Winter wonderland starting in New York
Made it to JFK with very little problems but it was rainy & now is snowing. Place is packed. Checked my bag which I usually don’t do but since this is non-stop to Beijing and with a large group I’m not going anywhere until everyone gets their stuff.
Good news is I got exit row for the 12+ hour flight.
Bad news the Tablet I brought on an experiment is now not connecting to the Boingohotspot piece of junk Internet. And discovered that entertainment that been downloaded before hand will not play unless you are connected to the Internet. Who am I to think that “downloaded” meant it was actually on the tablet! These are rented movies thinking that wifi might not be available but apparently Google Play wants to be connected to the Internet to play “downloaded” content. So, the trusty iPhone may have to do.
Technology – I’ll live.
First leg underway! Way to early.
6:00 AM flights are great on the price but tough to get going this early. Headed to Charlotte & connecting on to JFK for a 3:50 pm flight on Air China. Meeting with the group from College Board.
Boarded in Charlotte- can we say full flight?
This flight is primed for a “bump”. Grieves me not to take advantage of one but can’t risk missing JFK departure.
Departing in the morning for China. Life long dream coming true. Here’s why:
I have the very distinct privilege of traveling to China with the College Board (these are the folks that develop and oversee the SAT exams) on their China Delegation to learn more about education in China, its culture, its people, and build relationships with educational institutions.
Here is the stated purpose from the College Board-
The delegation provides an opportunity to:
Visit Chinese K–12 schools and postsecondary institutions, meet with Chinese educators, observe classes and interact with students. Establish meaningful partnerships with Chinese education institutions and network with U.S. colleagues
Attend presentations on best practices and gather resources to build and support Chinese language and culture programs
Experience China firsthand and marvel at the rich traditional culture set against stunning modern development.
Click on the link for more information regarding the program:
http://professionals.collegeboard.com/k-12/awards/chinese/bridge
One of the most amazing aspects of this trip is that the College Board is paying for the majority of it with the exception of a nominal fee.
I will fly out of Nashville at 6:00 am and travel to JFK to meet the rest of our group. Its my understanding that there will almost 200 traveling on the trip and we will be divided into 3 smaller groups of roughly 30 to go to various regions of China for more in depth visits with students and schools.
Yes we will do some cultural tours and learn about the country and its people. I will try to blog as much as possible. I’m venturing out on this trip with a new tool and taking a HP tablet to save weight and leaving my laptop behind. Stay tune for updates
China here I come. Departure Wed. Stay tuned. More to come.
I’m heading to China on Wed. so check back and watch for more posts on why and what’s going on.
TN School Voucher Plan Moving Closer To A Decision.
Its been almost 10 months since Gov. Haslam put on hold the final legislative decision for a school voucher program while a task force spent more time studying the idea and gave the TN educational world some breathing room while the dust settle from all of the reform that had taken place since he took office.
See the article from the Commercial Appeal for more details.
It looks like the plan will primarily be focused at low-income families being eligible for a partial voucher to be applied to tuition for private schools however how much, what counties, and many of the details are still up in the air. This task force is just making recommendations and the legislature still must vote. The voucher bill narrowly passed the Senate late last year and must go before the House before final approval and may see changes based on the task force recommendations.
Stay tuned. Educational market pressure and competition seems to be on the horizon for TN students and their families. We need these changes for our students to be assured of a top flight education. Rising tides raise all boats. Our tax dollars follow college students (Hope Scholarship) why can’t they follow primary and secondary students?
FCA Homecoming Week – Wow! Community Abounds.
What a week. The life and community of a school can really separate it from all the other educational options that are available to families in this area. This past week however was a real landmark for our school. Our students and parents have really demonstrated what it means to be a school committed to the community part of education.
Spirit week was great at FCA. Our students really stepped into the swing of things with the fun of dressing up for the various days of the week. Their support of the athletic teams and school spirit was at an all-time high.
Our Falcon Parent Association (FPA, new this school year) really demonstrated servant leadership. Thanks to Alexius Young, Kimberly Cook and all of the parents involved in the events this week including the grade parent coffees that met with teachers and staff to discuss various grade level issues and support for their children’s education.
Thanks to the FCA Crew and Colyer Robison for their servant leadership in support of our athletic teams this week and the homecoming festivities! From football gate, concessions, field setup, to announcing, to color guard, to spirit crew, pre-game meal, singing, you name it – The Crew was there to serve and support.
Thanks to our fall athletic teams – Coach Drew Robison and his staff Billy Borre, and Shaka Hill for their leadership of our football teams. Coach Chatoria Kent and the Cross Country team beginning a new sport and tradition at FCA. 6:30 am practices and all. Coach LaToya Brownlow, parent Stephanie Blair and the Girls Volleyball team for your dedication and improvement in this season. Our student/athletes are learning great lessons. In the face of great adversity and success they are learning the character, integrity, discipline and brother and sisterhood that will serve them their entire lives.
This past Friday night at the pre-game tailgate event at Honey’s Vintage Sweets it was great to see FCA Alum return and catch-up with old friends. Thanks to owners Marianne and Greg DeMeyers for hosting our pre-game AND post-game events at their new store. Everyone had a great time! Honey’s donated 15% of the proceeds back to FCA! Thanks again to the FPA for helping put on this event.
Then Saturday night to close out the festivities we danced the evening away at the FCA Hoedown sponsored by the FPA and held at the Fellowship Bible Church barn. Nena Grosse and Lisa Starwalt spearheaded this new event for FCA and it was a boot scootin success. Ms. Chatoria Kent was our rocking DJ and students and parents alike had a blast kicking up our heals in celebration of what God has done in our school. What a delight to see little brothers and sisters, siblings, students, friends, parents and grandparents enjoying a great fall evening of dance and music! Thanks to Bill Jorgenson for capturing all of this weeks events in pictures. What a gift! Check out all his FCA pics at http://www.jorgensen.biz
What a great week! Families enjoying the life of a school. We are so blessed with an amazing, growing, thriving school.
Go Falcons!
First regular season game for the FCA Falcons vs McLain
Great night for football in Franklin. 700 pm @ Jim Warren Park.
11 Grilling Mistakes Every Guy Makes
11 Grilling Mistakes Every Guy Makes
By David Joachim, Posted Date: May 4, 2012
Read more at Men’s Health: http://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/grilling-mistakes-0#ixzz1y42B8aCH
When the average guy throws down the first steak of the summer, he expects everything to go just right. But while we might imagine ourselves as Bobby Flays of the backyard, the reality is that most of us routinely make dozens of minor mistakes that can detract from ever reaching grilling perfection. Here are 11 of the most common errors, courtesy of David Joachim, author of Mastering the Grill.
1. Never cleaning your grill. Ever lift a friend’s grill lid to find a mess of spider webs and burnt-on burger bits? Not a pretty sight. And it makes it grilling anything decent next to impossible. Think of your grill grate like an open sauté pan. It should be clean before you cook on it. Brush the grate immediately after you take off the food. A hot grate cleans easier than a cold one.
2. Not oiling her up first. Just like a sauté pan, a grill grate needs a little oil to help transfer heat and keep food from sticking. Keep a jar of cheap cooking oil near the grill. Wad up a paper towel, dip it in the oil, and rub it over the hot grill grate just before adding food. Like magic, fish doesn’t stick! Grilled pizza crust browns beautifully! Steaks get deep grill marks!
3. Not getting her smoking hot. A red-hot grill helps prevent sticking, gives you professional grill marks, and cooks food faster. Preheat your grill grate, preferably with the lid down, for at least 15 minutes before adding food. The metal should be hot enough to sear on contact.
4. Grilling cold food. Ever wonder why your steaks take so long to cook? Maybe they’re ice cold! If you take a nice thick ribeye from fridge to fire, it burns on the outside before the inside reaches doneness. Let your steaks, chops, roasts, and even vegetables rest out of the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes to take the chill off. That’s as long as you should preheat the grill anyway.
5. Grilling wet food. It’s a great idea to rinse chicken breasts clean. (Dirty birds!) But pat the meat dry before you toss it on the grill. Food doesn’t start to brown until the surface gets to about 250 degrees—but water can only get to 212 degrees before it evaporates. If the food is wet, it’ll steam before it grills. Bottom line: dry food = better browning = better flavor. Oiling the food also helps because the fat speeds heat transference.
6. Marinating in sweet barbecue sauce. Marinating is good. But not in barbecue sauce. It’s loaded with sugar and burns faster than a marshmallow in hell. No wonder your barbecued chicken always comes out black! Try marinating in a vinegar- or oil-based marinade. Save the sweet barbecue sauce for slathering on during the last 5 minutes.
7. Walking away from the grill. Step away from the fire and the chicken ignites. The pork chops turn to hockey pucks. The burgers incinerate. Here’s a solution: screw a cupholder onto your grill so you have an incentive to stand there. Or just drag your beer cooler to the grill so everyone will hang out with you. Once you get reeeally comfortable with cooking on your grill, experiment with walking away for brief periods.
8. Pressing on burgers. “My burgers always come out dry, not juicy.” Well, pressing all the juices out into the fire aint gonna help. After you toss burgers on the grill, let them sit there without touching them until they’re deeply grill marked. Then, and only then, flip them. Once. You’ll also get a juicier burger by adding 2 tablespoons ice water per pound of burger mixture. And it helps to use hamburger meat with at least 15 percent fat.
9. Guessing doneness. Don’t mess with bacteria. They can kill you. That’s doubly important with hamburgers because grinding meat spreads surface bacteria throughout the meat. Don’t just guess how done your burgers, steaks, and chicken breasts are. Stick an instant-read thermometer in them and find out for sure.
10. Not resting. The steak is cooked to perfection, and the beer-can can chicken has browned up beautifully. Now, get them off the grill and have a beer! The food needs time to rest. Ideally, you want to let food cool to an internal temperature of about 120 degrees before cutting into it. (That’s anywhere from 5 minutes for a thin pork chop to 20 minutes for a whole chicken.) During that time, the meat proteins firm up and they become better able to hold onto the meat’s juices. Every slice of rested meat tastes juicier.
11. Being a boring grill man. Everyone grills burgers and steaks. Think outside the beef. You can grill pizza, fruit, French toast…you name it. If you love burgers, try a bison burger. Want grilled dessert? Toss on some pineapple or pound cake.
Read more at Men’s Health: http://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/grilling-mistakes-0#ixzz1y42wAPc8
About
Headmaster, Franklin Christian Academy. 1978 Baylor Univ. BBA, 08 M.Ed TSU
-
Recent
- FCA training for Music City 1/2 Marathon Begins!
- On the train headed to Zurich from Salzburg.
- “The Hills Are Alive With the Sound of Music.”
- Dachau-a visit to horror past. Moving experience & prompting questions.
- Tour of Disney inspired castle, Mad King Ludwig of Bavaria & other sites of Munich
- We made it to Munich & Pension Lindner
- Can you sleep on an international overnight flight? Here’s what I do.
- A long walk home as a 3rd grader in Waco, TX. 50 yrs ago today.
- On our way! Early flight to NY & then on to Munich, Germany
- AdvancED (SACS) Accreditation Conference
- A hike in the Grand Tetons is well… Grand! Cascade Canyon was spectacular.
- 9 Mile Hike to Fairy Falls and a visit to the Grand Prismatic Spring. It was HOT!
-
Links
-
Archives
- January 2014 (1)
- November 2013 (8)
- October 2013 (1)
- July 2013 (8)
- June 2013 (3)
- November 2012 (13)
- October 2012 (1)
- September 2012 (7)
- August 2012 (4)
- June 2012 (14)
- May 2012 (14)
- March 2012 (2)
-
Categories
-
RSS
Entries RSS
Comments RSS
HughHarris 