Category: Education

A Life of Love and Grace

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Inspiration from a Biography of Fred Rogers Growing up in a strictly conservative home, there were strict limits to what our family was allowed to watch on television. We were probably a decade behind the times when we finally upgraded from the boxy old TV set to a new-fangled flatscreen. Our TV time was limited to a few animated cartoons and old (mostly black and white) movies. But there were a few shows on PBS that were also acceptable, including Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, which came on every day at 12.30 pm. My mother would comment that this was perfect timing because…

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There and Back Again: Adventures of Teaching The Hobbit

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Last semester at Veritas Christi Hybrid Academy, in my 7th and 8th Literature & Composition class I’ve been teaching The Hobbit. There have been multiple times that my own knowledge of Tolkien’s world has been put to shame by students who are quickly becoming experts in Middle-earth lore! I used this as an opportunity to introduce the concept of summarizing, so each day of class would open with a review of the reading assignment they finished. Then the students would take a few minutes to write a one sentence summary of the chapter they read. I found that they enjoyed reading their sentences…

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Highlights from Mises University 2014

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For new readers, Mises U is a week-long summer economics program hosted by the Mises Institute in Auburn, Alabama. The conference covers theoretical and applied economics, with lectures covering topics such as epistemology, entrepreneurship, comparative economic systems, political economy, and the history of economic ideas. To see the schedule and recorded lectures, visit this page. This was my third year at Mises U. I attended in 2010 and 2011, then went to the AERC (formerly ASC) for the past two years, and decided it was time for Mises U again. I remember seeing posts about Mises U 2013 last summer…

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Mises University 2014

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For those of you not aware of this…I am in Auburn, Alabama this week attending the Mises Institute’s Mises U. So far it has been just incredible, I am enjoying every moment of it. To follow the official posts, please visit the Mises blog. As time allows I am posting to my Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, so you can check it out there as well. I am excited to share more details next week, but the schedule is pretty intense and I can’t make any guarantees about additional posts this week. Just listen to the lectures and and follow along…

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Book Blogging: The Odyssey, Book I

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I’ve always had a fascination with Greek literature, and it seems that my interest is never satisfied. Even after doing a MOOC from Harvard last year on “The Greek Hero” I was excited to see another MOOC from University of Pennsylvania on Greek and Roman Mythology. So far—two weeks into the course—it has been amazing! The first book assigned to read for the class was The Odyssey. However, the reading is split up into three weeks, so for each week I’ll be reading 8 of the 24 books (aka chapters) of The Odyssey. You know you’re into Greek lit when…

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Thus Concludes My Chemistry Adventures

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After several days of my desk and most of my floor being covered with chemistry notes in preparation for the final, I am officially done with my chemistry class! : ) It was really fun and challenging, but I am quite happy to be done. I like a bit of science and math, but not too much, haha. With National Poetry Month starting, it took a lot of discipline to study for this final instead of writing poetry. Now I think I’ll be focusing on econ and history to get ready for Mises U this summer. I’m looking forward to…

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NaPoMo: Reflections on Emily Dickinson

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This post was originally published in October 2013, but I decided to resurrect it for National Poetry Month. I was looking for a favorite poem to post and this one came to mind…so then I figured I might as well include my short essay, haha.  I am taking this MOOC (massive open online course) on Modern and Contemporary Poetry which is just amazing. I’ve always enjoyed classic poetry but never really got into the newer stuff. Until now, that is. The format of this course is great, I love the group discussions and interaction between all the participants. One of…

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Transform Rockford: Final Visioning Session

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After a couple months of following the Transform Rockford calendar, I was finally able to attend their meeting tonight, at the RVC Woodward Technology Center. I almost didn’t go (there is a chemistry final looming over me this week…) but figured I better go now or I’d never make it. It was a good choice because as it turns out, this was the last community visioning session that they are holding, so I was glad to participate in that. A little background for those who aren’t familiar with Transform Rockford. I was not aware of the organization until February…I think they launched some time…

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Let There Be Light!

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I’ve been experiencing a gambit of emotions during this chemistry class. From, “this is so challenging and fun!” to “I can’t believe I signed myself up for this??” to “okay, if I work really hard I can figure this out,” to finally this week something between wild elation and overwhelming trepidation. Haha, who know a chemistry could incite so many feelings? Anyways…the class this week is introducing the concept of quantum physics and the atomic nature of light! Has anyone wondered, “what exactly is light?” This has been a familiar topic of thought for me, although I think my favorite…

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Randomness

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When I resurrected my blog last month I had a mental resolution to post at least once a day. And that resolution has officially been broken, haha. But I keep reminding myself that it isn’t the end of the world if I don’t blog every single day. Although I just ran across an article warning of the coming end of the world on February 22nd, as predicted by Norse mythology. Sure, the Mayans got it wrong, but perhaps the Vikings are on to something! I’ll be honest and say I have no idea what this post is going to be…

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