Sabbatical? What Sabbatical?

The overachiever part of me feels very guilty that I haven't done more work on my sabbatical at this point, halfway through the semester. The slacker part of me is quite pleased.

Of course, I did have to work a lot on the math contest again. I even worked a little on calculus program assessment, and I intend to include those activities in my sabbatical report.

I have done some reading and exploring online (I guess you could even call it research) about options for our developmental classes. The book "What Works: Research-Based Best Practices in Developmental Education" was suggested by someone at the Community College Research Center (CCRC). I ordered the book and had it sent to the resort were John and I were in Palm Springs, CA, last week (3/8-3/15). It is full of research findings and helpful tips for the implementation thereof. Here's an example: "Tutoring schedules should reflect the reality of students' lives." (page 51) And another: "Most experts...agree...that pedagogy is more important than technology." (page 83) note: just most?

The book was rather pricey, at about $30, but it is pretty big. Here is a pic next to a Diet Coke can for size comparison.



That Hunter R. Boylan sure knows his stuff. Or at least how to make money.

After Palm Springs, John and I headed to Los Angeles. He was flying out of LA back to Rockford on Sunday. We spent some time at the Santa Monica pier. It was a little cloudy (the marine layer I guess). Here is John looking contemplative.



While John was waiting in LA for his plane, I started off for Phoenix, AZ, home of the infamous (or notorious?) Maricopa community colleges. I was hoping for some startling new information from them, since they are known to be so progressive. Of course, it would have helped if I had researched them BEFORE arriving in Phoenix, but oh well. My cursory glance at each college's website did not impress me. There was not the variety of course delivery methods I was expecting. Plus the Super 8 I was staying at was in the ghetto. It had high-speed wireless internet, sure, but nasty pillows. And I'll take nice pillows over the internet any day.

Thus, I decided the Maricopa community colleges were over-rated and figured I'd head to Tucson early. I did do some sight-seeing on the way out of town, at South Mountain Park. There was a great view of Phoenix.



I saw lots of saguaro cacti.



I needed a photo of me and was too wimpy to ask anyone to take one. Here is my first attempt with the timer on my digital camera.



I did get it right eventually.



As I was on top of South Mountain, trying to face front for the camera, my cell phone started blasting "Who Can It Be Now," by Men At Work. This is the ring on my cell phone for people not in my contact list. It was David Williamson, of Pima Community College, confirming our appointment for the next day (Tuesday, March 20). There is still hope for my sabbatical! Do not fear! More news to come!