Hi all,
I suppose it's appropriate that today of all days I'm talking about leftovers. I'm sure Turkey Sandwiches will abound. However, this missive isn't about turkey. I know I'm shopping Black Friday sales to see what I can upgrade in my life, though I don't really NEED anything new. When I do upgrade, I hope to pass my less needed devices to students in my life that need them. For instance, I've found a laptop for about $100 that has an i5 processor, and I will use it to replace one of the laptops I have. The old one will go to a student, with a fresh copy of linux on it (debian or ubuntu, I haven't decided yet). This is the way I will give back this holiday.
At any rate, if you are doing anything similar, I would love to donate your old things to my students. They come from very impoverished backgrounds, and could use any electronic device. The smaller and newer the better, as many of them are hungry or homeless, and need portability. However, I still take old digital cameras, TVs, desktops, printers, etc. As long as they have some life left and you don't need them anymore, I'd be @gr8ful if you could help.
Have a great Black Friday, and I hope your gratitude extends farther than your belly. I know I put on a few pounds yesterday lol.
Sincerely,
~Mark
Friday, November 24, 2017
Friday, November 10, 2017
still gr8ful
Hi everybody, and Happy Veteran's Day!
I'm frequently reminded of the sacrifice made by so many to ensure the lives and liberties we are afforded. I'm a quirky mix of patriotic, liberal, and solemn on days like this. I am solemn because on this day, we celebrate everyone who has served in our armed forces. Many have died, and many have given parts of themselves (some literally) to ensure our safety, freedom and security. I often think I should have enlisted in the Air Force Academy or Coast Guard. I wonder, given how liberal I've turned out, how that experience might have changed me. I pledge allegiance to the flag each morning (though I leave out the Under God part because it was added in the 50s and I believe in the separation of church and state). I use my moment of silence after that to think about those who have gone before me and how they might face the day to come.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm grateful. I've never given my own service to our military, but I appreciate those that do. I hope that my life, helping students learn math, can measure up. At any rate, I'm grateful for those who have served. I thanked as many of them as I could yesterday because we don't have school today.
Have a great day, and stay gr8ful!
~Mark
I'm frequently reminded of the sacrifice made by so many to ensure the lives and liberties we are afforded. I'm a quirky mix of patriotic, liberal, and solemn on days like this. I am solemn because on this day, we celebrate everyone who has served in our armed forces. Many have died, and many have given parts of themselves (some literally) to ensure our safety, freedom and security. I often think I should have enlisted in the Air Force Academy or Coast Guard. I wonder, given how liberal I've turned out, how that experience might have changed me. I pledge allegiance to the flag each morning (though I leave out the Under God part because it was added in the 50s and I believe in the separation of church and state). I use my moment of silence after that to think about those who have gone before me and how they might face the day to come.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm grateful. I've never given my own service to our military, but I appreciate those that do. I hope that my life, helping students learn math, can measure up. At any rate, I'm grateful for those who have served. I thanked as many of them as I could yesterday because we don't have school today.
Have a great day, and stay gr8ful!
~Mark
Tuesday, November 7, 2017
choices, and how they make (or break) your day
Hi all,
Happy Election Day. I hope all of you are voting, exercising your rights as citizens. I am still trying to figure out how to vote, since today it will require an extra hour and a half of driving to accomplish. However, it might be worth it. Anyhow . . . this morning I arrived early to professional development. 1.5 hours, to be exact. THEN, the first hour of PD was scheduled to be reading the pre-reading, which was 9 pages long. An HOUR for 9 pages? I mean, I know we're math teachers, but . . . seriously? I could whine and complain about wasted time (and, believe me, I did), but I think I can make better choices than that. It's ok to be upset by things, but letting that drive my actions isn't a great way to go.
Anyhow, I took full advantage of being early. I walked across the street to Trinity, waited until their breakfast opened at 7:30, and got a homemade omelette and a smoothie for 6.25. I took a funny picture of a squirrel on a cannon, and enjoyed the thought that I might be a professor someday. A security guard was rude to me when I got here early, so I decided to take a stroll on a crisp New England morning, on a fancy liberal arts school and see what their dining hall had to offer. I could have stewed, stayed in my car or fumed at the security guard. I could have wasted time driving around Hartford, trying to do something productive or something fun. Instead, I got all my steps in, enjoyed a window into early morning college life, and had a nice leisurely breakfast.
In short, I'm grateful for the choices afforded me by my upbringing, my lot in life, my attitude, and most importantly the choices I've made. I could have squandered my privileged upbringing by letting my choices fade me into obscurity. In some ways I suppose I have. I'm not that rich, that famous, or that well respected. However, in my own corner of the universe, I've affected the lives of at least a thousand students. Probably more. I hope the effect has been positive, but in case it isn't, I hope at least that I made them think.
My life's work, I hope, is still in progress. If I'm lucky and make good choices, maybe I can get this 501c3 off the ground. Then I can scale up my charity so I can actually get funding for it, and perhaps increase the scale I'm working at so that more people get access to technology. Currently, through friends and coworkers, I take about 10 laptops per year and donate them to the neediest students at my school. I'd love to do this large-scale, and get the neediest students in Hartford access to laptops with linux and a way to access the internet.
Anyhow, hope you're having a great day so far, and that you can find ways to turn things to the positive, or find the best parts in your day.
~Mark
Happy Election Day. I hope all of you are voting, exercising your rights as citizens. I am still trying to figure out how to vote, since today it will require an extra hour and a half of driving to accomplish. However, it might be worth it. Anyhow . . . this morning I arrived early to professional development. 1.5 hours, to be exact. THEN, the first hour of PD was scheduled to be reading the pre-reading, which was 9 pages long. An HOUR for 9 pages? I mean, I know we're math teachers, but . . . seriously? I could whine and complain about wasted time (and, believe me, I did), but I think I can make better choices than that. It's ok to be upset by things, but letting that drive my actions isn't a great way to go.
Anyhow, I took full advantage of being early. I walked across the street to Trinity, waited until their breakfast opened at 7:30, and got a homemade omelette and a smoothie for 6.25. I took a funny picture of a squirrel on a cannon, and enjoyed the thought that I might be a professor someday. A security guard was rude to me when I got here early, so I decided to take a stroll on a crisp New England morning, on a fancy liberal arts school and see what their dining hall had to offer. I could have stewed, stayed in my car or fumed at the security guard. I could have wasted time driving around Hartford, trying to do something productive or something fun. Instead, I got all my steps in, enjoyed a window into early morning college life, and had a nice leisurely breakfast.
In short, I'm grateful for the choices afforded me by my upbringing, my lot in life, my attitude, and most importantly the choices I've made. I could have squandered my privileged upbringing by letting my choices fade me into obscurity. In some ways I suppose I have. I'm not that rich, that famous, or that well respected. However, in my own corner of the universe, I've affected the lives of at least a thousand students. Probably more. I hope the effect has been positive, but in case it isn't, I hope at least that I made them think.
My life's work, I hope, is still in progress. If I'm lucky and make good choices, maybe I can get this 501c3 off the ground. Then I can scale up my charity so I can actually get funding for it, and perhaps increase the scale I'm working at so that more people get access to technology. Currently, through friends and coworkers, I take about 10 laptops per year and donate them to the neediest students at my school. I'd love to do this large-scale, and get the neediest students in Hartford access to laptops with linux and a way to access the internet.
Anyhow, hope you're having a great day so far, and that you can find ways to turn things to the positive, or find the best parts in your day.
~Mark
Saturday, November 4, 2017
what a wonderful world
Good morning all,
I just wanted to reflect this morning on the loveliness of this world we live in. It's really easy to get bogged down in the bullshit mire of it all, but this morning I woke up to a beaver moon, a warm fire, and the love of a puppy dog. Yes, he pooped on my floor overnight and woke me by whining for attention . . . but he's whining because he can't bear being separated from his human. And, of course, this is because he has separation anxiety caused by his first few years of life being fraught with mistreatment (being yelled at and not being paid attention to).
Anyhow, I'm thankful for the beauty and the love in my world, even as I daily deal with the evils of it as well. The kid who treats me like garbage or tries to get a laugh from her friends by making fun of me is likely trying to recover from her own sort of traumatic day. One of my favorite posters I've ever seen in a counselor's office says, "I'm cursed because I know enough about psychology to understand why everyone treats everyone so poorly." That kind of behavior (the middle school bullying) is a result of that girl being bullied or feeling powerless in her life. Unfortunately, this happens all too often. So, instead of reacting or being mad about it, I just ignored her negative comments and moved on with my day.
Anyhow, as I daily struggle to rise above the muck and mire, I can easily find things to be grateful for. I have health, warmth, a Hagrid/Brawny man beard, people who love me, houses, cars, electricity . . . and even some fun new gadgets to play with. With all this, how can I be unhappy? People in PR have been without power and basic necessities for life for 5 weeks now. They are our human brothers and sisters, and I don't understand why we aren't helping more than we are.
I'll end with the gorgeous moon I saw this morning. Maybe it isn't as pretty as it was in person, but I hope I captured some of the beauty in it, and that it inspires people to find beauty around them as well.
Have a great day!
~Mark
I just wanted to reflect this morning on the loveliness of this world we live in. It's really easy to get bogged down in the bullshit mire of it all, but this morning I woke up to a beaver moon, a warm fire, and the love of a puppy dog. Yes, he pooped on my floor overnight and woke me by whining for attention . . . but he's whining because he can't bear being separated from his human. And, of course, this is because he has separation anxiety caused by his first few years of life being fraught with mistreatment (being yelled at and not being paid attention to).
Anyhow, I'm thankful for the beauty and the love in my world, even as I daily deal with the evils of it as well. The kid who treats me like garbage or tries to get a laugh from her friends by making fun of me is likely trying to recover from her own sort of traumatic day. One of my favorite posters I've ever seen in a counselor's office says, "I'm cursed because I know enough about psychology to understand why everyone treats everyone so poorly." That kind of behavior (the middle school bullying) is a result of that girl being bullied or feeling powerless in her life. Unfortunately, this happens all too often. So, instead of reacting or being mad about it, I just ignored her negative comments and moved on with my day.
Anyhow, as I daily struggle to rise above the muck and mire, I can easily find things to be grateful for. I have health, warmth, a Hagrid/Brawny man beard, people who love me, houses, cars, electricity . . . and even some fun new gadgets to play with. With all this, how can I be unhappy? People in PR have been without power and basic necessities for life for 5 weeks now. They are our human brothers and sisters, and I don't understand why we aren't helping more than we are.
I'll end with the gorgeous moon I saw this morning. Maybe it isn't as pretty as it was in person, but I hope I captured some of the beauty in it, and that it inspires people to find beauty around them as well.
Have a great day!
~Mark
Thursday, November 2, 2017
Calling all upgrade (ers)
Hi all,
This is me, one more time, asking for all old electronics you aren't using. I know personally, I have several laptops and tablets that aren't the newest or fastest anymore. Since they aren't the best, I don't play with them anymore, and they sit collecting dust in my house or classroom. What I need is those old machines from everybody around me, and everybody they know.
I can't singlehandedly take on the poverty of Hartford. But I can feed the hungry kids I see and help students who don't have technology get access to it. To that end, please donate if you can! Again, I don't want your new stuff. Just the leftover things you don't use anymore. Old phones, tablets, computers etc. The more portable the better.
Have a great day, and stay gr8ful!
~Mark
p.s. - Today I'm grateful for the people who love me, being well fed (sometimes too much so lol) and having clothes and heat.
This is me, one more time, asking for all old electronics you aren't using. I know personally, I have several laptops and tablets that aren't the newest or fastest anymore. Since they aren't the best, I don't play with them anymore, and they sit collecting dust in my house or classroom. What I need is those old machines from everybody around me, and everybody they know.
I can't singlehandedly take on the poverty of Hartford. But I can feed the hungry kids I see and help students who don't have technology get access to it. To that end, please donate if you can! Again, I don't want your new stuff. Just the leftover things you don't use anymore. Old phones, tablets, computers etc. The more portable the better.
Have a great day, and stay gr8ful!
~Mark
p.s. - Today I'm grateful for the people who love me, being well fed (sometimes too much so lol) and having clothes and heat.
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