It's Not On The Test

Last week I went to an education summit and this song was played. It makes me so sad. Because I attended a private school until 7th grade, I had so many more advantages than most public school children. We had small classes and teachers who cared about whether or not we were learning, not just whether we had memorized enough material to pass a test. And when I entered 7th grade, I was placed in R2D2 classes for critical thinking. Those classes were probably the best ones I had throughout my educational career. But are students getting to take classes like that now? Probably not. So how will they solve the problems they face? How will they be the thought leaders of their generation? Scary thoughts.

Boy Have I Been Busy!

I've been neglecting you, oh blog of mine! The TACRAO conference in Corpus was such a blast but before I could even unpack, I was headed to a Girlfriend's Retreat in Jefferson.

East Texas TACRAO week began last Monday. This is the big recruiting week for our region and all of my staff, self included, traveled to different high schools every day. Thursday night I squeezed in time for a hair appointment and Friday was CLARA in Plano. Friday night, Devin & I watched the Harleton Wildcats play their last game this year against Daingerfield.

Yesterday, Rodney and I returned to the Dallas area to get Victoria a car. By the time we got home, Rodney had gotten sick and has not felt well since. Today, we went grocery shopping and then Victoria and I went winter clothes shopping. Devin went hunting and bagged a 6 point buck! So we've all been busy! See, blog, I wouldn't neglect you without cause! Here's some pics from the last few days:

Girls Retreat in Jefferson

Victoria's New Car
Pics from last football game 2008

Starting CLARA

I'm excited to have been chosen to be a member of CLARA (Consortium Leadership and Renewal Academy) this year. A lot of people try to dodge being chosen for things like this but I have just the right personality defects to enjoy it. Basically, once a month for a year, I'll meet with CLARA members from other higher education institutions and listen to experts in our field, network, and complete an individual project.

So yesterday was my first CLARA day and it was held in Ft. Worth at what is currently the Radio Shack corporate office complex. The cool thing is that by this time next year, it won't be Radio Shack any more. Tarrant County Community College has purchased the campus and it will be called TCCC Trinity River Campus. We were given a tour of the facilities by the President. It's a five building complex (1 million sq. ft), costing TCCC 238 million dollars, and another 80 million to remodel. It includes a cafeteria, a parking garage, all of the furniture and modern art that Radio Shack purchased for the building, and a very plush workout facility. It is a beautiful facility now and I can't wait to see it once it's converted to a college campus.

I also got to meet new people from various disciplines, departments and colleges and look forward to getting to know them better over the next year. Next month, our meeting takes place in Plano at Colin County Community College and I'm already excited about it, thus confirming my nerdiness.

I'll be leaving this Sunday for my annual TACRAO (Texas Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers) Conference, this year in Corpus. I'll be helping TSTC West Texas present a session about Second Life and also facilitating a session. We'll be flying from Dallas to Corpus so keep me in your prayers.

Tailgate Party

This is my first attempt at using Picasa 3. These are shots from Tailgate Party Day. I can tell already that I'm going to love Picasa!!

Just For Fun!

Ok, one night I was REALLY bored and found this website - www.yearbookyourself.com. I had so much fun with these. They are all made from the same original photo, which had to be one where she was looking right into the camera. You just have to twist it to make it fit best into each pose.

Rah Rah Rah!

Some of my favorite pictures from football season so far:

Victoria at the Tailgate Party
Some of the squad being interviewed on KMHT @ Tailgate Party

The mini cheerleaders performed with the big girls after a week of practice
The adorable little red-head is my cousin's daughter

Here she is again

This is always one of my favorite parts of the game!

The littlest Wildcat cheerleader! Isn't she precious? Her older siblings are in college and 12th grade!
Victoria & Spencer

My Blooming Artist

I am so proud of Alyssa. She is in her first semester of college as a multimedia publishing major and has already learned so much! She is already creating custom MySpace layouts for friends, flyers for special events, the cover for Modern Miracle's debut c.d. and she's been hired to create logos for musicians and Christmas cards for Porky's restaurant. Not to mention the professional-looking photo shoots she's done for Modern Miracle and has already gotten a request for a baby session. And just as important as knowing the software, she is also proving to have a great eye for creative. I cannot imagine how good she's going to be when she graduates.

If you would like to talk to her about creating something for you, she has a website set up and you'll feel good to know that the money she earns is donated to Modern Miracle, a local Christian rock band that's trying to expand their ministry.

Here's her website and below are some samples of her work: http://www.alyssabeth.blackapplehost.com/web2.html