Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Education According to Ken Robinson
Family,
Someone referred me to some TED talks by Ken Robinson recently. I watched two yesterday and think he has some interesting ideas. However, I'm not an education major and would like to hear your feedback on his perspective.
Here are some 20-minute talks he has given. He is really fun to listen to. Very engaging and interesting.
Bring on the Learning Revolution:
What are your thoughts?
Someone referred me to some TED talks by Ken Robinson recently. I watched two yesterday and think he has some interesting ideas. However, I'm not an education major and would like to hear your feedback on his perspective.
Here are some 20-minute talks he has given. He is really fun to listen to. Very engaging and interesting.
Bring on the Learning Revolution:
How to Escape Education's Death Valley:
Do Schools Kill Creativity:
What are your thoughts?
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Thursday, July 4, 2013
America for Me!
Being overseas reminds us more how much we love America. Here is a favorite poem that says it all. Mama memorized it in 6th Grade. It was written when people still traversed the Atlantic by boat.
America for Me
by Henry Van Dyke
'Tis fine to see the
Old World and travel up and down
Among the famous palaces and cities of renown,
To admire the crumbly castles and the statues and kings
But now I think I've had enough of antiquated things.
So it's home again, and home again, America for me!
My heart is turning home again and there I long to be,
In the land of youth and freedom, beyond the ocean bars,
Where the air is full of sunlight and the flag is full of stars.
Oh, London is a man's town, there's power in the air;
And Paris is a woman's town, with flowers in her hair;
And it's sweet to dream in Venice, and it's great to study Rome;
But when it comes to living there is no place like home.
I like the German fir-woods in green battalions drilled;
I like the gardens of Versailles with flashing foutains filled;
But, oh, to take your had, my dear, and ramble for a day
In the friendly western woodland where Nature has her sway!
I know that Europe's wonderful, yet something seems to lack!
The Past is too much with her, and the people looking back.
But the glory of the Present is to make the Future free--
We love our land for what she is and what she is to be.
Oh, it's home again, and home again, America for me!
I want a ship that's westward bound to plough the rolling sea,
To the blessed Land of Room Enough, beyond the ocean bars,
Where the air is full of sunlight and the flag is full of stars.
Among the famous palaces and cities of renown,
To admire the crumbly castles and the statues and kings
But now I think I've had enough of antiquated things.
So it's home again, and home again, America for me!
My heart is turning home again and there I long to be,
In the land of youth and freedom, beyond the ocean bars,
Where the air is full of sunlight and the flag is full of stars.
Oh, London is a man's town, there's power in the air;
And Paris is a woman's town, with flowers in her hair;
And it's sweet to dream in Venice, and it's great to study Rome;
But when it comes to living there is no place like home.
I like the German fir-woods in green battalions drilled;
I like the gardens of Versailles with flashing foutains filled;
But, oh, to take your had, my dear, and ramble for a day
In the friendly western woodland where Nature has her sway!
I know that Europe's wonderful, yet something seems to lack!
The Past is too much with her, and the people looking back.
But the glory of the Present is to make the Future free--
We love our land for what she is and what she is to be.
Oh, it's home again, and home again, America for me!
I want a ship that's westward bound to plough the rolling sea,
To the blessed Land of Room Enough, beyond the ocean bars,
Where the air is full of sunlight and the flag is full of stars.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
I Pledge Allegiance
Happy Independence Day!
This video, I Pledge Allegiance,
celebrates the inspired people - both past and present - who have
played a role in establishing and maintaining this sacred land.
This video was created in part through the talents and cooperation of Joseph Hunsaker.
Thank you!
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Opposition
In light of the recent setbacks to marriage and the family in our nation, we thought we would post one of our favorite quotes. It gives us a little bit of hope when things seem especially dark.
As surely as this is the work of the Lord,
there will be opposition.
There will be those,
perhaps not a few,
who with the sophistry of beguiling words
and clever design
will spread doubt
and seek to undermine the foundation
on which this cause is established.
They will have their brief day in the sun.
They may have for a brief season
the plaudits of the doubters and the skeptics
and the critics.
But they will fade and be forgotten
as have their kind in the past.
Meanwhile, we shall go forward,
regardless of their criticism,
aware of but undeterred
by their statements and actions.
President Gordon B. Hinckley
April 1994 General Conference
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Monday, June 17, 2013
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Blog update!
I just updated our blog with the past weeks' happenings. We don't have a picture of a ginormous mac-n-cheese burger to entice you to click the link, but we have a picture of some delicious guacamole! :) Mmmmm!
Landing Your Dream Job, Part 2: What do you think about?
As you decide on a career, it's important to be honest with yourself in answering this question: "What do I think about?"
I heard a story once of a father who tutored his son in chemistry. The father was a well-known scientist and professor at the local university and thoroughly enjoyed tutoring his son. One day they sat down to go over one of the son's homework problems and the father exclaimed, "This is the exact same problem that you had last week! Hasn't your mind been working on this problem all week!?" "No," said the son, "I haven't thought about it at all since then." The father put down his pencil and sat back in his chair. "Son, if this isn't what you think about all week, then you might be in the wrong major. Go find a subject that gets you so excited, you can't sleep until you conquer it." The son went on to get a business degree and became an influencial business professor.
The father was right. If you're not engaged in a subject that excites you, you've got a long, boring career ahead of you. Not only that, you likely will not be competitive at what you do. Imagine trying to compete in cut-throat classes in medical school against students who have dreamed of being a doctor, have a passion for saving lives, and who lie awake at night trying to find a cure for cancer. It's difficult to pass a class that's graded on the curve filled with students like that. On the other hand, if your thing is math and there's nothing you enjoy more than proofs, then go do it! Go find what you love. If you're doing what you love, you'll excel and become a leader in your field.
Too often we feel limited by what our peers are doing with their lives, or what our family reputation is, or perhaps we feel an obligation to carry on the family business. Life is too long to spend it at an 8-5 job that doesn't stimulate you, and too short to waste time thinking that you can change occupations later.
My professor once made a statement to me that left an impression: "People always say, On your deathbed, you won't be wishing you could spend another day in the office. Well that's assuming they had a terrible job! I will definitely wish I could have spent one more day in the office." This is a man who is past retirement age and who gets up at 2:00 AM daily to work on the research he loves. This is a man who found his passion and is incredible at what he does. Now I'm not suggesting that we should all want to spend our lives in the office - there's much more to life than that. I am suggesting, however, that the time we spend in the office can be enjoyable if we choose the right office.
So, what do you think about? It's worth giving that some thought. Just pay attention to where your mind goes when it has nothing to think about. What do you fantasize about? What would get you up in the morning before your alarm? If you can find it, you'll be unstoppable.
I heard a story once of a father who tutored his son in chemistry. The father was a well-known scientist and professor at the local university and thoroughly enjoyed tutoring his son. One day they sat down to go over one of the son's homework problems and the father exclaimed, "This is the exact same problem that you had last week! Hasn't your mind been working on this problem all week!?" "No," said the son, "I haven't thought about it at all since then." The father put down his pencil and sat back in his chair. "Son, if this isn't what you think about all week, then you might be in the wrong major. Go find a subject that gets you so excited, you can't sleep until you conquer it." The son went on to get a business degree and became an influencial business professor.
The father was right. If you're not engaged in a subject that excites you, you've got a long, boring career ahead of you. Not only that, you likely will not be competitive at what you do. Imagine trying to compete in cut-throat classes in medical school against students who have dreamed of being a doctor, have a passion for saving lives, and who lie awake at night trying to find a cure for cancer. It's difficult to pass a class that's graded on the curve filled with students like that. On the other hand, if your thing is math and there's nothing you enjoy more than proofs, then go do it! Go find what you love. If you're doing what you love, you'll excel and become a leader in your field.
Too often we feel limited by what our peers are doing with their lives, or what our family reputation is, or perhaps we feel an obligation to carry on the family business. Life is too long to spend it at an 8-5 job that doesn't stimulate you, and too short to waste time thinking that you can change occupations later.
My professor once made a statement to me that left an impression: "People always say, On your deathbed, you won't be wishing you could spend another day in the office. Well that's assuming they had a terrible job! I will definitely wish I could have spent one more day in the office." This is a man who is past retirement age and who gets up at 2:00 AM daily to work on the research he loves. This is a man who found his passion and is incredible at what he does. Now I'm not suggesting that we should all want to spend our lives in the office - there's much more to life than that. I am suggesting, however, that the time we spend in the office can be enjoyable if we choose the right office.
So, what do you think about? It's worth giving that some thought. Just pay attention to where your mind goes when it has nothing to think about. What do you fantasize about? What would get you up in the morning before your alarm? If you can find it, you'll be unstoppable.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
How Will You Measure Your Life?
A friend referred a book to me called "How Will You Measure Your Life" by Clayton M. Christensen. It's an incredible book that relates principles of successful businesses to our personal lives. For example, he relates the pitfall of too much outsourcing for businesses (eventually losing all of their in-house capability) to outsourcing the raising of our children. Eventually you wake up and realize that the values your children have match those of their coaches and teachers rather than those you had hoped to instill in them.
The book is an easy and quick read. I'd highly recommend it. For those who believe that there is nothing that a book can give you that a TV can't give you faster, I'm including a link to a TED talk he did. It's a little slow to start, but if you are patient, he actually draws some very powerful lessons from business principles.
The book is an easy and quick read. I'd highly recommend it. For those who believe that there is nothing that a book can give you that a TV can't give you faster, I'm including a link to a TED talk he did. It's a little slow to start, but if you are patient, he actually draws some very powerful lessons from business principles.
Friday, June 7, 2013
May Blog Post
Hey everyone, check out our new May blog post! Here's a picture to encourage you to click on the link. :) (That is a big hamburger that I want to eat RIGHT NOW.)
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Landing Your Dream Job, Part 1: Introduction
I climbed aboard my flight to return home from an interview with a company I had followed for years. They were a good company working on interesting things and I was pretty sure I'd recieve an offer from them. I found my seat and enjoyed the green, mountainous view as we lifted off. I could definitely get used to living here, I thought. There is plenty to do by way of out-of-doors in this area!
Still, I wasn't completely satisfied. When I was downright honest with myself, I still wanted to work for that little "cowboyish" company in the middle of the desert. That's where the fun is, I thought. That's where I'd be doing cool stuff! The interview here in the fairy land had gone well, but I felt a little unsure about the type of work they would be asking me to do. It sounded like a lot of paperwork and documentation - not what I had hoped for as a first step into industry after years of academia. If I could have landed a job with the desert company, I know they'd have me involved with design, build, and testing. That's the fun stuff. If only I could have landed a position with them. They didn't even read my resume! I was sure of it. I had applied cold turkey to that company 3 months before, and recieved a form rejection letter in the mail stating that they were not interested. Not even a phone call! Well if they don't want me, I don't want them. That's the best consolation I could give myself.
I stared out the window in frustration. Not at myself, but at the system. Why do I feel like I have to obey the job-seeking system and take status quo? Why can't I find the job I want and become what I want to become?
Then, an idea.
I decided to write a letter directly to the CEO himself. I'd never met him, but what did I have to lose? What could he say? No? His staff already had. But at least I would have made it clear that I was serious about working there. I was serious about being an A player. I began to scribble on some scratch paper, "Dear Mr. _________, ..."
Well, I never sent that letter. And I'm not quite sure what would have happened if I had. But today I work for that little cowboy company in the desert. And I'm working on one of the coolest projects I've ever heard of. My experiences interviewing with companies taught me a lot, and I'd like to share some secrets on how to land your dream job. Although most of my experiences are with engineering companies, I believe the principles and application can be applied to almost all careers.
Still, I wasn't completely satisfied. When I was downright honest with myself, I still wanted to work for that little "cowboyish" company in the middle of the desert. That's where the fun is, I thought. That's where I'd be doing cool stuff! The interview here in the fairy land had gone well, but I felt a little unsure about the type of work they would be asking me to do. It sounded like a lot of paperwork and documentation - not what I had hoped for as a first step into industry after years of academia. If I could have landed a job with the desert company, I know they'd have me involved with design, build, and testing. That's the fun stuff. If only I could have landed a position with them. They didn't even read my resume! I was sure of it. I had applied cold turkey to that company 3 months before, and recieved a form rejection letter in the mail stating that they were not interested. Not even a phone call! Well if they don't want me, I don't want them. That's the best consolation I could give myself.
I stared out the window in frustration. Not at myself, but at the system. Why do I feel like I have to obey the job-seeking system and take status quo? Why can't I find the job I want and become what I want to become?
Then, an idea.
I decided to write a letter directly to the CEO himself. I'd never met him, but what did I have to lose? What could he say? No? His staff already had. But at least I would have made it clear that I was serious about working there. I was serious about being an A player. I began to scribble on some scratch paper, "Dear Mr. _________, ..."
Well, I never sent that letter. And I'm not quite sure what would have happened if I had. But today I work for that little cowboy company in the desert. And I'm working on one of the coolest projects I've ever heard of. My experiences interviewing with companies taught me a lot, and I'd like to share some secrets on how to land your dream job. Although most of my experiences are with engineering companies, I believe the principles and application can be applied to almost all careers.
Saturday, June 1, 2013
What are your summer school plans with your kids???
I know we all do fun things, and I'm sure we could give each other great ideas. The cousin swap was a great one!!!
Just to inspire you all, I'll tell you what we have going this summer.:) I wanted to focus on penmanship, art, German, babysitting skills, typing, outdoor recreation, and scripture memorization. I know you are all impressed with the scope of my plans.:) So here's how we do it - The lessons are 10-20 minutes long. Sarah teaches German on M/W; Miriam teaches babysitting T/Th; Rachel teaches art history and has made little sketchbooks for everyone to sketch in on T/Th; Daniel is in charge of an hour of outdoor game time everyday; Eve gets out the penmanship books on M/W; Ruth gets out the scriptures for our daily scripture chase/marking class. Jared and I made up a family scripture mastery list and the kids all have memorization goals; each goal reached = a pudding cup. I found a great free typing program online with a timed test and several games. The kids get a pudding cup for every increase of 10wpm. The kids all have a summer process chart with all their jobs. At 5pm Bekah brings me the "bank" and the kids bring me their process charts. We go through them and they get Mama Money based on what they got done for the day. The money goes towards computer time with a list of acceptable sites (Hooda Math being the most popular). Our "5 o'clock" is also when the kids should be home and ready to be a family for the evening. We're in the market for an outdoor dinner bell.:)
On a side note, last summer I was swamped and overwhelmed with moving so our summer school consisted of getting out a game every day at 9am and playing as a family for an hour. The end. Jared and I were concerned about sportsmanship. The kids thought it was the best thing we had ever done.
In case it wasn't obvious, the number one tip I have learned through the summers of kids home from school, is to make it easy on myself - and realize that 90% of the energy I have the first day of summer will be gone by the second day of summer. I finally have kids old enough to teach. They love it and I love it.:) Pretty much all I have to do is gather and sound enthusiastic.
So what is everyone else up to??
Love,
Rae
First Day of Summer
We have a tradition of spending the first official day of summer making "School Scrapbooks." During the year, I collect all of the kiddles' papers, certificates, artwork, report cards, etc. in a folder. I hand them a binder, a few clear page protectors, and a hole punch, and let them go to town putting their memories into a book. Once it's finished, we throw any leftovers away (they have to choose their favorites), paste one of their school pictures onto the first page, and voila! We have a great contained memory of the year. This also cleans out my drawers in preparation for a new school year. Here are a few photos of the fun:
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
SUMMERTIME!
Oh what do you do in the summertime?
How about a cousin exchange???
Three hours total round trip, three cousins trading places, three days of fun!
Thanks, Bowden family.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Welcome!
Family,
We each have a page dedicated to ourselves. A page is basically the same thing as a dedicated post that will always be available from the home screen. So, your page will stay the same every time you come here (unless you edit it), and people can leave comments on your page. However, when you write a new post for this blog, it will be added to the archive of posts and will not have a dedicated link to the home screen. Does that make sense?
The bottom line is to edit your own page so it looks how you'd like it to and contains the content you'd like to share. To do this, click on your page, and then click on the pencil icon. This will bring up a screen that looks very much like Microsoft Word. You can copy in links, edit text, change fonts, embed photos and video, etc.
Let me know if you have any questions!
We each have a page dedicated to ourselves. A page is basically the same thing as a dedicated post that will always be available from the home screen. So, your page will stay the same every time you come here (unless you edit it), and people can leave comments on your page. However, when you write a new post for this blog, it will be added to the archive of posts and will not have a dedicated link to the home screen. Does that make sense?
The bottom line is to edit your own page so it looks how you'd like it to and contains the content you'd like to share. To do this, click on your page, and then click on the pencil icon. This will bring up a screen that looks very much like Microsoft Word. You can copy in links, edit text, change fonts, embed photos and video, etc.
Let me know if you have any questions!
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