TU Tuesday Guest Speaker

Poise: Kristy was very comfortable with talking in front of us.  She even talked about how when she was youbger she was very shy and now she speaks in front of people all of the time.  She connected very well with and made great eye contact, especially with the person that asked the question. 

Clarity: Kristy was very clear with her pronunciation of words and was loud enough for everyone to hear her.  She also used words that people were able to understand.  Her explanation of her ideas were very clear.

Volume:  Kristy's volume throughout her entire stay was perfect.  Her voice was loud enough for people even in the back of the room to hear.

Information:  Kristy's answers were long and informative with lots of great details.  She told many stories of her experiences to try to give us the best answers to our questions and show us what being a journalist is all about.

Organization:  Kristy's oraganization was very good.  While it would seem at first that her story had nothing to do with the question, she always related it back to the question.  Her answers were clear and organized and made sense.

Unfortunately I did not really get to participate in the discussion we had because by the time I would come up with a question (I kind of like to make sure the question is clear) someone else would have already asked a question, which was similar to the one I had.  Also, the questions that I had already come up with on my blog didn't really fit into the conversation that we were having.  As a class, we were able to keep a conversation going with Kristy for the majority of class (almost 70 minutes). 

I think that Kristy was a great person to bring into class to talk to us about writting as a career and I think that she would be a great source to bring back into visit another class.

TU Tuesday

"Playing Dairy Queen for a Day"
What caused her obsessison with cows?
Is 600 a large, small, or average number of cows to have at a dairy farm?
I like the descriptions of what was happening and how you actually milk a cow.
I like how it took her a long time to get used to milking the cows.
http://www.timesunion.com/living/article/Playing-dairy-queen-for-a-day-2229727.php

"Resistance Can be Useful"
What did she mean by "putting together up to 500 inches of calendar listings twice a week"?
When she first started interveiwing, what did she report on?
I like how she quoted Deci with a quote about resitance.
I like how she had a message to share that can apply to everyone.
https://secure.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?newsdate=11/6/2011&navigation=nextprior&category=LIFE&storyID=1093432

"Ringers in the Extreme"
Why is it not required for professional sports players to remove jewlery?
In 'degloving', is it referring to any portion of the skin or a larger portion of skin being torn off?
I like how she took an unusual (and probabaly normally boring) topic and made it interesting to read about it.
I like how she polled the readers of her blog to get a glimpse at what other people think about the subject.
http://www.timesunion.com/living/article/Ringers-in-the-extreme-2263911.php)

Thankful Four

Opinion Prompt #13

Opinion Prompt 13. We should replace number grades with letter grades

I disagree with this opinion because number grades give you a more accrate glimpse at how you're doing in your classes.  Letter grades give you a range that your grade is in like an A+ is the equivalent to anywhere between 96-100%.  In the middle school letter grades are used, but I never liked them because unless you sit down and calculate your own grade out by hand you never really know exactly what your grade is, and that is what bothered me.  Also number grades motivate me to do better because if I have a 97 in a class I'm more apt to work harder to get my grade up higher than if I have A+ because an A+ tells me that I'm doing the best possible and so I would begin to coast through that particular class, and even if my grade dropped to a 96 I wouldn't know because my letter grade would still be an A+. 

I Want to Write About #91

When I was little, before I went first grade, there was an vacant lot that was around the corner from my house.  It was basically a giant dirt hill that all the neighborhood kids would play in.  We, my sister and I, were almost always at the dirt hill (with our parents of course since we were little).  In the nice weather, we would use our sand toys and build sandcastles and such.  During the winter, when there was snow on the ground, we would take our sleds over and go sledding down the hill and play in the snow.  My sister loved playing in the dirt and my parents always had to keep a close eye on her the longer we were at the dirt hill because sometimes she would start to eat the dirt (that was they would determin when it was time to leave).   When I started elementary school a house was built on the lot that had been our dirt hill, which was kind of sad because it was a big part of my early childhood.

Mgnetic Poetry- "The Heart"

The Heart

M=Morocco

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/morocco

1. Visit Casablaca; "...but it is the country’s economical and cultural capital, and it represents Morocco on the move: Casablanca is where the money is being made, where the industry is, where art galleries show the best contemporary art and where fashion designers have a window on the world. The old pirate lair is looking towards the future, showing off its wealth and achievements."
2. Visit Chellah, an ancient cemetary in Rabat; "Abandoned, crumbling and overgrown, the Merenid necropolis of Chellah is one of Rabat’s most evocative sights."
3. Take the High Atlas Trek; "This exciting journey begins in the oasis city of Marrakesh. We follow trails through Berber villages to alpine pastures set beneath the impressive backdrop of the High Atlas. An ascent of Jebal Toubkal is also on offer as well as time to explore the delightful seaside town of Essaouira."
4. Chaouen Rural; "Chaouen Rural is a local company sponsored by the government of Catalonia that is developing the rural tourism potential of the region. This well-run operation specialises in package trips into Talassemtane National Park that include staying in rural houses and interacting with the local culture."
5. Visit the a El-Fna Food Stalls #2 on a list of 7373 things to do in Africa; "Around sunset, donkeys descend on the Djemaa hauling gas canisters by the cartload and all the makings of 100 small restaurants...Adventurous foodies will want to try Marrakesh specialities such as steaming snail soup, sheep's brain, and skewered hearts..."
6. Visit Parc de la Ligue Arabe; " Casa's biggest open space is the Parc de la Ligue Arabe. It's a good place for games and walks, has a choice of small cafés and the Yasmina amusement park."
7. Visit the Kasbah Museum; "This museum is perfectly sited in Dar el-Makhzen, the former sultan’s palace (where Portuguese and British governors also lived) and has recently been completely redone. The new focus is on the history of the area from prehistoric times to the 19th century, most of it presented in seven rooms around a central courtyard...Before you leave, don’t miss the exotic Sultan’s Garden off the main courtyard, opposite the entrance."
    

"Better to remain silent and appear a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt"

  My family has dinner together almost every night and we normally talk about our days.  My dad is a phys. ed. teacher and right now he teaches middle school boys.  He doesn't always have the brightest of students in his classes, which means very entertaining stories for us to listen to at the dinner table.  This is something that my dad used to say to my sister and I when he was talking about some of those students that weren't necesarily using theirs brains to the best of their ability.  My dad can be extremly sarcastic sometimes and has almost no patience for you if you aren't going to listen to him.  This generally ammounts to him making some sarcastic commment that sometimes the student doesn't understand, but would try to respond to as if his comment was literal and end up looking like a "fool". 

Metronome Poetry Prompt

Feel the Beat

One, two, three, four.

One, two three, four.

The steady beat moves

 through the air to the

ears of the students.

Eyes are closed,

for the moment,

so that they can feel the beat

inside before they begin.

One, two, three, four.

One, two, three, four.

The eyes open as the teacher

stops

the solid tick-tocks.

A first try ends poorly

and so they shut

their eyes again and

open their ears.

One, two, three, four.

One, two, three, four. 

Another try proves better,

but still not perfect.

the students, impatient,

sit back and close their eyes,

letting the beat sink in,

 to their brains and their hearts,

determined that the

third time will be the charm.

One,two, three four.

One, two three, four.