You're Getting a degree in Education?? Or Speech?? Really???

Without giving away too much of my personal information, I have been in the field of Special Education for almost.... for a long, long time.





(big blank where I deleted my opinion of myself)

Which is why I think I am somewhat qualified to comment here.

I think too many girls are going into Speech or Special Education who do not have certain qualities essential for those fields.

in no particular order:

limited English vocabulary
limited expressive vocabulary
poor eye contact
dull personalities
lack of exposure to a variety of reading genres and materials
limited knowledge of basic facts (called fund of knowledge)


It worries me.  You cannot go into special ed because you want to make a lot of money. It is Chinuch. Unless you will move up the chain in the public school system, you're income will be limited.

You cannot go into a field like this, planning to work one-on-one privately without mentors or classroom experience or peer review.

If you somewhat mumble, are not articulate, and have weak or bland facial expressions, you may not be the best person for this chosen field.

Just because you want a job around people (vs. accounting, computers, graphics, which involve computers or numbers) doesn't mean you are cut out to diagnose, remediate, motivate, teach, inspire, etc.

You don't have to have gone to Camp Simcha, been a Bnos Leader, camp head counselor, etc., to be good at this. But you have to have shown some aptitude somewhere to someone.

Perhaps an aptitude test which indicates strengths and weaknesses.

I'd love to be proven wrong, in years to come.

Am I on target, or do ya'll think I'm a whining teaching has-been who feels threatens by youngsters??

My daughter called me after I dropped her off at home. From the house phone.

"I think I left my phone in the car, can you call it and see if it's in the back seat?"
"Sure," I answered. "I'll let you know, or I'll bring it in."

I called her phone, and sure 'nuff, there it was, in the back seat, ringing away.

So I sent her a text saying "It's in the car"

"From My Young Israel Days...."

I've joined a gym!
Yay!  Actually, ouch, big time. But that's not the main point, here (though I LOVE the zumba class!)

The music is....current. popular. loud. and goyish.

Which really doesn't bother me, just the loudness does.  It's actually funny,somewhat, or very sad (to me) that now I know a lot of the tunes playing in stores, malls, and public places. 

But every so often one of the "older" instructors plays oldies music, or tunes I remember from my teen and early 20's years.  And I hum along. If it's really loud, I actually sing along! No embarrassed teenaged children hanging around me to roll their eyes or snort!

In today's cardio sculpt class, a song I remember from eons ago came on, and I was humming to the beat. Sort of a distraction, from focusing on the pain of lifting weights.  And the woman next to me said, "I remember this, too! From my Young Israel days!"

I wasn't sure what to answer her. I never went to a Young Israel shul.  I went to a Bais Yakov school.   A lot of us listened to English music.  It really wasn't such a big deal. Or if it was, no one in our lives told us so.  I really love music, and singing, and singing along with music.  And I'll never get ABBA or The Mammas and the Poppas or anything sung by Julie Andrews out of my head. 

But I'm closer to .... well, over 40, and I don't really care if someone knows why I know the songs with all the lyrics, or why I'm humming along.  Who really cares if it's because we grew up differently than we are now?! 

Should I have told her, "Oh! It's from my Washington Heights days"?  What does that mean? Where I lived had nothing to do with it, because there were girls in my class who didn't listen to English music.

I think we are just so uncomfortable with what we may have been like when we were younger, or what we did, that even as we approach lower middle age, we are still apologizing and trying to explain why we do something.


Or do I have it all wrong?  I think I've grown spiritually over the past 30 years, but am I wrong?


I had an issue with a long time friend who told me (also at the gym!) "my little thing to become frummer was wearing pantyhose with my short socks.  If I don't wear a long skirt, and part of my leg is showing, I think it's right to cover it with hose. That's just my way of becoming a little bit frummer."

Sigh

Just Checking In

Does anyone check this blog to see if I've written something?

I kind of stopped because I received almost no comments.

so just let me know, and I'll start observing and pontificating again

It's Starvation Time!!

Yes, that time of year that all mothers look forward to!

Emptying out the freezer!

Oh! The dinner possibilites!

I picked up DIP3 from the bus after her very long day at school in the city.  She flopped into the passenger seat, and before the door was securely locked, she asked me, "Please tell there is a good supper waiting at home - I am STARVING!"

"Well," I said, too brightly and somewhat hesitantly...

She picked up on that in one second and whipped her head around very fast.

"What?!"

"Purim is in one week and this year I decided  not to wait until two weeks before Pesach to empty the freezer, and  have to throw out all those zip lock bags and disintegrating foil lumps from the freezer. We are starting to eat Freezer Food early!"

I received an Epic Groan and even heard a supportive Stomach Rumble to go with it. 


But it's not so bad.

At least I am not serving her something made from the 55 frozen Esrogim from last year (2011) that her father still has in the freezer for his Esrog Infused Vodka.

Entitlement Gone Wild

Well, not sure if it's entitlement, or just I -think-so-much -of-myself-and-my-kids-I -don't-realize -how -awful-this-sounds  Syndrome.

Here it is:  Mai'sa Shehaya!

talking to parents of a boy beginning to date. He really wants to live in Israel. Learn in Israel when married. For as long as possible*

So I asked, hold on, is your son that eager to return, that if he meets a girl and gets engaged, he will return to Israel to learn  till he gets married?  (answer)"You bet!"

So then I asked, what about the idea of an engagement a time of getting to know your betrothed a little better? (answer) "They can talk on the phone! Or..."

-this is just so beautiful-

"Let her hop on a plane and visit him!"

Sure! spend another thousand bucks AND take off from a job AND miss school AND spend more of parents' money AND put more of the financial burden and responsibility on the girl AND have expectations out the wazoo of the girl and her parents and expect the boys to do NOTHING but contribute to.......to........to.......

_________________________________  you may fill in answer of your choice.

I was so upset.

* when a friend told me it's a struggle but she is still supporting her daughter because they committed to five years and I said, well is your son in law planning to go to work? her answer was "I don't know and I don't ask". 

You hear that, folks?!?  I DON'T KNOW AND I DON'T ASK

Why not??

Drop the Shadchanim - Go To a Wedding

The only place or event left in our right wing world where boys and girls can casually meet up is at a wedding.
Specifically, the lobby.

I'm all for it!
Of course some shuls still have kiddushes and vorts with just a table dividing the men and women, without the Berlin Wall separating potential mates. These events also present an opportunity for casual mingling.  Though some young folk might not want to check out the other side of the room after shul when their parents are present.  So a vort would work, too.  Especially if there is one entranced to the building. Separate entrances really put a damper on shidduch efforts.

But the lobby at a wedding? All that milling about - there's the opportunity for the boys and girls, or men and women, to glance around, ask a relative or friend to introduce them, and perhaps make a connection on their own.


And those halls that have lots of extra space and rooms in front of the coat check, chosson's tisch, etc? Perfect places for polite conversation.

Here, Here!!