Write a story about a lie (Fast Fiction prompts by Roberta Allen)

Interior Monologue of Robert Aralola

I told her I would call Human Resources.  I told her I would call the police.  I told her she should be ashamed of herself. I told her she should have some self-respect. 

I blotted out my name on the Christmas card.  (But not the book--because it is an antique, tattered as it is--and there are other men with a capital R.)

My words and actions do not betray me if she knows.  I love her.


Speculation by Ocean Cola

That is some Contradictory BullShit.  CBS Cares, ha! 

Emailed in!

In which I work at avocation and vocation...

An avocation is a hobby or any other activity taken up in addition to one's regular work. A vocation is one's principal occupation or a calling to a particular way of life or course of action.Mar 6, 2017

Love is a gift.  You can't make people like you.  You can earn respect, though.  You can also provide appropriate training.  Kicked off Lent with Ash Wednesday service at neighborhood parish.  I haven't seen much of my fifth grader lately before he wakes me from my pre-work nap.  On my way out the door, he wasn't impressed to be reminded that he was born on a Mardi Gras some years ago.  We will go through the Lent readings together.  #spiritualbirthday

#Soulmates by Facebook Reflection

One of my former students from the University of the Philippines penned this reflection on Facebook, after a not-so-recent heartbreak.  (Although I suspect he's still reeling from it???)


"People connect with someone special to them on three levels: physical, emotional, and mental-spiritual. One out of three is what most people get. Sometimes zero out of three is even possible, when the connection is purely on the level of mutual fantasy. Hit two out of three, and you're already lucky; you're with someone who is a good long-term prospect.

"Three out of three--someone who connects with your body, your heart and your mind--that is your soulmate.

"Of course, meeting your soulmate is no guarantee of #forever. Even soulmates can change their mind and leave."

Walter Scott's translation of "Ave Maria"

Anglican version: Ave Maria! Maiden mild!/ Listen to a maiden's prayers/ For Thou canst hear through from the wild/ Thou canst [save] amid despair/
Safe may we sleep beneath Thy care/ Though banished, outcast and reviled/ O Maiden, hear a maiden's prayer/ O Mother, hear a suppliant child/ Ave Maria! [perhaps refashioned into a purity prayer...and, can "save" be substituted with "pray" in respect to Mary's intercessory role?]

April 17, 2013

I submitted my Reflection Paper #2 and gave a presentation on the article, "Children's Literature: A Motivating Context to Explore Functions" by Esther Billings and Charlene Beckmann (NCTM, 2005).

I presented how teachers may present enriching material on functions with students, anywhere from K-12, using the delightful picture book based on a Chinese folktale by Lily Toy Hong, titled "Two of Everything."

Teachers may create a resource, explained by the authors of the article, of functions based on a captivating story that are obviously arising from the book, adapted from the book, or somewhat hidden, which may describe aspects that are suggested by the book if the students care to explore the nuances of the story further.

I tried the book out on my ESOL Kindergartners at School A and ESOL Second Graders at School B.  There are numerous ways to present concepts and differentiate, from drawing pictures to using counters, to function or rule machines, to graphs.  There is even the related English vocabulary of doubling, tripling, and quadrupling :)

April 18, 2013

I am going to have to dig deep; I am having to dig deep.  We are in the thick of spring, and I'm thinking about my transition to new teaching positions which may involve teaching newcomers and incorporating even more picture clues and grammatical communicative tasks.

This morning, I was thinking about my beloved French teacher from middle school, Madame P.  I need to think about how much fun I had learning French, and how I was fascinated by her ability to prepare--by hand, with her whimsical sketches--her quizzes and tests.  They were both fun and challenging.

I also need to think about the high school ESL teachers who seemed to have a similar spirit in being able to work on the fly,quickly preparing picture support to accompany supported text.

It can be done...I can make it challenging and fun!