Maria's Mélange

When I jumped into the Slice of Life Challenge this year, I wasn't really sure I was going to make it. I debated whether I should even make the attempt this year. Words hadn't been flowing recently. Fatigue was wearing me down. Would I really be able to get through an entire month? Would I manage to have an idea every day? Would this be the year I just couldn't hack it? I signed up anyway, and gave myself permission to not be perfect. Maybe there would be a day that just didn't happen. Nope, I actually posted every day.  Maybe some days my writing would be considerably less than stellar. Well, yeah. There were some days I just didn't have much in me. I put it out there anyway. I wrote about scouting and teaching fandoms and feminism frustrations and triumphs endings and beginnings geeky style and writer's block weather and professional development. Some days I feel like I had actual insight to share, and other days I just got something onto th...

Maybe I should just leave this page blank today? My fuel gauge hovers near E. One last little bit of flame flickers in a puddle of wax. Only embers glow in the hearth. The cupboard is bare. I'm just going to huddle under this blanket for a while, okay? Come join the writing community at  Two Writing Teachers . March is the official DAILY Slice of Life challenge. Someone is there Slicing (writing personal memoirs and reflections) every Tuesday. Let's Write! 

The influx of information on historical and current research and the increased connections with other feminists through social media have combined to make me extremely aware of some of the ways these biases impact me. I've been fairly sheltered from the worst of the effects. I was born into a family where both of my parents believed I could be anyone I wanted to be.  While the church I attended as a child and teen had very limited views and held to the idea of traditional femininity, my parents never reinforced those strictures. I surrounded myself with friends who supported my passions and listened to my ideas. Still, I know that the world is not perfect. Even with encouragement, I still self-censor to an extreme degree. I defer to the opinions of others more than I should. I am non-confrontational to a degree that stifles my own voice. Society, as a whole, reinforces the idea that my ideas aren't as valuable as those of the men around me. I see women I respect online h...

Today my youngest went on his very first Boy Scout outing. They took a day hike through Valley Forge. Last night we spent a feverish hour or so making sure he had everything he needed. We went through the items on the emailed list and laid it all out on the table one by one. Daypack found?  -- Check Camelback bladder? -- Check Compass? -- Check Brand new, spotless Boy Scout book so he can get signatures for the things he'll complete? -- Check! Wait! We need to make a first aid kit so he can get checked off the list? -- umm.... *digging through random medicine cabinets to locate all the items* -- Check! His older brother walked by occasionally and chuckled. As an "old hand" at this process, he felt like he knew exactly what he had to stash in his pack, and only put a few extra items in under protest. When I picked them up after the hike today, I knew it had been a success. Both looked wiped out but content. They claim that "almost everyone...

My students love to perform. I've offered a drama unit every single year that I have been in my current job. I don't think there has been any other enrichment unit that students have consistently insisted that I include in our rotation every year. My students love variety. So do I. That's one reason why I tend to not offer the same topics more than a few times! Drama, though, gives me the chance to change it up every year. Even though what we DO is the same, the products are completely unique. My students love to create. I've learned to let go and let them. The first few years of drama were fun, but gave me no surprises. I picked the scripts. All of them. I wanted to be sure we had plays that would be just perfect for our audience of first and second graders. Not that my choices were flawless. The first year, one of them was an excerpt from Little Women. Sweet, right? Yeah... the little kids had no idea what was going on. Thankfully, we also had some fun and ...

Today marks a very important date in geek history. Ten years ago today, Doctor Who came back to the television landscape. While I didn't hop on board the New Who train at that point, I'm so happy that the continuation of Doctor Who was successful. Every Whovian has a least one Doctor that becomes "their" Doctor. Christopher Eccleston quickly became my Doctor. I've loved Tennant, Smith, and Capaldi. They each brought something amazing to the role - by my first Doctor is embedded in my heart. This video uses the speech that gave me my first Whovian chills. The other clips are from the entire first season. Join the New Who nation! Come join the writing community at  Two Writing Teachers . March is the official DAILY Slice of Life challenge. Someone is there Slicing (writing personal memoirs and reflections) every Tuesday. Let's Write! 

I'm not exactly a fashion maven. I'm the kind of shopper who gives up quickly, and my color matching ability leaves just a bit to be desired. There's a reason my pants are all variations on plain tan or basic black. I'm pretty sure I can match anything with one of those. Do you know if anyone makes Garanimals for Grownups? My "style" runs to geek casual, if I am left to my own devices. I own four pairs of Converse. My lovely Batgirl. Plain white in homage to the 10th Doctor. Red hightops (umm... 10th Doctor AND the librarian in The Archived). Grey pinstriped because... umm... they reminded me of one of the 10th Doctor's suits. I may have a small problem here. Yes, I also own multiple pairs of superhero socks to pair with my sneakers or hide under my nicer shoes to give me a secret smile. I have trouble resisting a great new tee-shirt, especially if it features a science fiction character or butt-kicking lady I love. I may have recently p...

Blank page Blank screen Hummingbird thoughts darting in and out Alighting for the briefest of moments. I reach out but my hand returns empty. Sit back and watch the fluttering. Mind drifting. Words on page Words on screen Not as many as I had planned, but I'll take it. Come join the writing community at  Two Writing Teachers . March is the official DAILY Slice of Life challenge. Someone is there Slicing (writing personal memoirs and reflections) every Tuesday. Let's Write! 

"What has it got in its pocketses?" If you are a woman in the typical clothing found in department stores these days, the answer to that is pretty simple: Almost nothing. I sometimes drift into the men's clothing aisle, especially for shorts. Not only are shorts made for men actually long enough to cover more than just my crotch, but they also come equipped with gloriously roomy pockets. Some of my men's cargo shorts even have enough room to hold a wallet AND a phone! This is my pocket today. It doesn't even fit my whole hand (and I have tiny Italian hands with stubby fingers). I can just about fit my Fitbit and a lip balm in my pocket and still have room to get my fingers in. Yep, that's it. Do they think that we enjoy lugging huge bags around to fit our phones? At least these pants HAVE pockets! I have numerous outfits with zero little nooks for tucking in my stuff. None of my skirts have pockets. None of my dresses have pockets. A few of my cardi...

I'm busily putting the finishing touches on some stations for tomorrow's nights "SMART" night at my school. I'm the science advocate this year, so I am responsible for creating activities and centers to celebrate science. Astronomy was my first love.  I watched as many of the Space Shuttle launches live in elementary and middle school as I could. While that means that I witnessed the Challenger disaster live (my school had it on the televisions in the hall), the joy and excitement that came from seeing someone launch into space was worth the trauma I experienced that year. My very first book review was about an astronomy title. I have a station where students can view some amazing videos, (some by Lockheed Martin, some by Crash Course Astronomy, and some by NASA's JPL department) do an experiment to create craters, and read some brief information about stars and recent discoveries. Did I just happen to include photos of Maria Mitchel, Mae Jemis...

Dear Mother Nature, Let me start by saying that I think you are generally doing a great job. I love the fact that you make sure my area gets to experience all the beauty of each season. Budding trees and blossoming tulips are a lovely way to begin spring. Summer rains fill the air with a fragrance no bottle can match. Your color palette in the fall is impeccable. The gold, bronze, and burgundy leaves set off the sky to perfect. Your selection of crisp whites for the freshly fallen snow can't be beat. Still, I think you may be having some difficulty reading the calendar. You see, yesterday was the first day of spring. We were hoping for gentle breezes, the caress of a sunbeam, and the chance to get out to Rita's for a free water ice. This?? This is just not right. Perhaps you thought today was April 1st? Pulling a prank like this would only make sense if you thought you were getting in on the April Fool's Day Hijinks. I'm sorry to inform you that you were ju...

Two thirds of the way through the Slice Challenge! It's time to take a few minutes to focus on some of the little things that bring a smile to my face.  -- My older son has taken to coming directly over to me first thing in the morning and giving me a long hug. While it still feels weird that HE is leaning down to hug ME... it makes me smile every day. -- My younger son still enjoys (mostly) nightly read-alouds. We've also taken to sharing a quick "smiling mind" meditation each night to help him sleep. He likes the time together and the deep breaths and stillness help me, too. -- My husband has decided to start trying some new recipes. We'd gotten into a rut (mostly due to my lack of adventure in cooking) and hadn't been eating together very often at all. With these new delicious and quick recipes, we've taken more evenings to eat as a family and share more smiles. Sometimes I forget to stop and reflect on the little things. Life really is good...

I mentioned in an earlier post that I'm trying to get myself "out there" more. I want to be seen as an expert in my field, so the only way to make that happen is to find ways to share my expertise. Last night I shared what I learned at a recent conference with our parent advocacy group. I was nervous, but it went very well! Next time I speak to adults, though, I definitely need to remember to bring a water bottle. My throat was parched by the end and then I felt like I was losing my voice all day today. This morning, I finished short proposals to do 90 minute sessions at my summer enrichment conference. Maybe they'll accept them - and maybe they won't. Either way, I've done my part in taking the next step in my professional development. In case you are interested - here are the two sessions I'm hoping to give: Ted Ed Clubs: Helping Kids Share Their Passions and Expertise. Everyone loves watching TED videos to learn new information, but what if yo...

You got fandom in my writing piece! Well YOU got writing in my fandom! I don't dabble in fan fiction (though I do sometimes "ship" my favorite characters in my head), but I do write frequently about fan-related topics. This blog is often the host of a fandom related celebration (like Star Wars References in KidLit), silly post, or diatribe about representation in some form. Each week, I also write a Star Wars themed post called "Star Wars Thursday" for a friend's site - the Fandom Post. I'm coming up on four full years of writing these posts. While I have missed a few weeks along the way, I've managed to post almost every week on topics ranging from silly to serious. (for more information on how Star Wars Thursday began - check here ) Step One: Find Inspiration Artoo has been the subject of several posts over the years! Some weeks this is extremely simple. Holidays, changing seasons, new movie news, and life events all make excelle...

I have a pretty major case of impostor syndrome. While I'm completely confident getting up in front of children, and it doesn't even really bother me to have other adults come into my room to observe my lessons, the idea of speaking in front of adults is intimidating. What do *I* have to say that is worth their time? I'm not really an expert in anything, you know. Other people know more about math, or gifted kids, or science, or pretty much anything I could be asked to share with a room full of grownups. Well - I do have a master's degree in teaching gifted kids. (Ed. Psych from the University of Connecticut). I may also have seven years of experience teaching gifted kids and another 7 as a special education teacher. I may also spend a lot of time seeking out new materials to use with my students to keep them (and me) interested in learning. Does that make me an expert? Does that mean people will want to hear what I have to say? Thanks to the poking and prod...

What Matters Most My mind spent most of the wee hours of last night poking at me for all the things I haven't done. * Taxes * Finishing the prep work for my presentation this Wednesday evening (I swear, I'm almost done) * Finishing preparing for our school-wide SMART night next Monday (I know what I'm doing, but there are tri-fold boards to create and emails to send) * There's more... but you get the idea. I got a lot done this weekend, even with all the ferrying around of children and work commitments. It still seems like it's never enough. There's always the next thing, or the three things that needed to get done that didn't. What matters most, though? * My children are clean, fed, and loved. * My husband and I are healthy and have a warm, comfortable home. * I love and am loved. Twenty-two years of marriage and counting. I'm so thankful to have my husband as a partner and friend. * I have a job that is important, and allows me to im...

Some Saturdays are wind-down days. I can get up "late", have a few cups of coffee, and do a little grading and planning. Yesterday was not one of those days. Mmmm.... chocolate croissant. The saga began with a quick drive to get my older son to a Boy Scout merit badge roundtable. I love the fact that his Troop participates in these, because he can choose up to three badges and knock them out in a few months worth of work. Today would be his final session, allowing him to complete another Eagle required badge. In my "plan" for the day, the next few hours would include work time with my co-worker. We met up at the local Starbucks to wrap up the presentation we'll be giving at a symposium for preservice teachers next week. We'd been discussing and working for about an hour when I got a text from my husband. His car wouldn't start, and my younger son needed to be at orchestra practice in about 15 minutes. Hyperdrive mode - activated! After ...

There's one dog in the neighborhood that drives my dogs insane. I honestly have almost no idea why. "That Dog" is a beautiful, well-trained, calm Australian Shepherd. "That Dog" never wanders the neighborhood on her own. She is always under the calm control of a sweet adult (sometimes mom; sometimes dad). "That Dog" hasn't interacted with my dogs in years! My dogs have the freedom of a large backyard, and get all their running and exercise there. None of that matters. When "That Dog" is walking the street in front of our house, there is nothing we can do to quiet our barkers. The only other time they bark like that is when a stranger is physically walking to our front door. What is going through the minds of my nutty little canines? Is "That Dog" really a Cyberdog in disguise? Someday I will discover why they hate "That Dog" so much. For now, I just shake my head and wait for the barkpocalypse to pa...

The Cub Scout era of the Selke household has (mostly) drawn to a close. My husband and I have spent the past seven years of our lives devoting a ton of time and energy to making sure both of our sons - and their pack mates - had the best possible experience during their elementary years. We camped. Camp Ware provided ample opportunities to hike, build fires, practice whittling, and learn to put up tents in the quickly darkening twilight hours. We built. I may not be the best with tools, but I'm thankful that both my husband and my den co-leader had the know-how to make sure that both boys got to build birdhouses, toolboxes, pinewood derby cars, and more. No one lost a finger or ended up with any nails driven into any body parts. I count that a major win. We took risks. Risk tolerance is another one of my... well... I'm pretty cautious. So I'm also thankful for Cub Scouts providing my sons with the chance to climb and cut and walk across high bridges. I bi...

You know how some people are categorized as "systematic sequential"? Those people thrive on creating and maintaining order. Everything has a place, and everything is IN its place. To do lists are created and then actually end up with check marks beside each task. Mail is put away, bills are paid without panic, and laundry is neatly folded and placed in an appropriate (close) drawer. I am not that person. I try. Honestly, I do. I make job charts for the boys and post them on the wall. I use sticky notes and bullet journals and make lists of the meal plan for the week. I get ahead on grading and know exactly what the next few articles and vocabulary assignments will be. If I am extremely lucky, and work at it really hard, those systems last for about two weeks. Then I am back to baskets full of (thankfully clean) clothes filling the laundry room. I have sporadically home cooked meals interspersed with way too many nights of cereal or french toast. I have sons who shou...