Poem: Keeper of Words, by Ciara Sanker

My friend Ciara, is a foodie. I guess she's a wordie too. I'd like to collect my favorite poems, and make a book out of them. This is a good one to start the series with, I think.

Keeper of Words
by Ciara Sanker

My words are getting
hopped up on caffeine
and strung out on nostalgia,
and I am sitting here
sober enough to record
their antics. Their particularity
is ridiculous and beautiful.
They are holding themselves
hostage until I figure out
how to seduce them
onto the page. Reaching out
to grab them by the skinny
wrist, I come away with
ink all over my hands,
and still they are laughing.
Elusive and daring, skipping
themselves like flat stones,
they spark precocious
and brilliant as lilies,
fresh-faced and wearing
a thousand tiny bells.
When I grow quiet,
curiosity overtakes them
and they creep closer
to peer over my shoulder,
suddenly shy and pleased
to find themselves there,
perching comfortable
as dark impish constellations
whispering to each other
then finally composing themselves.

Debt

From Occupy, a post about a group that buys debt to cancel it, and creates information on debt resistance...

Link: Handwriting

I've been posting all the intriguing non-math links I find at my facebok page. But the problem with that is it's really hard to search on facebook. I'm going to try to come back here.

North Carolina and South Carolina have pending bills in the legislature to require that cursive handwriting be taught. Diane Ravitch posted on her blog a letter from a handwriting expert, Kate Gladstone, explaining why this is wrong, and how a legislator gave false testimony.

Interesting.

R's Learning: Organizing

My son is unschooling. That's a term mostly used by homeschoolers, but we don't homeschool. (I'm a single parent, working full-time. It's not possible for us.) He goes to a 'school' in my friend Melanie's home, with about 7 kids, where the philosophy is definitely unschooling. He does what he wants with his day.

From Kindergarten to 2nd grade, he attended a free school with about 20 kids. (It closed in 2010.) Then for a year and a half, he attended 'school' with about 6 kids, in a number of locations, with a few different people 'teaching', run by a friend of mine. (It closed mid-school-year, at the end of 2011.) That situation involved classes he had to take. He hated that he couldn't opt out, and became (more) resistant to any structured classes during that time.

During that time, I had to force him to check out a trampoline class at Head Over Heels. He loved it, and he's still doing it.

Recently, I've noticed him opening up to new things. (Thanks, Melanie!) I had a hunch a few days ago, and said, "If you ever want to do some math, just let me know." He said he would. And that night we did some oral math problems while lying in bed. (For years he has said he hates math. I just now asked if he still does. He said no, and added that he never did. Ok...)

Today I suggested we take the bus to Head Over Heels, so he can practice for when he'll need to go on his own. This is part of what will eventually get him a phone, so he has lots of reason to be interested. But he would not have been eager in the past. Today, he's eager.

He asks me how to spell lots of words, because of things he's searching for online. And (the reason for this post), just now he needed the spellings so he could make folders for all the apps on his tablet! He has his stuff organized into travel, media and junk, games, and general. I told him people used to organize things alphabetically, but now, everyone organizes things their own way.

I want to keep track of things like this. Maybe I'll post more this year.