May 19, 2013

• 15 down, 30 (?) to go.

  quick life update and all before I continue my journey through older posts, rescuing the good stuff…

  Currently scoring a particular state’s standardized / end of year short answer questions for the major education company that I work for (from home, occasionally). It always serves to remind me that education has become a trillion-dollar business, and a huge portion of that now flows into the companies who prepare and score the tests that have become the new backbone of the public school system. Getting real change in the high-stakes testing culture will be extremely difficult now that so much money is involved. 

  I will say that I’ve seen improvement over the past few years in the way test authors are constructing tests to make them more valid and useful. Still, so much of what a student needs to know and what students learn in daily classroom life cannot be measured in a multiple choice test.

  It always seems to come back to our fundamental misunderstanding (or forgetting) of what it means to be human. Reducing learning to statistics also reduces the LEARNER to a statistic…. and that diminishes their humanity overall. 

  ****

  15 YEARS.

  Whoa. Big number (in my life, at least).  That’s how long we’ve been married! What a journey.  Couldn’t have predicted the events in any of those years, or where our lives would have taken us. All I know is that I’m so incredibly grateful to have such an incredible man on this journey with me. 

  It’s been a hard year, no lie. But watching my husband’s faith grow and mine as well – totally worth it. 

  *raises glass* Hoping the 16th year is a little calmer but willing to let the Lord take us where He thinks we need to be.

  ****
  Shout out to Don & Martha Hall for giving us an incredible weekend getaway in their lovely house in the middle of nowhere for our anniversary. Sure, they asked us to “house sit” while they were away…but I’m pretty sure the timing was on purpose.

  I hope if I ever get the money/time/ability to build the proverbial “dream house” (and I like how Don & Martha were patient & waited years until the time was right, then took their time getting everything done the way they wanted it) that I have such amazing taste and style.  

  It’s built like a great old farmhouse with roomy living areas, plenty of natural wood, a friendly cat, huge porches, and a master bathroom that nearly yells “Please come soak in my tub!” lol

   

  Approaching the house — the big front porch is to your left. What looks like an “addition” on back (to the right) is the master suite.

  

  Sorry it’s sideways. Xanga uploaded the photo weirdly. This is an inset shelf in the bathroom: 

  

  Speaking of that amazing bathroom…. here’s half of it.

  

  The cat was ridiculously happy to see us. And caught a mouse on day 1. lol

  

  Even sideways, you can tell these are epic porches….

  

   

   

   

   

  • 6:32 pm
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