While my husband painted en plein air today, I took the opportunity to wander with my camera.
We've been to this location before, a marshy section of Glen Lake, NY, bisected by the Warren County Bikeway. It's a lovely setting, but I was impatient for the wildflowers to make their appearance - snow and bare branches have lost their charm as photographic subjects.
An acquaintance and her hiking companion stopped to chat when they saw Tim's easel. Since they carried binoculars and cameras, I asked what they had seen on their walk. Luckily for me, both women are very knowledgeable about native plants; they were happy to "show" me a variety of shrubs and trees that I had barely glanced at before.
I take great pride in noticing details, but, without knowing what might be growing in that habitat, I had no foundation on which to build. After I photograph flowers, I use my research skills to identify and label them. Maybe I need to try a new approach and study the probabilities and possibilities before setting out.
Sue, one of the friendly experts, shared her favorite quote from Michelangelo: "I am still learning."
Obviously, so am I.
You can see my photoset of the Glen Lake Marsh here
Here are some random experiences and reflections from our recent trip to Puerto Rico:
Jane Stern Dorado Community Library
As I did last year, I visited the Jane Stern Dorado Community Library. While my sister-in-law registered as a seasonal borrower, I took the opportunity to chat with some of the staff members. I learned that the collection was begun by American professionals, relocated to Dorado for their jobs in pharmaceutical companies, who donated their personal libraries to the town when they returned to the States - hence the preponderance of English-language books.
Young people throughout Puerto Rico receive a bi-lingual education, but the library is currently building its stock of recreational reading materials for older, Spanish-speaking, users. There is a computer room, with a nominal fee for Internet access. Members of the Community Library are given passwords which enable them to use personal laptops within the building, free of charge.
Interesting sounds lured me to a pre-school mother/child session, where tiny tots were happily banging away on an assortment of musical instruments. The mom in charge assured me that I'd be a welcome volunteer for story time, if I happen to return again next year.
Dorado Academy
Before leaving home, I had contacted Mrs. Nancy Escabi, Headmaster/Director of Dorado Academy. At her invitation, I spent some time touring the school and learning a bit about education in Puerto Rico.
Dorado Academy is a private institution, originally founded by American ex-pats ("continentals"), but now maintained and supported largely by local families. Since the school is totally funded by tuition, the budget crisis plaguing the U.S. is not a factor here. All core subjects are taught in English, with some leeway allowed in "specials" like art and physical education. The only mandatory non-English courses are Spanish Language, and the History of Puerto Rico.
Students wear uniforms (as do all children that we saw, whether in public or private schools), in this case navy skirts or slacks, white polo shirts, and black shoes. More casual attire is allowed for gym classes and special dress-down days. Although the school is not air-conditioned (electricity is very expensive), an interior courtyard and louvered windows, help maintain a comfortable temperature. The gymnasium is constructed like a garage, with doors that can be raised to allow air circulation.
Mrs. Escabi, a native of New York City, is of Pueto Rican heritage. When I described where in NYS I lived, she reminisced about taking a ride on the Lake George steamboat, Minne-Ha-Ha, which docks just a few miles from my home! She is very attuned to current trends in education, and hopes to acquire eReaders for her two libraries. As with the public library, the school library collections are mainly in English: families recognize that their children's future depends on language fluency and the academy responds accordingly. The students I met in the hall were friendly and well-behaved, a credit to their school and their community.
Again, should I return to Dorado, I have an open invitation to volunteer. Perhaps there will be opportunities to connect online, as well.
Kites and Whales
Sometimes the best vacation memories are unplanned. While on a visit to El Morro, in Old San Juan, we saw hundreds of children flying home-made kites. The steady, strong breezes off the ocean were perfect for this outdoor activity.
Then, at the local Saturday beach party, someone alerted us that whales were jumping offshore, a rare occurrence for Dorado. Although I wasn't able to capture the event with my camera, it was a thrilling experience to see the huge splashes, knowing what they represented.
People, Language, Culture
Once again, we were warmly welcomed by the year-round residents of Dorado. They invited my husband to watch boxing matches on a projection TV screen, outside, under the stars. We sampled local food and agreed that rum and coke is a proper beverage for tropical climates. There was the traditional Friday night poker game, passionate domino competitions, and stunning sunsets to share.
I don't speak Spanish, but I'd love to learn how. It seems to be a language made for conversation and laughter. It suits our Puerto Rican friends. I will miss them.
"Reflections by the Sea" by dmcordell "Popular fiction, Jane R. Stern Community Library" by dmcordell "Courtyard sculpture, Dorado Academy" by dmcordell "Flying kites" by dmcordell "Playing on the beach" by dmcordell
Absolute can be defined as "expressing finality with no implication of possible change;" that which is "pure, perfect, or complete."
As I grow older, I realize that there are few absolutes in life - and this is a good thing. Without absolutes, there is always the possibility of new ideas, deeper understanding, and broader knowledge.
Mentors are simultaneously mentees; students and teachers can become co-learners; old dogs might acquire new tricks.
Everything becomes a work in progress. The journey is the destination.
"I have eyes to see now what I have never seen before." -Anonymous
The above quote was written in the late 1870s by a correspondence student of American chemist and educator, Ellen H. Richards. The student was learning through the Society to Encourage Studies at Home, founded in 1873 by Anna Eliot Ticknor.
For the month of June could anyone so inclined go on an interesting personal journey for good quotations and include some reflections?...You could select one a day, or skip some days and do twenty...or ten for the month. It is entirely up to you.
Since these are our final, crazy weeks of school here in upstate New York, I've decided that weekly quote/reflections would best fit my schedule.
The anonymous quote I've chosen appeals to me for a few reasons.
It was written by a correspondence student, a female who chose to further her education in a non-traditional manner. If this woman were alive today, I am certain that she would be exploring the rich diversity of digital learning opportunities, just as I am.
These words might also describe my growing love affair with photography. I've been contributing a daily photo to two Flickr groups, 365/2009 and 2009/365, and my attention to detail and appreciation of the world around me has increased exponentially.
I applied for Social Security benefits a few days ago and will retire from my position as a K-12 teacher/librarian in June.
The world has changed a lot since the day I made my grand entrance, and I fully expect this evolution/revolution to continue.
Retirement has taken on a new meaning in modern times. For many, it is more a re-invention of self than a retreat to home and hobbies. Many people use this opportunity to examine their personal history, searching for the spark that inspired them, hoping to build on the meaningful elements in years of living and learning.
In the best case scenario, this process results in a post-retirement commitment that has purpose and focus. Volunteerism is one possibility, consultant work another.
The gift we receive upon retirement is Time. Time to travel, time to learn, time to share with loved ones, and time to make a difference in the world. How to maximize this gift is a momentous question.
On Saturday, my husband and I drove past a tiny, enclosed burial ground and stopped for a closer look. I took a few photos, then decided to try a quick Google search of the family name, Brisbin, later that evening.
The wealth of information that I discovered was amazing:
New York Gravestones provided an easy-to-read "translation" of inscriptions on the worn headstones.
The Town of Northumberland traced the family's history back to 1765, when 18-year-old James Brisbin arrived in upstate New York from his native Scotland. "He settled 1 1/2 miles westerly of Fort Miller, towards Bacon Hill a hamlet in Northumberland that became the hub of activity with the Hudson River nearby."
By 1789, a mature (and, presumably prosperous) Brisbin was elected an elder of the Reformed (Dutch) Church of Saratoga, according to the 1878 History of Saratoga County, New York, by Nathaniel Bartlett Sylvester.
A descendant of the Brisbins noted on her genealogy site that the family name probably "stems from the Scottish name, Brisbane" and adds,
"There is speculation, as yet unconfirmed, that the Brisbins immigrating to New York were soldiers during the French and Indian war, which ended in 1763. They liked what they saw in the territory and decided to return with their families. Since our family appears on the records of Saratoga Co., NY for the first time about 1765, this seems to add credence to this theory. There is also some speculation that the Brisbin soldiers may have been part of Abercrombie's troop in the French and Indian War, which were known to have been in Saratoga County. From this point on, there are documented records on the Brisbin family, both in America and in Canada."
"The Campaign of Lieut. Gen. John Burgoyne and The Expedition of Lieut. Col. Barry St. Leger," by William L. Stone (Albany, NY, Joel Munsell, 1877) mentions the Brisbin property during the time of the American Revolution.
"As a specimen, the farm of James Brisbin had sufficient wheat and cattle to have paid the purchase price, but it was all taken and consumed by Burgoyne's army without compensation, notwithstanding the fair promises made in his proclamation of July 10, before stated. We should except a single cow, which escaped from her captors, returned home and was afterwards secreted and saved. After the surrender, the farmers gradually returned to their rural homes, erected new log houses, and began again to till the soil. But little progress, however, was made, until the close of the war, as this valley lay in the track of the Indians and Tories, who had fled to Canada, and made repeated raids into this county."
A similar genealogy page, that of the McGregors, mentions two sons of James Brisbin.
"The first settlement of what is now the town of Wilton, but then and long before known as Palmertown, was begun by two brothers, William and Samuel Brisbin, as early as the year 1764. These two brothers were the sons by his first wife of James Brisbin, who came over from the north of Ireland, and became the first settler of what is now the town of Northumberland, in the year 1765. The two brothers, William and Samuel Brisbin, made their first attempt at settlement on the south branch of the Snoek Kill, in what afterwards became the Laing neighborhood. One and perhaps both of them had been soldiers under Abercrombie and Amherst in the last French war, and the year after peace was concluded they began the early settlement of the old wilderness they had so often traversed while on the war-path. They made clearings, built a sawmill, and cut roads on to their lands. When the war of the Revolution came on they abandoned their little settlement."
One of the McGregor daughters later married into the Brisbin family. [There were many "James Brisbins" in the family. The father of William and Samuel might be the father or uncle of the James Brisbin who died in 1835 and is buried in the family plot.]
Another local family was the Slocums. In "A Short History of the Slocums..." by Charles Elihu Slocum, we learn that Sarah Slocum married James Brisbin. These are the James, Jr. and his wife, Sally, who share a headstone and a final resting place. Other Slocums also intermarried with the Brisbins. When his father, Giles Slocum, died in 1814, James Slocum went to live with his maternal grandfather, James Brisbin, "near Schuylerville, Saratoga County, New York."
Every town and village has at least one cemetery within its boundaries. The educational possibilities are endless. Students might
research prominent local names
map an entire burying ground
undertake a cemetery restoration project under the guidance of adult professionals
place names copied from headstones on a timeline
write original stories or poems about the people buried in the cemetery
search for information about an individual, then present a scene from his/her life (in period garb)
recreate significant events from the history of their county or state, as seen through the eyes of actual residents
It is people that create history, and projects that emphasize human connections can be satisfying, enlightening...and fun!
"I feel a need to pull back from the tools, and gravitate more toward meaning when I write." -Clay Burell, Web Legacies Wrap-Up, 9 Aug 2008
I began my blog in June, 2007, intending it to serve primarily as an online professional journal. Since that tentative and hopeful beginning, I've evolved, and so has Journeys.
While educational issues, like filtering, student blogging, and cyber safety still occupy my thoughts, my writing now is more likely to reflect the life I've lived and the person I'm becoming.
Technology is no longer an add-on. Social networking and other connective tools have helped to forge ties that defy categories: in many cases, my virtual colleagues have become true friends. Tools are...tools. Not the focus but the facilitators.
Both my husband and I are moving towards retirement. All the polished pieces and jagged shards of our experiences are shifting into new patterns, presenting us with choices that we never could have anticipated even a few years ago.
The world is changing, we are changing. The past will continue to influence but not dictate our futures. Hippies and cowboys, poetry and paintings, family and friends will all contribute to our kaleidoscope's colorful compositions.
"Kate Peters Dancing on Roof from Peters Family Collection, 1947" by pingnews.com
My daughter and I went to see the box-office hit Mamma Mia last night. The age of audience members ranged from young teens to senior citizens.
The plot was predictable, some of the singing was mediocre, but no one left early: we were all still seated after the closing credits had rolled, mesmerized by the compelling energy of the recreated ABBA hits.
When the original recording of Dancing Queen was released, in 1975, I was a young, childless wife. I am now an almost-retired wife, mother of two married children.
My world has changed significantly in many ways, but at certain times, particularly joyous occasions like weddings, I still feel the urge to step out on the floor and dance.
I'm not 17 anymore, but I hope I'll never lose the desire to run towards life and learning. As long as I can move, when the music starts playing, I know I'll still be a dancing queen.
"You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the dancing queen" -ABBA, Dancing Queen (1975)
Thanks to Christine Southard who tagged me for this "passion quilt" meme post.
The rules are simple. 1. Think about what you are passionate about teaching your students. 2. Post a picture from a source like FlickrCC or Flickr Creative Commons or make/take your own that captures what YOU are most passionate about for kids to learn about...and give your picture a short title. 3. Title your blog post "Meme: Passion Quilt" and link back to this blog entry. 4. Include links to 5 folks in your professional learning network or whom you follow on Twitter/Pownce. My Picture This is a picture of emptied lockers on the last day of school. I use it to symbolize the fact that formal classes have ended...but learning never stops. My Passion I am passionate about lifelong learning, for students of all ages.
You've been tagged: I'm passing this meme onto five like-minded teachers and/or tech savvy librarians:
That was then:
NYS-certified School Library Media Specialist;
online facilitator and research consultant for CyberSmart Education Company; photographer and author.
This is now: retired; world traveler; proud Nonna!
