My Rant on Education

Though relocating from New York City back to Indianapolis has filled my heart and soul, it certainly has not filled this blog!  I have seriously lacked on updates over the past month.  Here are the basics:

-We are living in Zionsville with our gracious hosts, the Smiths!  We will stay here until we figure out our next steps in the housing department.
-Murphy is in doggy heaven.  Not only does he have a backyard to relieve himself in again, but he is living in the biggest house he has ever lived in....with FOUR people that love him!  
-Eric is a research fellow for the Sagamore Institute, a think tank in Indianapolis.  He does work in the clean energy division.  I like to tell people that he is a fine, fine, fellow.  He is also doing consulting in this gig.  It is his dream job.
-I am a stay-at-home person for one more day.  It is MY dream gig.  But, all dreams must come to an end:).  I begin teaching 4th grade in Carmel Schools on Friday, as I cover a maternity leave.

Alright, now that the basics are out there, I am going to use this blog as a temporary (I will try to confine it to this one post, but I make no promises) forum for my random thoughts on what is going on with education.  As I figure out what the next steps in my career look like, I have spent much time researching schools, ed reform policies, political views, and educational organizations.  I find myself getting worked up about what I strongly agree or disagree with.  Rather than boring any of my friends, I will try to get it out of my system here:).  This will be random.  It will lack order.  I may sound like a know-it-all, but I assure you, I realize that I don't know it all.

*It is a misconception that charter schools can kick students out. 
*It is a misconception that schools with high test scores have better teachers than schools with low test scores. 
*Though some business practices will work in education, some will not.  If you are selling a product, and someone does not want to buy it, you go elsewhere.  If you are providing education, and someone doesn't want to learn, you can't go elsewhere.  You have to keep convincing your customer that your product is worth their time.
*The amount of blame placed on teachers at the moment is very frustrating.  When the automotive industry was the pits, everyone blamed the people running the companies.  When the education system is the pits, they blame the teachers.  What about the administrators making the calls?  Or the department of education?  Many of the issues I see in failing schools is the lack of support for teachers from administration.
*I am pro merit-based pay.  However, I want the system developed to be great.  Indiana is leaving it up to districts to decide the details of what that would look like, and I believe that many districts will miss the "great" target.
*I am pro making it easier to let bad teachers go. 
*What in the world are we doing to attract great individuals to education?  If we are going to make all of the proposed changes, then teachers MUST make more money, or it won't be competitive in attracting bright, capable individuals.
*Where does parent accountability fit into the picture?
*Where is funding going to come from to provide merit pay?  Does it come at the expense of paying teachers for furthering their education, as Michelle Rhee suggests?  If so, I think that is ridiculous. 

Those are all of my thoughts for now.

Choose Your Own Adventure!

 I remember combing through my brother's bookshelves when I was younger, looking for something to catch my attention.  There were many books of NON-interest to me.  They were either too difficult, too boring, or just plain dumb in my seven year old opinion.  But there came a moment that my literary world was changed....the moment I first opened a Choose Your Own Adventure Book.  This particular book was about a house fire, and I was being confronted with the toughest decision I had ever faced..... would I go back into the burning house to save the cat, or escape?? Talk about moral conflict!  This series fascinated me, as it opened a world of options.  You could choose your own book, your own journey within the book, and ultimately your own result.  

Well folks, Eric and I are choosing our own adventure!  Each stage in our relationship has brought with it options.  Want to go on a blind date with your college friend's brother?? YES! Then turn to page 6.  Want to get engaged and spend the rest of your lives together?? YES! Then turn to page 25.  Want to live in separate states once you are married?? NO! Then turn to page 40 to move to New York City instead!

Let me tell you, moving to New York City was the right choice, and boy was it an exciting chapter!  We have had such a phenomenal time exploring the city, getting to know married life, and just spending time together.  We have learned a ton from our jobs and the rigorous city life.  But, like all good chapters of a Choose Your Own Adventure book, we have recently been faced with another huge decision.  To stay in New York City and continue this path, turn to page 50.  To return to Indiana...a place you know and love....filled with people you know and love....and jobs you know you will love....and a yard your dog knows and loves...and cars...and community...and...you get the point...turn to page 64.  When we saw the two options laid out before us, we knew which one we wanted.  We feel like we have put ourselves fully into our time out here, but we are ready to be back in Indiana.  We aren't sure all that the next chapter will hold, but we are excited to find out. 

For those of you that are curious, this is what we DO know (though in a Choose Your Own Adventure, all things are subject to change!).  Eric has been asked to partner with a couple of local businessmen to do financial consulting in the clean tech industry.  This is very exciting for him, as it is right up his alley!  I am currently looking for a temporary teaching position for the remainder of this school year, and I will return to teaching in Washington Township in the fall.  I am looking forward to a few weeks off before any of that begins:).  We will temporarily be living with Eric's parents in Zionsville, while we figure out our next step in the housing department.  Our last days of work here in New York are February 18th, and we drive back on the 19th.  

It is sad to end this chapter, but we are so excited to start the next one.  Do you want to know HOW excited????

This excited!!!!!

The Most Interesting Men in the World

I am married to one of the most interesting men in the world.  I am a sister-in-law to the other.  I am the original photographer of these pictures.  I am jealous of the talent that my sister-in-law Cara has in creating The Most Interesting Man in the World advertisements.  I am a thief.  I am a stealer of her amazing work.  I am a sharer though - I share her talents with the masses.

The party boy is mine.  The lover is hers.  I mean, the fighter is hers.  But she introduced me to the party boy, so maybe he is hers too??

99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall.....

Over a 9 day span, Eric and I put over 2000 miles on a brand new Chevy Cruze that we rented for our trip home.  About an hour outside of NYC on our return trip, I thought it would be a good idea to start obnoxiously singing 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall.  That was a great way to seal the deal that we will not have to make that road trip again:).  Thank goodness for Delta!

All joking aside, Eric, Murphy, and I had a great time on our trip back to Indiana.  Nine days was long enough that we were able to see friends and family, take care of some business, and squeeze in some relaxing time.  I wasn't as great of a documenter as I had hoped, but I did get a few pictures.  Here are some of the highlights:

*Introducing Murphy to his new grandparents.  Since Murphy wasn't invited to the wedding, he hadn't met his in-laws yet:).  I am pretty sure they hit it off.

*Our annual Christmas Eve lunch with the Thorne's! This was Eric's first time attending this special event.  It is fun to start sharing more traditions with one another.

*Driving through downtown Zionsville on Christmas Eve, to see the place we got engaged exactly 1 year prior!

(from last year)

*Celebrating Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with the Smiths!  

It was so much fun watching Truett and Callum open gifts this year.

 Big hits this year were my BEAUTIFUL slippers that I love dearly and this amazing photo book that all three Smith children received with pictures of their childhood.  That one definitely brought tears!

 And another big hit was.....TENT CITY!  Eric and I were very excited about our gift to Truett and Callum...this fun tent/tunnel play land.  However, as the boys were opening gifts, we discovered that Becca AND Cara/Adam had the same idea.  So, what do you do with 3 tent/tunnel play lands?  You put them together and make an amazing Tent City.  

Good thing Cara and Adam have a large basement!

Turns out, even adults have fun in Tent City!

*Another obvious highlight was celebrating Christmas and watching the Colt's game with the Rogers!  Chad and Kim had to work the next day, so Maddy and Emmy stayed in Marion with Eric and I so we could have a fun movie night.  It was so great to have time with family.

*We had a great time spending time with friends around Indianapolis!

 *My high school friends and I have a yearly tradition of celebrating Christmas together.  This is often the one time a year that we are all together at one time, because we live in different areas.  Unfortunately one girl was sick this year, but it was still fun to catch up and see how everyone's lives are changing.

*New Years Eve! We had a low key NYE this year, because we had to make the drive back to New York the next morning.  It was a ton of fun hanging out with the Weber's and the Welu's.  We played games with "consequences" (losers had to do a consequence....I personally had to flush my foot in the toilet while Eric hate a spoonful of hot sauce), talked, ate tons of food, and enjoyed the signature drink "Father Time".  It was just what we needed to wrap up our trip. 

Yep...that's a chocolate fountain.

We can't wait to be back closer to all of the fabulous people in our lives.  It was definitely great to be there for a little while.  Until next time......45 Bottles of Beer on the Wall, 45 Bottles of Beer, take 1 down pass it around, 44 Bottles of Beer on the Wall! (Are we THERE yet???)

Christmas In New York

Christmas in New York is....magical:).  That sounds so cliche, I know.  However, it is true! Eric and I went on a Christmas journey a couple of weekends ago.  We did everything that we though one should do in NYC at Christmas time....we started with a birthday celebration for Eric, saw the Rockefeller Christmas tree, went into FAO Schwartz and the Apple store.  Then we walked down Fifth Ave. to see the hustle and bustle of Christmas shoppers and buildings that were decorated like presents.  We even went to see Elf, the Musical on Broadway!  I don't know that pictures will translate the magic, but it's worth a shot!

 Ornaments have become a tradition of ours, seeing as Eric proposed with one... This ornament will be a great reminder of our first year of marriage!

 

Here we are, exactly a year ago, getting engaged! We look pretty much the same, huh?

This ornament brought a smile to my face when I pulled it out.  It has the names of all of the people in my old house church.  I was the lucky recipient to get it last year in an ornament exchange. 

 Even Murphy looks magical... (sorry, couldn't resist)

 I look extremely awkward in the one photo we were able to get Murphy to look at the camera, so I gave up after this one.  Doesn't he have "rotten" written all over his face here?  You can just tell he is getting ready to bolt. 

 Without The Murph. 

 Eric's birthday celebration started at The Stumble Inn.  We saw a review of their stuffed cheese burgers on the Food Network.  When we saw that, I tucked this place away in my mind as the perfect place for Eric's birthday dinner.  He loves casual places and burgers.  He was not disappointed:).

 Taking his first bite...

 His was stuffed with cheddar and jalapenos...mine was American and mushrooms.

 The tater tots were a hit.

 Needless to say, we cleaned our plates...

 And Eric was a happy fellow.

 We warmed up with coffee for the second leg of our Christmas adventure.

Yep, I played with this one on Photoshop.

 This was the line to get into FAO Schwartz.

 Inside the store...

 Harry Potter land...

 Teddy bear land...

 The Rockefellar Tree...

 And alas, we ended with our own outdoor Christmas tree, right across from our apartment in Brooklyn.

The true magic of Christmas comes in 4 more days, when we are able to make our way back to Indiana to be with family and friends.  But until then, we will soak of the NYC energy at Christmas time!

Gobble Gobble!

Why did the turkeys cross the globe?  To get home for Thanksgiving, of course!

Eric and I thoroughly enjoyed our whirlwind trip to Indiana for Thanksgiving.  We decided to make this trip all about family, since we were there for such a short time.  We started with a couple of days stuffing our faces with food and playing ping-pong with the Rogers' in Marion.  Then we headed south to Zionsville for more stuffing our faces and shopping!  We feel so lucky to have TWO great families to spend time with.  We feel even luckier that they are relatively close together, so we can see both each time we are home. 

I was very camera happy at the beginning of our trip (with a heavy emphasis on two little ladies), but then became quite a slacker for the second half.  I am going to have to make up for it and take extra pictures with the Smith family at Christmas-time:). 

 Sooooooooooooo precious:)

 

 There was a lot of time spent picking out favorite ornaments on the tree...

 Emmy cracked me up all weekend long....though she NEVER let me hold her! (I am pretty sure she forgot me when I moved to NYC)

 Maddy made our awesome place settings.

 My parents cleaned out the attic and put all of our old toys in tubs for us to take.  Chad and Eric enjoyed some time with GI Joes.

 Pops.

 Part of the feast.

 When did she grow up???

 My first shot with the self-timer.  Pretty impressive, if I do say so myself:)

We are looking forward to more quality family time in two more weeks.  We hope to squeeze some quality friend time in that round as well!