Piano Night!!!!

I love to play the piano. I am not very good at it yet, but I find it so much easier than the guitar. I've tried to teach myself the guitar for many years, and I've taken several guitar courses, but I always felt that I am not very proficient with it. I still love guitar music, particularly blues. There is nothing like hearing Hendrix play his red house blues on his stratocaster. But ever since I got me a piano I have managed to make so much more progress with it than I ever did with the guitar. It has its own appeal that is so different from the guitar. In class tonight I had to play a simple little piece of "over the rainbow", not a very long version, but enough to show some F sharps and a couple of chords, but I managed to impress my teacher so much she wanted to do a duet. That's when things went sour for me. I could not hear her part, therefore I could not keep time with her playing. Finally I told her maybe I was not quite ready for that as yet, but I did appreciate the gesture. Now, if I can just get the hang of the "Can Can".. I just can't see to get it..;)..

Educational Waste

A mind is definitely a terrible thing to waste. Yet, so many kids are doing just that everyday in classrooms today. To many of them are coming to class and letting time go by without trying to learn anything. Many just say they are there because they have to, but would not come to school if they did not have to. Some are there because well, they come to socialize with friends, not to waste their time with something they think, or know they will never use in real life. To a point, I agree. Some of us can come up with clever arguments as to why they need to learn how to solve a right triangle, or an algebraic equation, or how fast a car accelerates in a given time, etc. But to many teachers do not do that, or have equally given up on trying to teach kids. Many just go through the motions, follow a given pacing plan that was handed down from above, and wait for the bell to ring.

To make things worse, a new report came out about reading just yesterday on NPR. according to the report, more kids are reading less, every year. Adults on average read no more then four books per year, and this among the avid readers. The average male reads less than one book per year, or non at all. This is a scary thought, because reading is the key to a better paying job in the future. The more reading is done during the earlier years, the better they will get to do in school, including college. I strongly believe that if we are to improve our kids math scores, we must first improve their reading levels.

I Ponder why

Ever wonder why a top that is spinning will not tip over until it stops spinning?..

or if you hang a bycicle wheel on a rope spinning it will spin vertically, until it slows down, then it falls over limp..

here is a good one, everyone has seen a figure skater spin with her arms open, then when she moves her arms inward, she spins faster, then moving her arms out agains slows her down again.. hmmm..