Back in the Dreary East... and Loving It!

I just spent a couple of days visiting my friends in Breckenridge - where I was not shredding the gnar, even though there was a lot of great pow-pow to be had out there. Instead, I did way too much driving. I went out to Carbondale, CO, and back, then off to Denver Airport, where I had just dropped off a couple of friends a few days before. 

I had an interview at a boarding school out in Carbondale - called the Colorado Rocky Mountain School. After a few days of reflecting on the visit, I don't think the "teaching fellowship" I applied for would fit for me. Bummer. Not enough teaching, and too much work in the dorms. After being an RD at Warren Wilson and then working in the dorms at Eagle Rock, I am over that. Plus, I really want to hone my skills in teaching, and could probably best accomplish that at a public school. 

So, now the doors are wide open - and after a day back on the East Coast, I am already missing it. The coziness of the fog and humidity, and the lush green vegetation. The West is quite vast - maybe a little too vast. I can't get that comfortable there. A great place to visit for adventure. But I don't need adventure all the time. 

I am out in the farmlands of Maryland, at the homestead of my friends Emily and Loran. Loran has got himself a bunch of pigs and chickens, and Emily works in the city with a non-profit, managing their affordable green housing initiative. A great mix... can't wait to see the kids they pop out. 

In a few days, I will head up to the northeast for a visit with the fam. Christmas in Connecticut! Oh goody!

Winter has come at last

Tonight's forecast (from weather.com):

"Bitterly cold. Some clouds. Low -11F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph."

Mmmm. Delightful.

Counting Down...

5...4...3...2...1...

Five days left before my first trimester at ERS is finished. I've got a lot to say about it - but as a summary, I have really loved my time here.

I have great friends within my group of teaching fellows, and just finished reading a feedback form from a student who considers me to be "a really great friend here." I have the same feeling about a number of students. Which is great, because it was only a few months ago that students were lamenting the loss of the last group of teaching fellows.

After watching a number of "POLs" (again, that is short for Presentation of Learning), I came away with a new understanding of how much personal growth our students undergo here. For some of the new students, there is only so much that I can expect from them in class, because they still have a ways to go in other aspects of their personal lives. Seeing the growth that many of the "veteran" students have gone through gives me a LOT more hope and patience for our newer students.

I am in need of a break, but at the same time, am also looking forward to getting some good planning done for next trimester's classes. I am also realizing hat there are a number of students I am going to miss - especially some of our upcoming graduates - luckily, one of them, Hutch, lives in Boulder, less than an hour away, and my friend Henry (the teaching fellow for the HPC, "Human Performance Center" aka G-Y-M, or physical edcucation) and I have already scheduled a burrito "date" with him at Illegal Petes - arguably the #1 burrito joint in Boulder.

As a parting shot, here are some pictures from the evening we hosted the Eagle Rock graduates-to-be over at our house for dinner and games (3 hours of Rock Band).

Me coaching Sarah on drums - my new favorite Rock Band instrument

The Aerial Shot of Rock Band
The Band - Edwin on Drums, Sarah on Vocals, Hutch on Guitar

Hutch taking a crack at vocals with Edwin on guitar (I think this was "White Wedding")

What a Day

The Last Day of Classes for "ER-46" (that is an abbreviation for "the 46th trimester of Eagle Rock School). Next week is when students give their Presentations of Learning (that is the long way of saying "POL"), so no more lesson planning or classes for this trimester.

Babies were born, families became naturalized citizens, and marriage proposals were made. At that was all before lunch!

My classes ended fairly successfully, in that more than half of the students will be receiving credit for the courses (we have an all-or-nothing system here). The best thing I have realized as I look back on the first 3 months here is that it has taken very little time to get assimilated into the school culture, and I love working with all the students at the school. I came in really wanting to learn how to be a teacher, to the point that I was a little disappointed at the degree to which we were expected to focus more on our role as all-around mentors. But it recent weeks, that has subsided. I value my role as a mentor, and am excited that I also get to teach a few courses each trimester.

Next trimester, I am going to focus on developing a curriculum that focuses more on depth, rather than breadth. In this way, I can focus more on how we gain an understanding of a subject, instead of just trying to make sure that I cover a number of topics within that subject. I will be co-teaching an astronomy class - Star Search, an ecology/telemark skiiing class - From Deserts to Mountains, a chemistry class - Cooking with Chemistry, and a science/societies & cultures class on Environmental Racism.

Now I am sitting on the pillows in the hearth of the Lodge (the main community gathering space and cafeteria), anxiously awaiting the original production of "Hamlet in the Hood." Can't wait!

Where I Live

So it is time to share some photos of the crazy little mountain town I call home: Estes Park, CO.
(This post goes out especially to you, Mom)

A view from one of the big rocks at Eagle Rock School:

Eagle Rock School property:

The center of town (the bighorn sheep statue - frequent place for elk to congregate):

A view of Estes from the park in town:

Thanksgiving at the Rock

Turkey-lurky-doo and turkey-lurkey-dee...
(I can't believe the Mets traded Darryl Strawberry!)

I had no remorse for not being with family this Thanksgiving, because the past weekend has been great here at Eagle Rock. Thanksgiving Day started late, and began with a big old brunch. Then it was off to do any number of fun stuff around campus. I opted for playing Atari at Dan and Karen's house. The picture below is entitled "Addiction." It was taken about an hour or so into our playing of Donkey Kong, Pitfall, Warlords, Ms. Pac Man, and Missle Command.


After gaming, it was on to Thanksgiving Dinner. The kitchen provided all the turkey, dressing, and mashed potatoes, and the community brought the rest. I made good old fashioned green bean casserole for 30. Pop open the cans, mix with cream of mushroom soup, bake for 30 mins, add french onion crunchies, bake for 5 more minutes. Voila! There were pies a plenty, buckeyes, and other tastey desserts.

Here is a photo of me, Andrea (another fellow), Kennyth, and Merlin - both students. Unfortunately, it doesn't include Clara, Robin, and two of my fellow Bridgeport, CT friends - Shawnee and Hernando, who just started at Eagle Rock this trimester... We had a great dinner, and shared what we were thankful for - of course.



Then it was a little more video games until I began my evening duty shift, which was quite uneventful given the food comatose that permeated the community.

On Friday I began the day by reading Dr. Seuss' "The Lorax" to the community, with accompanying photos that I scanned into the computer. It has become a tradition for me to read The Lorax wherever I go, and I am really liking it. Then it was off to Laser Traxx - a "Fun Center" in Loveland, CO where we played (can you guess) Laser Tag, among many other games. We quickly learned who was the best, and for the last of three rounds, stacked are team with only top-three finishers from the first two rounds... and dominated. It was fun. My aliases included Dragonfly, Buzz, and Maverick (the names given to you on your pack). I never want it to end.

The rest of the weekend has been chill, and we have had a little bit of snowfall every day since Wednesday before Thanksgiving. It is snowing as I speak. Not a lot, but just enough to make it feel like the holidays are around the corner.

See you soon, East Coast!

Eagle Rock-ease

If you ever make it out to Eagle Rock School, you may wat to understand a few things about the way we speak here, so that you can better communicate with us. Use the following as your guide:

"...feel me?"
add this to the end of your sentence in order to check in with the listeners to make sure they understand you.

"Remember - you have no right to no opinion."
say this when nobody is responding to your question

"that s*** is f***ed up!"
say this at least once during each morning gathering - especially if you are a 4'11'' fiery latina from NYC

"G-T"
say this after the Head of School, Robert Burkhardt, says "N-D"

Special note: feel free to convert anything you want into an acronym. It need not even be more than one word. We'll love you for it.

Hold on to Your Hats!

Today in Estes Park, CO:

Mostly sunny. Windy. Highs in the 40s. West winds 15 to 30 mph with gusts to 50 mph.

(image taken directly from the weather website)


My boss also just sent us an e-mail yesterday saying the following:
"Just a quick reminder or update for those of you that have not lived in a windy place before. Please hold on to the door handle when opening and getting in and out of vehicles. The wind gusts are very strong here and they have ripped car doors off of their hinges before. Happy windy winter!"

Nice.

You can hear the winds howling all day long... and I have never heard anything like it in my life before. But I can rest assured that the winds of winter are what keep our little mountain town clear of smog all summer long.

Key?... What's the Key?!?

I will never watch basketball the same way, again. Not after having to play it during intramurals at Eagle Rock. Whistles blowing, foul shots, having to stand certain places, NOT being able to stand certain places for a certain amount of time, and on more than one occasion getting the ball knocked clear out of my hands by someone 10 years younger and six inches shorter than me. I miss ultimate frisbee (well, I would if it weren't for the cold, howling winds of winter that are descending upon our Colorado mountain valley).

The lesson learned from the day was that it is actually a lot easier to have a good time a sport you completely suck at - because any small improvement you make as the game goes on is a big boost to the ego... although that can quickly be squelched by giving up a 10-point lead when you are on the court. Oops!

A quick update for those of you who may not know... The school where I teach - Eagle Rock School - has kind of a Harry Potter feel to it in that there are six "houses" where students live, and each house is named after a different native tree (Aspen, Juniper -- that's me! -- Spruce, Ponderosa, Lodgepole, and Pinon) has its own color (White, Yellow, Green, Blue, Red, and Black, respectively), cheer, and flag that hangs in our main lodge (as well as the gym). Staff members are assigned to each house for advisories, and every Wednesday classes are suspended in order to have a long community meeting and intramurals. Each team plays two other teams, and refs one game. As students and staff donning full uniforms of white, tellow, green, blue, red, and black can be seen all around the court, field, or pool (depending on the time of year), one can help but have Quiddich pop into thought. It's pretty awesome, and it is one of the best things I get to do every week as part of my job.

Here are some photos from Ultimate:

The Pre-game Pump Up led my Ultimate Team Captain Jasson

Some of the Juniper staff watching from the sidelines
(Me, Karen - houseparent, and Libby - another Fellow)

Basho for President 2008

Waiting at airport,
girl in pink sequined ballcap.
Denver bound this time.

Nerd Vest Goes to Charlotte

This past weekend, I took a break from the cold, somewhat snowy climes of Colorado, donned my nerd vest (ask Addy), and headed to my old collegiate stomping grounds of Western North Carolina. I stayed with my friend Hun Lye in Davidson, and commuted to Charlotte for a National Science Teachers Association conference. I am officially a "grown-up." At the conference, I bumped into one of my high school science teachers, who was surprised that I was a teacher, because she recalls that I was quite "wild." When I tried refuting her image of me, I was met with a "yeah - right!" So I gave up that battle, and went along with her bad-ass image of me. In the end, the conference sessions were scored as follows:

Useful: 3
Fun, but not useful: 1
Not bad: 2
What the hell was I thinking?: 1
Cancelled, so I ate a long lunch instead: 1

If you want details, I can tell you which was which.

In the end, the highlights of the weekend were as follows: (1) dinner with Hun, (2) dinner with Hun, (3) breakfast with Hun, (4) Skype-ing with friend Joe in Taiwan, (5) meeting up with friends from WWC, (6) Philly Cheese Steak's 26th Birthday bash, (7) Dim Sum with Hun, (8) R&R, and... of course (9) Duncan.

I am well-rested and ready to head back to Colorado. But I'll be back in two weeks for my first Warren Wilson Alumni Board Meeting. Hmm... I think I am going to need to buy even more nerd vests...

First Things First

Simply put, this blog is an effort for me to get my thoughts down in writing. I have not been successful in journaling, mostly because I feel like it is lame if I only write down more than one or two paragrahs. Luckily, I also think it is lame when people write too much on a blog - so this may be just the ticket I need to get some thoughts out... even if nobody is watching.
So enjoy - and drop a line. Maybe this will actually go somewhere!