First, a few great articles I'd like to highlight. They're all so great that you should go read them instead of hearing me yammer on about them:
Plastics in the microwave are not so good for you. Not too shocking for me but definitely a good reminder. A highlight of the article is actually a pull from another article in which doctors are asked what they personally do to minimize cancer risk. One big thing? Don't microwave plastic. More good tips in this article and research on which plastics are the worst for your microwave.
Keri Smith, author of the great book How to be an Explorer of the World, has a blog. Recently, she posted a list of how to feel miserable as an artist. Honestly, it's a universal list of how to feel miserable as a human.
The NYTimes recently had a great article on some significant potential education reforms, including the importance of play. Somewhere I read that we are training students for jobs that don't even exist yet, and this always resonates with me as an educator. Rather than teach kids specific facts or even specific concepts, I think it is key to promote curiosity, exploration, and invention. Yes, there are some things that need to be drilled in (how to read, write, and do math). But to develop the kind of education that prepares people for the working world? My most useful skills learned in K-12, or, heck, even college are writing short papers (no one wants to read anything more than a page), doing anything on the computer, like programming and desktop publishing, and being physically fit. Taking gym forced me to do something I didn't like at the time. The class I was in required setting goals, making an action plan, and achieving the goals. It was excellent. I really love the ideas in the NYTimes article, and it motivates me to keep learning about education.
Did you know there's a group of hot yet intelligent girls that travel around promoting learning? Yeah, I didn't know either. They're the Nerd Girls. Pretty snazzy group with a good goal. The group is mostly made up of engineers, programmers, and biochem.
Steven Strogatz is a guest columnist for the NYTimes writing columns about math that are intended for adults who don't know about math. There are two up right now, and they are both excellent.
Second, life is good. I keep meaning to post, but I have lots of pictures I want to put up, and I haven't gotten around to uploading them. Suffice to say, I am staying busy but am only marginally employed. I'm substitute teaching a day or two a week and otherwise being domestic or relaxing, depending on the day.