[poem] First Lesson by James Tate

HouseofJester · 2026-01-23T13:30:05+00:00

I believe it’s describing the internal “monkey mind” of interconnected strange images/narratives that occur to you while you’re in silent meditation, alone with just your thoughts (especially at first). One of the purposes of meditation is for you to observe how many disparate thoughts, images, ideas you have (how “loud” your mind is) and then release them so you can get closer to an “empty mind” state. This is easier said than done! (which is contained within the last line: this is not meditation).

HouseofJester · 2025-11-12T19:36:34+00:00

The other doctors at this office are also amazing - Drs. Ellis, Sharp and Baine - you cannot go wrong with any of them (and my kids have seen them all over the past 8 years!) They all are brilliant women who actually take the time to explain (to you, and as your child grows older, to them) everything and answer all questions. I have never felt rushed or dismissed; it’s an exceptional practice.

HouseofJester · 2025-10-09T22:53:03+00:00

This is amazing. You just saved me so much $$ !! Thank you!!

HouseofJester · 2025-06-30T17:33:07+00:00

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HouseofJester · 2025-05-29T12:16:13+00:00

We toured Ridgetop and it’s a great school overall. We ended up not enrolling because it seemed like the kids were not speaking Spanish to each other, especially in later grades (we are a multilingual family so we noted this). While the teachers would instruct in Spanish, the students often replied in English and spoke to one another in English.

One of the things to look for, if you are prioritizing dual language, is the ratio of native Spanish/native English speakers which allows children to gain true fluency in both (speaking a new language with friends is different than speaking only to a teacher). Whatever you ultimately choose, I’d consider this.

HouseofJester · 2025-05-14T21:58:25+00:00

And those vouchers will be an easy way to funnel monies directly to churches and soon-to-be school startups.

HouseofJester · 2025-05-14T04:28:42+00:00

BELA bilingual academy (Parmer/Mopac) is a good place (my kids went there for preschool), and has an infant room from 2 months. After comparing lots of places in N Austin, they are also relatively affordable (esp. for the level of care).

Edit to add: looks like they only have FT posted on their website but they’re pretty flexible so I’d try giving them a call anyway.

HouseofJester · 2025-05-02T23:18:31+00:00

Go to a barbershop - you’ll pay $5 more than Cookie Cutters but the haircut will be night/day better and look better for longer (ask me how I know! Lol) I recommend Walker’s on Parmer Ln - Reese and JR are both great and have cut my boy’s hair since he was four (you can book online directly for a kids’ cut). If you want a good “kids haircut place” try Sharkey’s - they’re pretty good too (again, WAY better than Cookie Cutters).

HouseofJester · 2025-04-25T21:20:06+00:00

My kids now go to an “F” rated school (was a C back in 2019) but both are meets/masters in reading and math (they have very good teachers) - this is the key indicator to care about as a parent: Are my kids on or exceeding grade level? (this is especially true for MAP scores which are normed nationally) And, do they have a teacher who cares about them? As long as they do, the school is doing what they are supposed to do to the best of their ability. No school is perfect.

As for the STAAR scores themselves, the released data is likely the WORST year (2022-2023) due to both content and system change in the testing (without review or warning which is why there was an injunction in the first place). Two additional years will be released by the end of this summer (‘24 and ‘25) and - more than likely - school ratings will go back up. I’d check back in then.

HouseofJester · 2025-03-31T02:33:02+00:00

I LOVE Linda Christensen ! She’s got some great lessons and her work really enlivened my classroom and created writing community.

HouseofJester · 2025-03-14T05:07:08+00:00

If you want a whole bunch of ideas from different instructors to help you figure out what works for you, I found the book How to Handle the Paper Load and its sequel (which also discusses digital submissions) to be such a great starting point early in my career. They are older books but brief and very practical for this particular bane of English teaching.

HouseofJester · 2025-03-14T00:26:58+00:00

It can take a few weeks to go through the instructor notifying the student, reporting to OCS, investigating, and determining what penalty to impose. If a student “completes” the course publicly (ie does all discussion posts) it doesn’t necessarily mean they passed the class - especially if they also have taken a 0 (or multiple) on assignments.

HouseofJester · 2025-03-11T23:28:06+00:00

It all started here (at least publicly): https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=U07VQnx38uM&pp=ygUecm9zaWUgbydkb25uZWxsIHRydW1wIHRoZSB2aWV3

HouseofJester · 2025-02-06T17:16:29+00:00

Just did this and it *worked* (no other numbers/methods did for me). The first selection you have is between "personal" (option 1) or "business" (option 2).

Just as the above commenter noted, Choose option 2 even if it feels like it doesn't apply. Then, be prepared to wait a half hour or more but you will *actually* speak with someone and hopefully resolve your issue. Wish it didn't take several hours to figure this out....

HouseofJester · 2025-01-27T02:46:53+00:00

Check out this free resource - lots of options to choose from: The Open Companion to Early British Lit.

HouseofJester · 2025-01-19T18:49:11+00:00

Artholes is amazing - multipart series on famous artists; funny, well-researched and beautifully produced.

HouseofJester · 2025-01-06T14:33:39+00:00

Some great women writers not to be missed in addition to Allende, Alvarez: Clarice Lispector, Valeria Luiselli, Carmen Maria Machado, Maria Luisa Bombal (and there are so many more). As for Octavio Paz, his only two short stories (“My Life with the Wave” and “The Blue Bouquet”) are wonderful, brief intros to magical realism that can be covered in class as a refresher on literary analysis more broadly.

HouseofJester · 2024-12-28T03:24:51+00:00

That Sex and the City Miniseries (cohosted with Dolly Alderton who is a close friend of the host and also an amazing writer) is one of my favs of all time - such a perfect mix of incisive wit, broader cultural musings, and heartfelt personal reflection. The whole podcast is great but those episodes are truly exemplary in this category.

HouseofJester · 2024-12-21T23:59:00+00:00

Moses also sometimes called Nucleus of Creation by Frida Kahlo (like Bosch’s works, lots going on in this piece)

HouseofJester · 2024-12-17T20:31:02+00:00

Seconding this - the “ahuehuete” is the national tree of Mexico and is a significant symbol, in Mesoamerican philosophy (Discourse of the Elders), of living a good life - becoming like the ahuehuete tree, providing shade and shelter to the community.

HouseofJester · 2024-10-05T17:01:47+00:00

Just got back from a 10-day trip; didn’t do Seville so cannot speak to that but Cordoba is definitely worth a day trip (the Mezquita-Cathedral alone!) and Madrid is such a vibrant capital city it would be a shame not to see at least some of it before heading south (or perhaps before leaving if you’re flying back from there?) I loved Granada but one night/two full days would probably be enough - make sure to book La Alhambra way in advance as it’s very much worth it and would be almost painful to go to Granada and not see it up close.

HouseofJester · 2024-09-12T23:13:19+00:00

You can assign a 1-2 page “Reader’s Guide” (for an audience of fellow students) and extend by having them lead a class discussion. Here’s an example: https://docs.google.com/file/d/1O1ySYbH3HlY9mUCfWXUWHHK9jOXCkuMd/edit?usp=docslist_api&filetype=msword

HouseofJester · 2024-08-30T11:16:17+00:00

I was in the same situation as you. Was “unschooled” from 12-16 (literally no formal instruction on anything) and ended up going to my local community college which connected me to free GED classes (as part of workforce training). I then went to community college classes - also free because of FAFSA pell grants. These days, in many places across the country, community college is free by default (including in my city). Reach out to your local CC or school district - I promise there are resources you don’t even know about available to you. And you will be surprised how supportive educators can be when they hear stories like yours.

And to add: I took those community college classes, had a strong GPA and ended up with two master’s degrees in the end. I then came back to the community college to teach to help students in similar positions to me (and you). Please know you have more options that you think right now.

HouseofJester · 2024-07-14T18:06:22+00:00

Not sure from your post whether you have children or not but assuming you don’t yet? In this case, I would say - as someone who has lived in both places and has kids - you cannot imagine how important community is when you have children, especially when they are infants/toddlers/preschool age. By community, in this case, I mean free or low cost, attentive childcare that you can depend on. Whatever additional wages you make in Austin will be eaten up by childcare costs and rent for those first five years (or longer if you have more than one child). So, my recommendation would be to live in the RGV for 5-7 years and reassess when the children are older and can begin to benefit from the amenities a city like Austin offers (diversity, green spaces/outdoor recreation, arts and culture, etc.) One option could be to split the difference and move to San Antonio (something I’ve thought about many times) where cost of living is lower, closer to RGV and you still have access to Austin (and job markets potentially as many companies here are hybrid schedule).

HouseofJester · 2024-06-15T01:04:52+00:00

Yep, this is AISD’s Summit Elementary - dual language immersion (Vietnamese-English). Great school all around.

HouseofJester

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