Opportunity to Hear Alfie Kohn Speak!

Alfie Kohn writes and speaks widely on human behavior, education, and parenting. The author of eleven books and scores of articles, he lectures at education conferences and universities as well as to parent groups and corporations. Kohn's criticisms of competition and rewards have been widely discussed and debated, and he has been described in Time magazine as "perhaps the country's most outspoken critic of education's fixation on grades [and] test scores."
(From www.alfiekohn.org)

October 17, 2008

Sandy, UT SPONSOR: Utah Education Association EVENT: keynote annual convention FOR MORE INFO: (801) 266-4461

Hey all! If you are interested in education or children even remotely, I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend going to see Alfie Kohn as the keynote speaker at this year's UEA convention at the South Towne Expo Center.
I heard him speak on parenting a few years ago at the Dee Events Center and it was amazing! I've also read some of his work and consequently come to think of both teaching and parenting in a much different way; and when I have kidlets I want to be the kind of parent he talks about in his book "Unconditional Parenting," which I think should be mandatory reading before they hand you your newborn at the hospital (just kidding, but I really do think it's a very important, thought-provoking book.)
I'll definitely be there when he speaks this fall!

Mark your calendar now! :) A ticket is not required, although you may need to pre-register for $5. The registration fee would also allow you to see other workshops and presentations that day. I'll post more information closer to the event and after I get my little convention booklet in the mail.

Dreaming of My Mansion

Apparently I've been watching too many movies and shows set in Nineteenth and early Twentieth Century England. (As if it was possible to watch too much of the genre!)

I watched "Wives and Daughters" again this summer, and I just finished the last season of "Jeeves and Wooster" yesterday-- I love it! And now I'm sort of even more obsessed than I already was with the culture and time period of England from 1800 or so to the 1930s.
(I've also become obsessed with Hugh Laurie, but that's a whole other story.)

Earlier this week I discovered the Universal Furniture website and fell in love with this formal dining room. It looks a little more impressive with the extra leaf and two more place settings, but I couldn't for the life of me get that picture off of their website. It reminds me of a modernish version of the sort of dining room that Emma Woodhouse or Bertie Wooster might have "luncheoned" in.

I have my doubts about it fitting in my first house, but somewhere down the line I envision it in the formal dining room of my gorgeous (but tasteful) mansion. I'll invite you over for dinner, and try to make the evening as unpretentious as possible. :)

Plastic-- For Your Health's Sake

We've been hearing about more lately about how using certain plastics can be detrimental to your health. I learned a few things I didn't know from this month's Healthy Utah magazine.

Check the bottom of your water-bottles, baby bottles, and any plastic containers you use for food or water. In a small triangle on the bottom, each container has a printed number. If the number is anything other than a 2, 4, or 5, ---TOSS IT!

Plastics with other numbers contain BPA (Bisphenol A) which can affect normal human development and reproduction. Plastics have also been linked to hormone disruption, and cancer--via the carcinogens in their chemical makeup.
Keep in mind that styro-foam and plastic cling-wrap are considered health no-no's. :(

It is best to limit using plastic as much as we can, because when we toss "bad plastic" it usually ends up being burned at a landfill, which can release toxic chemicals into our environment-- which in turn, affects our health.

As a general rule: try to use glass, wood, stainless steel, and good quality ceramic when it comes to the kitchen.

We live in an age of convenience, but it comes at a costly price.

To read the article my information came from, click here.

Children and the Media

I can't say that I'm really surprised that people are postponing having children, having fewer children, refusing to have children at all, or refusing to raise their own children (instead using day-care, nannies, etc.) I think it's terrible, but whenever I turn on the t.v. (which isn't all that often) I can't say that I'm amazed. Just look at the way the media portrays children! It's not that the media alone is responsible for all of the aforementioned trends, but I think it does have a negative influence on the way adults think of children, and the messages it sends to children about what we think of them.

More often than not, children on popular shows or films are portrayed as being bratty, selfish, demanding, inconvenient, and a nuisance. They are represented as some kind of sub-human category, far different from adults, and incapable of reason, maturity, or love.

Then there is the overdone teen-aged character: rude, back-talking, tramp-dressing, high-drama. This exaggerated stereotype was annoyingly present in "Dan In Real Life" where Dan's teenage daughters frequently tell their dad how badly he screws up, and how out-of-touch he is. The day after a minor incident, his daughter won't even say good morning to him. Maybe I was just an angelic teen, but I even when I was very upset with my parents, I didn't treat them with so much contempt, especially over "storms in a teapot."

When I tell people I'm going to teach secondary school I sometimes get the response that I must be crazy because teenagers are so awful. I have to wonder if these people actually know any teenagers, or if their comments are distorted perceptions based on the generalizations that are perpetuated by the media and us as its consumers. I was at a family reunion on my thirteenth birthday, and all day long, relatives I've never met made obnoxious comments to me and my parents. Oh no! Now I was a teenager! As if my Dr. Jekyll was going to morph into Mr. Hyde for the next seven years.

My biggest pet-peeve concerning children and the media is putting child actors in appalling movies- particularly horror flicks or thrillers. Probably the worst of all is the horror film where the creepy, demonic thing is a child. (Think "The Ring" and others.) I haven't actually seen these movies, and I have no intention of ever seeing them. The previews and clips I've seen have been quite enough.

Am I taking things too seriously? I imagine that people who regularly associate with children and adolescents don't give too much credence to these less than accurate depictions, but I don't doubt that it does affect our society. Something to think about while you watch.