On Education, manners and imitation

For a couple of days now the faculty members of my Department have been at war because of a "consideration measure" taken in favor of the Seventh Day Adventist students and faculty that attend to classes on campus(given the strike that lasted almost 2 months we are now bound to give classes on Saturdays). This situation has taken me to ponder about a couple of things, one of the most important being that education does not make you educated. We are talking about faculty members that are published and worldly recognized scholars in their field of study and yet they cannot hold a civil e-mail conversation without attacking each other publicly. Why did they prefer to do this verbal exchange through e-mails? The world may never know. I guess some of them just need the recognition, some of them just enjoy arguing, but one thing is for sure, ethics and manners workshops should be held more often in my campus, some of the fellow educators need them, fast.

In other topics my students and I are talking about imitation in the classroom and how does it affect your life, your behaviors and your learning. I found a couple of pretty cool videos to compliment the readings, tomorrows article sounds promising and I'll see if I can make a psychological experiment with them, I hope its fun.

I leave with this question, why do we imitate?

Parent does not equal Good Teacher

A couple of days ago I was watching a TV show in which a man was demanding from his wife for her to take charge of their 12 year old daughter's education. The father wanted to remove the girl from the public school system and force his wife to home school the girl because he felt it was safer and it was the wife's duty to educate the girl at home. These statements done by the father other than being exaggeratedly chauvinistic and unreal left me thinking about home schooling and the level of involvement parents should have in their kids education. How far should a parent go, how much should a teacher tolerate? Where are lines crossed? Today while I was roaming the children books section at Borders I involuntarily witnessed a situation that chilled my bones but provided me with some answers to my own questions. I saw a mother trying to teach her daughter how to recognize verb tenses in Spanish. What's wrong with that? Is what you might be thinking, well, the part that chilled my bones and made me want to bitch slap the woman was that the girl was probably around eight years of age and the mother was talking to her as a drill sergeant would talk to a private during the first week of basic training. As could be expected the child was scared, about to cry and could not concentrate so every time mom would ask a question the little one would get it wrong and the whole children section plus the corridors of the store would know she got it wrong for to add insult to injury, she wasn't using her indoor voice when she corrected the child. The point this example proved to me is that being a parent does mean you are a good teacher. Not all parents have the disposition, patience and training that being a good teacher requires. There is no hormone released during pregnancy that readies you to be the appropriate teacher for your child, or somebody else's child for that matter. Being a good teacher just like every other good professional is a matter of loving what you do and those that you do it for. So if you can't take the heat, get out of the classroom before you damage your child's education in ways you would never wish to. Because as I have witnessed a vast amount of times during my years teaching, good parents are not always good teachers. Something that the aspiring teacher should always have in mind is that teaching is a calling, not just another 9 to 5 with a set of paid vacations twice a year.

On cats, green tea and abandoned cultural habits

Before we talk business, here's an interesting quote to think about:

"Dogs come when they are called; cats take a message and get back to you" -Mary Bly.

Now straight to the point:

Today I had the horrible experience of tasting green tea for the first time. It was horrible! I felt as if I was drinking dirty sock water. Ewwww! However I have to get used to it, considering all the health benefits it has and all the health problems I have, I guess I'll have to find a way to deal with the flavor. Please, if anyone has any ideas on how to make it taste better let me know, I'm more than open to suggestions.

Today I also went to the mall to return a couple of tickets for a cancelled play and I realized that it's been years since I actually applied myself and visited a museum exhibition, or the theater. That makes me feel bad about myself. I used to love going to concerts (classical music), watching plays and even one or two operas. I feel like I have abandoned an important part of me. Oh well, I guess Madonna lied, time goes by, but it ain't slowly. Too much work, little time for fun.

In a curious note, tomorrow is my first continuity meeting with the Mayawest Writing Project, I'm actually excited to see all my fellow TCs after three months of hard work and not being able to get together. I'm sure it will be a fun learning experience. More about that later.
Oh well, I guess that's it for today, although I leave with this question floating in my mind, Why do men consider women hysterical and exagerated in matters they don't even understand?

Sobre la Prensa en Puerto Rico/ About Puertorrican Media and Journalism

English version of the post below the Spanish one, no particular reason for the order of the posts.


Mis disculpas, en estos dias los post han estado lentos, es que he tenido un poco de dificultad con la vista, never fear, ya saque cita con el especialista para la proxima semana. Hoy por hablar de algo que tal vez no le interese a muchos quiero hablar un poco de los medios de comunicacion y sus selectivos habitos de publicacion. Mirando la prensa local me di cuenta de que la mayoria de las noticias o son viejas, irrelevantes, completamente sensacionalistas o simplemente una melcocha de idioteces que hasta un nene de 8 a~os seria capaz de escribir,(De hecho creo que un ni~o de 8 haria un mejor trabajo). Eso me lleva a preguntarme que esta pasando con el periodismo en Puerto Rico? Los periodicos en los que la isla confia para mantenerse informada y en conexion con el resto del mundo se han convertido en tabloides sensacionalistas mas inclinados hacia la violencia y las imprudencias e indiscreciones de la farandula que a la prensa seria y el bienestar comunitario. Despues no se quejen si la salud mental del pais esta por el piso.
Es con pesar que hay que denunciar que ahora si es completamente obvio que la prensa puertorriquena ha perdido la objetividad que alguna vez caracterizo a algunos de sus miembros e instituciones. Ahora si que esto se jodio!


My apologies for the delay in the posting frequency, these couple of days have been hard on my eyes, never fear! I already have an appointment with the Specialist. I'm seeing the doctor next week. Today just for the sake of talking about something that maybe nobody cares about because nobody can relate to it, I would like to talk about the puertorrican printed and digital media elite news sources and their news choosing selective habits. Giving a close look to PR's local media I realized that from a couple of years back most of their published news are either old, irrelevant, tabloid like or simply a bunch of bull**** that even an 8 year old could write. (In fact I think an 8 year old would do a better job) That obviously leads me to ask the question, What's happening with journalism in Puerto Rico? The newspapers in which the country trusts to keep itself informed and connected with the rest of the world have turned into tabloids maliciously inclined towards violence and the bad choices of the rich and famous than to serious journalism and the well being of the community. Then they have the guts to complain about the psychological health of the country as a whole.
It is with heaviness in my heart that i feel the need to denounce that now it is completely obvious that puertorrican media has lost the objectivity that once characterized some of its journalists and institutions. Now we can really say that this island is fkd.

On Romantic Comedies and Real Relationships

I have a love hate relationship with romantic comedies. After all they are responsible for the nonsense and expectations about love and relationships that I built upon the years. However it feels nice to watch a fairy tale develop every now and then. For me, romantic comedies are the epitome of how un-real love can be. In romantic comedies people always end up happily ever after, impossible situations turn into perfect romantic moments and the boy always gets the girl he wants, it is formulaichly Shakespearean. Every one ends up paired and the bad people learn their their lesson. Sometimes I hope life was like that, but then I wake up and get myself a cup of real with two teaspoons of life. Even though in romantic comedies everything seems so perfect, I guess I would not trade the relationship I have right now for a fairy tale one. My point is that before choosing to be Jennifer Lopez in Maid in Manhattan, I prefer to be Tina Fey in Date Night, you know, to have the happily ever after after the happily ever after. To have someone to come home to, love and accept me even after the fairy tale wedding was over. I guess some people don't understand that. Why can't we have romantic comedies that focus on that, successful marriages, instead of unfaithfulness, flings and building relationships on a foundation of lies? Society complains for a lack of morals and values that society itself sells and promotes. I guess this world is a never ending loop of unsolvable paradigms, and,(realizing with a surprise reaction) we are stuck in it. (while jumping off the second floor)NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just kidding, I try but I just can avoid being a cynic. It's so much fun!

About shoes and budgets

All of us have obsessions and sometimes this can take us to take very stupid decisions that we later regret. One of my obsession is shoes. I love shoes. I more than love, adore shoes, to the point where I wear shoes I'm not suppossed to use because then it is back who suffers the consequences of the strain. Today's post is not about shoes perse, but it includes a pair. A couple of days back I was roaming some stores with my husband because we were trying to keep our selves entertained until the time of the movie we were going to watch arrived. My husband, being the person he is immediately moved towards Game Stop to watch video games and electronics, me on the other hand decided to go to a women clothing store that was also close by. Once in the store I went straight to the shoe section and fixated my eyes on a beautiful pair of shoes that I of course loved, but found too expensive. My husband, being the person he is, offered to give them to me as a gift to which i said "no thanks" because using my common sense, the shoes were still too expensive, and that died there. The next day I had to run some errands so I went to Wal Mart. To my surprise i found the same pair of shoes, this time in the color I wanted them but for almost half the price they were in the other store the day before. This time of course, I succumbed to the obsession and bought them(this is not a redemption story people, I had to buy the shoes). My point here is that if I had spent the 30.00 dollars for the shoes in the first store only because I liked them, I would have found myself regretting my decision 24 hrs later when I had seen them at 16.00 dollars in Wal Mart. Given the worldwide economic situation, we can't let our obsessions control our budget. Always remember to shop first what you need and then, if there is money to spare, what you like. May my story be wise advice, and if you love shopping, well, keep doing it, but do it wisely.

On slumber parties and reputation

Today as I was making the line for the auto-bank service I was listening to the radio. Here in Puerto Rico there are a couple of very popular radio stations that are constantly at war with each other; which is funny because both their recording studios are in the same building and they belong to the same broadcasting company. Even their dj's were at some point work buddies.
But that's not the point. Their topic today was slumber parties. They were curious about what girls do at slumber parties. Of course their curiosity is sexually inclined, they wanted to know if girls do get crazy with each other when they make slumber parties or how they are known here in the island, "Pijama Parties".
It was both perplexing and shocking to listen to the female callers and how they revealed to the hosts exactly what they wanted to know, and that is how lying prone and promiscuous teenage girls are believed to be.Don't get me wrong, that is not my affirmation, is what you could understand by the statements given by the female callers in this radio segment. The funny thing about it is that the callers were now 20 something women who did this slumber parties when they were 12-14 years of age. It was not surprising how the male hosts were taunting the callers to see if they could get a couple of juicy details of some of the situations that these women initiated into when they were still minors. But now let's move to the why this post is important.
It has come to my attention that a couple of years back maybe the main enemy of a female's reputation was men, but now it looks like we have turned into our own enemies. We sell our own image like sexy seductresses that will do anything (sexually and morally speaking)not to get what we want but to be perceived as attractive by the men around us.

Isn't that the same as letting men, media and literature denigrate us and portray us as evil sluts? I think it is. They say that in order for others to respect you you have to respect yourself, I think that applies to the public side of it too. After all if we as women don't fight to protect ourselves, who the fu** is going to care?

No, I am not saying we should act and dress as nuns and deny that as women we are sexual beings just like males are, I'm just saying that there is a reason for some parts of some stories to be called "intimate details". But once again,I guess that the main problem here is that some people don't know what common sense is, or how to use it for that matter.

A stranger in my own skin and "glam gloves"

Sometimes I feel like a stranger in my own skin, I don't know if it is something that only happens to me or if it is something common, that others experience regularly. I live a simple life and I am happy with it. I am full speed ahead for my masters degree, I have a hard working and loving husband and three kitty cats that I adore. However today, when I was driving back home from running errands and doing some house related shopping, for a moment I felt completely lost, and add to that that here in PR people are so rude in the shopping malls; they push you and bump into you without at least a simple apology. But that is not the point, the point is that for a moment, I could not recognize myself, as if something was missing, as if I should be somewhere else. Creepy huh? I wonder if this happens to other people too? That feeling of being inadequate for the place you have chosen and the path you are walking. Or maybe it was just my sugar levels and the thirst. Hey, it could be, you never know.

Uhhh, in other topics worth discussing, today I saw the two most ridiculous house keeping instruments designed to target female buyers, the first one was disposable gloves called "glam gloves" they were pink and had flowers on them, so that you look prettier when you are doing dishes, yeah... cause that's what your main goal is when you have to remove filth from somewhere,look fabulous while doing it(drowning in sarcasm right now)

The second one was a pink and black iron, that way you can also feel glamorous while ironing because your iron matches your decoration, wow! How come I never thought of that before? That's what I need to be a happier less oppressed house wife, matching home appliances (officially drowned in sarcasm)

Don't get me wrong, I love pink and I have nothing against color matching, actually I believe it makes your home look more harmonious. What gets me is that they are trying to sell this to you as an object that will define the level of femininity that you posses. I mean, you should have seen the face of the lady with the "glam gloves", she looked so happy while removing dried melted cheese from those plates. Color matching does not make you a happier house wife and pink flowers in the plastic gloves do not make the job more glamorous, a 20 dollar bill every time I do the dishes, now that would make the job more interesting, but pink flowers, nah!.

Home sweet home, messy home.

I’m finally back home, and everything is where I left it. Yep, the same mess I left. Although now is a bigger mess because given the hurricane thing the friend I left cat sitting unplugged all the electronics and left them sitting in the living room furniture. And she lost the house key. So now I have a bigger mess than before. But I’m glad I am finally back to my place and that my kitties are ok, I was starting to get sick of the hotel room, I’m like my cats, I need room to stretch. So today I still have errands to run and I have to take care of my car, so no rest for the wicked. Not even today.