The Porter Family

2011-05-05T13:08:00.000-06:00

School is pretty much out for Little Teen Girl. I am quite impressed with the grades she was able to maintain. I'm sure her first year of High School next year will go just as easily for her. The summer starts now! WooHoo

2011-04-13T08:01:00.000-06:00

I can't believe school is coming to a close so soon. 5-6 weeks and it's over for both my students and the summer awaits. I don't have any clue as to what we will be doing for the coming months of vacation.

2011-03-03T10:18:00.000-07:00

Great news today. My Highlander Hybrid made 30 mpg! That is all around town driving too. I was happy enough when it was getting 27 mpg regularly but this is a big bump up. The longer I have this Toyota the happier I get! Now if only I could get it washed. lol

2011-02-27T09:32:00.001-07:00

We brought home a very excited Silver Medalist yesterday from the English Expo at La Cueva High School. I knew writing was her strong suit and prose was where she won. She is already making her choices of categories for next years competition. I think she'll be dropping the Informative Speech category where she wasn't as happy with her performance, still was a finalist in that category.

Woot! Go Silver Medalist Girl!

2011-02-23T12:13:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to pass on some local news today. Southwest Learning Centers has a blog that is full of good information. It is one of many charter schools in New Mexico and I believe one of the top schools not only in Albuquerque but in the whole state.

2011-02-07T09:13:00.000-07:00

Take your time to enjoy today because the cold is coming back tomorrow with snow. I am crossing my fingers that it's just a dusting and no big deal. I was hoping Spring was really on the way after this weekend being so nice and warm.

2011-02-03T10:24:00.000-07:00

I can not believe the temperatures I've seen this week. Sub-Zero! I am very glad that the schools came to their senses and cancelled classes during this Artic Freeze. Now today, it looks like we could be dealing with a natural gas shortage due to increased demand. I was sure the first utility to go down would be the electric grid not the reliable natural gas that we all use for heating our homes. I wish I had a fireplace on days like this.

2011-02-01T15:02:00.001-07:00

I just love watching the news when a storm is coming in. I guess there is more to come even though it's about 13 degrees outside and snowing. Also, the occasional wind gust clears some snow off the roof in an impressive snownado. I am so glad the schools closed up because I don't want to drive in this stuff. The dog and I are happy to watch birds from the window.

2011-01-26T10:49:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed the President's State of the Union address last night. I liked the education section where he spoke of the competition the U.S. is in with the world. It's not that we need to be the winners but we do need to be contenders and currently our educational systems suck. I know there are exceptions and we do have some very good schools but very few students get to attend those top 10 schools. We have millions of students in this country and many can't afford the cost of those top schools. Change education now and make it our top priority! I know it's a cliche but whatever, The Children Are The Future! We need them to be the best they can be and not a high school dropout due to failure of the current educational systems.

2011-01-20T10:35:00.000-07:00

The report card for our remaining student has arrived and it's all A's for the first semester of 8th grade! Big Hurray! I know the change from a regular middle school to the charter school (SSLC) was not easy but she worked hard and I know we are all happy with the results. I have my fingers crossed that the funding will not be cut and this school can continue.

2011-01-18T14:28:00.000-07:00

I saw a bit of the governor's address this afternoon, interesting. I will have to read the transcript later as she had some good points, makes me wonder what I missed. It doesn't surprise me that a former prosecuting attorney wants to bring back the death penalty and give harsher penalties to drunk drivers. I liked hearing her talk about the school issues, just throwing money at a system that doesn't work doesn't change anything. I wonder what kind of changes she means.

Education Today

2011-01-13T09:37:00.000-07:00

I just need to get a little rant out today. I think Education Today needs to change from being the mass-production teaching machine that churns out kids assuming they have the skills to get a job. In Today's world, we need everyone to know more than just how to read. I think we also need to realize that every individual has different strengths and weaknesses(there I said it, the word no one wants to acknowledge when it comes to their own kids and selves). Recognizing a weakness is just as important as realizing a strength. It's all knowledge that is useful when choosing a career path. If only our higher education centers could help kids find both and direct them into being successful instead of insisting that each must attain the same level of comprehension across the board.
Okay, okay. Just one last thought and I'm off.
Let's teach to the strengths that will make everyone a unique individual (each capable of their own unique set of skills) instead of a mass of automatons.

2011-01-10T13:25:00.000-07:00

It is quite cold today after being so nice over the weekend. I've seen some fluffy snowflakes two or three times today but not enough to change the landscape. A good day to stay inside with the pellet stove cranking out some heat.

Newly Unveiled Blog Launches Today!

2011-01-07T15:57:00.000-07:00

I'm hoping this will all show up where it's supposed to show up. Today, the Internet has been a magical miracle for me. I did get a little lost an hour ago but I think I found my way to where I meant to be.
Hope to see you soon!