A Chill in the Air - Part I

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiljz9D6sCL93zCfYdMa3doUmO6pQkkeIG1aKybxyeI-KzzTgIDa0TEsiwJI1GQvnrCBMeGEOrxRMYOekIKwkAbsxXoCptUD7P06ff_dcKIQ2_jCqbesPPtSolfa_L4XQOQzbXAqCDjA1dX/s1600/manderley+x4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiljz9D6sCL93zCfYdMa3doUmO6pQkkeIG1aKybxyeI-KzzTgIDa0TEsiwJI1GQvnrCBMeGEOrxRMYOekIKwkAbsxXoCptUD7P06ff_dcKIQ2_jCqbesPPtSolfa_L4XQOQzbXAqCDjA1dX/s1600/manderley+x4.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Halloween has come and gone, a time change looms (“fall back”) and winter is just around the corner. Early twilight and cool evenings are here and it seems to me that when the weather starts getting nippy and night falls early, nothing satisfies like a crackling fire, something either steaming or iced to drink and a well-chosen book or movie to settle into. What I'm reading and watching as autumn deepens this year are books and the films that were made of them.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /><a name='more'></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHfAAJbwa0K7t57fHOI3BRxJf3v5OJysoauno47bSLcGQw1bDQx_Byba8LyhgvCbp18PZ5ds8OyTQW511i1U8WPZIwzIQnyoQ_agtguK42bi5GgZpu-R0nmbBZI5fdZ1mLNoXTQTOisT8D/s1600/uninvited+france+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHfAAJbwa0K7t57fHOI3BRxJf3v5OJysoauno47bSLcGQw1bDQx_Byba8LyhgvCbp18PZ5ds8OyTQW511i1U8WPZIwzIQnyoQ_agtguK42bi5GgZpu-R0nmbBZI5fdZ1mLNoXTQTOisT8D/s200/uninvited+france+2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Uninvited</i>, 1944</td></tr></tbody></table>I’ve been reading Dorothy Macardle’s classic ghost story, <u>The Uninvited</u>, a novel that made its way to film by way of Paramount Pictures in 1944. I’d seen <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Uninvited</i> again recently and became curious about its original source material.  I’ve also picked up Daphne du Maurier’s romantic thriller <u>Rebecca</u> once more and have happily revisited the 1940 Hitchcock-directed Selznick production. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjykCG3Df2PSUH0QjM_8b0SGWgPYt-PTbr2posE1-kzVhYofvAzyS_nStRLOg2KdIcK3Zx66FxFP-k5MtuRo8kw7b8EsWuuV9puZj-F3CsQX819718TBc8qDn3_PBFm02PuynLRxBZzicfy/s1600/rebecca-1-1024+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjykCG3Df2PSUH0QjM_8b0SGWgPYt-PTbr2posE1-kzVhYofvAzyS_nStRLOg2KdIcK3Zx66FxFP-k5MtuRo8kw7b8EsWuuV9puZj-F3CsQX819718TBc8qDn3_PBFm02PuynLRxBZzicfy/s200/rebecca-1-1024+2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Rebecca</i>, 1940</td></tr></tbody></table>I don’t know how old I was when I first read the words, “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again,” but do know I was young because, when I came upon du Maurier’s description of 50-foot rhododendrons I didn’t know what they were or how to pronounce the word (...if only I could remember what I called them in my imagination back then...). As I re-read <u>Rebecca</u>, I realized how completely Hitchcock’s Oscar-winning film had supplanted the book, erasing nearly all but the opening line and “rhododendrons” from my memory.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The film is a generally literal adaptation, barring Production Code-dictated changes (most notably, Rebecca's death is accidental in the film rather than outright murder as in the book) and a few other alterations. This is largely thanks to producer David O. Selznick, who was wary when it came to tinkering with literature.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQLLYsDLKq4JzEI58zMnbKv7rYsf4RqVlGMzFdSoE5VBEUq_EQPqwOKEQEMgy4G8t7UyaYQFpR7Q9hHgsBmgR56wqS1qBL_4aXEAlL5owURiX7vjz-Xkz6j3LKH2HK4njiAIo6QzXJCi_/s1600/1940+Oscars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQLLYsDLKq4JzEI58zMnbKv7rYsf4RqVlGMzFdSoE5VBEUq_EQPqwOKEQEMgy4G8t7UyaYQFpR7Q9hHgsBmgR56wqS1qBL_4aXEAlL5owURiX7vjz-Xkz6j3LKH2HK4njiAIo6QzXJCi_/s320/1940+Oscars.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selznick, Fontaine & Hitchcock at Academy Awards dinner</td></tr></tbody></table>Hitchcock and Selznick weathered a famously rocky collaboration on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rebecca</i>, Hitchcock’s first American film and his first under contract to Selznick International Pictures. The director counted himself lucky that Selznick was still involved with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gone with the Wind</i> - which lessened his interference on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rebecca </i>to some extent. For his part, Selznick was flabbergasted by the director’s stubborn habit of shooting very little ‘coverage’ – or extra footage, effectively “editing in camera” (filming only what he wanted for the final cut). Once Hitchcock completed the shoot, the producer did what he could to more explicitly stamp the production as his own. In particular he supervised the film’s score, having music added to almost every scene – which accounts for intermittent intrusions of musical bombast. Selznick biographer David Thomson writes that the producer learned that no matter how involved he was, “there were secrets of craft, nuance and meaning that only a director controlled.” According to Thomson, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rebecca </i>had been a battle between director and producer that left Selznick feeling defeated.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">He should not have been so glum.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Rebecca </i>is plainly a Selznick project, a glossy and rich first rate production. The film was an unqualified success and brought the producer his second Best Picture Oscar in a row, one of the two Oscars <i>Rebecca </i>won out of the eleven total nominations it received. But Selznick was accustomed to dominating his directors and Hitchcock had outfoxed him… </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Despite the fact that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rebecca</i> has been called the least ‘Hitchcockian’ of the director's films and that Hitchcock later virtually disowned it, it bears unmistakable signature touches. The character interpretations of Florence Bates (Mrs. Van Hopper) and George Sanders (Jack Favell) are darkly witty comic turns - entirely in the Hitchcock tradition. And from relatively inexperienced Joan Fontaine in the central role, the director determinedly mined the performance of her young life. Judith Anderson’s iconic Mrs. Danvers, a brilliantly shaded tour de force, evolved out of a collaboration between actress and director about which she remarked, “I knew I was in the presence of a master; I had utter trust and faith in him.”<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/V6mt0ChEPLY" width="560"></iframe></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Judith Anderson and Joan Fontain in <i>Rebecca</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /><i>Rebecca</i>'s visual style also bears the recognizable imprint of its director<i>.</i><i> </i>Hitchcock and cinematographer George Barnes concocted a persistently foreboding atmosphere that permeates the film from its first frames.  In fact, the film's opening images - of Manderley's ornate iron-gated entrance, its misty landscape and the mansion's ghostly silhouette - are often cited as an influence on <i>Citizen Kane</i>. Hitchcock and Barnes also notably and inventively contrived to create a character, or the presence of a character, who never once appears onscreen - the titular Rebecca. The scene above beautifully illustrates...</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwKK1pFchhlv7rMWPrWhpagaX5T-hIwag2EL7wq8wtURfc2TlcWqNnHNEXaaQ3lvXz1V8SYCWmqqx5B6fj6xYO6cap3WKn5g8ZqycBETGZKDCjvnfHAAW9Fo95Qk7TOVXevI9GS275dRn3/s1600/Menabilly+-+Daphne+duMaurier+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwKK1pFchhlv7rMWPrWhpagaX5T-hIwag2EL7wq8wtURfc2TlcWqNnHNEXaaQ3lvXz1V8SYCWmqqx5B6fj6xYO6cap3WKn5g8ZqycBETGZKDCjvnfHAAW9Fo95Qk7TOVXevI9GS275dRn3/s1600/Menabilly+-+Daphne+duMaurier+2.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daphne du Maurier and her children at Menabilly</td></tr></tbody></table>Daphne du Maurier once described <u>Rebecca</u>,<i> </i>her most well-known and popular novel,  as a study in jealousy. Many have offered opinions on what inspired the plot - was it du Maurier's relationship with her mother and father? Was it based on the writer's insecurities about her husband's beautiful, glamorous, dark-haired former fiancee? It is known that du Maurier spent time during childhood at two grand country mansions, Milton Hall in Cambridgeshire and Menabilly (which she later owned) in Cornwall, and that the two estates were both likely models for Manderley and its grounds. Regardless of conjecture about du Maurier's inspirations, few have questioned that <i>Rebecca</i> is a triumph of its genre - it has been continuously in print over the eight decades since its original publication.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP-xmvlVcsDLFcc2tEtCwq1ItG6DXOQy1EQ26z0AVnFSvWHHIvOaCcY3WT-JneDZsqClWqMxT5foVV9t6WuzDWcNxpdqM0WF8lFnzbBBhzGB8HznFpkDRESEIR6jFHHWnrWs-XqBG1A3yk/s1600/du+maurier.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP-xmvlVcsDLFcc2tEtCwq1ItG6DXOQy1EQ26z0AVnFSvWHHIvOaCcY3WT-JneDZsqClWqMxT5foVV9t6WuzDWcNxpdqM0WF8lFnzbBBhzGB8HznFpkDRESEIR6jFHHWnrWs-XqBG1A3yk/s200/du+maurier.jpg" width="174" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daphne du Maurier</td></tr></tbody></table>Du Maurier's <u>Rebecca</u> is a shrewd, seductive 20th century update on the gothic mystery/romance. Its persistent lure is dream-like imagery and a vulnerable narrator's voice throbbing with melancholy and hinting at dark secrets and heartbreak. Soon enough the reader is trapped, like the second Mrs. de Winter, in the world of psychological torment that is Manderley.<br /><br />For me, du Maurier's novel and the Hitchcock/Selznick film are, taken together, an unbeatable way to greet the season's chill...<br /><br /></div>

Alfred Hitchcock Daphne du Maurier David O. Selznick Dorothy Macardle George Sanders Joan Fontaine Judith Anderson Laurence Olivier Rebecca The Lady Eve (author) The Uninvited A Chill in the Air - Part I

Halloween has come and gone, a time change looms (“fall back”) and winter is just around the corner. Early twilight and cool evenings are here and it seems to me that when the weather starts getting nippy and night falls early, nothing satisfies like…

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Common interview questions -- and how to answer them effectively

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: Verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></i></b></span><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, helvetica;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" id="tblContent"><tbody><tr id="trContent"><td align="center" class="cb_style tcContent" id="tcContent" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><div class="cbArticleWrapper" style="background-color: white; text-align: left; width: 750px;"><div class="cbArticleContentWrapper" style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 15px; width: 750px;"><div class="cbArticleRight" style="width: 560px;"><div class="RXart" style="padding-right: 20px;"><div class="ArticleHeadline" style="margin-top: -30px;"><div class="cbmsnArticleImage" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" src="http://emj.cbdr.com/artieimages/0s/ar5l53269b3z1khpzh0s.gif?time=6/7/2011%2011:29:31%20am" /></div><b><span id="cbArticle_lblByLine">Robert Half International</span></b> </div><br /><div class="ArticleContent"><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Every hiring manager has a different set of go-to interview questions. In a recent survey by our company, we asked more than 650 managers in the United States and Canada to name the single question they ask that provides the most insight about a job applicant. Responses ranged from classic queries ("Where do you see yourself in five years?") to less-traditional ones ("How would you describe yourself in five words?").</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">While there's not always one right way to answer an interview question, some approaches are better than others. Here are some questions from the survey that you may face in your next interview, along with tips on how -- and how not -- to answer them:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>"Can you tell me a little about yourself?"</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Do:</b> Prepare for this popular question -- which is often the first one asked -- by developing an incisive summary of your career. Your sound bite should be succinct but include enough detail about your pertinent skills, work experience, accomplishments and goals that the hiring manager can quickly see what you bring to the table.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Don't: </b>Give your life story, discuss leisure pursuits or describe aspects of your professional background that aren't relative to the position you're interviewing for.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>"Why do you want to join our company?"</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Do:</b> Walk into the interview with beyond-the-basics knowledge of the firm. Read the company's website, marketing materials and relevant news stories to gain a good grasp of its mission, history, reputation and corporate culture. The more information you collect, the more specific you can be about why you're an excellent fit.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Don't:</b> Answer in the context of your financial needs. Saying "I hear you provide good pay and benefits" or "Frankly, I need a job" won't score you any points.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>"What's your biggest weakness?"</b><br /><b>Do:</b> View this as an opportunity to demonstrate your self-awareness, sincerity and problem-solving prowess. Mention an area where you could improve and spotlight the steps you've taken to do so.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Here's an example: "In the past, I sometimes overextended myself. Reading time-management books has helped me, though. Now, I make prioritized to-do lists, I've learned it's OK to delegate and I volunteer for extra projects only when I'm caught up on core responsibilities."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Don't: </b>Offer a transparently fake flaw ("I care too much about my work!") or pretend to be perfect ("Weaknesses? None come to mind."). And, of course, don't be your own worst critic by citing countless shortcomings.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>"Where do you see yourself in five years?"</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Do:</b> Position yourself as an ambitious but flexible realist. One way to do this is to speak of your desire to continually take on broader responsibilities and grow professionally no matter what role you're in. You also might emphasize your commitment to lifelong learning by mentioning your interest in attaining advanced industry certifications.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Don't:</b> Focus on an overly lofty objective. For instance, boldly proclaiming you intend to be the firm's next CFO when you're an entry-level accounting candidate certainly shows drive, but it's not a practical five-year objective. In addition, steer clear of fanciful daydreaming ("I'll be counting my lottery winnings on a Hawaiian beach").</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>"Why are you looking to leave your current employer?"</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Do: </b>The interviewer is trying to figure out if you truly want the position, or if you're looking for any way out of a bad job. As such, reiterate what you like about the role you're seeking rather than gripe about the one you hope to vacate. Make it clear you're chasing a great opportunity, not running away from an unpleasant situation.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Don't:</b> Speak ill of your current employer. Regardless of how unhappy you are with your job or company, never act bitter or resentful in an interview. Hiring managers seek candidates who are loyal, positive-minded and team-oriented. They aren't inclined to hire people they perceive to be potential headaches.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Finally, despite your best efforts, you can't anticipate every question you'll be asked.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"How would you define your personality in one word?" or "How will you behave if you get blamed for something you didn't do?" were just two of the unique questions that popped up in our survey of hiring managers.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">If an interviewer throws you a curveball, maintain eye contact, take a deep breath and pause to consider your response. Many of your competitors will fluster easily. Set yourself apart by keeping your cool in the hot seat.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i>Robert Half International is the world's first and largest specialized staffing firm with a global network of more than 350 offices worldwide. For more information about our professional services, please visit <a href="http://www.roberthalf.com/" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">www.roberthalf.com</a>. For additional career advice, follow us on Twitter at<a href="http://www.twitter.com/roberthalf" style="color: #3300cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">www.twitter.com/roberthalf</a>.</i></div></div></div></div></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>

Common interview questions -- and how to answer them effectively

Robert Half International Every hiring manager has a different set of go-to interview questions. In a recent survey by our company, we asked more than 650 managers in the United States and Canada to name the single question they ask that provides the…

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Sick...Again

It seemed like I spent the better part of October not feeling well in some shape or form.  I'm ready to start the month of November off on a better foot!<br /><br />I had a great weekend visiting my niece and nephew in the Motherland.  We did pumpkin carving and spent plenty of time coloring and playing with Play-Doh.  Joel found a "Barbie Princess" app on the iPad that had Grace enamored for hours.  She is 3 years old and had NO problem learning how to navigate the iPad - amazing!<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY8ht28X1AqMHw29aEpo5CNK6ZlfRKhCYqA9XHfkUu1dGzUzlo_6VAxCXduyO2pj3uQlgjItg_ptY_ztqzOBfPY_-zNUrVra1yRuDzXfiEGIOrhhK5DRl0rlNq8xK7XvFWE2FFuyI_G18/s1600/Blogger+PlayDoh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY8ht28X1AqMHw29aEpo5CNK6ZlfRKhCYqA9XHfkUu1dGzUzlo_6VAxCXduyO2pj3uQlgjItg_ptY_ztqzOBfPY_-zNUrVra1yRuDzXfiEGIOrhhK5DRl0rlNq8xK7XvFWE2FFuyI_G18/s400/Blogger+PlayDoh.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a recreation of Dinosaur Train (if you have little ones, you probably know<br />what this means)</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF9HK6NQxq0Rm6WbaIpaVn-UyGKrBXq7l7ziAh3PNKV5yF_J3bL2T8CvlTlVvX-cyLgJGrh-oj7LTY6f4ldDdzsVw5L6pfNeh4R5eoP0ao0wwiQW68CcgeaA8JMWCzu7IYC4QBg1CY0v4/s1600/Blogger+Barbie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF9HK6NQxq0Rm6WbaIpaVn-UyGKrBXq7l7ziAh3PNKV5yF_J3bL2T8CvlTlVvX-cyLgJGrh-oj7LTY6f4ldDdzsVw5L6pfNeh4R5eoP0ao0wwiQW68CcgeaA8JMWCzu7IYC4QBg1CY0v4/s400/Blogger+Barbie.jpg" width="340" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the "Barbie" game</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHZwDY1ISMRuahBTPbN2zpgu_mahhC1Id8mAbjShZHjU-NgCCkiSVMq7ovgzNhyQ8T46VJJGhayW6GCKAIXkxbsj6aB_u1j1XrH46s82zLSda0khCBGX68aAWubfTITRhX-CoQpLVLVnU/s1600/Blogger+Pumpkin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHZwDY1ISMRuahBTPbN2zpgu_mahhC1Id8mAbjShZHjU-NgCCkiSVMq7ovgzNhyQ8T46VJJGhayW6GCKAIXkxbsj6aB_u1j1XrH46s82zLSda0khCBGX68aAWubfTITRhX-CoQpLVLVnU/s400/Blogger+Pumpkin.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rexon's, Grace's, Tiffany's, Vern's</td></tr></tbody></table>One of my challenges with heading to my sister's for the weekend was how I was going to stay "on plan".  It was definitely a lot easier this time, mainly in due part to Joel's support.  Neither of us wanted to go off plan.  I counted and tracked diligently all weekend.  Even though we did get pizza on Friday night, I tracked it and felt a lot better about eating it.  Typically I wouldn't track it at all out of frustration of not knowing exactly how many Points+ the pizza was (seems counter-productive, this I now know).  I estimated as best I could, accepted the estimate and moved on.  Saturday night my sister and bro-in-law went out to dinner, so Joel made us a WW friendly meal of mac/cheese with broccoli (a recipe from e-Tools).  It wasn't bad for 7 Points+. <br /> <br />On Sunday, we stayed long enough to get the majority of the pumpkin carving done before we headed out on our long trek back to Virginia.  We were both ready for the drive to be over, but we had to drop my car off at the dealership - the heater was not working, which made for a challenging weekend spent up north where it actually snowed in October!<br /><br />Monday morning, as I was waking up to prepare for the work day, I started to not feel well.  It started off with....plenty of bathroom visits, shall I say, but ended with throwing up.  Of course, I felt better afterward like you always do, but not 10 minutes later the stomach sickness came back full force and I was sick alllll day long.  I have never been sick like this in my adult life (except from hangovers).  It was awful.  I spent the greater part of Monday in bed with severe stomach pain, which eventually developed into a splitting headache.  All of this was so bad I couldn't get relaxed enough to even fall asleep.  By Tuesday, I was feeling much better, but still a little queasy and today (Wednesday) I feel better yet, but am still struggling with an appetite.  Quick! I need to note somewhere that I actually said I have no appetite!  Believe it or not, I can count on 1 hand the things I've eaten since Monday.    <br /><br />Either way, I'm back to feeling moderately better, though I plan to visit the Urgent Care center tonight after work because I've been experiencing heart palpitations since the sickness ensued.  I usually only get these when I consume caffeine or lots of chocolate, but it's been kind of crazy since Monday, so I want to go get checked out.  I'll let you know how it all pans out!<br /><br />Happy Wednesday!<br /><br />

Miscellaneous Weight Watchers Sick...Again

It seemed like I spent the better part of October not feeling well in some shape or form.  I'm ready to start the month of November off on a better foot!I had a great weekend visiting my niece and nephew in the Motherland.  We did pumpkin carving and…

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Insanity: is it contagious?

A lot has happened since my last post.<br /><br />After a disastrous lunch with my craziest niece last Saturday, where I attempted to make peace with her, I flew home on Sunday. There is no reasoning with a crazy person. Lesson learned.<br /><br />I was an emotional basket case when I got home. For the first time in my life I felt like I was losing my mind. After weeks of barely sleeping, even though I was taking Ambien nightly, I felt crazy. Add to that an incredible amount of stress because of my sister's situation and my totally insane and evil niece, I couldn't stop crying. My husband couldn't comfort me, nothing made me feel better. Even sitting in the back yard here at home, with the sun on my face and the fall leaves falling around me with my kitty chasing after them, all I could do was cry. I cried for almost twelve hours straight.<br /><br />I realize I had just gone through five weeks of high stress and little sleep, but I also believe the Ambien was messing with my head. I decided to forgo the Ambien that night. It was a very rough night, with a three-hour period from midnight to 3 a.m. where I couldn't sleep and couldn't stop crying. I was also having the worst migraine headache of my life. I'd been having severe headaches for three weeks, but this one was off the charts in the pain level.<br /><br />When I closed my eyes all I could see were bright shooting lights. I'd been having the lights problem for weeks, but this time it was intense. I couldn't picture anything in my head, just the lights. When I finally fell back to sleep around 3 a.m. I had a dream, the first dream I could recall in the past three weeks.<br /><br />I was climbing up a stairwell, dressed in workout clothes. It was similar to the Big Climb I did last March. In front of me was one of my nieces (the depressed one) and behind me was her husband but he only had one leg. The other leg was a stump sticking through his cut off pants leg. This is the niece and her husband that I spent two weeks with while we were caring for my sister at her house. We were together almost every minute during that time.<br /><br />As we were climbing, each step became more difficult. I turned to my niece's husband and told him to go in front of me. He went up in front of my niece. Suddenly, I turned around and started running down the stairs as fast as I could go. I could see myself running, my ponytail swinging. I was laughing and so happy. I was going as fast as I could go. Then I reached the bottom and had to turn around and start back up the stairs. Each step was difficult. Then I woke up.<br /><br />This dream made me realize I'm not crazy, and I'm going to be okay. It was a very rough five weeks, and there are more things that need to be taken care of, but I'm not losing my mind. I feel more at peace and sane than I have in weeks.<br /><br /><b>Sister update</b><br />On 9/21 we moved my sister to an assisted living home that specializes in hospice care. It's a nice place and one I found by calling all twelve of the assisted living homes in Fairbanks. Only two had a bed and could care for someone like my sister. This home has an R.N. and several L.P.N.s and a staff of 16 for 14 residents. They seemed better equipped to deal with my sister's needs.<br /><br />The move was horrific. Considering how we'd had a phone conversation two weeks before her stroke about how awful it would be to have stroke and how we'd rather die, we also talked about how awful it would be to move into an assisted living home.<br /><br />I've never seen my sister cry as hard as when they placed her in the bed in the home. She barely shed a tear when her husband past away two years ago (after 51 years of marriage). She just doesn't cry. But that day, she couldn't stop. <br /><br />On the day of the move my sister hadn't eaten more than a couple bites of food in 33 days and barely drank any water.<br /><br />Then a weird thing happened. At the home she starting eating and drinking a lot of water. She doesn't eat a lot, maybe five bites of apple pancake for breakfast or a little 4-ounce container of yogurt for lunch and some jello for dinner. But she's eating!<br /><br />She's also talking non-stop (stroke talk I call it), and sometimes I pick up a word here and there. She also spells words, but jumbles her letters. Except for two days she kept spelling E-???-E, over and over. It sounded like "e-l-e" but she kept shaking her head no. Then one time she said E-???-E-R. Exercise?! Do you want to exercise?!!! A big nod yes. I asked if she wanted to move her paralyzed side. The occupational therapist had showed me some exercises to do with her to keep the muscles moving and I had pleaded with my sister for five weeks to let me do them for her, and always got an emphatic NO. Now she wanted to do exercises. So we did. I asked her if it hurt and she said "a little". I asked if we could keep doing them and she nodded yes. <br /><br />I talked to her about getting a speech therapist and a physical therapist and she agreed. She wants to get better. I called her doctor and she's arranged for both the ST and the PT to come to the home. Woohoo!<br /><br />Something transpired in the past two days that is requiring me to return to Fairbanks tonight. I can't go into details, but I'll write more about it later. Don't worry, I'm going to be okay. Whatever happened to me on Sunday has passed. I'm completely off Ambien and have been sleeping. I feel more calm and at peace than I have in months.<br /><br /><b>About my weight loss</b><br />I didn't forget this is really a weight loss blog. I weighed yesterday, after getting my cast removed and I'm 173.4. I was 180.8 when I went to Fairbanks almost five weeks ago on September 22. My plan was to eat carefully but not starve myself. I went out to eat often the last week while at the hotel, but I chose my meals carefully and almost always only ate half of what I was served, leaving the other half on my plate.<br /><br />For the five weeks I was gone, I had to stay in a hotel for two weeks. The hotel gym was pretty decent, and I worked out there as much as I could.<br /><br />In case you're wondering, I can't stay with crazy niece because, well, she's crazy (mean crazy). I can't stay with depressed niece because even though she's nice, she doesn't clean her house. So not only is she incredibly depressing to be around (she cries all the freaking time), my allergies go nuts at her house. We went there one night for dinner, and I thought I was going to stop breathing because of all the dust and dog hair. My brother, who I adore, lives out of town and is married to an alcoholic (she went on a big drinking binge while I was there). Ha! And you thought your family was nuts!<br /><br /><b>My broken wrist update</b><br />Well, it's indeed a miracle. My majorly fractured, almost broken in two pieces, scaphoid bone in my wrist has healed and grown back together after three months in a cast. My orthopaedic doctor (Dr. Callahan) and the number one orthopaedic hand/wrist surgeon in Washington (Dr. Buckmiller) looked at my x-rays on Monday. They couldn't believe it, but the bone has grown back together. This almost never happens since this bone has difficulty healing because of a lack of blood supply. They had even told me to expect to have surgery even after three months in a cast. Now no surgery is needed (thank you Jesus...and I really mean that!). I told my husband it was all that wiping my sister's butt after we had to give her an enema at the house (that was three days I'll never forget!). <br /><br />They made me a custom molded type splint/cast thing that fastens with Velcro. It has a cotton liner (like a stocking thing), and I have two of them. They're washable!<br /><br />I can take it off to shower or wash my hands. I can take it off to watch TV. I have physical therapy and lots of exercises to do here at home with my wrist. Since it was in a cast for so long, some of the mobility is gone and I'm working on getting it back. I'm still not allowed to lift weights to do bicep curls, but I can use that arm for any machines where the hand isn't doing the work (like lat raises and some other machines). My left wrist (the one that was casted) is 1/2" smaller than my right wrist and my left forearm is a a whole inch smaller than my right forearm, and same for my left bicep, it's one inch smaller too. Definitely some muscle loss and a lot of flabbiness in my upper arm. Probably a little of my weight loss, maybe a pound or so, is from this muscle loss. Oh well, I can get it back, it'll just take some time.<br /><br />I go back to work on November 16, and I'm really looking forward to it. I have this thing to take care of in Fairbanks this week and I'll get to visit my sister, but life isn't bad right now. In fact, being home for a few days has made me realize just how precious life is and how much I appreciate what I have here. My job, my husband, my kitty, and most of all, my sanity.<br /><br /><b>Thank you</b><br />Lastly, but most importantly (for the few that have read through this incredibly long post), thank you for all your kind comments and emails. I haven't responded to any of you or comment on your blogs because until this week, I only had one hand to type with and it was pretty difficult to even get a post typed up. Soon I will be back to reading blogs and back to my real life. Thanks again for all your support. You really have no idea how much it meant to me during a very difficult and dark time in my life.

Insanity: is it contagious?

A lot has happened since my last post.After a disastrous lunch with my craziest niece last Saturday, where I attempted to make peace with her, I flew home on Sunday. There is no reasoning with a crazy person. Lesson learned.I was an emotional basket …

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Visitors to our blog!

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Peer Coaching in Bloemfontein - transformational!

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Submitted by Fiona Beal</i><br />On Friday 21^st October and Saturday 22^nd October I was very privileged to be able to attend the last two sessions of Sarietjie Musgrave’s Peer Coaching workshop at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa. This was a large group of at least fifty teachers. Sarietjie was aided by Mrs Bouwie van der Walt. I was also able to visit Eunice High School in Bloemfontein for the day on Thursday 20th October to observe the benefits of the peer coaching programme on the school as a whole.  </span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXra8H3Jb10vR3CCBz-600ee67Iz7F0iw6WYyWCgjhbXSUDjBMhGcEzeiwFyYdsrfbtuMHfyS9_rbPJjWsXfcny-Itr_G6A5KiAnpI80r99hqhj1LZs5-83khuEGjdCbUWfsvPEK-F-xc/s1600/DSCF8118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXra8H3Jb10vR3CCBz-600ee67Iz7F0iw6WYyWCgjhbXSUDjBMhGcEzeiwFyYdsrfbtuMHfyS9_rbPJjWsXfcny-Itr_G6A5KiAnpI80r99hqhj1LZs5-83khuEGjdCbUWfsvPEK-F-xc/s320/DSCF8118.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>What is Peer Coaching?</b></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: inherit;">Peer Coaching is a programme that was developed by Puget Sound Center for teaching learning and technology in the USA. Microsoft sponsors the Peer Coaching programme and its expansion into over 40 countries worldwide. Peer Coaching is incorporated into the Partners in Learning Programme.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4d4d;">In South Africa SchoolNet SA provides Master training for potential trainers and implements the Peer Coaching programme nationally. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4d4d; line-height: 18px;">Basically the programme is implanted over three years and each year two or three teachers from a school attend the course in 8 full day sessions over eight to nine months. Coaches learn good educational practice and how technology can complement learning. These new- found skills are then taken back to school to share with their colleagues. </span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 17px;">  </span><br /><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Who should attend?</span></b><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #4d4d4d; font-family: inherit;">There is a set of criteria that should be used to identify peer coaches within a school. However schools use different ways of deciding who should attend the eight peer coaching sessions in a year. Eunice High School allows the teachers to volunteer for the course. Listen to what Mr Cassar says about his observations of Peer Coaching. He mentions how he allows them to volunteer for the programme. </span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" class="b-hbp-video b-uploaded" frameborder="0" height="266" id="BLOGGER-video-fbc5c389b1233d7b-6727" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyZsrkRy_YsE1Y2ruYn7knvjm4iCYolYY0jrNuswqMYVCFwN_Z6gDbiW21e65BaCBnn1yZ2PIVkNNnNHSOLNO4nXYZEYrXfrRtywn5igtYP7w1HtCP3m7XFtuB5ZbflZnht-jA" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What do the school principals think about the programme?</span></b><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The four principals I interviewed had nothing but positive comments to say about the programme. Three of them had accompanied their staff on the first occasion, which is required by the course, and then returned every time. Generally the principals I interviewed noticed that the staff that volunteered or were chosen for this course became more willing to share with others and as a result they themselves developed professionally. The peer coach teachers start to take the lead in the school’s initiatives and go beyond the four walls of their classrooms. It is a combination of what they learned at peer coaching plus their own willingness to share that causes them to stand out. The principals also noticed a growth in confidence in the teachers concerned.  The programme seemed to bring a new vibrance into the schools. Teachers at the schools no longer saw ICT as an enemy. They saw that ICT helps the teacher to teach more effectively.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf9sFskbzUVbL8LYKqJnDBenoJhY7LniSEjawj41LA96saj6NCURBNGEPvSR5Zkt2xKfA-yC75oHKfzbFAZFTbSNXj4opvnKuR42FMaJuG6g25bJ2G4fvpDX0GJQ4dcTeIrh-zqzE9X58/s1600/DSCF8096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf9sFskbzUVbL8LYKqJnDBenoJhY7LniSEjawj41LA96saj6NCURBNGEPvSR5Zkt2xKfA-yC75oHKfzbFAZFTbSNXj4opvnKuR42FMaJuG6g25bJ2G4fvpDX0GJQ4dcTeIrh-zqzE9X58/s320/DSCF8096.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Did the teachers feel they had benefitted?</span></b><br /><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><div class="MsoNoSpacing"></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I interviewed quite a few of the teachers and was quite taken with their positive view of the peer coaching programme:<br /><br />* This course helped them with their lesson planning and lesson design.<span class="apple-converted-space"><br /></span>*Teachers generally found the course very enriching. Lesson planning improved as well as the structure of the lesson and integrating it with technology. They discovered where to find more resources to draw from. <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />*It helped them to stimulate higher order thinking by implementing problem-solving techniques and collaborative practices that motivated the learners.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh6RYo8zgb2q2J2S1_e8BgCtJhJCoJ4sG-2kliWLzlWCVvsgV9WPQE4IMfWthoe9shne04ZpqNIUhFmxcugFlHhpn9CI5OrTec6qCb-J9LP4G2QyRXTC34xrtFHGQGYxKili6bBfoz2k4/s1600/DSC02053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh6RYo8zgb2q2J2S1_e8BgCtJhJCoJ4sG-2kliWLzlWCVvsgV9WPQE4IMfWthoe9shne04ZpqNIUhFmxcugFlHhpn9CI5OrTec6qCb-J9LP4G2QyRXTC34xrtFHGQGYxKili6bBfoz2k4/s320/DSC02053.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />*After being introduced to ways of gathering and finding information they learned to help others back at school. Before they came to peer coaching they tended to be selfish and do everything for themselves. They have since learned to share more with other teachers and make lessons more interesting for the learners at school.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />*The programme helped some of the teachers develop in confidence. They generally were excited to be able to take the things they had learned back to their schools.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />*Some noticed a growth in their own motivation. They found they had a lot to share with their colleagues at school. Some actually wanted to attend the peer coaching course because they had noticed the growth in other colleagues who had attended in previous years.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">*The way they asked questions in class back at school had changed, and the quality of the questions they asked in class had also changed. Even the learners asked better questions as a result. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">*The course seemed to open up a whole new world not only to the teachers but also to the learners. </span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDo-XdzwTSG1slgQr7PN717_kuaMDQwlHee7Ky9M9AY9sEXrV5V_KkLoVsxqswbWs7GgkHCPUYicU3jKlKJ1yB0-90XyL4DhS8yoDjUNNbXN0vTEBUsWFeUG8MZcwCBTO2I3VXbKTsnw/s1600/dvd.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDo-XdzwTSG1slgQr7PN717_kuaMDQwlHee7Ky9M9AY9sEXrV5V_KkLoVsxqswbWs7GgkHCPUYicU3jKlKJ1yB0-90XyL4DhS8yoDjUNNbXN0vTEBUsWFeUG8MZcwCBTO2I3VXbKTsnw/s320/dvd.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />*Collaboration was new to some of the teachers but the course took them out of their little islands and helped them to discuss more with one another. They learned to tap into what is available out there and share it informally without treading on any toes at school. They found they had lots to share with others and in fact looked out for things to share with others.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">*One of the teachers mentioned how peer coaching seems to surpass other forms of professional development as provided by the Department of Education. He described it as “magnificent in comparison”. It is user friendly and applicable, and can be implemented immediately. Peer coaching, he added, is a great confidence booster for a teacher.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">*Another of the teachers whose class I had been able to visit at Eunice spoke glowingly of the whole experience and how it had caused her to go on and experience more courses that SchoolNet had on offer. The brilliant work I observed in her classroom paid tribute to the obvious benefits of the programme. The highlight of her experience was to visit Lesotho with a group of peer coaches and share with the teachers there. </span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht85HO7AjOxQbYgdYkm0U_3O_3-MnfayppoUkCRz_9bwU39FqqU19rJE5_JHFRAuyu7BGIvltxha1DbluBZlYX8CHy1bEKVhNj7rVkcvfR4PRweyoTZ30mN-QQMq7TXkkQLLTYyvkYJoY/s1600/DSCF8034-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht85HO7AjOxQbYgdYkm0U_3O_3-MnfayppoUkCRz_9bwU39FqqU19rJE5_JHFRAuyu7BGIvltxha1DbluBZlYX8CHy1bEKVhNj7rVkcvfR4PRweyoTZ30mN-QQMq7TXkkQLLTYyvkYJoY/s320/DSCF8034-2.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><div class="MsoNoSpacing"></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">One of the principals summarized his observations of peer coaching over a span of time. He said that he noticed that in the long term the teachers concerned move further and further out of the confines of their classrooms and not only share with a wide group of people but also bring back so much <u><b>to</b></u> the school. The impact on the school and learners is enormous.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A video of the experience</span></b><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Here is a video summarising my peer coaching experience in Bloemfontein. </span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uK0bnr4mYbM" width="420"></iframe></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">To end off Session 7 Sarietjie showed the teachers four different Microsoft tools – AutoCollage, Songsmith, Photostory 3 and Windows Live Moviemaker. They were asked to document their peer coaching journey in groups during Session 8 using one of these tools. Here are some of the final results.</span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Photostories created by some of the groups</span></b><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1) <b>Siphi, Lebohogang, Mpai and Lilian</b></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" class="b-hbp-video b-uploaded" frameborder="0" height="266" id="BLOGGER-video-fadc7b7bf1e366d0-14197" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzeOW7_nUhI8duBySXH4FPSUVPv1_58mkDbFWu54jrL88Od9bPnvUFJSEFyKtisUJ_LY-trd_sLCeT_hyXmFX6MATZ0b1mvYY0F8d1D_vMviUZWZ-wb00XFo1YQ0Mhj8TTq62dw" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2) <b>Prisca, Roman and Smith</b></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" class="b-hbp-video b-uploaded" frameborder="0" height="266" id="BLOGGER-video-1236cbc4f14fef44-7245" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxoXTu3KFjyMA3mkNHo2s_RR5KagZaF1Pwfr_EwBjPCxSGBcRF3jjr-ly_mkZl66WAYQehPgipqMGIxqseBpyr0ABuSahEPXeNw9cWlaPBnnBaQCR0NTIco3npFVIT2prJ-HCw" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">3) <b>Maritha, Nauda, Mavis and Ingrid</b></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" class="b-hbp-video b-uploaded" frameborder="0" height="266" id="BLOGGER-video-885a66df6436768a-15051" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwcvi3Gyor_rywsod50mZiK4xUPkD3IXB81KLT2pePkEAkW9LmVZkzYFErRw4QmsQiy8MfN0dVykFqmqf15wU5B6kJsjufWK5kPWrWQ1UHxB2f3Vjm60rNp_SGkCAet1SQrjcW9" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">4) <b>Keneilwe, Danisele, Mphomotseng and Motlodi</b></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" class="b-hbp-video b-uploaded" frameborder="0" height="266" id="BLOGGER-video-037b5d0ec0f03a27-16985" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzK6Chi0ygLOgMkWupBHqVTQFgstqzJ9_E5osmydVn3P7yVOlk1cWF4ggU20o_gaMjVm4kr7CN4MmE7y9y9GflyFQdw0qaQ5BeL_OxEhsE2JD6M60dDr74gMhadxnIU_UhxkDSB" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">5) <b>Jacki, John and Isaac</b></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" class="b-hbp-video b-uploaded" frameborder="0" height="266" id="BLOGGER-video-d4f7682a012a1e97-2596" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzWfP3frQig0Dq9sb7OG8z_r38Y3f2mPGkg8JOHdZqriAbo-14JLJmp0NbsLQkiV1QbJt4l4KV-D2kRMW3kbgcXAWjU0KZAA2NeI9zi6K_2DjY40bOCVqYkpjyjEIt8zKTgizs" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">6)  <b>Anthony, Thandi, Jonathon and Matladi</b></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" class="b-hbp-video b-uploaded" frameborder="0" height="266" id="BLOGGER-video-6456379ad16e2f27-1066" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz8Qr28QYAddqhmLOEdHc4-WUAAaLWNXHy-1qHcRB0qP9BzlKC9rwH6AwxNFNwCftY93HVrwVvzSPco1CPL1t9ifQ_8szhPyRQO1xMsq4dwvDhwp9-ZXziL0EGXG3dxpn_AhHU" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">As an onlooker I left these sessions wishing I had experienced the privilege of attending a full course as a teacher when still in the classroom. This programme really seems to be one of the answers to the South African education dilemma!</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRte_zGD1d1SjF6c30xnSbP4Xr5uNB0R7pFCi4uoujLuQdgBXx7rqxY7dY16rGZ4IOvxt2IgvmZ1vCERB4_zDKM_AtFaLmPwpm6RgHM65DbkW7NHuCKre3mkvu-i1HpG8HFOYr7OJ9qm8/s1600/Peer+coaching+-+Bloem-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRte_zGD1d1SjF6c30xnSbP4Xr5uNB0R7pFCi4uoujLuQdgBXx7rqxY7dY16rGZ4IOvxt2IgvmZ1vCERB4_zDKM_AtFaLmPwpm6RgHM65DbkW7NHuCKre3mkvu-i1HpG8HFOYr7OJ9qm8/s320/Peer+coaching+-+Bloem-2.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">SchoolNet wishes to thank Sareitjie Musgrave and the other peer coaching trainers around South Africa for the sterling job they are doing in training educators in this programme. </span></div></div></div>

case study Microsoft Training Peer Coaching in Bloemfontein - transformational!

Submitted by Fiona BealOn Friday 21st October and Saturday 22nd October I was very privileged to be able to attend the last two sessions of Sarietjie Musgrave’s Peer Coaching workshop at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa.…

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