Another Free and Useful Vocabulary Tool

This free tool is pretty cool: the Visual Thesaurus' VocabGrabber. When users copy and paste a passage that they'd like to use for vocabulary development, the tool selects, categorizes, and defines vocabulary words from the selection. In addition, the tool displays the targeted word in the parent site's graphic thesaurus (Visual Thesaurus) and provides examples from the entered text. Very nice.

One cautionary note: multi-meaning words, idioms, and professional jargon may be defined too narrowly, as in my illustrated example (above). Of course, funny mistakes can be teaching tools also.

Wobbling Towards Job Satisfaction

The part of my job that I love, the part that feels like I was SO born to do this -- working with students -- sinks to the bottom of the to-do list for too many days at the start of every school year. I have always dreaded and found unsettling the necessary beginning of the year tasks, especially creating a workable weekly therapy schedule and completing due process work to place new students. During these first few weeks every year, my job satisfaction dips, and I must continually remind myself that despite the bumpy start to every year, I really do love my job and will feel competent again...any day now!

No matter how bad the day, how wobbly the start, or how unsettling changes at work may be, one constant for me is the camaraderie I find there. I work with a wonderfully supportive group of gloriously independent, smart, and talented colleagues. We got together this week-end to celebrate one group member's milestone birthday (don't have permission to tell which milestone). If any of us thought about the downside to our professions, no one let on to it: we laughed, and laughed, and laughed. Laurie's surprise party provided an opportunity to celebrate not only a birthday, but special friendships.

So, thanks, Laurie, Jackie, Wynn, Tiffany, Susan, and Becca* for reminding me of what is important about why we go to work each day: to give something of ourselves to others.

*Retirees, especially those who volunteer at school, are included!!