It's time for a magazine we can really afford

In these tough economic times, the financial advisers tell us to cut cost by doing some simple things. Top on the list (or the one most commonly given) is to cut your magazine subscriptions. Well, duh. If you haven't got the cash, you won't be buying them anyway. Still, the magazines make it awfully difficult to pass down.

Some magazines have been hit so hard they've had to stop publication altogether. Gourmet magazine is no more because of the lack of readership (despite my willingness to go to the poor house to keep my subscription up). Some of my magazine subscriptions are still current though will not be renewed. Mostly I am upset that some of these magazines simply haven't made adjustments to the current economy. When shoes are advertised for upwards of 700 bucks, I really have to wonder how many readers can even afford such shoes. Handbags for 1500 bucks? Really? How about the dress price that's only provided "upon request"? What about the time arrest cream for a hundred bucks? Seriously, if I could afford such luxuries I wouldn't even need the deep discounts provided through the subscription price. I'd be able to afford the news stand price.

What we really need is a magazine designed for those of us who like to look at the super expensive stuff but have no idea where to buy it let alone afford it. A quick peak inside the Oprah magazine shows dresses and such available through Walmart. Granted, the politics of Walmart are not good, but does Chanel really have a better record? I want a magazine that offers recipes for nutritious food at a good price. Articles that discuss the bottom of the line products: what's in what's not. I want to know what podiatrists have to say about the way shoes are made. What is the cheapest I can go and not hurt my feet? (PS it's not Manolo Blahnik). Where can I buy affordable clothes with a good drape? What is a good drape anyway?

Sad, I need a lot of money to establish a magazine for people with little.

I simply love a snow day. We had a nice meal and I was worry free as the family was all home and safe. Sadly, many still had to work today which made me wonder why businesses feel the need to be open on such a day. Really, when I worked in the publishing company, they never called a snow day yet nothing got done because everyone was so focused on the storm. And, if the highway department is telling people to stay off the roads, shouldn't we heed their warnings?

I have been hearing chatter from others on facebook that schools have been canceled for tomorrow. I suspect Tyler will have a delay; Rod will have work as usual. I am glad I don't have to deal with the weather at all. The idea of working close to home is so magnetic. Although I want to stay in teaching (summers off are hard to beat, especially when you have children with the summer off), having work nearby would be terrific. And I'd still get snow days.

Oprah's Book Picks

When Oprah Winfrey began her book club I was so excited. This was doubly so because my friends are not readers and I had no one to discuss books with. Here, then, was a format that I could at least hear others speak of books.

Some of the chosen books were pure winners. Consider Ursula Hegi's book Stones from the River. The story of a dwarf in Germany before, during and after World War II. It wasn't a war book. It was a book about people. Pure genius.

Then Oprah started picking books I did not really like. My interest started to wane. I went to work and had no time to read the assignments. I did, however, buy several of the books and they rested on my shelves for years.

I have been unemployed for a year and a half now and am finding my way to those books. Most recently I read the book Fall on Your Knees by Ann Marie MacDonald. It's the story of the Piper family who lives in Cape Breton in Canada. There's mystery and tragedy. There are fathers who mean to do well by their daughters but can't. There are mothers locked by their sense of right and wrong as dictated, not by the heart, but by tradition. There are those relationships between sisters who love each other intensely and whose actions are determined by that love. It's a big story that spans two generations. However, the writing is at times a bit vague such as when Mercedes begins to remember a night long ago....

The bottom line is that I liked this book. I enjoy any book that pulls me in for a good story and introduces characters that I like whose motivations are understandable. I would not, however, add this to the best of the year list, I would recommend it.

Many, many years ago I used to think that once a book was begun it did not get put away until finished -- even when the book was horrible. Those days are long gone. I have really embraced the feeling. Life is too short to read a bad book (or one that is not grabbing my attention). Naturally this could be thrown out the window if we're talking about school books. An assigned book must be read. Why? Because if nothing else, the reader can participate in the discussion. It's there that all the learning gets done.

My most recent dropped book is Snow by Orhan Pamuk (winner of the Noble prize for literature several years ago). As the title suggests, snow plays a role in the narrative. Sadly, I found the snow to be oppressive. Further, the book is about Turkey a country about which I know nothing. While the internet is a great source for information, frankly I don't feel like doing research to read a book. I'm just not that into it.

Time to find a new book.

Last year I read A Fine Balance. It sat on my bookshelf for years. Finally, I blew the dust off and was simply delighted. Books are like that. Sometimes they do nothing until you are ready to accept them. Atonement was a book like that as was Cider House Rules. So, I'll put Snow back on the shelf and try something new in the meantime.

The Demo Lesson

It is really exhausting to go into a class of 8th grade students to teach a demo lesson. I did one today. It went well, but the interview that followed was odd. The principal made me feel as though the lesson was not too good. I thought it went well considering my expectations for the class were higher than the skills of the class. (The school's website sings a song far different than the reality.)

Anyway, as I was waiting to do the demo lesson, the literacy person came into the office. She chatted with one of the secretaries and they were obviously talking about me and my lack of backbone to work in the school. Talk about feeling weird. I waited and waited. My demo lesson was to be at noon. No one came to get me until maybe 5 or 10 minutes later than that (yet the lesson had to be in a certain time slot). Still, I did well. I think I even saw the literacy specialist give a nod of approval when I was finished.

Now I wait. I need a job and am fully capable of working in any school (pretty much), but I also feel as though my opportunities are shrinking.

Think I'll go take a nap.

Teacher Certification

I have been interested in getting additional certification to teach in the state of New York. There is an express certification for already certified teachers to extend their certification in Special Education. I looked into it, and after spending 100 dollars have learned that it is almost valueless. Well, not fully, but it is if you do not currently hold a position in a public school. What you need for this additional certification is to take three classes in special education, take the Special Education content area test (another 88 dollars), and -- this is the kicker -- have a letter or document signed by the superintendent of your district that you will be teaching special education.

The problem: what school will hire a teacher if they don't have the certification? New York State is so backed up, even with the proper paperwork, it takes a long time to get the certification necessary.

Additional problems in the area of certification are as follows:

no one is available within the certification office to give help.

you have to take a designated number of courses in a particular area of study (ie English) and pass the content area test. However, even if you could pass the content area test without the courses, you do not get credit for them. This seems off to me. Theoretically, the purpose of taking those courses is to enable one to to pass the content test. Why not allow someone to teach an area where they obviously know the material?

it's really all about money. There seems to be little interest in making better teachers with these restrictions, just making it more difficult to get the ducks lined up.

When I first took my teacher tests (then called NTE - national teaching exam), I took them with a girl (at least one) who did not pass the tests the first two times she took them. I was horrified to learn that I would be in competition with this girl once she did in fact pass the NTE. So, while I still must present my transcripts when getting interviewed, I don't have to worry about the scores on the teaching tests. This just seems unfair. I was a different person 25 years ago. Further, the college where I received my undergraduate diploma was not a good fit for me. I had difficulty at BU; the same type courses I took at Fairfield University and the University of Connecticut earned me better grades.

I got through school and through my various experiences have become a better teacher. The difficulties I faced as a student have helped me to understand my students better. I am a very bright person now; it was not necessarily the case when I was 22. We learn with each passing day. Still, I lose job opportunities to young girls who just graduated from college.

Having certification in various areas seems just to be filler for a resume. The states have created a nightmare and need to further review and identify what makes a person eligible to teach a course. It's more than just a test. It's about character.

The Holiday Concert

Tonight is Tyler's big night. It's the holiday concert and he participates in both band and chorus. While he is not so happy about the music chosen for chorus, I am very pleased that he loves band. It should be nice to hear the music that surrounds the trombone rather than just the trombone. I wonder if Tyler is better than his classmates in band. He sounds quite good at home. I suspect that since he likes it and is doing well with it he enjoys playing the trombone. (Next year we have to come up with the chips to purchase one.)

They are calling for rough weather this evening. I enjoy the cold and how it brings the holiday to mind. The prospect of snow, cold air, and a holiday concert just make me embrace the holiday. (Only 16 shopping days left.)