Audrey Asks Nature's Questions

Audrey definitely inherited her Grandmother's and her Mother's love of nature and curiosity about living things (i.e, future scientist/doctor/nurse/science teacher?!). So, while she stayed with me, we planted some new plants and seeds. She learned about the life cycle of plants and why plants are important and how they grow. Now, as a professional science educator, I can tell you that you NEVER know how a young child will take this information and process it. So, I was curious as to how Audrey would use this information. Was she listening? Was she interested? The answers  to my questions were quickly revealed.

We went to the plant nursery and got some potting soil, some new plants, a planter and seeds. Audrey is checking out the potting soil here -- a bit of qualitative analysis :) Question "What's in potting soil and why is it called potting soil when it's in the "earf" ? Try and explain marketing strategies to a five year old.

We planted some azaleas and a crepe myrtle to take the place of several plants that froze during our 37 year record breaking winter temperatures.  "Why did they freeze?" This was tough...try to explain soil zones to a five year old. However,  the potting soil passed inspection.

Here's the planter where she carefully planted some daisies and other flower seeds. She checked the soil every day to see if it needed water. Not surprisingly, it needed water every day. "Where does the water go?"  Try explaining evaporation to a five year old. I will provide an update in a few weeks - they are doing quite nicely!

Every single day Audrey would go outside and inspect the plants, check to see if they needed water, and what visitors had dropped by. Here she discovered a newly opened flower - she was SO excited as she was the first to find it. I didn't even know this grass-stuff made flowers. "Where's the bee? The bee needs to come, right?"  Try to explain pollination to a five year old.

Close-up of the flower. Today, there are several on this plant. They are unbelievably gorgeous, while the plant itself is a very non-descript grass species. I call these "Audrey's Flowers".

 One of her favorite plants is a butterfly bush I planted. She kept waiting for butterflies. I taught her how they begin as caterpillars and then they go to sleep and turn into butterflies. Guess what she found on the bush the next day???

Those are her little fingers showing her discovery. That caterpillar came for days to feed on the butterfly bush...he was a highlight of her trip:)  I didn't have to explain how caterpillars turn into butterflies. She already knew about that. She is my little butterfly and I love her with all my heart.

Nesting Season

A friend sent me this photo: these little great horned owlets are nesting on the Ladybird Wildlife Center's roof in Austin. People walk by all day long and see these faces. How can you not be smitten with them? I hear Barred owls calling to each other in the  field behind my house every morning before sunrise. They are no doubt feeding hungry nestlings, calling to each other as they bring prey items. And I hear screech owls in a nearby golf course -- busy raising and feeding their young. I love this time of year -- Easter celebrations, spring flowers, warm days, cool nights and when there is some free time, walks on the beach. And, I love hearing the owls. Their calls remind me that God's plan is perfect and when we place our present and future in His hands, blessings follow.

He is Risen!

"And that", a very good friend said to me, "is all we need to know."  

Taking a Chance

I love singing in the Corpus Christi Cathedral choir. It is a huge blessing, and an honor to be part of this group. Some of my closest and dearest friends are in the choir. We spend 5.5 hours per week practicing, sing a LOT, travel...it's like a second family. This week is no exception with it being Holy Week. Many rehearsals with the orchestra, Holy Mass on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday evening and of course Easter Sunday. The bishop has been celebrating Mass - I love him as he is a VERY eloquent and focused speaker. During Mass at the front of the church is a Cantor - he/she leads the people as they sing in worship. Sometimes the songs are solos, others are with the congregation. We have a LOT of talented people in our choir - some aren't Catholic! They come to participate and contribute their talent, and auditions are required.

My friends have been prodding me to audition for Cantor. I've been afraid - I hate rejection. Who likes to hear,"Sorry, try again next year" ? So, I've remained a member of the choir. But this year, I decided to put this in God's hands. Like many things, the decision shouldn't be mine. If I'm meant to help someone worship, I should put my own fears aside, right? Well, I prayed about it and took the attitude, "not my will, but Yours" and auditioned. There were four judges - members of the church with experience in music. And our  Choir Director for 30+ years, Lee, behind the piano. I had been given a piece of music that wasn't too complex. However, I wasn't expecting to see the judges when I walked into the room, with their clipboards and pencils and discerning looks - and that took me somewhat by surprise. I thought it was just going to be me and Lee. My heart skipped a beat. So...I said,'Let's get the party started" and everyone giggled. Lee told me how this would be conducted, asked if I had any questions, and began to play. I prayed for the thousandth time - "Your will, not mine".

I don't know where it came from - wait, yes I do - the voice was strong and unwavering. I thought about the words as I sang them, "Shout joyfully to God, all the earth, sing praise to the glory of His name...." from Psalm 66. At the conclusion, Lee looked at me and said, "Wow". Twice. They asked about my singing, how long, where, lessons, etc. I had an inkling I would be a Cantor. I left feeling that I had done my best, and no matter what the outcome, I gave it my best. That is a great feeling.

Last night I was handed my Cantor folder and music I will be singing in a month. At the front of the church. On television (our Sunday Mass is televised). I hope I can help many with their worship of our Lord.  I hope I do my best. I feel very blessed and humbled to part of this group!

"In the end, we only regret the chances we didn't take, the relationships we were afraid to have and the decisions we waited too long to make."

Running over the Coronado Bridge!

So excited -- a long story short ---- colleague working on grant initiative with me says, "We need a Professional Development session soon - the grant calls for this." I say, "I can do that - there is a conference in San Diego where we are going to learn (blah blah blah).... and I can bring that back and teach it to the faculty."  Colleague: "Book it, Cherie."

SOOOO, I'm off to San Diego in May for a few days of work and a few days of play with Jen and GUESS WHAT?! This visit just happens to coincide with the annual Navy Bay Bridge Run - a four mile run over the Coronado Bridge! It is the only time during the year when the bridge is open to pedestrians! Super excited and can't wait!!!

It's Official

The tick-tick-tick of the tenure clock that started ticking in my head 4.5 years ago has stopped. No longer push-push-push to get the next paper out, the next grant out, the best evaluations for teaching, chairing a million committees, and  so many weekends and holidays spent in my office. Thank you, GOD. Our Provost, Dr. Markwood, just hand delivered this letter and another concerning my successful promotion (yes, it's a two step process, and one can't occur without the other). 

Now, I will work just as hard but do a bit less of some things and more of others. Which means thinking more about teaching and service. Helping our teachers who are currently under attack on so many fronts. And most importantly, preparing future science teachers that are getting ready to enter classrooms that are overcrowded and underfunded, with tests that take the creativity and joy out of teaching - and being paid much less than they are worth. It's a tough time for our teachers - and a good time to be their advocate. I love the part in the letter that refers to expanding my teaching talents.I look forward to that and I couldn't be happier about this! Sleeves up and ready to go!

More Butterflies Made with Love

When Audrey came to visit, we had several projects. One was to make a stepping stone with stained glass and use the shape of a butterfly. This was quite involved as it entailed mixing cement, laying out the glass pieces just so, and a few discussions regarding placement of said pieces of glass. In all cases, Audrey's decision was deemed the right one :)

First, we traced the butterfly cast on a piece of paper and each laid out the glass.

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Placing the glass into the butterfly. Audrey helped a lot, especially with placing the 'eyeballs'.

Finally, all the pieces were tucked into place and we let it cure for a few days. See the eyeballs? Blue, like her Mommy's.

Then it was time to take out the butterfly from the cast.

And VOILA! The final product. I am not sure why Audrey has on her sunglasses. We probably just returned from an ice cream run.  We trimmed the edges and cleaned up the glass.

 

Here it is - outside in my garden. I think of Audrey everytime I see it. 

I love butterflies, and I love Audrey even more!

Butterflies in my window!!

Elsie Gaertner is a wonderful artist and makes glass come to life --- in this case, butterflies! Last night my friend Jeff came over and and installed Elsie's windows while Elsie, Kathy and me watched intently. I LOVE THEM!    Here they are -- they change colors with the sunlight, and come alive with the shimmering glass.You can click on the pics and make them larger. I can't tell you how happy I am to look at these windows and feel so blessed to have such great friends!

Before: Three plain transom windows:

Jeff (the engineer) quickly figured out an easy way to install the windows. Fortunately, the base glass had been cut exactly to my specification (thank you Lady With The Apron at Lowe's ) and the finished windows fit perfectly! So he started to prepare....

Carefully placing it just so....

and being VERY careful not to let it drop! See the butterflies?! Three more windows, each carefully handcrafted with glass, butterflies and their trails, were installed. While all windows had the same theme, each butterfly is different. I love the trails and the background of differing types of iridescent glass:

This one is called "Kathy's Butterfly" as she donated these pieces of glass to the project. Oh I love it!

Jeff, Elsie and Kathy - the windows are gorgeous from both inside and outside! Hamburgers on the grill and great conversation wrapped up a wonderful evening. Butterflies in my windows....perfect.

All A Twitter

My department chair called and asked if I had a Twitter account. I told her this was one thing I didn't have...and I really didn't need any more distractions. She informed me that  Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi had my announcement on Facebook and Twitter. You can see it by clicking here.


It's also on the TAMU-CC main web page. It's really nice to receive the recognition for the hard work, but you know what? Honestly?? The bottom line??? I love it that my students love my class. That  I'm making a difference and that A&M sees the value in that. I love helping others by sharing my knowledge and experience, my passion for teaching. That, to me, is worth more than medallions and stipends and ....Twittering. THAT is why I feel so blessed - doing what I love, every day. Not planning to get a Twitter account soon - but looking forward to class in about 10 minutes :)

Blessed Beyond Measure

I thought this was going to be a very sad weekend. I was, quite literally, prepared to be sad and on Saturday morning, I was looking forward to returning to work on Monday. You see, on Saturday, Annie and Audrey were flying back to California. After breakfast, it was time to take Audrey and Annie to the airport -- in San Antonio -- for their return. Not a quick drop-off, but a 2.5 hour drive before taking them in and saying goodbye. I prayed over and over to be strong and happy. I promised myself I was not going to cry in front of Audrey.

I did not. We won't talk about breaking down in the car afterward, but I managed to kiss my daughter and granddaughter goodbye. On the way home, I prayed some more. I wanted my heart to stop hurting. Then, I had a thought...."You had them for a whole month. You had blessings every day from them - you know they love you. What more could a person ask for?"...God thoughts. For sure. Immediately, I felt better. I looked forward to the rest of the day. And it was a good day. No, it was a GREAT day. I felt blessed.

Today, I found out a project that some friends have been working on is almost complete.  See the transom windows??

In a few days, they will be filled with stained glass windows of butterflies!!!!

My friend Elsie is establishing a quite a reputation for artisianship in mosaics and stained glass - she does BEAUTIFUL work. Her latest piece was just installed in the Diocese Chancellor's Office. You can read about some of her work here.

 Here a some shots of her work in progress:

Butterflies glued and ready to grout. I love the shimmering glass and their flight trails!

 Elsie's workbench filled with butterflies:

  And, you can see more of the butterflies as a work in progress here!  I LOVE THEM! My other friend Kathy does some of this and has helped her, also contributing some beautiful glass to the project. My good friend Jeff is an engineer - I mean Purdue graduate engineer - and he is installing them...possibly THIS WEEK! It is a labor of love planned, built and about to be completed by friends. I can't wait to see them in the windows!

What more could a person ask for? Wonderful friends and family surround me. So many blessings in my life, and God is watching over me.

Stay tuned...pics of butterflies, house, and Audrey's visit are forthcoming :)

Honesty, Humility and ...Job Performance?

 I never thought I would see the words of this blog's title in the same sentence. However one of my alma maters, Baylor University, published a study about this. I suspected this was true but often, it seems that the dog eating the dogs gets the bone. Not so. God does reward those who are honest and humble -- even on the job. Read on:
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New Baylor Study Shows Higher Job Performance Linked to People Who are More Honest and Humble

March 1, 2011

Honesty-humility trait able to predict supervisor ratings of employees' job performance

The more honesty and humility an employee may have, the higher their job performance, as rated by the employees' supervisor. That's the new finding from a Baylor University study that found the honesty-humility personality trait was a unique predictor of job performance.

"Researchers already know that integrity can predict job performance and what we are saying here is that humility and honesty are also major components in that," said Dr. Wade Rowatt, associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at Baylor, who helped lead the study. "This study shows that those who possess the combination of honesty and humility have better job performance. In fact, we found that humility and honesty not only correspond with job performance, but it predicted job performance above and beyond any of the other five personality traits like agreeableness and conscientiousness."

The Baylor researchers along with a business consultant surveyed 269 employees in 25 different companies across 20 different states who work in positions that provide health care for challenging clients. Supervisors of the employees in the study then rated the job performance of each employee on 35 different job skills and described the kind of customer with whom the employee worked. The ratings were included in order to inform higher management how employees were performing and for the Baylor researchers to examine which personality variables were associated with job performance ratings.

The Baylor researchers found that those who self-reported more honesty and humility were scored significantly higher by their supervisors for their job performance. The researchers defined honesty and humility as those who exhibit high levels of fairness, greed-avoidance, sincerity and modesty.

"This study has implications for hiring personnel in that we suggest more attention should be paid to honesty and humility in applicants and employees, particularly those in care-giving roles," said Megan Johnson, a Baylor doctoral candidate who conducted the study. "Honest and humble people could be a good fit for occupations and organizations that require special attention and care for products or clients. Narcissists, on the other hand, who generally lack humility and are exploitative and selfish, would probably be better at jobs that require self-promotion."

The study currently appears online in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, and is the first to link honesty and humility to better job performance.
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I love it when there is research to back up what I already know in my heart - and this I know. In the words of Mark Twain, "If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything." Another favorite by Issac Newton: "If I have seen farther it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants."

Honesty and humility - and integrity - the best policy!

A&M Chancellor's Century Council Dinner

I drove to Bryan-College Station yesterday for the dinner. I had no idea what to expect - not being an Aggie, but being notified that I was to receive an award, I invited the coolest Aggie on the planet to accompany me ~my brother Eric. His blood runs maroon. He is the only one I know that will tell you when he retires and has HIS place, it will have three flags - a U.S. Flag, a Texas flag, and the A&M Flag. And not on one flagpole mind you - nosiree - THREE poles. Very emphatically described -- this guy is the definitely the coolest Aggie I know.

We arrived and were BLOWN away by the new A&M alumni center, pictured above. Just beautiful. Dozens of flat-panel televisions on a wall that produces highly digitized presentations. And the alumni that are part of the Century Council were there. People who graduated from A&M in 1941! All kinds of people - so happy to be there and you could definitely feel the positive energy. The other A&M campus administrators were there including the president from my institution and his wife. The tables were gorgeous - fresh flowers, beautifully printed programs, and then at the front of the room - a table with the awards. Six of them. Yes, only SIX from the whole A&M system were selected to be on the Chancellor's Academy of Teacher Educators (CATE). I realized for the first time what an honor this was going to be and was a tad nervous...but figured I'd handle whatever came my way :)  (You can click on any of these photos to enlarge...especially the space shots. Amazing.)

                               Click to enlarge: and check out the desserts. Eric and I shared :)

                                              Doesn't he look handsome? Note the big ring outside of the window.
                                    Yes, a huge replica of THE A&M ring that is so distinctive.

                                              Chancellor McKinney - such an affable person!.
                   He came over to meet me, gave me a hug and called me a "Rock Star". I really like him.                                    .
After dinner, The Chancellor made some perfunctory remarks and then had each of the six CATE inductees come to the front of the room, one at a time, to receive their medallion (they put it on like I won the Olympics or something), certificate and then a photo op. All while the announcer is reading a bio for each one. I have little recall of what the announcer was saying as I tread to the front and up the stairs...except I heard one of my favorite phrases, "creating lifelong learners" and knew they were talking about me.

                                               And then - it was my turn! Wearing medallion and receiving (trying to open)
                                                                         special certificate.

After the presentations, Dr. Richard Linnehan, a former NASA astronaut who logged more than 58 days in space and who has recently joined the Texas A&M System as Director for Space Science, Policy and Education, gave a presentation. The photos were awe inspiring - I tried to capture them here but believe me, they are way more incredible in person:

                                   Discovery Shuttle - 'cooling off'. Look at the background.(click to enlarge)

                                       International Space Station

The Crew of STS 123:

Light from earth as seen from space:

                                      Maneuvering equipment in space: notice the tethered feet, and they can only
                                           work with one hand:

                                                Jupiter - a giant gas ball.

After the program, there was a photo-op. I'm sure some official photos will be released -- this is one my brother took for me. Thanks Eric!

It was, to say the least, an incredible evening. I feel so incredibly blessed to receive accolades for doing what I sincerely and passionately love to do - teach others. I hope to live up to the expectations of this committee and give back to the profession that has provided me and countless others with so many blessings in the form of teachers and mentors!

AND -- thank you Eric for accompanying me. You are still the coolest Aggie I know!!! :)