Not so much laughing these days.
Work is good but very hectic. We had the distinct privilege of hosting Gloria Ladson-Billings this past week and she was outstanding. Her many meetings and the public talk woke people up. So this is a good thing...
I was humbled by an event honoring my installation as the Michael W. Scandling Professor of Education. My brother came from LA which was particularly meaningful to me. I decided to "go for it" in the address I gave. I purposefully opened up a more personal voice and a firmer acitivist voice that I think surprised some folks. It wasn't a surprise that I put forward such a challenge I guess, but I realized that most of my colleagues had never heard me speak before. They've certainly heard me "talk back" at meetings, but never on my own work. The man for whom my chair is named was there and that made it particularly special to me. I've known him a long time and we share the same commitments. So this is a good thing...
The children's zone ethnography is going very well. "The Plan" (http://www.rcsdk12.org/rcz/DOCS/RCZ%20Community%20Plan.pdf) is finished and public and fundraising is in full swing. Lots of complex identity work going on and I am still a kid in a candy store doing the research. Nancy, Kevin, Jana, and I are working on a paper for AERA that we are really excited about. This is definitely a good thing...
My son is in crisis and this is not a good thing. It's too long a story to write here, but it demoralizes me as a mother and as a researcher. Sometimes the mountain just seems much too high.