The Land of the Weird - My Musings (blog)

The Land of the Weird

Juneau - Day 2

6/16/2019

Do you like rain? If so, this camp is for you. It looks like rain is in our forecast until Thursday. While the rain slackened for a little while, it’s come back with a vengeance.

Do you like mosquitoes and spiders? They’ve been in large supply. The spiders started coming down from the enclosure over our fire pit as we unintentionally started smoking them out of their nests. Some of the boys were a bit panicked at the onslaught. The mosquitoes are just a constant.

Today was another unstructured day as the camp did not technically start until just before dinner. The main highlight for the boys was when the trading post opened. For me, the highlight was a visit by a pair of woodpeckers that were obsessed with our soap dispenser.

The camp is above capacity, so there are a LOT of scouts here. Meals require people to like being close to one another. Still, there were enough burgers (and they were good tasting burgers) for people to have seconds if they wanted.

Juneau - Day 1

6/15/2019

We were up early in the morning to start our trek to Anchorage for our flight to Juneau. A bus met us at the airport in Juneau to take us to the camp entrance. From there, it was a mile and a half hike into the camp. The journey was trouble free, if rather wet.

We arrived at the camp a day before the actual camp starts. A couple of our parents brought in a fried chicken dinner as the camp dining hall is also not open until tomorrow. It looks to be an interesting week.

I have both limited Internet and a lack of power options, so I don’t know how or when these posts might go up.

Leaving Again

6/14/2019

I thought the Kansas City trip sped by quickly, but it has nothing on the five-plus short days that I've had to spend at home. Already Connor and I are packed to head out early tomorrow morning for Juneau. I couldn't fit everything I need for the next week in a single hiking backpack, so I also have a carry-on backpack as well. Both are packed pretty tightly.

I really do not know what to expect for this next week. While I have a some idea of what Connor is doing, I'm not sure how the schedule works out for the adults. I'm guessing that I will be helping out at one activity or another. Either that, or I'll be ghosting behind Connor and dealing with crowd control.

I'm also not certain what my access to cell service or electricity will be. I still plan on writing my daily posts, but they might end up getting posted only periodically. We will have to see.

Well, it's another early morning for me tomorrow, so I'm heading to bed.

The Wheel of Time

6/13/2019

I recently finished rereading the 14 book epic series, The Wheel of Time. This was the first time that I read all 14 books back to back (to back to back to back, etc.). I got hooked on the series back in college and would reread all of the books every time a new one came out ... until about book nine. This was a series that outlived its author Robert Jordan and was finished by the then unknown Brandon Sanderson.

While it bogs down in places, it's an amazingly well-crafted work. Some elements developed in the first book see their fruition in the last one--which made me glad that I read all of them in one go as I definitely noticed things that I had not noticed before. The story follows the stories of many different characters, but focuses primarily on three young men and five young women whose destinies intertwine during a time of apocalypse.

It has everything one could want from an epic fantasy: evil forces, a complex magic system, mythical creature, exotic cultures, and heroes facing amazing odds. While the final book is basically one long battle (like the third Hobbit movie), it provides a satisfying conclusion to the intricate tale.

I have read that Amazon has commissioned a television series that will premiere next year. I hope it follows along the lines of Game of Thrones (although with perhaps less graphic shock value) rather than the Sword of Truth (although the TV series was still entertaining. I'm just glad that they're not trying to cram it into a movie.

Death of a Child

6/12/2019

A young 13 year-old girl whom we knew and liked died this week due to an ATV accident. Her family goes to our church, and she would have attended SoHi this coming school year. I've taught her older sister for several years, her younger sister is often a part of the children's choir that I direct, and her grandmother is our choir director--and a good friend. The young lady was sweet, intelligent, and continually helpful. I was looking forward to being her teacher.

"No parent should have to bury their child." This line (said by King Theodred in The Two Towers) haunts me and terrifies me. Each of my children has brought such joy into my life that the thought of losing one of them devastates me just in the abstract. Such thoughts are the worst sort of nightmare. To have that nightmare become reality ...

I will miss the funeral as it takes place while Connor and I will be travelling to Juneau. I missed the funeral of the student who died at the end of the school year due to my time in Kansas City. I regret both deeply. While people have lately taken to mocking the phrase "in our thoughts and prayers," that phrase is definitely true in this case.

May no other parents have to experience this.

AP Courses

6/11/2019

I'm a big fan of Advanced Placement courses. I believe (and there is data to back this, but I'm not going to look for it right now) that students who have taken AP courses--especially multiple AP courses--do better in college than students who follow other college-bound curriculum, with the possible exception of IB schools (and it's close between the two). A good portion of this is because AP courses demand a greater level of rigor from their students, but they also have significantly more training for the teachers as well.

As much as I like the class and reading for the test, I really do not like the test itself. My largest issue is with how colleges use the scores. Generally, students do not get college credit unless they score a 3 or higher. Some colleges require a 4, and a few egotistical institutions will only give credit for a 5 (the highest possible score, and quite statistically uncommon).

My main complaint with this is that AP courses are usually SIGNIFICANTLY more intensive than the college courses that they replace. Moreso, students taking dual-enrollment are often taking less rigorous courses on the same content and receiving credit without having to deal with such a high-stakes test.

For the most part, I like the test itself. It is directly connected to all of the standards that the college board sets. However, it usually benefits students who are taught how to take the test more than students who were not taught the way the test is set up but might know the content better. This year, I certainly noticed that there was a wide range of students of vastly different abilities who were all scoring 2s (out of 7 points) on the DBQ.

Getting 2 points required only a thesis (and not even a well-written one) and mentioning three of the seven documents provided. Getting another point required a significantly greater amount of work (greater than the difference between any other two numbers except the 6 and 7--7s are unicorns). Thus, I saw students trip over the low bar set for the 2 (sadly, I saw a great deal run into that low bar without being able to cross it) and also students who had a much greater depth of knowledge and understanding ... still get that same 2. For example, the student who did not tie any of the documents to a coherent argument could, and often did, score the same as a student who correctly used five of the documents, but misunderstood or did not correctly connect just two of them.

Despite my frustrations, I'm not sure what should be done differently. The test focuses the teachers and the students on the course and provides an impartial (if normed) means of determining whether the student should receive credit or not. That it puts all of this on a high-stakes, timed event when a student may have done well the entire year but just had an off day is a little worrisome. Worse, I am frustrated that colleges then require such high scores for the students to get credit.

Still, I like the classes and am really looking forward to getting to teach AP World next year.

Packing for Camp

6/10/2019

Trying to figure out what to pack for Connor's summer camp isn't too hard; they provided a list, after all. Figuring out how to pack for camp is a bit more challenging.

Among the clothes, towels, boots, etc. that one normally packs for a trip, we also need to bring a pillow, sleeping mat, and sleeping bag. These are items that take up a great deal of space and that I would often just carry on their own. However, our methods of travel make this a bit more difficult.

First, we are riding in a van for about three hours with around a dozen people and not a lot of luggage space. Thus, they need to be relatively compact.

Second, we are first traveling by plane and will likely need to check our bags. Thus they need to be durable.

Third, we have to carry everything that we pack down a trail for about a mile and a half. Thus, suitcases are probably not the best option as a container for our packed goods. Using a backpack, and a hiking backpack at that, is probably our best choice.

I think that the packing is stressing me more than the actual trip.

Home

6/9/2019

I've been up since the equivalent of 11:30 last night (AKDST). My roommate and I decided that we wanted to be down at least 15 minutes before the 3:30 AM shuttle to the airport was scheduled to leave. It's a good thing we did as there were hardly any seats left on the bus by the time we got there. Thus started my journey home.

My flights went well. The people sitting next to me in each flight were pleasant and willing to put up with a bit of my jabbering. I had some nice conversations with people from very different walks of life.

It was certainly nice to get home. Both dogs were overjoyed to see me. I've never seen Starbuck quite so excited. She spent a while "talking" to me about how much she missed me. The rest of the family seemed pretty happy to see me as well. I certainly am glad to see them. Although Janelle and I ditched the boys and went out for our postponed anniversary dinner at the Flats.

I'm both tired and overwhelmed. There are a lot of things that I need to do this week before I head out with Connor for his summer camp--which starts this coming weekend. Hopefully, reacclimating to Alaska's time zone, weather, and sunlight will not take too long.

It's good to be home.

Kansas City - Day 8

6/8/2019

The Reading ended today with a whimper. Packets of essays dribbled in as the powers that be organized a final truck that arrived today. In between, we read the books we brought or spoke quietly with our table members about a wide range of topics.

We took the tram and made a trip to Betty Rae’s Ice Cream and were not disappointed by its amazing flavors. We also used our stack of “green” certificates (which we got for each day that we don’t have the hotel change out linens) to buy a nice dinner at Spectators—the Sheraton’s restaurant. Sadly, I did not run into Paul Rudd or Al Roker like some of the Readers who stayed at the nearby Westin did.

I can’t believe that I’ve already said goodbye to these people who are have become such good friends. It’s been a whirlwind!

My roommate and I have to be down in the lobby before 3:30 tomorrow morning to make the shuttle bus to the airport for our flights, so I’m going to turn in.

Kansas City - Day 7

6/7/2019

The Reading is starting to wind down. We only have one more day and the boxes of essays are starting to turn from a flood to a trickle, drying up for a bit as we wait for the final shipments to come in. The mood is a combination of exhaustion and excitement.

I skipped out on the Question Leader forum when it turned out that they weren’t going to hand out copies of the training materials for the other questions. We will have to see what they post online. It’s a real disappointment as the online materials are never quite as good as what they make available at the Reading.

Instead, I went with a friend to get some frozen custard and then took a trip to the pool. Getting to the pool was a journey in itself as we had to find the special elevator, which is tucked away, to get there. Thankfully, I had hunted it down the other day, because I otherwise would have been too exhausted to bother.

I’m bringing my book again tomorrow for any lulls in the flow of tests. We are not allowed any electronics in the reading rooms if there is even a single test booklet out, so I’m glad I brought a book with me.

Kansas City - Day 6

6/6/2019

A burst of thunder that I swear shook the room woke me up in the early AM today. I had a sleepy moment of wondering what would happen to me on my room on the 25th floor if a tornado were to hit before I let the storm kill me back to sleep. Thankfully, it wasn’t raining when it was time to head back to the Reading. I chanced it, and decided to walk rather than take the shuttle.

Day five of the Reading is usually my most challenging day, but I didn’t hit a wall like I expected. In fact, I built on my meme portfolio geared towards people at this reading. I’ll show them here, but they probably won’t mean as much to those of you who aren’t here. For one, you need to realize that there has been a great deal of very loud chair scraping this year.

This evening, I was taken out for dinner and board games by Betty Jeanne Long McNew and Lee McNew. I had some nice Chinese food, great conversation, and learned some new games that I now want to own. I need to figure out how to either get back down or how to bring them up so we can do this again.

While we technically have two days left for the Reading, tomorrow truly determines if we have a “soft landing” or have a panicked final day. It’s looking like the former, but I still need to get to sleep for the early morning.

Kansas City - Day 5

6/5/2019

I walked up to the Reading again, which I plan to do any day that it’s not raining. However, as today was dine-out-night, I took the shuttle back to the hotel—only to find a line for the elevators that went out the main doors. This, I took my backpack with me to Jack Stacks for our BBQ dinner. I’m glad that everyone enjoyed their meals (we’ve had some regrettable dine-out-nights in the past), but I wasn’t thrilled. Fine dining shouldn’t be wasted on me.

As we went through Union Station on the way to and from the restaurant, we spent some time exploring the historical site. In the end, I again travelled more than ten thousand steps despite sitting and grading for eight hours of the day and taking the shuttle back. I got to hang out with a great group of people and learned a great deal more about Bulgaria, not to mention Union Station, than I ever expected.

Kansas City - Day 4

6/4/2019

Since my days here have lined up with the days of June, I’ve been able to keep pretty good track of my trip from a perspective of dates. From the perspective of the days of the week ... well, that’s another matter. These days are already starting to blur together.

Today, we got right to work. For the first time this session, I hit wall of fatigue. After our first break (at which I only ate a mandarin orange), I found that my eyes wanted to close and that I had to keep rereading the same sentences. I used a winter fresh Lifesaver, and stood for a while until the feeling passed. I’m going to try and go to sleep earlier tonight, so maybe that will help tomorrow.

For the first time, I walked the 1.5 miles to the convention center both from and to my hotel. Google says the trip takes a bit over half an hour, but I made each trip in around 22 minutes without really pushing. The walk is interesting as it goes over railroad tracks and an Interstate (for that matter, the convention center goes over the top of the Interstate too).

This evening I attended the forum that talked about all of the changes to AP World for next year and the resources that they are providing to help. I’m quite eager to teach the course, but it’s going to be a lot of work. They ended with a reception at the Westin which has an interesting waterfall centerpiece. I have included a picture of the Sheraton’s lobby (also interesting) for comparison.

I also put in a picture of the Sheraton from the “hamster hall” Link passage as well as a couple of nightscapes from my hotel floor.

Kansas City - Day 3

6/3/2019

Kansas City - Day 3: It’s only Day 2 of the Reading, so I tend to confuse myself. Today, we reviewed the documents, calibrated on another sample and then just went to work. I ate the Krispie Creme donuts at break even though I know better, but I still made it through the session without hitting a sugar coma. I even had my first seven (maximum score), but it came at the end so I wasn’t able to relish it as much as I would like.

The WWI Memorial museum stayed open an extra 3 hours for our AP group (of about 800 people, just a fraction of our total number of readers). It is an amazing place, both inside and out! We spent hours wandering through, reading the placards, watching documentaries, and listening to voices from the past.