The Times, They are A-Changing

I am very worried about the economic state of the country right now.  The concern is both personal and professional.  On a personal note, I now have probably one third of my closest friends (that includes one sibling) who have been let go recently and/or cannot find work.  What is going to happen to them and their families?  How long can the live off of the reserves they have in the bank - if any?  I am concerned because I have never seen so many people each day worry about whether they will be employed the next.

Professionally, I worry about the impact of the economy on education.  Teachers, teaching assistants, clerical staff, and even administrators are being let go because districts cannot afford to pay everyone.  What will this do to our children?  Will we be able to give our children the education they are entitled to in an environment conducive to learning?  How many students will be left behind and in need of academic intervention services because we cannot afford to give them the proper education in the first place?  Will we be able to teach them 21st century literacy skills to compete in a global economy?  What will this do to the drop-out rate?  I cannot fathom the answers to these questions.  

In half an hour, our district has an emergency faculty meeting to discuss this.  I am curious to hear what our superintendent has to say about all of this, and how our district will handle this difficult economic period. 

I am frightened for what feels like an impending crash of the our entire economic system and how my family will have to handle it.  I know we will have to live more modestly, help others when we can, and be just a little kinder than necessary to put smiles on otherwise worried faces.  This is Tikun Olam.  

Ramble on Rose

I've been falling behind on the job of maintaining current blog posts.  Partly because I just don't have enough hours in the day to put blogging on my priority list, but also because i don't know what to write.  Its not that nothing is going on...so much is going on that I don't know what to focus in on - or maybe I just can't focus in.  But thats a whole different issue.  LOL

OK, so let me share with you all the things that have been going on which are keeping me from keeping up.  The biggest time consumer is my family - for the best of reasons.  And I have been making a point of spending a little less time online and a little more time with them.  Thats been a problem for me every since I started my doctoral work in 2006.  

Which brings me to another huge time drain - work on my dissertation.  Six weeks ago I probably would have told you that i hate my doctoral research.  But at that point I made a monumentous decision to throw out my former dissertation topic - a year and a half worth of work - and start over.  It took at least three months of not working on it to make that decision.  It was the best decision I could have made.  I love my new topic - and am wholly vested in it:  the impact and effects of virtual worlds (SL) on education.  I have a new advisor who is as excited about this as I am.  Work is going well and I am doing some exciting things with my classes.  

The inservice class I am teaching in-world with my colleague and good friend, Juniper, is going great.  In between I have been sneaking in Phil and Friends shows and have an upcoming Dark Star Orchestra show to let loose at.  What else could I ask for?  Life is good!

Thanks for you patience and for listening to my ramblings.  

:)

"Love is real and not fade away"