Title: The Secrets We Keep
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Characters beling to people who are richer than I am.
Summary: Heroism is the domain of the individual. Just ask John Sheppard.
Notes: Written for mcsheplets for the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" challenge. Unbeta'd, so if you spot problems, let me know.

( The Secrets We Keep )

spoilers for Superbowl 44, obviously. Also, I was put out by several of the commercials this time. Ugh. ( Anyway, here ya go. )

For a good reason.

Background: I"m taking the CAR-PD course. (content area reading professional development) and part of the requirement is that I be observed by one of the proctors of the class. Well, thursday was the best time to have her in for February, because FCAT retakes are coming up and it'll be a big ole mess! Anyway!

I had planned for some note taking on paradox, conceits and metaphysical questioning in metaphysical poetry like Donne, Johnson etal. Well, since the proctor was coming o observe me, I thought I'd try on one of the strategies that we've been given in the class. (lots of really good stuff, y'all, seriously). Also, I'd scheduled a vocabulary test (which usually takes my students from 20 o 35 minutes to finish, depending on level). Okay.

I gave the test. We'd been working on the vocab for a week, so they were pretty well prepared for it - most of them got As. Then, differentiation, y'all, for the ones who finished more quickly than the others, I had them start on questions at the end of one of the poems we read. Here's were I first teared up. One student who had been absent on the day we covered/discussed the poetry, asked me a question. Before I could even open my mouth to answer here, three other students were telling her about the poem. NOt just surface level stuff, either. One of the girls said, "Well, it looks like it's some dude leaving his girlfriend for a while, but it's really more about how we keep each other alive in our memories and when we do that, we're always together even afer we die." I was flabbergasted. They STRUGGELED with this stuff. I mean, most of my kids didn't seem like they were getting it at all! But obviously, they were thinking about what the poems were about. thinking about those metaphysical questions. Ah. I teared up, seriously.

THEN, I had them do sunflower connector notes. Basic gist: turn a sheet of paper sideways, fold it into three columns. Normally the columns would be "passage from text," "question I have (put on a yellow postie, hence the sunflower)" and "I figured out that." (like KWL chart) But for my lesson I had them do "Passage from text" "what it means to me (on a postie)" and "MQ/c/P (metaphysical question, conceit, or paradox - explain)." They had to interpret a line from the poetry, tell me whether it was one of the three terms and WHY! I expected them to grumble about it, and do a half assed job at it. I mean, these kids (my first period) are really lower level kids - most of them haven't passed the FCAT and have really low lexile scores (which just means they're really low leverl readers, below grade level and all that). But that's not what happened.

I do the first three examples with them, teaching them what I want from them in each column, and explaining how they're supposed to 'explain' the third column answer. Then I told them to find five of their own from the four selections we've read. They paired up, and seriously worked. At one point there was a lot of conversation, and I knew I'd have to go shut some boys up and seperate them, but then I actually listened to the conversation and they were ARGUING aobut whether or not a quote was a conceit or a paradox, and in the course of the argument, they realized that the quote could be both, if read on a deeper level. I literally had tears in my eyes again! As my observer and I strolled through the classroom, we heard similar discussions all over.

God. I was so proud of them! They really GOT IT. They understood why I was teaching it, they understood how to do it, and they understood the poetry on a deeper level. I love it when that happens! Absolutely love it.

Anyway, I had to share that.

What was the #1 song the day you were born? Google the date and #1 Billboard song and then post your #1 song on your LJ - preferably with a Youtube vid if you can find one!

Please say YES!

Defense Secretary Robert Gates today will unveil the administration's plan for repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

This was on my Facebook wall, via piratepurple so I thought I'd pass on the link here. Y'all enjoy.

I'd say it was about damn time, yes?

Vanity Fair's New Hollywood article is MISSING SOMETHING y'all!!!

The link isn't to the actual Vanity Fair article, but to a Shine article telling us what's missing. But there are pictures from the VF article. Hmmm. I was BLINDED by the LIGHT! and really irritated and disgusted. Ugh.

WHITE COLLAR in FORTY-ONE minutes!

I thought Joe Flanigan was going to be in that new show Justified. But he's not listed on the show credits NOR is the show listed on his IMDB page.

I think I shall cry.

1. gonna get a hair cut. I'll put up before and after photos, I think. yah?
2. Laundry. Again, before and after photos? NO. LOL At this point, the pile is two feet high in the middle and about five feet long.
3. Clean kitchen. Mop! Ugh, my floor is a hot mess.
4. Take out trash. Might be accomplished on way to Hair Cuttery?
5. shopping. gotta get dish detergent, laundry detergent, bleach, and some groceries. *hates grocery shopping*
6. write some on my SPN Big Bang fic. Maybe figure out what the end will be?

( What I HATE HATE HATE about Movie/fanfic fusions )

Here's what I'd like - in Chelle's perfect little fanfiction world. I want to see the show characters in situations that fit with the show (in canon fic) OR with the characters (in AU fic). Don't just slap Show names on characters from movies and have them say the dialog from the movie. Ugh. That's BORING and also? LAZY. If you want to do a movie fusion, do it, just make sure you're writing fic about your SHOW with an overlay (set on low opacity) of the movie of your choice.

I've been making icons. Found a couple of tutes about how to brighten darker caps, so I thought I'd try my hand. Umm, some of them are a little blurrier than I'd like, but I got great saturation and colors! Whoot!

Nebs, I tried to work with the photos you sent me, but Jay and Jen were too far apart on the one shot to make a decent icon out of it. And the other one is gonna take some time to color. :) But look through and see if ya like any of these. ♥

( 16 SPN and 29 SGA icons under the cut. )

sheafrotherdon has a really cool post up about the top female characters over on her journal. I posted my list in a comment over there, but figured, for those that aren't flisties of hers, to post it here too. Feel free to comment here, or do it in your own journal and link me babies!

A meme, as borrowed from such_heights: who are your top five female characters from TV and film? (And I went with Sheaf's interpretation: who are the five female characters you love exactly as written, as opposed to the dozens of female characters you'd like to fix-up and do a better job with than the mostly white guys who wrote them originally.)

( My ladies of TV and Film )

Meme sort of note thing I stole from Facebook

( Write the ABCs of YOU. )

found a great icon tut, may be making icons later this week. Y'all have some piccies y'all want icon'd send em my way. I'll see what I can do. :)

Gotta go get ready to watch my students struggle with their exams again. *wheesh* AND plan for next week! Whoot! Bring it on John Donne! Too bad we're not going to get to read The Flea. That'd be awesome!

Okay, non spoilery comment? THIS IS THE SLASHIEST SHOW SINCE SGA. Seriously.

( Now there'll be spoilers )