What does IRB stand for?

A. Intimidating Rejecting Beasts
B. Interesting Reflective Blokes
C. Internal Review Board

The answer is both B & C. Tricked ya!

I'm in the process of finalizing all of my paperwork for Tufts' IRB to review. I'm doing this so I can study the effectiveness and appeal of my Rogers project. I had heard horror stories about the IRB. I was so psyched out by all of these tales, that I began to dread submission and even delayed it for quite some time. However, the time has come!

I decided to meet with a member of the IRB at Tufts to get some feedback on my study. They do that! They meet with you. They're real people and actually really nice! The meeting was so productive, and I got some great feedback on my work. I've now taken two weeks to review and rewrite and am heading back in for one more meeting before submitting. I feel good about this!

After submitting all that paperwork, the data collection and analyzing should be a breeze and really enjoyable. All of the leg work has been completed. My friend/mentor/role-model Sabrina will be collecting data with me. I'm especially looking forward to working with her. She has a brilliant mind, and I'm sure she will have an interesting way of approaching the data once it's been collected.

Will my study get approved the first time around? Stay tuned!

Shining Time Station

So many of my childhood memories revolve around our old TV set in the middle of our very small living room. For the most part, my mom shared so many of my TV memories. However, there was one show that I always watched with my dad on the weekends: Shining Time Station. It was a little old timey, but completely brilliant! A run-down train station in the midst of the world's technology boom, and a mini train conductor who told stories about a tank engine named Thomas. Shining Time Station really was a place "where dreams could come true," as the theme song states.

I found out this morning that the Thomas the Tank Engine series is up for sale. I saw the price tag, took a deep breath, and decided not to risk my entire financial future, including the financial futures of my great, great grandchildren. The show is selling for $700 million. If I had the reputation and money to purchase the property, I would absolutely do my best to bring back Shining Time Station. I wonder if Didi and Ringo would be up for a revival? Who would you cast?

Little Airplane Academy

Little Airplane Academy has opened enrollment for their February 3-day seminar on "how to make a great preschool series." I highly encourage you to attend. Although the tuition is a little steep, it is worth every penny. How do I know? I attended the February 2009 session. I thought I would share a bit about my experience...

Back when I was applying for graduate programs in 2009, I was introduced to Sabrina through Julie who is currently my Tufts advisor. Sabrina had already won the Fred Rogers Scholarship and seemed to know so much about the children's media world. She provided me with such fantastic advice including encouragement to attend the Academy. I quickly signed up and spent the money. I didn't think twice. I figured that having that experience, even though it was only 3 days, would give me some kind of knowledge-base in case I didn't get into either graduate program I had applied for. Luckily, the February session overlapped with Kidscreen, a huge conference for the children's media field. Because of this, I met so many amazing people, got great advice from those who were working on their own shows, heard some fantastic ideas, learned how to make a story bible, started to understand the importance of legal representation, and fell completely in love with Little Airplane and all the great work they do.

My experience with the Academy continues to impact me! Last spring, I developed my first story bible as part of an independent study. Without the training I had received at the Academy, I would have been lost. This summer, I met one of my internship supervisors who was a speaker at the Academy in 2009 and with whom I had stayed in touch with for advice on graduate school. David Kleeman, another speaker, continues to provide me with fantastic words of wisdom and is ever-present in the world of children's media. He is officially my go-to person when I have any questions about the field or am looking for some direction. I also met two friends at the Academy. I continue to stay in touch with them and am even lucky enough to attend Tufts with one of them who helped me with my project. In short, I don't think I could have developed my show as fully as I did without the experience and training I received in those 3 long days at the Seaport.

Please apply! I promise you won't regret it...