The Flying Cupcake

I miss living in the city. There are so many opportunities and so many chances for adventure that you just don't find in small towns. While it wasn't the Twin Cities (where part of my heart will always be), I spent part of the weekend with my family in Indianapolis. I certainly can't complain about the company; you just can't beat my brother and his family. We went all over the place, but ended the day together at The Flying Cupcake, somewhere in Broad Ripple. I love unique bakeries, and I adore cupcakes. It was magnificent. The cases are filled with giant cupcakes piled with frosting, and as soon as you open the door, the smell of freshly baked goods envelops you. I didn't want to leave. We tried a German Chocolate cupcake, "Red Velvet Elvis" with chocolate chips and cream cheese icing, a vanilla cupcake with rich vanilla buttercream dubbed "Happy Birthday to Me," a light and airy almond cupcake with almond buttercream whose name I've lost but was my favorite, and a chocolate cupcake with peanut butter icing. We shared, and laughed, and rated our favorites. It was the kind of day that makes you grateful for the life you have.

It Has Begun...

Even though it is the middle of August, we are back in school. I could spend a lot of time complaining about our early start date and providing incredibly logical reasons why we should still be on summer break, but I won't.
I always get excited for the possibilities of each new year. Back in college, I really liked getting new syllabi and seeing the plan of what I was expected to do. I realize this is incredibly nerdy, but I'm okay with that. Somehow, I doubt most of my students felt the same way when I went through the plan for our year together. Even so, I think I'm going to have a great group of students this year. (And I'm not just saying this because I may use this as an example in class for the blog project.)
Despite this, it is hard to get back into the swing of things...for all of us, teachers and students alike. It seemed like everything broke the first day, and nothing really went as planned. And even though I think I'm really going to have fun with my students this year, I miss my students from last year. It's strange not to see the same faces in the same seats.
It will be interesting to see how this year goes and the events that happen. It will be an adventure...that is for sure.

The Blog Project

This year, I am going to expect my students to create and maintain their own blogs. And as I don't believe in expecting my students to do things I wouldn't do myself or things in which I find no value, I am starting my own blog both as an example for them and also simply as a part of this new project.

My rationale for the blog project is foundationally in the fact that effective communication is vital not only for success, but for survival. Language is how we express ourselves and relate to others; without it we really could not do much. Points and grunts wouldn't get us very far.

Language is also definitive, which means that it defines a part of who we are. Language is one of the things that makes a human being unique. How we talk and the words we choose connect to the person we are; all people communicate differently, and knowing and understanding the ins and outs of language helps us to understand others and what they are trying to say. Also, the more practice we get in expressing ourselves, especially in writing, the better we become. Becoming a good writer is a priceless skill that I want my students to develop.

I am hoping that each blog will become a place for my students to express themselves and to talk about the things that are important to them. Our yearlong theme is identity, and we will be exploring questions such as: "What makes a person who they are?", "What things define you?", and "What kind of person do you want to be?" Hopefully this project will help in the discovering and celebrating of each person's identity.