January 11-January 15

We’re Back!!

Isn’t it amazing how quickly a vacation becomes a distant memory.  We came back last week, hopefully well rested and relaxed. It now seems like that was ages ago. By Tuesday of last week, I no longer felt well rested or relaxed.  I, once again, felt fully immersed in work.  I’m not complaining . . . I like my job. I’m just wondering why the affects of a vacation seem to be so fleeting.

I read about a study last week that revealed that 72% of women today characterize themselves as unhappy. The study discussed the advances in the opportunities for women and explored the reasons that, despite these advancements, women describe themselves as less happy. It then went onto discuss the increased pressure women feel to take advantage of those advancements as well as balance the more traditional role women play as wife and mother. I reflect on my own feelings of satisfaction.  

Despite what may appear to be a crankiness about me, I consider myself a happy person. I have a job that provides me with a tremendous amount of professional satisfaction. I have friends that keep me grounded. Most importantly, I have a family whom I adore. No doubt, there are days where I am frustrated, on the verge of tears. It is usually when I begin to feel the pressure to do all that I feel that way. I think what we have lost is the focus on community. There seems to be an overwhelming sense for most of us that we should be able to do all of this on our own and that if, for whatever reason we can’t, we have failed. So, on top of the stress of what we have to do, there is the growing sense of failure.  

What we need to learn to work on is leaning on people. It does not make me less of a teacher to rely on my teaching partners to help carry the load. It does not make me less of a mother to rely on my family and friends to help with the kids. It does not make me less of a wife to rely on my husband to help with household chores. That’s what a community should do — help each other, support one another.  

As part of the Digital Safari Academy, we are lucky to have a community.  One of the reasons we do the projects we do is to help you, the students, learn to work with people. You will not be an island when you go into the work environment. You will not be an island as you get older and begin to build your own community.  

Being part of a community carries with it two obligations. One, ask for help when you need it.  No one can, nor should they, go it alone. So don’t be afraid to ask for help. It does not make you less. Second, do your part.  This is probably the most important part to learn. For people to ask for help, they have to trust that people will be there. Obviously it goes way beyond being there physically. You have to be there mentally and intellectually as well.  

We can’t lean if we fear those we are leaning against won’t hold us up.

This last week in History, we continued our exploration of women’s history, focusing on the modern women’s rights movement. We finished the week looking at reproductive rights. We will be finishing the women’s movement and begin our study of the Hispanic American movement. Please note:  I will not be collecting the final pages of the History Scrapbook.  Instead, you will turn those in with your final draft on January 27.  Remember, this is a component of the IDentity project.  

In Economics, we continued our study of the interaction between supply and demand. We began our review to help prepare us for this week’s test. We will finish that review this week and begin to study the actions of our government in the stabilization of our economy.

Tests:

U.S. History — January 14

Economics — January 14

Homework

U.S. History

1/11 — Finish Roe v. Wade/Planned Parenthood v. Casey FIRAC

1/13 — Hispanic American readings — Thinking about the following questions:

• Identify significant historical events and explain.
• Describe working conditions.
• Explain people’s reactions to the working conditions.
• Discuss power — Who has it and how is it reflected?

Also due — Real Women collage and written reflection

1/14 — Study questions or 

             Pg. 316 #2-4

             Pg. 443 #1-3 (Ch. 13 section 2)

             Pg. 780 #1-3 (Ch. 23 section 2)

             Pg. 773 #1 & 4

1/15 — Cesar Chavez article & guided reading

Economics

1/11 — Supply & Demand Review

1/13 — Ch. 15 sect. 1 guided reading

1/14 — Ch. 6 sect. 1 #1-4, 6, 7

                        sect. 2 #1-5

                        sect. 3 #1-4

              Ch. 15 sect. 1 #1, 3, 4, 6