Where I Am From

I am from Sandy Loam Soil from International Tractors, and Diesel Fuel.

I am from the Backyard, Cardboard Boxes, plain and brown, with fingers playing in the green grass.

I am from Timothy Grass, Alfalfa, and the Corn Field, the Green Bean, Sweat Pea, and South Branch of the Potomac River.

I am from Hot Dogs Roasted on a Stick, Flaming Burnt Marshmallows, and Green Kool-Aid.

I am from Pepper’s Doghouse, Running Barefoot, Riding Bikes, and Bulldozers.

I am from playing Hide-n-Seek on summer nights, Knight’s of the Round Table with Corn Stalk Swords and Trash Can Lid Shields.

I am from Home Grown Tomatoes, making Applebutter, and Telling Stories.

I am from Backyard Football, High School Wrestling, and Tropical Snorkeling.

I am from Tilling the Ground and Working Hard, from my Granddads and the Grace of a Mother that filled me with Love and Kindness.

I am from a Band of Brothers, Life Cereal, Molasses Syrup and Family Picnics, from Climbing Trees, Rope Swings, and Sliding Down the Barn Roof.

I am from Cedar Christmas Trees, with a Tin Foil Star, Popcorn Tinsel, and Homemade Ribbon Chains.

I am from the Short side of the ‘Jean’ Pool, but from a long line of Know-it-Alls.

From being Independent, Be Determined, and the Best Helping Hand You’ll ever Find is at the End of Your Own Arm, use it to Help Yourself and Others.  

I am from Faith in God, and walking with His Son, whether the Valley Lo, or the Mountain High and a Deeper Sense of Faith from the “Shack.”

I am from the Freshly Furrowed Ground,  Black Angus Beef Freshly Butchered and Attic Cured Country Ham.

From the Comet Sky with DadDad, Salting Cattle with PopPop and from Working with Dad and Cooking with Mom.

I am from the Big White Bible, Hat Boxes with Scrapbooks filled with Memories and the Mighty Oak, Strong and True, Planted with Purpose.

I am from playing in the Sand Box to the World is My Sand Box.

I am from the Boot Camp Blues to Wearing my Navy Blues, Navy Whites, and Seabee Greens.

I am from Sunsets, Moonrises, and the Love a Beautiful Woman.

I am from sharing Wonderful Adventures, Glamorous and Black Tie or Rustic and Simple.

I am from Learning, Laughing, and Lazy Rainy Days.

I am from Growing Closer to My Son, Embracing My Wife, and Being Grateful Everyday for My Wonderful Life.


I may edit this some before I totally complete this project, mainly because I have been so blessed in my life to have experienced some wonderful things and lived through the not so wonderful things with a great sense of resiliency. All things happen for a reason and everyone we meet leave us with something whether we know it or not. This is glimpse into where I'm from and Who I am.

Language Proper? or Slang?

While contemplating this whole idea of proper usage / grammar and whether or not correct what you deem improper usage / grammar when students or adults are speaking; there many facets to consider. I say many facets because all spoken languages have a syntax that is followed by the speaker, this syntax may be foreign or unfamiliar to your idea of speaking "Proper English," but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. So, before you can solve a problem you must fully identify the problem. I would begin with a T-Chart noting the differences between what is being said as it compares to "your" idea of "Proper English." By doing this initial identification and establishing baseline data, you will also be better able to recognize when other systems (including yourself) are operating as a "cultural deficit" or a "cultural difference" system. Knowing that your treating others in a "deficit" system it may be harder to affect and overall change, because one of the first things you are doing is reinforcing the stereotype label already applied to that group or individual even without saying it aloud. It was very evident in the Fox Media clip of Gerrard McCledon (link), that he is operating in a "cultural deficit" system (not in a malicious way), but from the stand point that perpetuates the stereotypical behavior in the reasons why the students need change their language usage. I do think Mr. McClendon has his heart in the right place and I agree to some extend with him that a "to do nothing stance" is wrong and harmful, but his approach needs to shift a little. Much like the systemic shift that needs to occur across our entire educational system. This is an exciting time to be an educator if you can see far enough into the future and embrace the unknown of tomorrow instead of clinging to the drill and skill worksheets of the past. That is not to say that students today don't need rote  and fundamental skills, they do, we all do, that said we all will remember those skills and other important knowledge when we are actively engaged in experiential learning. Embracing the "cultural difference" when teaching students will enable teachers to guide their students to better word choices in certain settings (changing their register) to ensure that while preserving their unique dialect they are not immediately stereotyped. The code shift ideology teaches students to recognise the setting in which they are preparing to interact (on a conscious level), because we all shift to some degree when interacting with certain peers or family members (on the unconscious level). Yet, even the code shifting as outlined in the "What Matters" (link) video has some "cultural deficit" undertones, in that it points out that "Business English" is the power language, but refers to other dialects as inferior English to be spoken at home, not school or work. This video also reinforces that students need  change their language register in order to succeed; quickly noting that "writing scores have improved since they started teaching the students to speak "Business English" at school."
I think the key nugget I learned from this dialog about dialect and learning is something Dr. Purcell-Gates said, "Children are learners, have been learning since birth, are ready to learn anytime, and will learn." This is what teaching is all about, not just filling student minds with facts, figures, and formulas, but teaching them about the life around them that is full of learning opportunities that will last a lifetime. The goal of every teacher should be to help students become lifelong learners.

The New Dragon, NaturallySpeaking

I received a new piece of software for Christmas. This new piece of software is known as the premium version of Dragon, NaturallySpeaking. It converts "NaturallySpeaking" words to Text. It will take some time to learn how to operate this software. The most challenging thing is changing from your inner voice to a spoken voice to text. That is to say when you are writing it is much easier for you to bang on the keys to put your thoughts into words this this software requires you to speak your thoughts out loud in order to convert your thoughts and text. The other thought that occurs to me about how challenging it is going to be to learn how to use this software is how to make changes or corrections as needed quickly and efficiently. It will also be a learning curve on where to place proper punctuation marks. For someone that doesn't time this seems like a quick and easy fix although I may find myself rereading and correcting grammar for a much longer period of time, etc. when I get on a roll I'll be able to use the review check spell. In either case the need for better proof reading will be necessary. In the short time that I had been writing this page it has become readily apparent to me that my inner speech is different than mine however speak or spoken words. It's funny I had an idea that speaking naturally would be as easy as well speaking naturally and yet I find myself somewhat in an unnatural state by speaking out loud trying to write a simple blog post. I will have to practice practice practice until I dictate a paper in a relatively short amount of time as you can see many of the sentences or statements that I have made in this page, is simply that practice. In fact many people may become weary from reading these practice posts. I will say this NaturallySpeaking software learns very quickly my somewhat discernible dialect. I was given the option to select southern US as a dialect option during initialization. It is also a little difficult to read what you have spoken while you are speaking. Given the number of words on this post it would have taken me much longer to type. I'm not sure how others will react around me while I'm speaking out loud writing a paper. Many may be confused and think I am speaking to them, they may even answer or try to enter the conversation. In many respects dictation is very similar to a conversation you would have with your computer. As with anything new the more you use it the more efficient you will become using it. My speaking grammar may even improve, because every word I say will be printed in front of me to read. I struggle with speaking habits that are often not grammatically correct. As a new teacher speaking to your student with proper usage of grammar is absolutely imperative. There is no substitute for leading by example. Students will and are keenly aware hypocrites, that is to say the old proverb "do as I say, not as I do," will not be well received by students. Every chance they get they will point out your improper usage as a chance to correct you in the same way that you may or have corrected their papers. For most of them it is a way of holding you to the same standard you hold them. I think I will like this new software the more I use it. My next post will likely be about the Thanksgiving cruise.