Getting Ready for a Wedding

I sometimes ask my tutoring students if they want to have a wedding someday. Most answer with a shy smile and a “yes.” Then I tell them that planning a wedding is a lot like doing an algebra problem. (This usually surprises and alarms them!) I tell them that you have to take the “math problem,” break it into many smaller, more manageable parts, work on each part separately, and then put it all back together into one successful solution.

Our family and friends, a wonderful community of amazing people, have been working on the “parts” of my eldest daughter’s wedding for the past four months. There has been crafting, cooking, sewing, rehearsals and showers as we work toward the goal of uniting two young people in the covenant of marriage.

Enjoy some of the photo memories of the preparation and look for some photos of the wedding next month!

Flipping the Classroom

Sal Khan is revolutionizing the way we think about education. He says that our current educational model is based on Prussian ideas two hundred years old, and this system no longer works because it does not encourage creative and logical thinking which is needed in our modern-day information age. He is a proponent of “flipping the classroom” where students get their information from on-line instruction outside of the classroom, and then the students work with their teachers. Those teachers now help with the assignments and become mentors and coaches instead of a lecturers. He believes that learning should be personalized, students should move at their own pace, and the focus should be mastery. Too often in a classroom situation, the teacher moves on because of time constraints, unfortunately before many of the students have learned the material. It has been interesting for me to see how Khan's model of education coincides in many ways with my view of tutoring.

Khan has written a fascinating book about education and learning: The One World School House. You can also view his website at www.khanacademy.org.

Wedding Invitations

My lovely daughter is to be married to a fantastic young man in a few short months. Her vision for their wedding is unique and expresses her and her fiance's individuality.

 Both of them have a deep love of books, and she sought to incorporate that interest into their wedding invitations. Being blessed with many supportive friends and family who were willing to help her achieve this vision, she hosted a craft party where we came together and assembled the invitations. While enjoying homemade cookies and lemonade, we cut and glued the evening away.