Victoria Day Update

Well, it has been a long time, hasn't it?
I hope you have been having a good time while I've been working hard at being a better teacher. I sure enjoyed it. I must have, because the time sure went by fast enough.
Last December, the school that I went to observe for my field experience was the Chilla School on the T'suu Tina reserve. It was an eye-opening experience to the things that affect the First Nation students' education.
We students had been hearing about the turmoil at the school, and the recent firings of teachers. The band controls the school and who gets hired, so if a new council of elders is made up, they tend to sweep out the old in favour of the new.
So the principal we met when we went out there was fairly new to the job. When we arrived, she wasn't even prepared for us, even though three sets of students had already cycled through. The students weren't even there, as it was Parent-Teacher interviews. So we went over to the high school and spent the day there. On our second and third visit, I got to observe a grade 5 class which inevitably had a new teacher. She was still getting used to the class, and was deferring a lot of things until after Christmas. There was a lot of wasted time for the students, I thought. Instead of getting on and starting up a new unit, they were doing reading on their own, and various art projects like making a Christmas card for the elders.
I thought it would have been better in this case to hit the ground running and get them working hard right away. This group of kids were divided into two groups. One (the smaller) was fairly well able to handle the work, while the other was way behind. For math, they were still trying to figure out how to add three digit numbers. I was helping them with this, and I had to reteach how to carry. Yikes!
But they were good kids, and I was sorry that they were not being served by the band and the administration of the school.
After the Christmas break, we were in class for an intense ten-week period before we went out to a school for four weeks of student teaching. The work at Ambrose seemed to drag on, and I was more than ready to get into a classroom after it was over. I was assigned to a grade 1 class at the Col. Sanders school. I was really lucky to have not only a fantastic partner teacher, but a great group of kids. The time there flew by, and it seemed like I had barely arrived before it was time to go.
Next term, we'll be going out to schools for a 9 week period, and I'll either have a grade 5 or a grade 6 class. I'm looking forward to it.
I was renting a basement room while I was in school, very close to Ambrose. For $550/mo. I had a bedroom, a bathroom, and a big living room to myself. I shared the kitchen with the lady of the house, who seemed to cool off after Christmas for some reason. I was hoping to stay there during the summer and work in Calgary, but she wanted me out of there as soon as school was over. Oh well.
So now I'm back in the Batcave in my folks' basement, looking for summer employment.
Now that I have the time, I'll also resume posting about my adventures around the world, and in Korea. Look for those latter on What The Kimchi?
See you.

Covers

A friend of Flint's and I, Spock, recently put up a link on Facebook that showcased some comic book covers that had been animated.
Sure, it's a good idea, and the covers are some good choices, but I wonder why this person started with these particular choices.
Well, that was their choice, and if I had any fucking idea how they did it, I'd put up my own.
The least favourite one was from the Justice League, which had the heroes strapped down on a huge wheel of chance. Ho hum.
Another cover was from Iron Man #128, featuring Tony Stark in the midst of an alcoholic seizure, or something. I remember Tony's addiction sneaking up on me in the midst of a series of well told tales. His alcoholism was dispatched fairly soon, but returned with a vengeance later on.
My second favourite was from the Dark Knight series by Frank Miller. Effectively done, but my absolute favourite of the covers was from The Amazing Spider-Man #33. It shows Spidey trapped under a huge piece of machinery with water from various places streaming down upon him.
The caption reads "The Final Chapter!" and I always remembered it from my youth as being one of my favourites. At that time, I was becoming aware of Marvel Comics' continuing storylines, which differed from DC's self-contained stories. You didn't have to worry about coming up with money for the next part with DC the way you did with Marvel.
The cover of Spider-Man #33 exemplified this for me. It was the third part of a storyline that pitted our hero against his arch-nemesis Doctor Octopus.

Marvel storylines always ended with a caption that read "Next: blahblahblah." Frustrating for a kid who got a dime for an allowance. Comics cost 12 cents in those days. Whenever I asked my mom for a couple of pennies to go with that dime, she would say, "You're not buying any more comics!"

Of course, now that old comics are going for such high prices nowadays, I get shit for not having copies of Action Comics #1 in my collection. (Recently sold for over $2,000,000.00)

Sigh.

I had a fairly good collection of Spider-Man at one time. I had all but #1 and Amazing Fantasy #15, but the real world intruded, as it always does.

I was living with my brother for a while, and we were behind on the rent. I decided to sell my collection of Spider-Man comics in order to get us ahead. I'd probably have... well, not millions, but thousands if I hadn't sold them. Ah well, there's no use in crying about it now.

Except every time a comic sells for millions I get shit from my family for not having it in my collection.

Pffff.

October Update

It was a busy month, with assignments coming thick and fast, but I think most of 'em are behind me. The load was pretty heavy for a while there, and it seemed like papers and presentations were all due at the same time, making for a lot of stress on ol' Stig, I can tell you.
In general, life has been pretty good. I've adapted to getting up in the morning and handling the early class with a lot less difficulty than I had anticipated. I've never thought of myself as a morning person, but I find myself handling the class okay, and wanting a nap more in the afternoon classes.
The 'dean' of the program handles the curriculum design class, and we've started designing lesson plans with the Alberta Program of Studies guide, a massive document, as our starting point. We've just done PhysEd and Health. Next up is Math and science (ugh!).
I always hated doing lesson plans in Korea, mainly because I had no idea of what the fuck I was doing. Well, after studying the whys and wherefores of lesson planning in Alberta, I still hate doing them like poison. A lot of pointless busywork. It's okay to have the big overarching vision, and some goals in sight (which I almost never did in Korea), but the detail of working out to do in one class just makes my ass tired.
The field experience class is held once a week, and we just go over what we saw the last time we went out, and think about other things to look for next time. The prof is pretty good. All of the profs have had a lot of experience teaching, and bring a wide variety of experiences to the classroom. Our field exp. prof just completed a term as principal of a school. He said he left there feeling wrung out and drained, but has been rejuvenated by this class.
Another class dealing with society and education was the one that put a lot of pressure on us with assignments and so on. But the prof has pushed some things back and given us some breathing room after we whined and bitched and complained as much as we possibly could. I participated in one group presentation, which the class has been doing the past coupla weeks. We each had an educational philosopher to present. Mine was Friedrich Frobel, the inventor of kindergarten. I learned a lot about how people have influenced the development of education and educational theory. it isn't as dry as it sounds, because most of my classmates are pretty smart, and their presentations were really well done.
The fourth class is yet more theory about education. This past week, I did a solo presentation about "Cognitive Views of Learning and The Role of Attention."
Whew.
I had read the chapter on Cognitive thinkers in the text, and zeroed in on the role of attention out of all the various topics presented. mainly because I thought capturing students' attention was pretty important. The presentation went pretty well, and I got a lot of positive feedback.
I have been focused on school the past coupla months, with a little over one month left to go until the Christmas break.
Every once in a while, I'll start reminiscing about life in Korea, and sometimes I wish I was back on the patio at Dunkin's with Flint, smoking a cigar, laughing at the mooks and shamelessly ogling the hotties.
Sigh.
But, those days are gone for now. Maybe we'll get back there again someday. I'm fairly satisfied with the progress I've made in school, and I'm looking forward to continuing the process of developing my professional talents.
Take care.

September Update

Well, I've been back in school for almost a month now, and I'm very happy.
I'm taking a Bachelor of Education (After) degree course at Ambrose University College. A coupla years from now, if all goes well, I'll be a certified teacher in the province of Alberta.
Everybody at the university has been very nice. The professors have been supportive and at the same time challenging. It's been quite a change to go from lolling about the house surfing the net to cracking the books and taking part in classes again, but I think I'm starting to get a handle on the load.
The class is only 22 students. The university has capped admission at 25, I believe. I consider myself lucky to have been admitted, but the profs say they're the lucky ones, considering my experience.
There are four courses. One is about curriculum design, another's about the interplay of society and education, the third's about learning theory, and the fourth deals with our field experience. If it wasn't for the latter, it'd be tough going. Getting out to schools and watching professionals in the classroom reminds me of why I've chosen to pursue a career in education.
The past three weeks I've visited one school. Next week I'll go to a new one for three weeks (once every Friday), and so on. Next March we'll be at a school for a whole month, and that's when we'll actually get to teach a class or two. For now we're just observing.
I'm renting a basement about 10 minutes away from the uni, so the lack of a vehicle is not too much of a problem right now. It's great to be back in Calgary. It was always the place I thought of as home while I was away in Korea. So far the experience of being back there has been a pretty good one. The uni is on the western end of town, so I have to deal with spectacular mountain views, but it's a small price to pay, I think.
That's about all I have to say for now, I guess. I do want to get back to posting my old columns, both here and on What The Kimchi?, but all my time is going to be taken up with studying for now.
Take care.

Back To School

I have returned to school in order to get my Bachelor of Education (After) degree, so it may cut down on my posting to this site.
I have been busy getting all of my paperwork in order, meeting profs and fellow students, looking for a place to stay, and on and on. It has been an exciting but at the same time stressful time.
Stay tuned.

Reasons Why

I was reading Eve's post about the 'Boycott American Women' website. There were some good comments made about it, and even I had something to say. I said that the reason I boycott women is because I am painfully shy. I am an introvert. I've always been an introvert, but the way I lived my life made it a stronger part of my character than perhaps it should have been.
My folks moved around a lot. In the 90's, I bought one of those books where you fill in your family history, and the pages that described where we lived were completely filled in. This was before I went to Korea. I need another book for those.
I had a couple of good friends in elementary school, when we were living in Deadmonton. After I had finished grade 6, we moved back to Calgary, where we moved a coupla more times. In junior high and high school, I was the new kid. A new kid who's shy is not going to be part of a crowd. I had a few friends (never at the same time), but they sort of petered out, and by the time I graduated, I was close to no-one.
And girls?
Forget about it!
In junior high, I was interested, but could not bring myself to let them know it. I was too scared of what might happen. I learned to build a wall around my feelings and bury them deep.
That's been the pattern throughout my life. I can talk to women upon occasion, but any attempt on my part to take it beyond a certain point causes a complete brain freeze and I turn into an incoherently babbling idiot.
I mean, more than usual.
So I've come to a point in my life where I know that it's just not going to happen for me. I'm learning to be comfortable with myself, because I know that that's all I will have.
A posting on Facebook alerted me to a book about the subject, called The Introvert Advantage by Marti Laney, PsyD. It's a pretty good description of what I'm like.
I don't talk until I have something to say.
I need a reason to talk.
I've given up on trying to find something to say, just to be part of the conversation. It has to come naturally.
I like having few friends, because most people aren't worth my time. I'd rather have one Flint as a friend than a hundred of them.
I'm happy in my Batmancave, because mooks can't figure out the entry code.
I can think clearer without their noise.
I'm not interested in what is popular, or hearing about it from other people. I've got my own shit to think about.
Like Popeye says, 'I am what I am.'
My mom is driven to despair sometimes, because I don't perform well (for her) when she introduces me to her friends. She thinks I'm rude. I tried to tell her about this book, and explain why I do the things I do, but she still doesn't get it. Most people won't, but I don't worry about them anymore.
Flint's post about how Korea prepared him goes for me, too. Learning to deal with the stress of living and working in the Land of Morning Calm (and Afternoon Confusion) makes that as easy as pie.

Hillbilly Handfishing

I was watching David Letterman the other day when he introduced the topic of Hillbilly Handfishing, a new show on the Animal Planet channel. This show would be right up my brother's alley. If you've never seen it, check out this clip. Be prepared to scream "HOLY SHIT!' when the mook pulls up the fish. I know I did.
Since my brother arrived from Texas, a lot of the shows that are watched on the TV have changed. Where I like shows on HBO or Showtime like Boardwalk Empire, Game Of Thrones, and The Wire, my brother likes watching shows on Animal Planet and Discovery like Billy The Exterminator, Mighty Ships, or The Deadliest Catch.
Boardwalk Empire takes place during the Prohibition Era, and highlights the rise of criminals in Chicago (Al Capone) and New York (Arnold Rothstein, 'Lucky' Luciano), as well as Atlantic City, where most of the action takes place. Steve Buscemi stars as 'Nucky' Thompson, the boss of A.C., and shows how the various criminal organizations sometimes co-operate with each other but mostly try to come out on top of the vast illegal marketing of alcohol.
Game Of Thrones is a medieval fantasy based on a series of books by George R.R. Martin. Most of the story takes place on a continent/island loosely based on England. The various lords of the land struggle with each other for power in a scenario that reminds me of the Wars Of The Roses, which took place in England during the 15th Century. Sean Bean stars as Ned Stark, who is kind of like (to me, anyway) Richard, the Duke of York, as he suffers the same grisly end.
I'm very much looking forward to the continuations of these stories, as well as The Walking Dead (coming soon) and The Wire (which is over, but I'm only on the first series).
I like shows with a good storyline and acting. I'm not into too many reality shows, except Survivor and Hell's Kitchen.
My brother loves reality programming, and when he isn't working, will sit and watch these shows endlessly.
Billy The Exterminator features a mook driving around and taking care of various critters infesting people's homes and backyards. Some of the animals are interesting, but the most fascinating part of the show is Billy's hairstyle, which I can only describe as a spiky sort of mullet, coloured sometimes black, sometimes yellow, and sometimes both. Arguably the worst haircut on TV.
Shows like Mighty Ships and The Deadliest Catch are interesting enough on their own, but what distracts me from enjoying them is the narration, especially on Mighty Ships. The voiceover is done by a female with the most unctuous tone imaginable. Every situation described on the show is taken to the worst case scenario. Every little chore that the crew has to undertake, from docking to making the beds is described as having earth-shaking consequences if it isn't concluded successfully. The crew members always perform their tasks well, and disaster is always averted.
Not only is it BORING! but it gets exasperating after a while to hear this voice constantly going on and on about dire circumstances that never, ever come to pass.
Well, I know how to PVR/download the shows I want to watch, so there's never any of the kind of conflict like those that occured when we were younger. Back then, there was no such thing as VCRs or computers, and you had to watch one channel at a time. It was a constant argument about whose turn it was. I remember once my bro got so mad at me that he picked up this toy rifle we had and swung it as hard as he could. If I hadn't rolled out of the way, I'm sure he would have debrained me.
Ah, memories...
I like to joke with my family that I'm the only one who should have the remote. But it's true. No-one in my family knows how to watch TV. My folks don't even mute the commercials, which drives me fucking crazy sometimes.
But the worst is how they watch movies. One of their favourites is Patch Adams, with Robin Williams. It's been on commercial TV twice in the past month or so, and my folks watched it both times. It seemed to me that the network showing it would air five minutes of the movie, and then ten minutes of commercials.
It wouldn't be so bad, I guess, but MY FOLKS HAVE THE DVD. They can watch it anytime they want, and they don't have to sit through endless commercial breaks. But they'll find it on commercial TV, and watch it that way. This is why I say I'm the only one in the household who should be allowed to have the remote.

October 1, 2012 Update
My mom was watching TV yesterday, and recording a coupla programs at the same time: "The Mentalist" and "The Good Wife." Now, if you're recording two programs at the same time on the PVR, you can't watch anything else. My mom was looking at the guide to see what else was on (and why wouldn't you?), and she found an airing of "Notting Hill." This is a film that is on practically every other day, but my mom felt she had to watch it  THAT VERY SECOND. She called me in to figure out how to watch the film while recording two other programs.
I went to her DVD collection, pulled out her copy of Notting Hill," and said she should try that for a change.
She didn't want to do that. She wanted to watch the one that was on the TV. She refused to allow me to put the DVD in.
Pastafazoola!
I am the ONLY ONE who should have the remote!