Well it has been another weekend and we feel like we have gotten a lot done. We got the pups and mom wormed this weekend. We used a goat wormer that is the same thing for dogs, just comes in a liquid and is cheaper than the dog stuff. You give them a dose each day for 3 days. Monday will be day three. Forgot to do Mom Saturday, so she gets it Monday and Tuesday. Today we saw, or Jeanne saw, a couple of worms in their poop. We thought they might have worms and weren’t sure if we would be able to see them. If I had a good microscope we’d look at them with it, and try to learn more about them. And maybe when I have my own classroom I can do that in the class. Probably on my won and not as class project. Have to check on that.
It wasn’t the best of weekends for weather, but it did warm up both days. Sunday was in the upper 50s and warmer than Saturday, but they wind was awful. We moved the small cage with the bottom up next to the house where the afternoon sun would shine on it and put up plywood around the edge to help protect from the wind. We took the chicks out about noon or so and brought them back in about 5pm.
Marshmallow has been acting strange the last few days. She rough houses with the pups too much when they are out, so we had to chain her up for a while. The pups would go out for hours and then peep or poop the second they came back in the house. Mom just wasn’t allowing them time to do their business. And she hasn’t been eating like she should. Today Jeanne saw her chasing a chicken, so we went out and had to chain her up again. Then we went looking for the chickens. Not sure if any of the pups were involved or not. We found all the peacocks up in a tree and several of the turkeys. All the chickens were hiding in the coop on the top roost. Found Edith hiding in the weeds on the far side of the newer trailer where she goes with the peacocks. Not sure where Archie was hiding, but we looked for him for a long time, and then he just showed up eating some of the bread we threw out to the birds.
I planted some seeds and the lettuce and several herbs are showing thru. The broccoli hasn’t sprouted yet. I didn’t have any cabbage seeds, so had to get some of them. I also need to plant a few Marigolds. We are planning to grow some of them for the school kids so they can take them home to mom, and I need to figure out how long it takes to get them a good size to send home.
Have 8 geese eggs in incubator, and candled them a few times and looks like they are doing great. I have 3 more, and hope to get the 4th one tonight or in the morning and put those in also. Not sure exactly what I'll do with the goslings, but will figure that out later. May try my hand at sexing them and think about keeping another female.
Wednesday afternoon I have a pre-screening interview for teaching positions this fall. So I’ve been working on my resume, redoing it and stressing over that. Think I have it to an acceptable level. And with everything others have done for me to get to this point, guess I have to get the actual teaching job on my own. Just a little nervous. So spent most of today looking at things and reviewing them, and imagining my own classroom, things that could come up and how I’ll handle them, or answer questions during the interview.
Over time I have had a few thought run through my head, and I’ve shared them with a few people. So today I decided to put most of it down in writing. In doing so, I realized that in order to make it a more professional paper, I need to do some research and gather more data.
The general thoughts of it revolve around the two most commonly asked questions by students:
1. Why do I have to learn this?
2. When am I ever going to use this?
And I think I have come up with legitimate answers to both questions. Just in the process of writing it down, I asked myself an additional question. How did our educational system get where it is today? I mean, there was a time when only the rich and well to do were either able or allowed to get an education. Even the ability to read and write was considered above the average person.
Specifically I need to learn more about the early days of public education, and how it changed over time. I need to find some documentation and fill in the blanks, but I’m under the impression that at one point people begged to go to school, they fit it in around all the other things they needed to do in their daily life. And they did what ever the teacher asked them to do. If there were discipline problems in school, the individual just was not allowed to continue their education. Of course, on the flip side, there was probably a very obvious connection between what they were being taught, the work assigned to them in school and the real world. That connection is not so obvious in our school systems today. Some where along the way we have added all these things to our schools as society has changed, and some of them are being driven by the testing requirements being imposed on schools by local and federal regulators.
And that is another subject that needs to reviewed and evaluated. Specifically does the No Child Left Behind law actually improve either our schools or the scores of students? Do the mandated End of Course exams or National Standardized tests actually measure what they say? Is it realistic to expect that by placing extra demands on schools we can narrow the gap between the upper and lower performing students? Is it appropriate to hold teachers accountable for students scores on standardized tests, and not the students themselves? Even more so when there is such wide variance in the tests utilized, or when their validity is questioned by professionals in a position to know such things?
But those questions and musings will be left for another day. And the Paper.
Answers to Those Questions
There was a time when public education did not exist. Education was a privilege and normally only the rich and well to do were allowed. Even beyond an in-depth education, it was not that long ago the majority of the public did not know how to read or write. But some where over time, the concept and mentality of the requirement for education has changed, both in the system and how it operates and in the student and the effort that is expended in taking advantage of the opportunities presented.
It used to be that the education was very general, and in some terms “simple”, and it was fit in around the other activities that life back then required. School was usually held in a one room building, and the same person taught all subjects. There were few text books, there was no internet or audio visual materials.
So where are we today and how did we get here? Today we have students in class who do not want to be there, students who don’t understand why they have to take this course or why they have to learn this stuff. We have students who learn material long enough to complete the exam at the end of the unit or course, but do not actually know anything that can be applied to a different scenario. The biggest questions that get asked by today’s students are:
1. Why do I have to learn this?
2. When am I ever going to use this?
The answers to these questions are similar and very simple, yet at the same time they are also complex and reveal what I view as a disconnection between The Real World and The World of Education. But first let’s look at some of the things we expect students to learn or know, but no one is ever going to ask them questions about or test them on. We expect students to be organized, to organize their back packs, their lockers at school and their time, both during school and after school. We expect them to manage their time and complete all their assigned work. We expect them to be civil to each other and to respect those around them. We expect them to take pride in their work and to accomplish all they can, to work to their fullest potential. We expect them to prepare for an adult life outside of the school environment as a productive member of society.
Question number one; Why do I have to learn this? I don’t expect many students to fully understand or appreciate the answer, but the fact is students are expected to learn this because they are told to. At first glance, that may seem like a flippant or arrogant answer, but we are preparing students for an adult life outside the school, in the real world, correct? And how many adults do you know that have ever had a job where they were not told to do something they didn’t want to do? Truth is, being a productive member of society almost always means getting and holding down a job. This job, virtually any job, provides money that can be used to purchase the material things needed in life: A place to live, food to eat, clothes to wear and recreational things. I am not aware of a single job that at some point does not entail being told to do something we do not understand or want to do. This may seem like a stretch, and while I am certain we can find other valid reasons for doing things in school, we must also admit that this is a legitimate reason for learning things in school.
So on to question number two; When am I ever going to use this? The answer to this question is just as simple as question number one but let’s look at it this way. Suppose you and I are out some where together eating and you suddenly choke on your food. Now do you want me to run out and learn the Heimlich maneuver since I now have a need to use it, or would you prefer that I learned it at some point, never knowing if or when I was going to use it, so I can attempt to restore your breathing right now? And there in lies the answer. Some of the material taught in school we may never use, we just do not know. But again, learning to be a productive member of society means following the rules and conforming to the system. This means if the law says you have to go to school and the school system requires you to complete this course or project in or to get a degree, then it doesn’t matter if you think it is wrong or silly or pointless. Just as much as if you were to argue with a Police Officer that you think the speed limit should be 45mph, not 35mph and therefore you should not get a ticket for driving 45mph there.
This brings up one final point. There are some students who feel they are very knowledgeable about society and how things work and think they are, or should be, in a position to decide what is right and what is wrong and what is best for them. While some of students may in fact have good ideas, there is a correct way to get accomplish or implement change, and blatant disregard or distain for rules is not the best way to do that.
Today is Wednesday, 22 February 2012, and it has been about 10 days since I put the first goose eggs in the incubator. I have been turning them several times each day, and in the evening opening up the incubator for 15 minutes to let it cool down some, then spraying them down to simulate mom coming back from swimming. There are now 8 eggs in the incubator and 2 on the shelf next to it. I’ll wait a few more days to put them in. I’ve been putting them in about once each week. So tonight I got my candling light out and candled the eggs. What I found was pretty promising. It is only 10 days into a probable 30 day incubation, there isn’t a lot of growth to be detected. But it looks like there is development inside, you can see a darker shape inside. At least there is a significant difference between the ones that have been in for 10 days and those that have been in for only 3 days. In another week or so I’ll candle them again and see what changes here are. And judging by the number of feathers missing and the scrapes on Emmy’s head, I’m pretty sure he’s been getting the job done.
Which is more than I can say for the turkeys. We have two Toms, and not sure either of them has a clue. And I’m not sure if they have even determined which one of them is the Alpha Tom. Twice now I have seen one of them just standing on a hen, just standing there. I really have to wonder if he knows what he’s supposed to do. Usually the Tom started to lower his tail right away and trying to mount her. But he doesn’t and often the other Tom will come and push him off. That or they begin to fight while one is still on the Hen’s back. So I’m not sure what to do about this, but it isn’t promising. I’m thinking about dividing them into two groups. One of the Toms has a notch in his tail like Stripes had. I’ll probably put him with 4 hens and the other Tom with 3 hens. Have to decide where to put them and which hens to put with who. Thinking about building a new pen for the turkeys, and dividing the flock would be the answer because I was really concerned about building a pen big enough for 9 turkeys. I have a lot of building materials we’ve collected, just wasn’t sure what I wanted the final product to look like. Now I’ve figured that out. I’ll separate the Toms, 1 in the pen, 1 out. Then I need to divide the hens between them. May put 3 Narry hens in the pen and 2 out, and then I’ll have to decide if Brownie goes in or out, and Red goes with the opposite group.
As for the puppies, we just have the two of them left, (Polar) Bear and Nikita. Both of them are getting huge, almost too big to pick up. We had a few unfortunate incidents with mom in the house, so she is back outside as an outside dog again. That is where we want them all to be anyway, to help protect the animals. And it hasn’t been too cold out really. She has a nice dog house full of straw that she sleeps in when its too bad. Usually she is on the back deck or the front porch other wise. So we take the pups out in the evening when we get home, and let them run around with mom. And man, she plays rough with them. Nikita gets the worst of it, it seems. For all the tenderness that goes on between them, I really don’t think mom is being mean or cruel to them. She will run around and tumble with them, she’ll bite on them and play fight with them until Nikita fights back and really snarls back at mom. Not sure why Nikita seems to get it more. I have seen her go after Bear also, grab the fur on his back and just almost toss him over backwards. So we are keeping an eye on her and trying to learn what we can about moms teaching their pups about life and how to defend themselves and the flocks they look after.
I’ll try to get some pictures on here this weekend.
Last night the kids stayed with Grandma because there wasn’t any school today, so Jeanne and I had the night together alone. Then the power went out at 9pm and stayed off till midnight. Got up this morning and went to work, I only had half day. Put new tires on the van and cost a small fortune.
Anyway, came home and took the pups out to potty and play with mom. Put the birds away and such. Let the pups in the house and Mom followed them in and ran around some. Had to replace one of the bulbs in the chicken brooders. Then Gavin yelled that Yaco was out. Sure enough, there she was on the back of one of the kitchen chairs. So we started looking around and the door to her feed dish was open. Then we found some chewed things. Seems she came over to where my slip on shoes were and made a meal of them. Chewed the side out of one and most of the padding in the bottom. Over by the front door she chewed the top of one of my boots. Can’t see where she got into the chicks or any of the things under them. Good thing she didn’t chew on some of the electrical cords that were near the shoes. So looks like she had a great day just roaming around the house all day.
Guess we just kind of looked at the cage and didn't register that Yaco wasn't there. And she must really love me, because she only chewed on my things and not any one elses.
More puppy pictures to label,
I'll try to come back and label all these pictures later.
We were able to find homes for the last 2 pups we needed to this weekend, so we are down to just mom and the two pups we kept, Bear and Nikita. We have started taking them out side to use the bathroom. At first it was odd for them, but they figured it out right away. OK, this is where I admit, Jeanne is the one takes them out mostly. And the first time Mom just went nuts, running around and around, and knocking them over. Guess she thought it was really cool to have some one to play with. And they have peed every time, and usually at least one of them poops, so that makes clean up in the house a lot easier.
But it has been cold lately, and the snow last night was new for them. We took them out tonight and they played in it well. We built two snow men also. One in the drive way and the other out by the swing in front. We did it mostly in the dark, so I’ll try to get pictures later.
Also, Emmy started laying eggs last week and I left the first one in the nest, but have been collecting them ever since. So this morning I put 4 goose eggs in the incubator. I’ve been reading up and how to do it correctly as I’ve had some problems getting them to actually hatch in the past. Getting them to develop if the egg is fertile is pretty easy, I think. Getting a healthy gosling to hatch is another thing altogether. Think temp and humidity has a lot to do with it. So I’m trying this new system the calls for opening the incubator each day after day 4 for about 15 minutes and then misting the eggs. Simulates mom getting off the nest to go eat and take care of things, and getting wet before she comes back. Hoping it makes a difference. Then I’m thinking after I’ve hatched a few of them, I’ll let her sit on some and see how she does. We have never had someone successfully set on a nest and hatch the eggs. Time to do that this year.
|
RSS Feed