A while ago I told you that I was doing a 4 hour shift selling books and other things for the Nature Center bookstore in one of the larger malls. I like this shift and look forward to it every year. I like watching people. I have a front row seat as people go back and forth in the mall. Then lots of people stop to browse and see if there's anything that would be good gift. Some people just stop to visit. Many of them have something to ask about the natural world. Others have something they want to tell you.
Now I like kids...little kids. Usually little kids go by my stall and don't even notice it. The other day I noticed the odd little kid gave me a wave and smile. I wondered about this. Then a mother was talking to me and the toddler was in the shopping cart. This little kid was really giving me the big smile. Then I heard her say "nanta". Oops ! I got it.
These poor little kids were going by me and thinking that I was Santa Claus! Wow! I didn't think I looked that old!
I guess the white beard did it for these little guys. I wonder what they would have done if I had my red fleece on?
So this is my Christmas Eve story.
Have a wonderful Christmas.
One of our major garden centers has a many ice carvings for the Christmas Season. this year's theme was star Wars! Not very Christmasy, but they didn't ask me for any advice. Businesses Put up ice sculptures to go along with the theme.
Now we went to the Mormon church display of 300 creches. These creches come from members of the church. My camera batteries went dead after 2 photos so I was very popular. I did manage one photo with the micro Manager looking at some interesting displays
Now for the Star Wars stuff. Most sculptures have the name of the character.
You can tell which is my favorite. I can tell that I should have taken photos showing more detail. I'll know better next time.
I participated in our Christmas bird count on Sun. Dec. 18. I have participated in the bird count for close to 50 years. I've written about the Christmas bird count most years.
I promised somebody that I would report the species I found. So I found blue jay, magpie, black capped chickadee, bohemian waxwing, raven, crow house finch. The crow was a first for me in a winter bird count. I was also expecting to see red breasted nuthatches, boreal chickadees, downy woodpeckers, pileated woodpeckers, house sparrows. However in one day you can't run into everybody.
So to top the day off we got together for a potluck supper.
I have listed some of my Christmas activities. I lead a bird watching group each Saturday. I planned a wind up Cake and coffee session.
I had to get permission to use the Red Deer River Naturalist's office for this event. So went I went down to set things up I was completely surprised to find that the tables had clothes and there were decorations. Our treasurer who uses the room most had set it up for me without telling me.
So you an tell we had a good time.
I keep a list taped to the desk of possible topics for blog posts. I found that if I didn't write them down I would forget all my great ideas.
Well, my list doesn't have any topics on it at this time. I've been too busy lately to think of things and write them down. I have a series of posts I will do after Christmas.
Christmas is a busy time and activities crowd out times to contemplate blog posts. So in the next few days: Friday I volunteer from 1 -5 looking after the Nature center book store stall in the mall. It's fun to meet people and sell a few books. People like to drop by and talk about things they see outdoors.
Saturday I have a coffee and cake do with the birders I lead every Saturday afternoon. We enjoy our Saturday outings and everybody looks forward to sitting down and remembering the fun we had. Saturday evening I see a performance of the Christmas Carol put on by one of the local high schools.
Sunday is the Christmas bird count. I'm out from 9:30 to 11:30 and then come home for lunch. In the afternoon I'm out from 1:30 -3:30 . I have two areas that I cover and have covered the same areas for about 40 years.
Sunday evening we have a potluck supper with all the bird counters. It's a fun time to share bird count activities.
We've also had a lot of running around to do at this busy time. One example is that the sieve the Micro manager uses in baking came apart so since there was still more baking to do we had to find a sieve. So you know that finding a sieve with the micro manager will be a marathon. She wanted a sieve like the old one. Well boo hoo! They don't make them like that anymore.
Today we did find a sieve so there will be more baking.
So being busy is part of the season and makes for an enjoyable time. But I will enjoy peace and quiet once Dec. 25 arrives.
Christmas bird count territory.
On
Black Friday, the micro manager decided she wanted to go to the nearby mall and have lunch in the food court. I don't like eating in food courts so I made my own lunch at home.
The Micro manager had a few things she wanted to look for. One was to settle the underwear purchase I wrote about a few posts ago. She will then walk around checking out stores and looking for things we may need later. Now why any sane person would like to putz around the mall on Black Friday is beyond me. Now I rarely go to the mall except to drop off or pick up the Micromanager. I buy gas but after that I don't buy anything. I must repeat, I don't like malls.
The idea of Buy Nothing Friday appeals to me. It's easy for me to buy nothing on Buy Nothing Friday because I don't buy anything.
Now about 4:00PM I got a phone call from the micro manager asking me to come to the mall to look at some shoes I(she)had been looking for. What I should say is that she was looking for some shoes for me. Well, she phoned and asked me to come out right a way to try on the shoes she found. There was only one pair and they were holding them for her.
Out I go and the parking space was far away from the mall. I find the store and the Micro manager. I try on the shoes. They fit and were what I had been looking for. After being quizzed for ten minutes to be sure that the shoes fit we decided to buy them. Was I sure the shoes were long enough? Did my toes hit the end of the shoe? Were the shoes wide enough? Would I put both shoes on.Would I walk in them to see how they felt? I'm sure there were more questions from the Micromanager.The shoes were half price! What a deal!
By this time the Micro manager was ready to go home.
Now I'm ashamed to admit it but by accident I bought something on Black Friday!
As a long ago retired teacher, I have had time to contemplate a few things about education. I won't say I have answers but I think these suggestions would help teachers in their practice.
Now starting with a title like this people may get ideas that would go on forever. If I gave this to a grade eight class ...well, all hell would break loose! It would be fun though.
However, for today I will ignore other suggestions and present my own.
I think every teacher should have to take and teach some art, drama, music, shop, home ec., special ed and phys. ed. Now there would be challenges but I'm not looking for expertise in these fields. Teachers would not be assigned these classes permanently but given enough time to learn something. Teachers would need some special training in the areas and would team teach with someone who has majored in the field. I want teachers to see the special skills used in these areas and to put them in their own teaching strategies. My music ability is completely lacking but I do remember taking music in teachers' college and teaching music in my first year. It was ugly but I did it.
I have taught with and observed teachers in all these areas. I saw things these teachers had that would benefit every teacher.
Teachers in these areas have to be master planners and organizers. They think in a different way because kids are working individually or in groups. Those kids have to be on task. Routines have to be set up so that everybody knows where to go and what their responsibility is. In shop the kids have to know safety and rotate from one area to another so that at the end of the term they have completed all units.
Art, drama and music call for some creativity. All teachers need creativity to motivate kids. Coaching calls for strategy and planning where each player should be and what their responsibility is. The whole team works as a unit. I love watching coaches. They have a system. Every teacher should have a system.
Special ed was part of my department. I went to learning disability workshops. I was amazed at the strategies those teachers used. I certainly thought about how some kids could benefit from special ed. strategies.
My all time favorite was to go to professional development for primary teachers. I did have some gr. ones in my first year teaching. I loved teaching the little guys. That's where you get down to the nitty gritty of teaching. Many strategies have to be used.
So if I had it to do all over again I would try to gain more strategies from these teaching areas.
Now what do you think all teachers should...?
