Where have all the posts gone?

Blogging is kind of like exercise or flossing — the longer you go without doing it, the harder it is to start again. By the way, I haven’t exercised or flossed since N was born, either. However, if this snow ever melts, I will be biking to work again…

So, where to start?

Well, we’re in survival mode on the home front. N is a sweet, wonderful baby, but she gets bad gas, and this causes her not to sleep, and this causes her to cry, and this causes us not to sleep. Luckily, I have a fantastic partner who is so understanding and accommodating — we tag team N at night, making sure that at least one of us gets a decent(ish) sleep. For example, last night B stayed up holding N as she fussily slept from 9 to 1am, allowing me four hours of uninterrupted bed-sleep (to let you know how much sleep we’re getting, when I woke up at 1, my body thought it was done sleeping for the night and was wide awake!) I took over at 1, and stayed up with fussing N until 5:30 (B fed her around 3 maybe? It’s a bit fuzzy) when she calmed enough that I got another hour and a half with her on my chest sleeping until 7. However, we keep telling ourselves that every day it is getting better. And it will.

I am really looking forward to next weekend, when we have a dinner party, and the following weekend, when we have a wedding, because we will be leaving N with her Grandma Honey one night, and Grandma and Papa the other — we’ll get to spend hours together! B has been pumping like a mad-woman to save up enough frozen breast-milk to allow us this luxurious time. In addition, the 8th is the last class of my last grad class (if that makes sense.) Sure, I still have a thesis to propose and write, but that will be on my own time…I have three years left to finish it.

On the work front, next weekend will be great because the Hip Hop project I’m coordinating will have come to a close with two shows — one Thursday night at a local club, and Friday afternoon at the school. Especially exciting is that we have 160 students from a three suburban high schools coming to Friday’s show – it’ll be a great chance for our students to debunk some myths about their school and neighbourhood. Also, on Monday W-5 is coming to do a spot on the neighbourhood, and will interview me and the students about the project-based learning we’re doing at the school — nice exposure!

Alright, there’s a stab at a blog post — hope it gets me back on the horse. More later.

Back at school

I hypothesize that there is a correlation between my lack of posts, and the speed with which I’ve hit the ground running since the school year begun. Sorry for the lack of updates! Here’s the quick and dirty, so far:

We are doing a Hip Hop project with our students, partnering with the local University. We go out two mornings a week for the students to work in two studio labs – one with turntables and one with Imacs and MPCs (machines that musicians use to make electronic music from hip hop beats to drums to, well, basically, anything you can record and import.) As well, future dance teachers from the University are working with us, exploring the role of dance in society, and giving workshops on break dancing (or B-Boying or B-Girling, depending on how cool you are.) In addition, while at school, students are learning about the history and aspects of hip hop culture. We are integrating only two curricula, offering two credits – grade 11 English and grade 11 Arts Ed. We’re finding this much more manageable than the Dinner Theatre.

In addition to this project, I’m sitting on a committee working to develop a structure for the learning model for the new shared facility being built in the core of our city. This is fascinating work, as we’re being given lots of freedom to be creative. I feel so lucky to have landed back here when I did, and in the school that I did – I could have just as well landed in another school, or another city, and wouldn’t be learning as much as I am now!

In other education related news, I finished my literature review this summer. 55 pages of glory — a draft of what will be included in my thesis. Now I have some work to do around finding a theoretical framework, as well as completing my final 2 classes. I am taking one this fall — however, the final class may have to wait, as I am not keen to take it in January, with our first born coming some time near the end of that month. We are quickly preparing for his or her arrival, and working to ensure her or his entrance is as natural as possible – but more on that in a later post.

Thesis

Like many of my colleagues, I’m working on a Masters of Education. For mine, I chose to focus on Curriculum and Instruction, and I chose to write a thesis. Most people I know don’t go the thesis route – instead, they take 10 courses, and get the good ole M.Ed. (and the $2000 a year pay raise that goes along with it.) I have taken three classes so far, and have two more to finish. After that, thesis time. However, I am working on my thesis right now. I collected data on the project we did last year, and spent the last few months (part time) and the last few days (full-time) reviewing literature relating to project-based learning, “at-risk” youth (the youth that are called urban youth if you read American research, inner-city youth if Canadian) and case study methodology. Needless to say, the good times have been rolling for some time, now. However, today I finished draft #1 of my summary. 55 pages of APA-style glory. The reading has been really interesting – this is why I didn’t do the course route – I can’t imagine spending (wasting?) time doing research that doesn’t directly relate to something I’m doing. Perhaps this is a comment on my lack of abstract thinking ability. Either way, the process thus far has been great. And time consuming these last few days. However, with the draft on ice until the 16th (when I get back from the social justice summer camp I work at) I am feeling rather accomplished and relaxed. Now, to install the new Energy Star front and rear doors…