Pie for Ma

This place has some yummy olallieberry pies...

It's a family farm...

One for me, and one for mom...

Sweet tooth souvenirs from mom...

Voila Un Assiette

The latest crop with sanded colors on brown clay...

I've been experimenting with plates during the last year. I am a believer in practice making near-perfect. So, I've made a lot of plates, searching for an even, non-transparent glaze finish. The bottoms of the plates are not glazed, and are rough with canvas texture. The plate surface is glossy with clear glaze. The contrast is pleasing, almost like enamel, with the brown clay. I finally realized that several layers of underglaze make the finish smooth. I'm talking six layers! Lately, I've been adding different colors, and then sanding into the layers. I like seeing the raw clay underneath. Studies and practice will definitely continue. The possibilities are endless. Just check out this blog: http://aplateaday.blogspot.com

The black wash gives the textured details definition...

More plates ready for firing...

Belated Presents

Putting on the edging...

Molding some leaves...

Wiring up some leaves...

Ready for some decoration...

A wall heart for lunch lady Jeana...

A wall heart for Mrs. O'Connor, the most patient person alive...

A trade for Betty...

To Fix or Not to Fix

Every now and again, things don't work out. Clay is often a metaphor for life. This piece had some problems with joints separating. I saved it, while trying to decide whether or not to try to repair the joints. This morning, I decided that it might just be easier to cannibalize the wired parts. So, I'm going to take it outside, and crack the background panel, in order to release all of the leaves and flowers. It will probably just be easier to make a new background panel! Kind of a modified "do-over"...

Christmas Present Spree

My favorite shopping place in Monterey...

My favorite house in Monterey is for lease...

Ethereal attire on a stained, crusty bust form...

Not sure how they feel about all of the present buying...

Love almost everything in this hat cabinet...

Pretty pillbox with gloves...

On the way home from Carmel...

Driving by this landmark...

12th Anniversary (Part Deux)

The bathroom still needs a lot of work...

Celebrating the 12th Anniversary of my home. Here are some photos of the boudoir, the bathroom, and the kitchen. Cameo shots are included of the fellow inmates…

LuLu is as old as the house...

Heads up in the bedroom...

Jewelrylandia...

The kitchen sink...

Fine dining...

A picture of pitchers...

Mabel keeps things interesting...

Betty is the grand dame of our home...

Quitters Never Prosper

This has been one of the most terrible months that I've ever had as a teacher. My class is extremely trying this year. The work is very difficult for almost everyone, so there is much work avoiding. Many students seem to have insurmountable difficulties: learning disabilities, family concerns, abandonment issues, self-control and confidence problems.

Today, I stopped for a second, and thought about career options. What would happen if I just left? How long could I pay my mortgage? Where could I work? The level of discouragement was unbelievable. Only 17 out of 33 students turned in a report that was recently due. This report was completed during class, and we worked on it for about a month. This afternoon, seven students signed up for a book club that was held at lunch. Only three students showed up, meaning that four of the students wasted slots that could have been filled by four willing students. Another example of commitments not met.

Luckily for me, we read a short passage in our reading book about Jaime Escalante. He was the teacher on which the movie "Stand and Deliver" was based. If you are unfamiliar, he taught advanced math, at Garfield High, in East Los Angeles. I played my students the following clip from the movie:

Mr. Escalante was able to have 80% of his students pass an advanced college placement test. Only 2% of high school students nationwide typically passed the test. So, of course, he and his students were accused of cheating. They agreed to retake the test, while proctors from the state observed, and almost all of the students passed again.

I like the word "ganas". It translates to "desire" or "effort" in English. I cannot truly control the ganas in my students, but I can control the ganas in myself. It is there and it is strong. I took on this job for a purpose. As I left the classroom today, I saw that the flag was up on the class mailbox. Usually, I just ignore it. But, today, I opened the box and saw this letter. 

Here is a student with true ganas. I decided that I'm going to talk to her about reading together during lunchtime, twice a week, after vacation is over.