Desk Chair

I constantly have back and shoulder tightness, and I believe it to be from sitting at the computer.

Do you think I should buy a chair from these guys?

Link

Today's Chat with Kristi

Kristina: hi
me: hi kristi
Kristina: bye
me: good chatting with you

Spring

What's your favorite season?

If you had asked me that yesterday I'm not sure how I would have answered. I don't even know how I would have answered this morning. I've been on this earth for just over thirty years and just 3 minutes ago I figured out my answer to this question.

I like the winter, because it is easy for me to regulate the temperature in my house. I have a good heater, and a small place. So as long as it is cold outside it easy to keep it from getting too cold inside. Summer is probably my favorite time of year. I get to take a break for a period of time free from the constant stress of my job.

Just a few minutes ago I opened a window. Second day in a row I opened up the windows. I love it when it is not too hot or too cold to have my windows open. In fact there are months of the year I don't close them. That's when I realized it. Not winter, now summer, but Spring.

I love Spring. Yesterday, I called Gio up and said I wanted to go play catch, because I just wanted to be outside. I guess it was the first day of "spring" I had seen in a while.

Summer, may still be my favorite time of year. But at least now I know my favorite season.

Maybe tomorrow I'll figure out my favorite color.

Studying for Orals

We have a final oral exams at the end of this month to complete our Master's program. Theresa organized a group of us and divided up the questions from our given study guide. We were all to send her the answers by 2/12 so she could compile the answers and send them to everyone. On 2/11 I called Stephanie and asked her what the book looked like from our first class dealing with action research. Stephanie and I were assigned the questions from this class. She had 1-5, and I had 6-10.

"Are you just now answering your questions and they're due tomorrow? Damn it, Kevin. I knew you were going to be the weakest link."

"Sorry, I'm just not motivated to do these at all."

"I didn't want to do mine either, but I did mine a month ago. If you didn't want to do it then you shouldn't have joined our group. What are you going to do if you can't find the book?"

"Call you."

"I'm not home. I'm in the car heading to Oregon."

I made arrangements to get the book from Gio. Stephanie texted me later that night asking if I had found the book, but I was already in bed. I never responded to her text.

So after I finished all my answers I e-mailed them to Theresa. Then I wrote up a list of alternative answers and asked her to put them just on Stephanie's document. I used a little of my real answers to make it somewhat believable.

Here is what I wrote for her, the questions are italicized.

6. Traditionally, validity was linked to numerically based research conducted in the quantitative paradigm. How truthful is action research? Describe the methods for verifying validity.

The validity of action research is verified through procedures establishing credibility, transferability, dependability, conformability, degrees of participation, and utility.

7. Action researchers undertake data analysis to summarize and represent data collected. They are faced with the challenge of reducing the volume of information collected, identifying data that is most relevant to the problem being investigated, while ensuring that data is not distorted, oversimplified, or misinterpreted.

True.

8. Action research assumes that some kind of action will result as a response to the issue or concern being investigated. How does one develop and action plan?

To develop an action plan ask yourself the questions: why, what, how, who, where and when.

Each plan will:

· Review the problem, research question, and research objectives

· Review the analyzed data to identify significant issues and features.

· From those select items

· Prioritize items to formulate action agenda

· Identify those requiring immediate attention

· For each agenda devise an action plan that includes: why, what , who where, when

· Make arrangements to monitor and support people as they enact their tasks.

9. Identify data collection techniques, and what is triangulation?

Combine three different data collection techniques.

10. Describes the steps of action research using an example like parents are unhappy with the parent-teacher conferences at your school.

If your parent teacher conferences suck then conduct some research to create better ones that don’t suck. Man, I wish I could find that text book.

Unfortunately, Theresa didn't feel comfortable sending these to Stephanie. Man, she would have been livid.

--The weakest link

*Note: I don't believe I was the weakest link, nor do I believe I warranted the accusation. However, I'm not actually mad at Stephanie, and I still think she is a wonderful person.

Google Search

I typed in a Google search tonight. I thought this was a pretty diverse list for only typing in "what percentage of."

I was actually wondering what percentage of letters are typed with left hand. Like if I wrote an 10-page essay what percent of the letters would be typed with my left hand. I'm guessing a pretty high percentage.

I never found out. So let me know if you find anything on the subject.

Tonight's Ramblings

Warning: I plan to ramble on during this entry with no climax, poor organization, and little redeeming content. Also, no promises of decent syntax or sentence structure. I would suggest not reading further. (However, if you've made it this far you probably know me personally, so, here are some thoughts...)

I don't have kids. I'm not married. I live alone. So why is that I feel like there is a bunch of stuff I "should" do? I have a whole list of things I didn't do tonight. Really? Is there anything I really need to do? Did I not outgrow this Puritan guilt upbringing modeled by my parents? I thought I was passed that. I have list I still never completed from Christmas break. I have homework I need to do by Friday. I have a book I need to read by the following Friday. And I have a few other things I need to add to that list. What am I doing to myself?

Tonight I watched T.V. The Office. It was my first sitcom I've watched this calendar year. I really can't recall watching much television for the last six months (outside of sports of course), but as I watched Michael Scott insist on being Santa Claus I knew it has been at least since December. Tonight was also the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th episodes of T.V this year for me. All The Office. One of them was a recap episode where the audience could reminisce about all these past funny things that happened on the show. I thought I had seen a lot of episodes of this show, but I've learned I haven't. I recognized very few scenes. I'm caught up now.

I think it was worth it.

Now that I'm caught up on The Office I'm considering canceling my cable. The bill is ridiculous.

I promise to get my homework done tomorrow before I go to bed. But I don't promise to even look at the items remaining on my list, but I should.

"Should."

Sponsoring a Kid

I went to the grocery store today and I let the girl stop me on my way out. She gave me her speech about all the poor children throughout the world. It was $28/month to sponsor a kid. I politely declined, and went home.

As I pulled into my parking spot I asked myself why I don't share more of my money. Maybe I should sponsor 10 kids. I don't know. I got back in the car and drove back to the grocery store.

I even got to choose the location and gender of the child I will be sponsoring.

Journal Entry

I asked my AVID kids to let me know if they wanted to continue AVID in high school. Here is the response in writing from one of my students:

As much as I would love for Mr. Burrill to put me in AVID next year it can't happen. Next year I will be attending Hiram Johnson High School and it doesn't provide AVID. If Johnson offered AVID I would do whatever I could to get in. AVID has helped me in so many different ways, and I believe that it is very beneficial. Even though I won't have AVID next year I will remember all the things I've learned. AVID is on of the best things that has happened to me. I finally am in control of my life's plans.

Literary DNA

A little Young