Meredith Kendall's Blog, page 9
December 9, 2018
Merry Christmas!
It's time to walk through pine forests, watch it snow, admire colored lights in trees, hug your friends, buy books, listen to carols, wrap carefully selected gifts, and sleep through long cold nights. Merry Christmas!
December 5, 2018
test questions for 2019
This week, preparing a January course, I viewed 5000 test items: stems and responses. I adjusted the points so that all 56 quizzes added up to 100 points.
When possible, I made everything gender-neutral. I tried to remove all culture and gender bias. I updated the language to reflect current philosophy, example: "the nurse collaborated with the physician", instead of "reported to". The girls are no longer shy. The 16-year old male drug addict is now a teen who used a recreational substance. Patients are people. Nurses don't "check", "notice", or "mention"; they "assess" and "instruct". Yes, 5000. Took me over 30 hours, which I did in about 4 days.
Now on to the next exciting task for Spring 2019: updating quizzes in a different class.
And some fun: instructional videos.
When possible, I made everything gender-neutral. I tried to remove all culture and gender bias. I updated the language to reflect current philosophy, example: "the nurse collaborated with the physician", instead of "reported to". The girls are no longer shy. The 16-year old male drug addict is now a teen who used a recreational substance. Patients are people. Nurses don't "check", "notice", or "mention"; they "assess" and "instruct". Yes, 5000. Took me over 30 hours, which I did in about 4 days.
Now on to the next exciting task for Spring 2019: updating quizzes in a different class.
And some fun: instructional videos.
December 1, 2018
blue sky, blue water, white snow
a warm winter day
light-tipped waves on the lake, orbs
of light in the sky
light-tipped waves on the lake, orbs
of light in the sky
November 27, 2018
another snow day
Snow days have their own rhythm, different from other days. I wake in the middle of the night and see the message flashing on my phone: snow day, no school. I go back to bed and sleep long.
When I wake, I don't shower and try to look gorgeous. Instead I put on snow pants, an old shirt, big boots, hat, and thick ski gloves. I push the door open, pushing against snow. I go out into a white world. The snow is heavy and deep. I grab the shovel and clear in front of the door. Then the steps. I see that my plow guy has been here already. The driveway is half cleared of snow; he plows all he can reach, and I scoop the rest. He plows my lawn and my neighbor's too, so I have a place to put the scooped snow. I scoop the deck and the driveway until I get tired and hungry. It's still snowing, so the deck is covered again when I go back inside. Hot coffee and an egg sandwich.
It will snow all day and I will go out and scoop every few hours. Inside I will write a paper, answer work emails, edit a new online course, and read. Outside: plow trucks go by, very few cars, neighbors run snow blowers and brush off their cars. The snow falls quietly, steadily.
When I wake, I don't shower and try to look gorgeous. Instead I put on snow pants, an old shirt, big boots, hat, and thick ski gloves. I push the door open, pushing against snow. I go out into a white world. The snow is heavy and deep. I grab the shovel and clear in front of the door. Then the steps. I see that my plow guy has been here already. The driveway is half cleared of snow; he plows all he can reach, and I scoop the rest. He plows my lawn and my neighbor's too, so I have a place to put the scooped snow. I scoop the deck and the driveway until I get tired and hungry. It's still snowing, so the deck is covered again when I go back inside. Hot coffee and an egg sandwich.
It will snow all day and I will go out and scoop every few hours. Inside I will write a paper, answer work emails, edit a new online course, and read. Outside: plow trucks go by, very few cars, neighbors run snow blowers and brush off their cars. The snow falls quietly, steadily.
November 15, 2018
snow day
We don't have wildfires, rattlesnakes, earthquakes, hurricanes,or tsunamis. We do have humid summers, mosquitoes, poison ivy, and six months of winter. It's been raining for a month. Now it's cold. Snow is expected for tomorrow: eight inches of fluffy ice crystals.
We don't have endless tropical beaches or red rock canyons. We do have sandy beaches and pink granite. We have a month or two of summer and glorious falls. We have snow days: curl up with a good book, go outside in the storm every few hours to shovel, drink hot herbal tea, and relax. Go from jammies to snow pants and back. Get a good workout shoveling and scooping snow. Then rest. Repeat. It's a snow day.
We don't have endless tropical beaches or red rock canyons. We do have sandy beaches and pink granite. We have a month or two of summer and glorious falls. We have snow days: curl up with a good book, go outside in the storm every few hours to shovel, drink hot herbal tea, and relax. Go from jammies to snow pants and back. Get a good workout shoveling and scooping snow. Then rest. Repeat. It's a snow day.
November 11, 2018
kindness
maybe you didn't learn kindness as a child, that's ok, you can learn it now; start learning kindness today. Listen. Step back from yourself. Focus on the happiness of another person. Send out love.
November 9, 2018
Car
Sometimes life is like driving a car with no brakes.
