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Neenime
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Post RE: Fans over Forty ~ Part IV
on: January 10, 2006 03:41
I can empathize with the teachers and other helping professionals . There are some very unrealistic expectations out there about what we can accomplish with people who have significant challenges. My husband and I have both worked for social service agencies and the "visionaries" at head office think the workers can make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Now, I'm all for flexible thinking, hopefulness, not giving up on people, BUT, some of these visionaries are having hallucinations. When services are under-funded and there are only so many hours in the day and our clients have limitations.......... well, at some point we have to be realistic. We can't turn out people who can all operate at the same standard. Life just don't work that way.

awelyn hope you're feeling better today. Nothing major, I trust?

Confession time . For all my complaining about hubby's snoring, I am actually the champion in my family. Poor man. He keeps telling me to turn over because the neighbours have called the police with a noise complaint. I snort and comply. Life goes on.

MT started to look at your son's web site. Music sounded good so far, but I was interrupted. Will try again later. I understand your pride. Mine are musical,too, though they don't want old mom and dad turning up at the club where they thrash out their hair-spinning, growly warblings. Can't imagine why!

Scots love the license plate story! Just goes to show you that Middle Earth really is among us, but hidden in the folds of our ordinary space-time fabric.
“Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check. But that is not what I have found. I have found that it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love. " Gandalf
awelyn418
Prancing Pony Moderator, Realm Head of Lórien & Grandmother who loves Tolkien
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Post RE: Fans over Forty ~ Part IV
on: January 10, 2006 03:49
MTMS, I would be up in arms to about that insane act. We know how impossible that is that ever child will excel. It sounds good but is rubbish. There I will get off my soapbox. I am feeling better. I had started a post and hit a key to make corrections and my entire post was deleted. :killcomp:

Morwin I hope you have a better Tuesday than Monday.

We had storms last night and I am a light sleeper and my new dog was scared of thunder so I had to comfort him.

I too have trouble with my husband snoring and he has nervous legs where he runs and twitches in his sleep it drives me crazy.

Have to go take a shower and get ready for work.
Awelyn 418:heart:
awelyn418
Prancing Pony Moderator, Realm Head of Lórien & Grandmother who loves Tolkien
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Post RE: Fans over Forty ~ Part IV
on: January 10, 2006 03:54
Neenime ,hi when I first read the posts you were not there but I am feeling better thanks. I agree with you 100% you just can't expect all people to be the same in some situations.
Awelyn
scots56
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Post RE: Fans over Forty ~ Part IV
on: January 10, 2006 05:50
Let's see: No Child Left Behind, No Teacher Left Standing, No Pyschomatrician Without a Job. Yep, that about covers it! :banghead:

Here on the PoG, we also have lovely state assessments that we are required to give as well. Now don't confuse them with state written tests, we write these little gems ourselves, then we have to decide if they're up to scratch according to the bureaucrats at the State Department of Ed. They follow the 6 Quality Criteria: 1. The assessments match the standard 2. Students have the opportunity to learn information assessed 3. The assessments are free of bias 4. The assessments are at the appropriate level 5. There is consistency in scoring 6. Mastery levels are appropriate.

Now this is all well and good. The problem is is that the *teachers* have to develop the assessments, give them, score them, and in my case, write the portfolio that goes into the state that proves that we jumped through all their little hoops. My last one was 156 pages long. Then you send it into the state to be graded. If you don't come up to snuff. WHAM! And to make things just lovely, you have a rubric (a scoring sheet basically) that is to be followed, but I've been given top marks for doing it one way one year, then WHAM I was slapped the very next year for doing it the same way the following year. SO... :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

But on the bright side, I can write a mean assessment fairly quickly. I can also spot if a test really shows what it's supposed to show or has enough test questions. I have become assessment literate. I should be that way after all. We've been working on them since 1999. LOL

Ooohhh, so sorry for getting on that particular soapbox. Could go on for hours you know.

Good Tuesday to you all.
swabby
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Post RE: Fans over Forty ~ Part IV
on: January 10, 2006 05:59
Very interesting music MT. Your son's band has A very appealing and original sound. He must have gotten his creativity from you.

We know that "His Royal Hunk of Hairy Manliness" Viggo is A favorite amongst many of you, but what about the other "favorites"? Perhaps Rose could lose the down that she's found (thankyou, Neil Young) and tell us what it is about little Samwise that trips her trigger, tickles her fancy, butters her toast, etc.
I think HT told me she had A "thing" for Merry. Whatsupwidat, HT? What about Gimli? Do any of you fantasize about the little bearded one? Pippin is so cute with his little crooked mouth and curly hair. Doesn't anyone want to have A cuddle with the Pip?
I like all the females in LotR and don't really have A favorite. Any one of them could sweeten my coffee with A mere swish of her finger. I can only imagine what their other body parts could do! Swabby

Sorry for not commenting about standardized testing, No child left behind, etc. I'm allergic to anything that comes from the minds of our so-called "conservatives". I think they must have had something to do with the birth of mosquitoes, ticks and chiggers.

[Edited on 10/1/2006 by swabby]
BelleBayard
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Post RE: Fans over Forty ~ Part IV
on: January 10, 2006 06:12
LOL I'm a Pervy Elf Fancier, swabby! As if you couldn't tell by my avatar. I tend to go for Elves in general, though I like the Ranger and the Hobbits have appeal in a sweet, earthy way.

There are far fewer females in LoTR because of its nature. In Tolkien's world, women tended to be the ones who kept hearth and home intact while them men adventured in the world. However, even the Hobbits were more homebound than Men and Elves. Unless one had Tookish blood.

Bilbo broke through the stay-at-home mold when he went off the with Dwarfs to Mt. Erebor to reclaim it from Smaug. Only fitting that his nephew would also have an adventure.

You know, I remember a saying from somewhere that adventure is someone else's troubles. Fun to read about, not so fun to live through.

Scots, I know how you feel. Went through some similar things in the military and still do while working for the government. Don't think that anything in government will ever be easy. Sometimes it depends on who it is that reads this stuff. Almost as bad as submitting a story to an editor to get it published. Personal preference and interpretation abound.
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