute for Texan Culture


Synagogue, Austin

One Down, 3 to Go

The Spurs made it out of the first round in 4 games - 2 of them squeakers. Last night was almost too much to watch - I closed my eyes when Ginobli was shooting the last free throws.
Now we're up against New Orleans, who ripped through Dallas like they weren't even there. Tough times ahead....

Hooray

Fafblog is back, after an absence of almost 2 years. Hip Hip Hooray!

Most Awesome Speech

ONE Day

GeoTech Workshop

Just got home from the 20th GeoTech - my 5th. I learned lots more than my small brain could absorb at once. There were workshops on using podcasting, as well as the myriad GIS systems available, including free, online, and expensive systems. I was introduced to this Google Earth application, and will have my students create a 'LitTrip' in Google Earth for their spring reading project. I also got to hear Dr Ken Hendrickson from Midwestern State University talk about the surge in Iraq, and why, unfortunately, a precipitous withdrawal would be disastrous.
I enjoy going to these workshops, where I am able to network and visit with colleagues I see infrequently, and to make new friends. I don't understand why more teachers don't attend, except for this - many districts, like Comal ISD, won't pay for teachers to attend professional development! They won't pay for registration OR a substitute. How can the state expect us to be professionals if we can't get the training? Fortunately my district paid my registration, a grant paid for the sub, and I stayed with my son (an hour's drive from the training site).
I can't wait to meet with the other Geography teachers and show them all the stuff I learned at the workshops. They missed a good one.

Poll Dancing: Is Clinton Finished?

Poll Dancing: Is Clinton Finished?
Burka thinks so. I can only hope he's right. Surely her camp sees the problems ahead if they try to seat Michigan and Florida. There has been talk of trying to come to some sort of compromise, but since Obama wasn't even on the ballot in Michigan, I don't see what kind of compromise will work. Either way, it's not good for Clinton.

Swivel

From Swivel. I thought Texas would have a much higher percentage - I guess I just lived in West Texas for too long.

The Great Project

MyPre-AP kids and the G/T class are doing a Walkabout project to learn a little something about SE Asia and Oceania. We spent 4 days in the computer lab where they have been researching and working on their projects. Will they finish? Probably not. do I give them more time? I guess so, with points off.
end of class... more later