Sunday, July 31, 2011

Stroke The Furry Walls

Omg, it's after 11, and I just realized I almost forgot to blog. But then I remembered.

Phew! That was a close one.

So! What do people want to read about today?

Tonight's viewing of The Bachelorette: The Men Tell All? It was slightly sleazy. I'm not sure that Ashley finds love. But then I read a bunch of spoilers in the internet that said she DID find love. So, who knows?

Dan's superior water skiing instruction? He mentored two kids under eight to a total of nine laps around the lake on skis. Holla atcha, Dan!

The comprehensive history of the first 100 years of my new school? I've reached the 1950s and 60s. There's a fascinating relationship between college entrance exams and independent school curriculum in Minnesota all the way back to the 1900s. Also, did you know the SAT achieved status when the College Board postponed and never rescheduled exams after the bombing of Pearl Harbor? Also, did you know that the SAT encouraged a bunch of tracking in independent schools? Girls who were thought unlikely to succeed on that particular exam were shuttled into less rigorous tracks at prestigious Midwestern independent schools in the 1950s. I think it's so weird how the same debates and problems are playing out today and have been for the last 100+ years in education.

That's it! Three great topics! Pics and vids tomorrow.

5 comments:

LH said...

This school reading interests me. We are talking a lot about SAT down here, and looking up deadlines for applying to colleges.

I fell asleep during the men telling all. But tonight I'll be up and about for the finale.

Happy New Week, Pal.

kc said...

The book on the school is actually quite fascinating. It started in the early 1900s with an explanation of Country Day curriculum vs. Progressive ideals. Basically that's the same debate we had for two years at my last job.

I also really like the discussion of how the Civil Rights Movement and the SAT (!) pushed universities and independent schools to totally change admission models.

Miss u, LH! Are you and jw going to NCTE in Chicago next year?

Maggie said...

Who wrote the book you are reading? Just curious...

KC said...

Maggie, it's Jan Woolman. Did you have her?

Maggie said...

I thought that might be it. I did not have her as a teacher, but both my sister and my mother did. I haven't read the book, did you enjoy it? You know I live just down the road from your new school...