What Makes a Great Teacher?

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/201001/good-teaching/3

I read the article What Makes a Great Teacher? from the Atlantic today because Ali Jessie posted it on Facebook. Like Ali, I am usually suspect of merit pay, but thought there were some great points in this article about teacher quality and student gains. A must read!

PHAO

In Luang Prabang, on the main street, Sisavangvong Road, there's a clothing shop where most everything is made out of bamboo materials. Phao, the designer, picked the perfect dress for me and made the belt to fit while I tried on various outfits. I ended up buying two skirts, two shirts, and the green dress shown above.

Powerful Waste

I still want to see Avatar, but Dave sent me this ironic e-card, and it gave me a good laugh.

Krabi, Thailand 2010

Mark, Elle, Carolynn, Michael (the Ianello's) and I jump a plane from Saigon to Bangkok then Bangkok to Krabi tomorrow--the first day of 2010. I think traveling on the first day of the new year is a sign of lucky adventures for the year ahead.

Right now, 9:43 pm, Michael and Carolynn are flipping through the overflow of Wii games we have managed to collect, Mark and Elle are bringing in the new year with sweet dreams, and I too am going to bed before the clock strikes 12 because this is usually (not always) my tradition: bringing in the year with peaceful sleep. Good night, 2009.

One Explorer and One Hurt Back

On Christmas Eve, we planned to take a trip to the waterfalls and eat dinner while watching the sunset, but instead I spent the day in bed recovering from a back injury while Michael went out on three hour adventures, returning with food and tea to check in on me. The pictures taken below are snapshot of his adventures and a quick glance of the panoramic view from my bed.

The sunset from the slopes of Phu Si.

Michael's spiritual awakening on Phu Si, or at least that's what it looks like.

Luang Prabang, Laos

Wat Tham Phu Si

A view of the communist bridge from the summit of Phu Si.

Tourists a plenty!

The magnolia-laced climb to the temples at sunset.

Joined by many on the climb up Phu Si.

Yet another Wat (temple).

The beginning of the ascent.

I pulled a muscle in my back and couldn't move for two days, so this was my view.

I stocked up on books, medication, and ginger tea from the night market to ease the pain. Thankfully, Michael brought me street food and goodies from JoMa. I was so thankful he took care of me and was able to have an adventure of his own. Thanks, Michael. I always think you're the best, but on this trip, you outdid yourself.

Luang Prabang-Happiness

Happiness is not achieved by the conscious pursuit of happiness; it is generally the by-product of other activities.

-Aldous Huxley, Vedanta for the Western World, 1945

Th Sisavangvong street life in Luang Prabang. I loved moving down the street and hearing at least six different languages.

For the sunshine, not the rain. I wanted to bring them all home with me.

Artists and vendors setting up for the night market. There were so many beautiful journals, slippers, blankets, lanterns, and so much jewelry to purchase! Consumer Heaven and Crafter's Delight.

The street food in Luang Prabang is unbelievable--every bite is better than the last.

I liked the contrast of the greens, brown basket, and red shirt. Fresh salad!

Pak Ou caves--Buddhist statues line the walls of the dimly lit caves. We needed a flashlight, kindly sold to us for a small price, to explore the dark corners, but there were only more statues and a few spiders to be found.

The view from the stairs at the Pak Ou caves.

The boat trip to Pak Ou was enjoyable for the first hour, the four remaining hours were a like a slow death or a fist to the head, your choice.

Good Luck for the New Year!

Ban Xan Hai or "Whiskey Village" is a tourist stop on the way to the caves of Pak Ou. Rice wine, lao-lao, is served once you step off the boat--warms the cockles of my heart.

The shore of the Mekong River with some cute kids bouncing on the branches.

Our luxurious ride on the Mekong River--all bundled up.

Karinna is ready for an adventure and Michael is showing his thug face. He's a tough man.

A bridge, a river, a garden and me. Oh, and some sunglasses from Forever 21.

This picture captures my love for Luang Prabang: cafe's and monks! Orange is also one of my favorite colors. Whenever I wear orange, I feel powerful. I wonder if the monks feel the same way?

JoMa's Bakery made me smile all week long.

We like to have at least at least three or more drinks on the table in one sitting. I was on a soda water and lemon juice kick.

A view from the old communist bridge.

We dared to cross the old communist bridge, and won.

Luang Prabang, Laos

We arrived in Luang Prabang on December 19th and it was truly a comedy of errors--comes in three--but we still had a wonderful time in spite of the emotional and physical upheaval.

The best part of traveling in Luang Prabang is walking the streets, up and down staircases, and finding yourself in the middle of an alley way lined with bookstores and cafes. There are beautiful villas, French restaurants lit by the natural sunlight peaking through the doorway and candles on every table. I was only able to enjoy a few adventures until I was instructed to "stay in bed and not move," of course; I'm very bad at following rules. I danced around the room a little bit, but by dancing I mean shuffling my feet back and forth with my new slippers and jewelry on. You see, there's an enchanting night market where you can buy beautiful quilt coverings, bags, t-shirts, lanterns, and my greatest weakness, silver jewelry for cheap cheap.

We shopped and walked for three days: eating, talking, and playing cards. On the fourth day of our vacation, Michael and I took a boat trip to visit a cave, which took about ten minutes, and the freezing boat trip where your nose and fingers are about to be severed from your hands, was about four hours long. I think this is what caused my back injury, or maybe it's my age. I'm not sure, but when I woke up the next day I couldn't move and could barely breathe. Laughing and sneezing were the worst feelings in the world rather than the quasi-orgasmic experiences they're supposed to be. As a result, I remained in bed listening to four podcasts of This American Life and reading The Gunslinger. I've never read a Stephen King book before because embarrassingly, I've been one of those people in the, "Oh, I would never read Stephen King" camp even though I have read Dan Brown on a plane trip before. For Shame! The Gunslinger: thrilling, thoughtful, great for teenage readers (I wanted my students to read it right away), and you can tell that Stephen King loves his story as much as you, the reader, do. My back was in intense pain, but at least my mind was happy.

I have much more to say about the beautiful land of Luang Prabang: the people, the food, the sights, the sounds...and many pictures to share. This really was, oddly enough, one of my favorite trips for many reasons but the one thing that I'm miss the most right now is the candy cane mocha from Jo Ma's. I love this bakery/eatery, and I'm sure anyone who has visited Luang Prabang has praise to shower on Jo Ma's. If I could only remove the cranky, waddling, gray-bouffant-haired westerner who manages the place (more on her later), Jo Ma's would be a slice of paradise.

Michael's parents arrive tomorrow night, so we're on a polish and organize mission in between nap and Wii breaks. Enjoy your break, if you are lucky enough to have one, and if not, make sure you waste a great deal of time on Facebook at the office. You deserve it.

-Karinna