Flash Flood

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHMrtc5p_aSWMPOOoEgost7Jl6UVs8fhJPVUwec98YMJuMKb19QNQNAh36HUyKW88ZZUWdEJtLPtUgdMKX-QlQATkJbgRr8Odb6cGlmtnTdqk_tm4SJTU4A34SXCiSWRk9CIisWaTxeajy/s960/Photo%252520Feb%25252021%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525207%25253A22%252520AM.jpg" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="" height="375" id="blogsy-1361449752820.551" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHMrtc5p_aSWMPOOoEgost7Jl6UVs8fhJPVUwec98YMJuMKb19QNQNAh36HUyKW88ZZUWdEJtLPtUgdMKX-QlQATkJbgRr8Odb6cGlmtnTdqk_tm4SJTU4A34SXCiSWRk9CIisWaTxeajy/s500/Photo%252520Feb%25252021%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525207%25253A22%252520AM.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>Sitting at the table drinking a tepid cup of coffee watching Shadow-cat attack the dragons in my son's bookbag on top of my son's drafted CHAMPs poster as my husband finishes breakfast while reading his devotional on his iPad, I snapped this picture. The flowers from Valentine's day are wilted but I don't want to take them off the table. <br /><br />I head to school in just a moment after reading devotionals of God's unfailing love and <a href="http://thinkexist.com/quotation/simplify-simplify-/145742.html" target="_blank">stories of simplicity </a>from Thoreau this morning. My digital picture frame forwards in the background of the many memories I have with my children and family as I get a text from my sisters wishing me good morning.<br /><br />But still, as I ponder today, a sense of being overwhelmed comes over me like the flash flood watch my area is under until Saturday morning. My life is a flash flood. Such is the life of a teacher.<br /><br />In the business world, I knew I had to facilitate meetings far ahead of time and they stood on my calendar like bright lights beckoning me to work on them for hours. Whether I was teaching or facilitating, those meetings were important. Now, I facilitate 6 hours a day with but 50 minutes to prepare for all of that. If you proposed such a job to a businesswoman like I used to be, I wouldn't have taken it and told you that you were crazy if you expected me to get all of that done.<br /><br />Such is the life of a teacher. Flash flood. We handle the rivulets of work, crisis, teenage angst, and struggle bound up in the lives of these precious children.<br /><br />May you have a great day. Your work is worthy and and important and so are you, you noble teacher. Be it.<br /><br /><div id="blogsy_footer" style="clear: both; font-size: small; text-align: right;"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Written by Vicki Davis, author - Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds - Posted with Blogsy from my iPad" height="20" src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" style="margin-right: 5px; vertical-align: middle;" width="20" />Written by Vicki Davis, author - Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds - Posted with Blogsy from my iPad</a></div>

Teaching Flash Flood

Sitting at the table drinking a tepid cup of coffee watching Shadow-cat attack the dragons in my son's bookbag on top of my son's dr...

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Don't just be right... do right

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://instagr.am/p/TDeTcqNRwW/" target="_blank" style="clear: left; float: left; "><img alt="" class="alignleft" height="500" id="blogsy-1360323751765.0344" src="http://distilleryimage10.s3.amazonaws.com/60fa45c242bc11e28ed022000a1fbc58_7.jpg" width="500"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We know every basketball player will miss some shots... so why do we expect others to be right all the time. And when they are wrong, how do we act?</td></tr></tbody></table> <blockquote><p> "You welcome the one who joyfully does what is right." Isaiah 64:5a</p></blockquote> <p>Do you ever read something and the unique combination of words just opens your mind to a truth?</p> <p>This morning the words describing a person who "JOYFULLY does what is RIGHT" lept off the page and furrowed my brow.</p> <p><strong>Do you know people are who are doing the right thing but with totally the WRONG attitude.</strong></p> <p>They stomp their foot and say, "Well this is the right thing and I'm going to do it if it just kills me" and then proceed to be so cranky and fussy that everyone knows they are doing the RIGHT thing and perhaps it is the RIGHT thing but they do it with such a WRONG attitude that you can't stomach being around the person?</p> <p><strong>Inside comes out more than you think.</strong></p> <p>As teachers, we are surrounded with doing the right thing for kids all the time. I can put on my happy face and serve my students with joy but if inside, I'm seething and angry and fussy and cranky, it does come out. It comes out when they're looking and I'm not. It comes out when they ask me a question.</p> <p><strong>But what about those WRONG decisions that vex me?</strong></p> <p>There are things that happen that are WRONG and decisions that are made that are WRONG. But that is the thing, we humans make wrong decisions and have the right to do so. Your administration, I promise you, will make some whoppers of wrong decisions and so will you. And if you don't cut your admin slack when they mess up, you're going to be eating a very unpleasant dinner when your whopper is served up steaming hot - because eventually, if you live long enough, you will screw up too.</p> <p><strong>But to joyfully do the right thing?</strong></p> <p>But this word - JOYFULLY do what is right. Does it stick in your craw like it does for me? I just can't quite swallow that task to joyfully do what is right. Because I get angry sometimes. Some things aren't fair, aren't right, and stink to high heaven like the pile of organic fertilizer that gets the buzzards circling in my hometown. It might be the right thing for me to do to just suck it up and let the bad decision be made, but to be joyful about it? To joyfully do the right thing?</p> <p>I don't have an answer for you today or quite honestly, one for me. I only accept these words as a true challenge to my soul and behavior. </p> <p><strong>If I do the RIGHT thing in a WRONG way does that make me less effective? Does it make me WRONG too?</strong></p> <p>You see them coming. The freight train. Filled with holy indignation, they are doing the right thing - don't get in their way -- they are RIGHT and they are coming THROUGH - through YOU if they have to.They are so right that you'd better not open your mouth or they will just cut your head off with a ginsu sharp word and keep on charging as the books on the bookshelves rattle and the stapler on your desk moves with the vibrating sound of the t-rex going by. They are RIGHT. Holy indignant -but right and everyone knows they are right. But God forbid, don't get stuck in a room with them. The poisonous dart of the vindictively right person will knock your attitude out faster than getting hit with a sleep inducing tribal blow gun from 10 feet. </p> <p>Some of the most harmful things in a school are the right person who chooses not to forgive and goes about letting everyone know it in the WRONG way. How many times do you have to rub our faces in it? -- A person screwed up. Now that's a new one, like this person hasn't screwed up before and won't again. And you really have to remind me years later about that screw up? Do you want others to keep such records on you?</p> <p>We can't minimize trying to do the right thing. <strong>But when people care more about being right than doing right, you've got a problem. </strong></p> <p>Ultimately, there is only one person in my school I have any control over at all... ME. And I can strive for and seek to "joyfully do what is right." </p> <p>Lest you think this is just to teachers... if you have teenagers or tots, this applies to you. If you're RIGHT as a parent but you go about dealing with it in the WRONG way - you might as well have been wrong in the eyes of your child who sees everything and sees every attitude.</p> <p>Don't just be right - do right. And do right joyfully. A lofty goal, but one worth pursing.</p> <p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img alt="Written by Vicki Davis, author - Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds - Posted with Blogsy from my iPad" height="20" src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" />Written by Vicki Davis, author - Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds - Posted with Blogsy from my iPad</a></div>

Inspiration Teaching Don't just be right... do right

We know every basketball player will miss some shots... so why do we expect others to be right all the time. And when they are wrong, how do...

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That KIND of teacher

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://instagr.am/p/N_EYIItR2i/" target="_blank" style=" "><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="500" id="blogsy-1360151885947.7698" src="http://distilleryimage6.s3.amazonaws.com/3ad38c36dfbc11e197621231381b4865_7.jpg" width="500"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sometimes a KIND teacher is like a rainbow on a grey day. Enough brightness to help everyone else feel hope. Be that KIND of teacher. </td></tr></tbody></table> <p> You can tell a lot about a teacher at the copier machine. People are watching you and certain small things earn a great amount of respect because they tell a bit about you. When you have a school full of this KIND of people, things just run smoother.</p> <p><strong>When the copier runs out of paper, do you load just enough for your job or do you top off the copier?</strong></p> <p>Think about it ... if everyone loads just enough for THEIR job and the copier is used 50 times a day, that tray is opening and closing 50 times. Then, you have 50 times that people are frustrated that SOMEONE ELSE didn't top off the copier. Your copier breaks more often and people are MORE on edge. If just 2 or 3 people topped off the copier, wouldn't your day run much more smoothly? I know of people that just pop in and load the copier when they are waiting on something else ... it seems little, but I notice how much paper people put in the copier because it says whether they think of others after them or just themselves.</p> <p><strong> Do you have labels that you use consistently for students and other teachers that are limiting your thoughts and interactions?</strong></p> <p>Label maps not people. People can change, but not when you try to hold them in a certain place. Smart. Hard working. Sorry. Lazy. Struggling. Emotionally unstable.</p> <p>There are some teachers who consistently use certain terms relating to kids. "Lazy" is one of those terms I just cannot stand. A child may not be doing your work, but are they really lazy? What if you're so boring that they have to pinch their arms to stay awake, like I did with a history professor in college? What if they are so lost they don't know where to start? What if they think you hate them and they're just trying to get by? What if you make fun of them every time they try something and make them feel like an idiot in front of the class? What if they had to take care of their little brothers and sisters while their parents fought again last night? Can you honestly condense your assessment of a student down to the word "lazy."</p> <p><strong>Do you go to bat and help those teachers who are so tired they can't even get out of the dugout?</strong></p> <p>There are times when there is so much work to be done, or a teacher is so loaded down, they can't see straight. Right now is one of those times for me - I'm so tired I can't see straight. </p> <p>I had a down day and a teacher did something for me. When it dawned on me what she had done -- I looked at her and said "thank you, I can't believe you did that for me" and she said, "I went to bat for you because you're worth it." I could have cried, what she did for me was huge.</p> <p>Another teacher jumped in and helped solve a problem for me with a few minutes of her time...she went to bat for me too. Another offered to keep a class for me during what will be a very busy time...she went to bat.</p> <p>Do you notice who is losing their mind with work and worry and do you come up under that burden for them? My sister brings me a diet cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper when she knows I'm having one of those days. She shows up at my desk, puts in on my desk, smiles, says "I love you" and leaves. I know what it means. She loves me and she loves me enough to give up her (and my) favorite soda. She goes to bat. She is that KIND of sister.</p> <p><strong>What kind of teacher are you?</strong></p> <p>Teaching is tough. Tough, but very rewarding. We put up with the yucky stuff kind of like you put up with those dirty diapers on your toddler - you love the squirming, sometimes fussy little child that makes those awful packages. We have students and stress and that means we have someone to teach. Because we teach, we have all these extra stresses and worries. The kids are worth it.</p> <p>But when other teachers take a moment to be unselfish in little ways, it makes a difference. Because the KIND of teacher who is KIND makes that KIND of school where everyone wants to work. Not a perfect school but the KIND of school where mutual respect and kindness underlie the very hard work that we're called to do.</p> <p>Let's be that KIND of teacher - whether people notice or not. Whether they say thank you or not - let's love and be the KIND of teacher who is helpful to others. </p> <p>During stressful times that KIND of teacher may just make all the difference in a school.</p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img alt="Written by Vicki Davis, author - Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds - Posted with Blogsy from my iPad" height="20" src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" />Written by Vicki Davis, author - Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds - Posted with Blogsy from my iPad</a></div>

Teaching That KIND of teacher

Sometimes a KIND teacher is like a rainbow on a grey day. Enough brightness to help everyone else feel hope. Be that KIND of teacher. You ...

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Making learning click in online environments

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="float: right; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cyber_Analytics_graphic_v7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="English: Cyber analytics is the science of ana..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="215" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/94/Cyber_Analytics_graphic_v7.jpg/300px-Cyber_Analytics_graphic_v7.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 300px;">English: Cyber analytics is the science of analysis that derives behavior from a variety of data to answer questions about the past, present, or future. (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cyber_Analytics_graphic_v7.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small; line-height: normal; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> In face to face environments - you have face, voice and body language. In blended environments, you have clicks, discussions, and edits - all of these are important.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small; line-height: normal; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small; line-height: normal; text-align: -webkit-auto;">In a Face to Face environment, we wouldn't let kids sleep in the back of the class, in online environments, we expect students to not only log time but ENGAGE.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small; line-height: normal; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small; line-height: normal; text-align: -webkit-auto;"></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small; line-height: normal;">You have to be adaptable and tweak things as you get the analytics back from what is happening. Just as social media responds to highly engaging content or content w/ no response, so should professors and teachers. If you don't adapt, students languish.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small; line-height: normal; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small; line-height: normal; text-align: -webkit-auto;">This isn't about being on the clock but about how well you click with the time you have. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small; line-height: normal; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small; line-height: normal; text-align: -webkit-auto;">How much time do professors and others spend engaging with analytics about what content resonates and what is being ignored? Do they even care? I think in an age where education is becoming competitive, those that delve into and respond to the analytics will be the institutions of higher ed that remain among us.</span></div><br /> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/?px" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_c.png?x-id=39702500-564e-4e9f-89c4-0e88e1cd4265" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>

EDUCATION learning analytics Teaching Making learning click in online environments

English: Cyber analytics is the science of analysis that derives behavior from a variety of data to answer questions about the past, present...

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Get help for children before the cute lisp becomes cumbersome

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKZ1GypMrms00_KSLn0fU0MgUbiEdwBh6K6EHnkFhYTmL7qovW6oQVEbvPZwHTOG_ZHgSAavCPfHtYYLmMmCx2OiZc7wfYYHbdjCQLDFYLpPihq7TbTW7QVuNxBuPqQcUfZ9HofOUpG0lC/s1600/2013-01-26+15.38.48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKZ1GypMrms00_KSLn0fU0MgUbiEdwBh6K6EHnkFhYTmL7qovW6oQVEbvPZwHTOG_ZHgSAavCPfHtYYLmMmCx2OiZc7wfYYHbdjCQLDFYLpPihq7TbTW7QVuNxBuPqQcUfZ9HofOUpG0lC/s320/2013-01-26+15.38.48.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramblin%27_Wreck_from_Georgia_Tech" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech">I'm a Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech</a><br />and a heck of a teacher dear. ;-) My trip last week<br />to Atlanta has me thinking about the importance of<br />speech therapy and how I'm glad I got it for one of<br />my own children.</td></tr></tbody></table>Last week, I was at the Georgia Tech men's basketball game and sat in front of eight boys who were about ten. I admit, I'm a people watcher - but not really a people watcher but a people lover. Precious children with the world ahead of them just pull on my heart strings every time.<br /><br />As I sat down, the boys were getting settled and one of them commented.<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"Hey, look, there's girls dancing."<br />"Hey, they don't have many clothes on."</blockquote>All at the same time all eight of them said.<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><br />"coooooool"</blockquote><br />(I guess they were just getting to the age that it was ok to say that.) We were sitting in some great seats that my Dad got us because he supports Georgia Tech's fundraising program. At halftime, they were debating what they would do and said:<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"What do we do? Sit in our seats and be bored, or get up and go eat desserts and drink drinks and tell stories and have fun?"</blockquote><br />They promptly got up and left. Because I work with teenage boys, it was just so like the teens (and grown men), that it made me smile. I love that about the men in my life... they love to eat and tell stories...and I love to listen.<br /><br />But the little, extroverted boy in the white T-shirt with the lisp just cracked me up. After his halftime during which he must have had quite a bit of the chocolate and Coca-Cola, he came back talking a mile a minute. First, there was the Zaxby's Foul shot.<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"He got the 'thaxby's thoul thot!' The 'thaxby's thoul thot!!'"</blockquote><br />Then, when they were shooting shirts in to the stands.<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"Pulease help usth! We need uh t-sthirt."</blockquote><br />Finally, near the end, he talked to his friend with the Wake Forest Tshirt<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"Dude, wake foresth losth - there is no way they can sthore 30 poinsth in the lasth sthecond."</blockquote>I wanted to turn around and say,<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"Oh, do you mean the last six seconds?"</blockquote><b>It was so cute.</b> But this conversation came back to me as I was talking to a person who was discussing when and if kids need speech therapy.<br /><br /><h2>Cute can become cumbersome.</h2>One of my own children had a lisp as a child. Sure, it was cute, but I knew if we didn't do something at a very young age, that it would no longer be cute, it would be cumbersome.<br /><br />So, in first grade we found a VERY GOOD <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speech_and_language_pathology" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Speech and language pathology">speech therapist</a> and by third grade, the lisp was gone. My child no longer has the lisp and I'm so relieved and sometimes don't even think of it. But this Mom was saying that she wasn't sure that she wanted to get her child help because it was 'cute." Another chimed in about an older child she knew who still had the lisp and it was no longer cute, in fact, it was limiting her in what she wanted to do but she couldn't "fix" it.<br /><h2>Speech Therapists are important</h2>All of this comes together to mention the importance of good speech therapist. Teachers come in all sizes and shapes and speech therapists are needed, valuable people -- especially good ones. I've watched speech therapists in action and it looks like they are playing games. The difference is that the good ones actually are able to get results and the others do not.<br /><br /><h2>Partnering with parents and teachers to help children is important to correcting speech issues</h2>I recall with my child that the speech therapist actually met with me and my child's teacher and we had cues that we'd give my child when he/she would revert into the bad habits. We were all partners to help the child move forward and speak articulately. Our health insurance even helped.<br /><br />I'm writing this to all of you out there who work with children or have children of their own. There is an age that children do need help with their lisp or their <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speech_disorder" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Speech disorder">speech impediment</a>... the tough thing is that age is just at the edge of cuteness turning into a problem. I'm so glad that we got my child help for this.<br /><br /><b>Physical therapists and speech therapists</b> - you are teachers too and my hat is off to you. If more parents would realize that cute turns into limiting very quickly and the longer you wait from "prime time" for helping children overcome such things, the harder it will be and more expensive it will be to help the child overcome the issues.<br /><br />Physical and speech therapists -- remember your noble calling. Work with teachers and parents and remember that we're all on the same team.<br /><br /><h2>Be the adult because kids won't know why they need to change</h2>Far too many parents care more about being popular than being a parent. From experience, when I've gotten my children tutoring, physical therapy or speech therapy, or even shots - my children were rarely happy about it.<br /><br />Kids complain about such things because they literally don't see or hear anything wrong with what they are saying or doing. It is our job to see the big picture and long term and do the right thing by our children when they become adults.<br /><br />Remember your noble calling, teacher... parent...therapist.  You are "coooooool" and important!<br /><br /> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/?px" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_c.png?x-id=39702500-564e-4e9f-89c4-0e88e1cd4265" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>

parenting Teaching Get help for children before the cute lisp becomes cumbersome

I'm a Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech and a heck of a teacher dear. ;-) My trip last week to Atlanta has me thinking about the impo...

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When you're angry

<p> There are times we all get angry with students. Not just red but boiling, lava infused, steam producing fury.</p> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9js2M5PJHifUaRITFSAFHiNS-pCYGt6xhs0IQv_yY-qrBdfAi2WOIIOkaD_LE51iL9Skg-eWDE3tak3ZsRfx1UJiHXZLNqyhVE8YWgdYaDCBFs6cyNJ8GLT1UpUSl7EN-NuQ5ogrEvxc0/s1024/Photo%252520Jan%25252023%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525207%25253A20%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style="clear: right; float: right; "><img alt="" class="alignright" height="373" id="blogsy-1359719150559.4272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9js2M5PJHifUaRITFSAFHiNS-pCYGt6xhs0IQv_yY-qrBdfAi2WOIIOkaD_LE51iL9Skg-eWDE3tak3ZsRfx1UJiHXZLNqyhVE8YWgdYaDCBFs6cyNJ8GLT1UpUSl7EN-NuQ5ogrEvxc0/s500/Photo%252520Jan%25252023%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525207%25253A20%252520AM.jpg" width="500"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was put in our teacher's lounge when our PTO gave us a surprise breakfast recently. We do give kids a great start, but what happens when something they do starts our blood boiling? How do we react and stay professional?</td></tr></tbody></table> <p>I think it is important to be self-aware and determine what you will do when you are that angry. I've developed a method that has helped me from making mistakes. </p> <p>When you're angry, and I'm talking anger at a student here, usually the student has done something very very wrong. You know they are wrong but you don't know their side of the story. <strong>You are furious but you aren't listening</strong>. Now, if you go and say something awful or get so mad that you can't control yourself then you will do something wrong and it will be YOU in trouble.</p> <p>Losing control in your anger is kind of like this. If you've ever had one string loose on a pair of pants, and those pants were, perhaps, a little snug. When that string broke and boom - you realize that you now feel air where no air should be hitting and run to go see what happened (to the bathroom or some other private place.) That is what this kind of anger is like. You're about to expose a part of you that must remain hidden.</p> <p>When I am experiencing britches splitting anger - and it usually only happens about once a year -- but it happened to me recently... I do the same thing I would do if my britches busted wide open -- I run. I get away to a private place so I can calm down and think clearly.</p> <p>I used to stay and confront. </p> <p>That was until I had to reap the consequences of the stupidity and lack of clear headedness I have when I really lose it. </p> <p>Now, I go take a moment.</p> <p>Now, if I have a class and lose it, I stick my head next door to the teacher I know very very well - she's seen me lose it the other 10 times in the last 11 years and knows when I'm unglued -- I will tell her - I'm at my limit, I'll be right back, can she keep an eye on them. Meanwhile, I'll send the student to the office immediately and I'll go to the ladies room in the back and catch my breath and calm down. I call on other teachers to stand in the gap until I can sew myself back in and gain composure.<br></p> <p>Recently, I lost it with someone but wasn't in class. I said, "I'm sorry, I can't talk about this right now, I'm about to make a scene because I'm so upset. I WILL talk to you first thing in the morning after I can think through this clearly." I did immediately speak with the principal.</p> <p>The tough thing about this method is that the child will usually realize that he is in trouble and will run home to Mom with a fabrication (if he's smart.) But if I tell the principal while I'm upset - he can understand that this IS a big deal and he can think clearly for me but he can also know and see in my face, a face that is usually smiling and kind, just how mad I am. He needs to know what a big deal it is to me. </p> <p>Again, this DOESN'T happen often and shouldn't. You shouldn't be one of those teachers who comes uncorked ALL of the time. If you are, see someone, talk to someone, try to get at why you're having these problems. Learn to change how you deal with behavior issues so you're able to only rarely be in those flame up moments infrequently.</p> <p>But there are times you will get upset. Very upset. And when you do, <strong>go ahead and think about what you can do to prevent your own words from becoming nails to crucify yourself and your career</strong>. </p> <p>When great educators say dumb things, it is usually in the heat of anger when they are not thinking. But it is still you and you are responsible for yourself. We are adults and there is no excuse for us not having control over ourselves.</p> <p>Plan your escape route and take it. <strong>Plan ahead for when you lose your head or you may just lose your job. </strong>Good teachers do lose their temper, but good teachers know how to keep a bad situation from getting worse. Kenny Rogers sang "you gotta know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em" -- a teacher version of this song is "you gotta know when to scold 'em and know when to withhold 'em" -- you don't HAVE to say everything.</p> <p>I wonder. What are your tips for when you get really really angry so that you can be a professional, an adult, and do the right thing. It usually only takes me 5 minutes to calm down, but before I did this, I regretted it later. Now, I recover, and can move on and move ahead.</p> <p>Thoughts?</p> <p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img alt="Written by Vicki Davis, author - Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds - Posted with Blogsy from my iPad" height="20" src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" />Written by Vicki Davis, author - Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds - Posted with Blogsy from my iPad</a></div>

Teaching When you're angry

There are times we all get angry with students. Not just red but boiling, lava infused, steam producing fury. This was put in our teacher&...

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River of Doubt: The Only Good Educator is a Dead Educator?

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="float: right; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div class="zemanta-img"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:River-doubt-team.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="From left to right (seated): Father Zahm, Rond..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/River-doubt-team.jpg/300px-River-doubt-team.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="300" /></a></div></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 300px;">From left to right (seated): Father Zahm, Rondon, Kermit, Cherrie, Miller, four Brazilians, Roosevelt, Fiala. Photo taken in 1914. (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:River-doubt-team.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</td></tr></tbody></table>I'm reading a completely engrossing account of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Roosevelt" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Theodore Roosevelt">Theodore Roosevelt's</a> expedition up the River of Doubt in South America (See <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0767913736/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0767913736&linkCode=as2&tag=httpwwwbrighc-20" id="static_txt_preview" style="background-color: white; color: #996633; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: center;" target="_blank">The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey</a>), where he almost died, but made incredible strides forward for science. I've been soaking up biographies of great men and women since my friend <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.angelamaiers.com/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Angela Maiers">Angela Maiers</a> challenged me to find my "dream team."<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"You become most like the five people you ponder the most, who will those people be?" she said.</blockquote>When set back, Theodore Roosevelt always went into nature to meet some great challenge or danger. But not only did he go and hunt (as he did in Africa), his purpose in South America was to advance science.<br /><br />I think that there is a big lesson to take from "Teddy's" life. When beset by struggle and setbacks, set your mind on another great task and get busy. Life is short, you have things to do and wallowing in sadness is not one of us.<br /><br />If you're alive, you've experienced setbacks. If you haven't experienced a setback, I would guess you either have memory loss or you're not very old, because in my own life, even when I was a child, I had personal setbacks and hurts - not being invited to a birthday party, being made fun of, being left out. These are all things that are part of life.<br /><br /><h2>Little Trickles of Doubt.</h2><br />The last book I finished was <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Teresa" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Mother Teresa">Mother Teresa</a>'s "<a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.amazon.com/Greater-Walker-Large-Print-Books/dp/0802727271%3FSubscriptionId%3D0G81C5DAZ03ZR9WH9X82%26tag%3Dhttpwwwbrighc-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0802727271" rel="amazon" target="_blank" title="No Greater Love (Walker Large Print Books)">No Greater Love</a>" - another great book. She said something that has stuck with me,<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"May I be so humble that I cannot be insulted or put on a pedestal." </blockquote>While such words may not be for many of you, they are perfectly for me. If I spend my life waiting for someone to say I'm so great -- what a sad life. Life isn't about being praised by men or women -- such praise is very temporary and quickly changes tenor when the tide goes out, leaving behind, just a river of doubt flowing from the inland of your heart.<br /><br />My biggest river of doubt I know now comes flowing out of the tv every time I look at the "news."<br /><br />Seeing the media feeding frenzy like the Pirana's in Roosevelt's River of Doubt, upon my friend Suzie Nestico, based upon the word of a unscrupulous lawyer has told me all I need to know. The media is in search of a sensational story and doesn't care about reporting the truth.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://coalcrackerclassroom.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/cimg2912.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="209" src="http://coalcrackerclassroom.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/cimg2912.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Suzie Nestico and me at <a href="http://coalcrackerclassroom.wordpress.com/2011/03/18/hello-world/" target="_blank">PETE&C</a> in 2011. I am proud to<br />say I'm her friend.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Right now, my friend <a href="https://twitter.com/nesticos" target="_blank">Suzie Nestico</a>, surely must be experiencing a River of Doubt. She's a great educator and I've known her at least five years (likely longer.) I was in India with her as she stood between one of my students and an overly aggressive street vendor and turned down the order and walked on. She loves kids. My friend Suzie is now a principal... at Mt. Carmel Elementary in Pennsylvania where a child threatened another one at a bus stop it turned out to be a "<a href="http://newsitem.com/news/mention-of-bubble-gun-gets-child-5-suspended-1.1431911#.UPqfRlamDos.email" target="_blank">hello kitty bubble gun</a>" according to the news media.<br /><br />I wonder how did it get from the bus stop to the front office? I'm guessing another child had to be scared somewhere in there? Where are the parents of the other children who (obviously) complained?<br /><br /><br />I refuse to ever again let the media try educators in the court of public opinion without giving the educator the benefit of the doubt. If a story is ridiculous, it is likely a LIE and watching the video of the lawyer <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Ficker" target="_blank">Robin Ficker</a> (also a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vSb1o0Inag" target="_blank">famous NBA heckler</a>)  and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Ficker" target="_blank">reading his bio on Wikipedia</a>, I can't tell you the revulsion I feel for the entire situation. Ficker also <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Ficker" target="_blank">lost his license in Maryland</a> for a period of time for misconduct.<br /><br />I'm ashamed that the news media would take the word of such a man and the desire for a sensational story over the integrity and longstanding history of a woman like Suzie Nestico. A man who craves the media over a woman who shows up every day helping kids. I know Suzie and I know she wouldn't "grill" anything but chicken on the stove. (The lawyer said she "grilled" the child for 3 hours, a fact I find preposterous, although, I don't know the other side, which is just the point.)<br /><br /><br />The media is going to write entire articles based upon this man's version of what a<a href="http://newsitem.com/news/mention-of-bubble-gun-gets-child-5-suspended-1.1431911#.UPqfRlamDos.email" target="_blank"> five year old says happened</a>.  The <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/18/kindergarten-suspension-pink-bubble-gun_n_2507017.html" target="_blank">early articles</a> are clear to state that the bubble gun was not with the child. In fact, when I first told my husband about it, he couldn't even understand the words "bubble gun" and thought I said gun or bubble gum. Is a five year old going to clearly communicate? How did the other children feel about the threat?<br /><br />So, then people descend upon Suzie, sending her threatening mail and taking a picture of her and her child and <a href="http://christopherfountain.wordpress.com/2013/01/19/another-school-massacre-narrowly-thwarted/#comments" target="_blank">calling her a slut</a>? <i>(I have left the blogger in question a comment, on his "about" page which I doubt will be published. I've left comments on the hate filled idiotic people who profess to have the same faith I do, but if you take a descent into debauchery and look at the comments on any of the articles I've linked to, understand that the ugliness there doesn't represent the Christian faith I cherish.)</i> Really? What does sex have to do with this incident anyway? Do they call men a "gigolo" when they are at the center of a controversy?<br /><br />I say according to the news media, because the only time I got to talk to Suzie last weekend, she choked back sobs telling me she wasn't allowed to say her side but the inaccuracies were killing her.<br /><br /> She was also very afraid, I know fear when I hear it.<br /><h2>A river of doubt.</h2>She must be feeling it. She's given her life in love to children and she gets this? There's a verse in Proverbs that says <b>you believe one side of the story, until you hear the other</b>. Well, no one has heard the other.<br /><br />Principals, administrators, and teachers are maligned all of the time because parents and students are not bound by the confidentiality that we must cherish. Our job is to protect the privacy of the children, even to our own detriment.<br /><br />Suzie, I'm sure is having doubts, but I don't. <b>I know that there is another side to this story. </b><br /><br /><ul><li>I don't doubt my friend for a moment that she tried to protect the children under her care. </li><li>I don't doubt that she found out what happened at the bus stop because another child was scared and went home and told Mom and Dad.</li><li> I don't doubt that there is a bigger story and I KNOW that Suzie doesn't grill children and wouldn't do that for 3 hours. Now, it might have been 3 hours from dropoff to when Mom and Dad could be reached about what had happened, but I'm quite sure that the child wasn't "grilled" as Ficker alleges.</li></ul><br /><h2>A river of doubt.</h2>Educators, you are heroes. Maybe one day my friend Suzie will be able to talk about this and we'll be ashamed of ourselves. By then, the media will have moved on and not care about righting the wrong they have done. This Ficker lawyer will be on to another educator or person that will allow him to get on TV, because that seems to be what he likes the most.<br /><br />But my friend Suzie will know that I publicly told her that I know that her side is there and I won't form an opinion until both sides are known. It isn't my job to pass judgement anyway, that is the Boss' job.<br /><h2>The media thinks the only good educator is a dead educator.</h2>The educators at Sandy Hook were praised for their sacrifice. Stepping in the way of the bullet. They are heroes.<br /><br />But must we die for people to know our dedication? Must our love be written upon our dead faces and cold hands for people to know it is there? Surely not.<br /><br />If my friend Suzie hadn't investigated, and a child had brought a gun to school and shot her classmates, she would have been vilified.<br /><br />My friend Suzie did investigate, and it turns out it was a bubble gun and now she is villified.<br /><br />But if a child brought a gun to school and she jumped in front of it and took the bullet and died, she'd be a hero.<br /><br /><b>Her love is written in her silence.</b> She cherishes the confidentiality of the family who is going after her and has chosen the right course, silence. The fact that she hasn't come out to tell her side of the story, even to me, her friend. I don't know the facts, but I know Suzie and what has and is happening to her is wrong.<br /><br />I'm not going to go down this river of doubt.<br /><br />I am sure that even though the media only reports bad things that happen in education that I will not go down that river. My calling is noble and so is yours. If my passion to love kids, protect them, and do my job to the best of my ability leads to being blasted on the front page of the newspaper or on the news, then so be it. <br /><br />And to the fools who blindly believe that the media actually reports "stories" based in fact and all sides of the story - particularly when education is involved and one party is obligated to silence and confidentiality - those fools who take that story and write hate mail or make hateful phone calls to the educator involved -- you are despicable. <br /><br />As for me, I don't know the facts in the story, I do admit that. But it isn't for me to judge. It is, however, for me to speak out at a great injustice happening to educators in the media. I don't understand why the media would believe anything this particular lawyer would say anyway.<br /><br />This is now the fourth post I've written in the last two weeks, the others were far too emotional and will just languish in my blogger drafts, but one I am determined to post. I will post it today.<br /><br />As for me, I refuse to traverse the river of doubt. We are on a dangerous journey, no doubt. We are dealing with a toxic society that has confused news with reality television and a people of itching ears that can only be scratched with bad news. There are some very mean, unkind, sick people out there. I've gotten my letters too.<br /><br /><strong>But we will not doubt for one moment that our work is not important</strong>. <br /><br />Teaching is important. <br /><br />We won't wait for others to respect us - we will respect ourselves.<br />We will be unafraid to speak out that educators should get the benefit of the doubt because they aren't allowed to tell their side of the story.<br />We will call out lawyers who make a life destroying the careers and lives of others.<br /><br />One day, my friend will tell her story. But until then, I hope that you'll join me and #supportsuzie - there are two sides to every story and hers isn't being told - I have no doubt.<br /><br />When mainstream media becomes infected with the cess of society's cravings for another sensational story, the naive will be swept away with the refuse as their minds become tainted with discontent and anger, without an ability to discern truth. Ignorance isn't bliss... ignorance is the bane of civilized society. <br /><br />I hope that we will learn from this. When you hear a sensational "story" about what "that educator" has done realize that there are two sides to the story and one day "that educator" might be you. The words you say today or think today about this situation will come back to haunt or bless you when it is your turn.<br /><br />I also want to point out that getting "on the news" DOESN'T END YOUR CAREER - not always.<br /><br /><b>There are worse things than being lambasted in the news. </b>You could be a coward. You could be a bully. You could use children for your personal gain. You could forget your nobility as a teacher and get down about your chosen profession. <br /><br />Get out of that river of doubt. Remember your noble calling, teacher.<br /><br /><div id="blogsy_footer" style="clear: both; font-size: small; text-align: right;"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Written by Vicki Davis, author - Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds - Posted with Blogsy from my iPad" height="20" src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" style="margin-right: 5px; vertical-align: middle;" width="20" />Written by Vicki Davis, author - Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds - Posted with Blogsy from my iPad</a></div><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/?px" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_c.png?x-id=4d0e915e-135c-4cbe-9477-dcb737d4155d" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>

Teaching River of Doubt: The Only Good Educator is a Dead Educator?

From left to right (seated): Father Zahm, Rondon, Kermit, Cherrie, Miller, four Brazilians, Roosevelt, Fiala. Photo taken in 1914. (Photo cr...

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Don't let exhaustion choke the love of teaching from your heart

<br />Last night, I literally got in the bed at 4:30 pm. Monday I worked 13 hours at the school... at school and then 4 hours of gate duty because someone forgot to show up... then I watched my son's game. So, yesterday, when I got home at 4:30, I knew I was going... as I call to my family...'over the top.' When I've been around people for so long and been so intense that I'm, quite literally shutting down from exhaustion.<br /><br />It is in those moments, no matter how good my day, that I wonder how I can do this job. It is in those moments that self doubt arises like a WWF Schwarzenneger-like wraith to choke this career out of my heart. <b>But I won't let it.</b><br /><br />I looked at the picture of passion on my iphone (below) and I held it in my hand as I closed my eyes for a few moments. I was bone tired and felt it all the way to my heart. I clung to the very special picture as I slept as I held onto my win today. (Sadly, it was also the phone that awoke me, when someone sent me a text message. Lesson learned, never sleep with your cell phone.)<br /><br />Let me tell you what happened and how you can cope when you're 'over the top'<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Talking about the Habitudes</b></span><br />I'm working through the "Name it" stage of the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1935542621/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwbrighc-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1935542621" id="static_txt_preview" style="background-color: white; color: #996633; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: center;" target="_blank">Classroom Habitudes</a>. This year I''ve set a goal to work on the habitudes in class for 15 minutes twice a week. In a jam packed curriculum like mine, it is a sacrifice, but I'm making it work, snatching time here and there. Last week <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.angelamaiers.com/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Angela Maiers">Angela Maiers</a> was at my school and did the one of the best inservice training courses I've ever absorbed. Many of us teachers at Westwood were deeply impacted and re-upped our commitment to everything we want to be as teachers.<br /><br />In this phase, you talk about the 7 Habitudes (see <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1935542621/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwbrighc-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1935542621" id="static_txt_preview" style="background-color: white; color: #996633; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: center;" target="_blank">Classroom Habitudes</a> version 2 by Angela Maiers). You talk about what it is, what it looks like - the people or what you see someone do, what it sounds like <i>(this example below didn't quite do that one correctly - specifically it is focusing on the kinds of things we SAY when we are exhibiting passion - things like "Wow!" or "I think it is so cool that..." or "I'm so excited to learn that..." "I want to learn more about..." these are just a few of the things that sound like passion.)</i><br /><br />Then, we talk about what it feels like. Of interest to me were the conversations about how the different traits feel, for example, the kids talked about how perseverance feels like doubt and struggle but afterwards, people often recognize it as perseverance because when you're in the midst of doing something great that you often don't get praised for what you're doing.<br /><br />It is important to me that my students KNOW that I only want to hear what they really think. I don't want them to "suck up" but be brutally honest about whatever we're discussing. I praise the "courage" to ask hard questions and ask them what they are "curious" about. Plus, I have great students.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>When your students choke you up</b></span><br />But yesterday, I had to stop class for a few moments - maybe 30 seconds. But I was overcome. The kids in the teams had their papers so I had no idea what they said. A young man was talking about passion and said:<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"Well, we were talking about what passion looks like, and we decided, well, we decided that it looks like 'Miss' Vicki."</blockquote><br />My eyes teared over. It was an involuntary response.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_QFOSX7GNBHJR3FljPrnp94Ft3OiFQ-dFHW64c-NVnNKvqqHXyF1K89jnVuwx4StGfsVQx2QK0Fa28MkutakX97iOOJXrP-0PaDQm0FnRANm-wslRGA971gcJV85tqagA0k59TdNxSai/s1024/Photo%252520Jan%25252015%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525209%25253A24%252520AM.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="669" id="blogsy-1358335861982.2354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_QFOSX7GNBHJR3FljPrnp94Ft3OiFQ-dFHW64c-NVnNKvqqHXyF1K89jnVuwx4StGfsVQx2QK0Fa28MkutakX97iOOJXrP-0PaDQm0FnRANm-wslRGA971gcJV85tqagA0k59TdNxSai/s500/Photo%252520Jan%25252015%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525209%25253A24%252520AM.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>I was so taken aback. I think all of us teachers who are in this because we love kids hope that our lives will be lessons. We want to live what we want kids to be. We want to be more.<br /><br />I tell my students... I'm not here to teach you, I'm here to COMPLETELY BLOW YOUR MIND. We don't settle for "just teaching" we teach each other. We are curious. We are passionate. We do more and be more than we've ever been. My only expectation is that we are expected to be world class in everything we do. That simple. I don't care if we're in the tiny town of Camilla, we are world class. It is what we do. It is who we are.<br /><br />But yesterday, my mind was blown and my heart was moved. I really didn't deserve that because I don't encourage people to say anything about me. I don't really want it at all. But the complete innocence of it and the way he said it as a fact, I'm sitting here crying as I type this on my ipad at 6:13 am listening to <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.saragroves.com/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Sara Groves">Sara Groves</a>. <br /><br />Angela told me these were million dollar conversations, but I didn't expect to be the one who the "money" so to speak. <br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Savor the wins, you'll need it sooner than you think</span><br />I've encouraged the kids to keep 2 folders: an "at a girl" or "at a boy" folder and a "goals" folder somewhere in their desk in their room. All I could choke out was:<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"Oh my goodness. (they could see my tears) It is my dream for you to see my passion, not only about the subject but about YOU and helping you find the things you do well. I don't know what to say, but that, that is the kind of thing that will go in my 'at a girl' folder and I'll treasure forever. Thank you for that."</blockquote><br /><h2>I Can't Fight this Feeling</h2>Those of you who don't teach won't understand this feeling I described in the opening paragraphs.  Usually it is a feeling for <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fridays_%28TV_series%29" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Fridays (TV series)">Fridays</a> and end of the semester, but it is real and it is normal for teachers to get this way. We are in a high stress high burnout job and must hold onto encouragement and go to bed at 4:30 when we are self-aware enough to realize that we're about to push ourselves to far.<br /><br /><h2>Every teacher and every classroom counts: YOU MATTER SO MUCH!</h2>So, as I end my thoughts for today and head to the kitchen to cook my family breakfast, I just want to tell you teachers that YOU MATTER. You matter very much. You are important. Every one of your classrooms counts... whether you are public, private, or homeschooling - you have a tough job and you're my heroes. It is an honor to serve among you and wear the badge of honor of being a teacher.<br /><br />It is my prayer today that you will:<br /><ul><li>Hold onto the moments that you'll need to reflect upon when you're exhausted</li><li>That you'll be self-aware enough to get some rest and reset when you feel yourself 'going over the top'</li><li>That you'll know that being tired is a normal feeling for teachers (we've had lots of conversations about this on my Facebook Fanpage, so I know that many teachers feel this way) but that when you're tired, KNOW IT and REST.</li><li>That you'll know how important YOU are and that your classroom is very important. </li><li>That you'll go into today giving your best.</li><li>Finally, that you'll consider the habitudes or at least some discussion about the "to be" list you want students to be before you get too deep into the to do list of your classroom. We want students "to be" so many things, but I was struck how I needed to formally say, "we want to be...curious, adaptable, passionate, self-aware, etc.</li></ul>Remember your noble calling teacher. You rock.<br /><br /><div id="blogsy_footer" style="clear: both; font-size: small; text-align: right;"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Written by Vicki Davis, author - Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds - Posted with Blogsy from my iPad" height="20" src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" style="margin-right: 5px; vertical-align: middle;" width="20" />Written by Vicki Davis, author - Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds - Posted with Blogsy from my iPad</a></div><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/?px" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_c.png?x-id=9785f460-9e16-47c8-97b6-7a67ecf8a12d" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>

Inspiration Teaching Don't let exhaustion choke the love of teaching from your heart

Last night, I literally got in the bed at 4:30 pm. Monday I worked 13 hours at the school... at school and then 4 hours of gate duty because...

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Reddit: A cool source for your PLN

<p> I like to use the <a href="http://www.reddit.com/" target="_self" title="">Reddit forums</a> to turn up cool things on <a href="http://www.reddit.com/search?q=productivity" target="_self" title=""></a><a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/productivity/" target="_self" title="">productivity</a>, <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/education" target="_self" title="">education</a>, <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/teaching/" target="_self" title="">teaching</a>, and also to follow my <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/TechNewsToday" target="_self" title="">favorite technology shows</a> on <a href="http://www.twit.tv" target="_self" title="">Twit.tv</a>. (Forums follow this format - reddit a forward slash and r another slash and the forum like this one <span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px; white-space: nowrap; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); ">http://www.reddit.com/r/productivity/</span> ) But Reddit can be clunky, so I found a great app called <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/alien-blue-reddit-client/id370144106?mt=8" target="_self" title="">Alien Blue</a> that lets you easily drill down, comment, and vote up or down the things that you like and find and subscribe to different channels.</p> <p>I've grabbed some screenshots to show you how this looks. While I don't check reddit every day, I get on the forums at least once a week. Breaking tech news often breaks there before it "breaks" in mainstream media and I've found it an increasingly influential place where people "in the know" hash things out and vet stories before they are ready for prime time. If you want to be part of this process, I recommend you join reddit. I'm coolcatteacher over there too if you want to connect.</p> <p>(If you want to know how I annotated these photos, I took screenshots on my ipad by pressing the power and home button at the same time, which sent it to my photo gallery. Then, I took it into <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/skitch/id490505997?mt=8" target="_self" title="">Skitch</a> (which also lets me send all of these annotated photos to <a href="http://evernote.com/" target="_self" title="">Evernote</a>.) You'll also see why I TYPE so much (my handwriting isn't so great.))</p> <p>Note that you can also create your own communities on reddit. I'm not sure how that would look with students but am sure those students would have to be over 13.</p> <p>Also note that there is a bit of "noise" on reddit so you'll find JUNK and BUNK and a little bit of FUNK but the cool stuff I find is very very cool and leading edge (shall I say it gets me CRUNK? OK, it rhymes but I don't get hip hop ;-)</p> <p> Also remember that even if you don't add anything yourself that you should always vote up or down because that is what you do when you share and are part of a community. If you're a spammer - trolls get called out pretty often, so beware hyping yourself. </p> <p>Join me on reddit. Let me know your experience, I'm curious how other educators like the site.</p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-6tuP2wBTDpeoET34JyO7wYUMSpzeLFO8goDKrvPymBRQUGtzuWGfNmvDJRHZflB3wBl3qhcFglM-2JtqCLQaW0ShR-W1Ku7_eE3j5CkqDcmKUFqcxHVWxTESKUZrSBMJIZi8i1m7EvK6/s1024/Photo%252520Jan%25252011%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525206%25253A46%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="375" id="blogsy-1358166173529.2712" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-6tuP2wBTDpeoET34JyO7wYUMSpzeLFO8goDKrvPymBRQUGtzuWGfNmvDJRHZflB3wBl3qhcFglM-2JtqCLQaW0ShR-W1Ku7_eE3j5CkqDcmKUFqcxHVWxTESKUZrSBMJIZi8i1m7EvK6/s500/Photo%252520Jan%25252011%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525206%25253A46%252520AM.jpg" width="500"></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg73jfO8V5J_oBj5D6JroeUIZm9DI_85wH5zKjdoblYv7m2YR_VWimXh0aunaLYU71mL6CReLiBfv7U8CuEV1H6_6fE9PS8e-7rLpzuPRHZTHsEHGI-9LFYdoG5Uk9wBmuD9YgVxO2LQ4ZW/s1024/Photo%252520Jan%25252011%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525206%25253A47%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="375" id="blogsy-1358166173557.3435" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg73jfO8V5J_oBj5D6JroeUIZm9DI_85wH5zKjdoblYv7m2YR_VWimXh0aunaLYU71mL6CReLiBfv7U8CuEV1H6_6fE9PS8e-7rLpzuPRHZTHsEHGI-9LFYdoG5Uk9wBmuD9YgVxO2LQ4ZW/s500/Photo%252520Jan%25252011%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525206%25253A47%252520AM.jpg" width="500"></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ncLjjlE6lEWbnM-SIoOlDpbgBQ22-dqy7LFPJR86K5f4b54j8QsABZbhcVL8FC8ai98Wy83HS4vYGadn6kfgZ4B42JOvBkeMWbRP_Ssp2_k5iHOhrtTOHvA8SH6mR0HqxfkVDAHJCulk/s1024/Photo%252520Jan%25252011%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525206%25253A48%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="375" id="blogsy-1358166173583.455" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ncLjjlE6lEWbnM-SIoOlDpbgBQ22-dqy7LFPJR86K5f4b54j8QsABZbhcVL8FC8ai98Wy83HS4vYGadn6kfgZ4B42JOvBkeMWbRP_Ssp2_k5iHOhrtTOHvA8SH6mR0HqxfkVDAHJCulk/s500/Photo%252520Jan%25252011%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525206%25253A48%252520AM.jpg" width="500"></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMTTXv4lCuZwIZJDrgY5Xt34iEV6nT00ylyaOZWLd9X6g0wzcG6ypRlKMXhNKWA9_sDnHxgDMGfpOzJcEgpkiR-S_g5UPA008JdHCx64m8cg-2ZPBsbPUYubmAi8bXahD4QnimOAL62MQ2/s1024/Photo%252520Jan%25252011%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525206%25253A50%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="667" id="blogsy-1358166173576.2256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMTTXv4lCuZwIZJDrgY5Xt34iEV6nT00ylyaOZWLd9X6g0wzcG6ypRlKMXhNKWA9_sDnHxgDMGfpOzJcEgpkiR-S_g5UPA008JdHCx64m8cg-2ZPBsbPUYubmAi8bXahD4QnimOAL62MQ2/s500/Photo%252520Jan%25252011%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525206%25253A50%252520AM.jpg" width="500"></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpzFWS23Sl_PLamvZaucKAcqaa_B5BwkX9VaTYUyqxsflpKgrCHOwy11x17hucqPhPPebWllbaBhN71pfvckRJ8rMFRyPeWDM9JeW-TxACKzaAaSwYk2WruskUlM-2sGzhESOXZ-9nJdmj/s1024/Photo%252520Jan%25252011%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525206%25253A51%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="667" id="blogsy-1358166173571.1223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpzFWS23Sl_PLamvZaucKAcqaa_B5BwkX9VaTYUyqxsflpKgrCHOwy11x17hucqPhPPebWllbaBhN71pfvckRJ8rMFRyPeWDM9JeW-TxACKzaAaSwYk2WruskUlM-2sGzhESOXZ-9nJdmj/s500/Photo%252520Jan%25252011%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525206%25253A51%252520AM.jpg" width="500"></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVoW_o5RqGjBG2vkK2pTJ2S02EMHEj09cuS5F6kCxQcyIPoIdskX9BO-oDrKrUcsDg26kF3zcFfnsMbbOB52PZmhLoQxtgds2efEoYFfOfUJqNKIN8GRCcO2XgB2UT0BQOVyU2mlJqeKw_/s1024/Photo%252520Jan%25252011%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525206%25253A52%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="667" id="blogsy-1358166173551.2441" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVoW_o5RqGjBG2vkK2pTJ2S02EMHEj09cuS5F6kCxQcyIPoIdskX9BO-oDrKrUcsDg26kF3zcFfnsMbbOB52PZmhLoQxtgds2efEoYFfOfUJqNKIN8GRCcO2XgB2UT0BQOVyU2mlJqeKw_/s500/Photo%252520Jan%25252011%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525206%25253A52%252520AM.jpg" width="500"></a></div> <p> </p> <p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img alt="Written by Vicki Davis, author - Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds - Posted with Blogsy from my iPad" height="20" src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" />Written by Vicki Davis, author - Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds - Posted with Blogsy from my iPad</a></div>

productivity Teaching Reddit: A cool source for your PLN

I like to use the Reddit forums to turn up cool things on productivity , education , teaching , and also to follow my favorite technology ...

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Learning to Stand after the Fallout

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBWnb79Dq56mCXRKcSaprnNHV74U57nWEPLzLF76BWCHLlj7uQE8HeP8lacbCETTVpEenkbN4qko0CTAs9YL58etyx4FgerdnkQF-cXDgWGBZhdizp243YsUEghErE_WiGEVSsaqeyyW0q/s960/Photo%252520Jan%2525208%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525206%25253A21%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="375" id="blogsy-1357787200774.96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBWnb79Dq56mCXRKcSaprnNHV74U57nWEPLzLF76BWCHLlj7uQE8HeP8lacbCETTVpEenkbN4qko0CTAs9YL58etyx4FgerdnkQF-cXDgWGBZhdizp243YsUEghErE_WiGEVSsaqeyyW0q/s500/Photo%252520Jan%2525208%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525206%25253A21%252520PM.jpg" width="500"></a></div> <p>I'm sitting in the stands after just dropping my friend <a href="http://www.angelamaiers.com" target="_self" title="">Angela Maiers</a> off at the airport in Albany. I have to admit, I've been a bit reticent to share lately. Some things aren't worth sharing -- or maybe shouldn't be shared, as an especially harsh critic emailed me back about a month a go -- who is really interested anyway. Just be an information source, Vicki, not a person.</p> <p>There are times, I must admit, that I'm not standing - I'm crawling. Trying to just keep moving forward any way I can. Between the three kids and the 100 kids at school and the 125 computers and 3 servers, websites, blog, collaborators, and all the maelstrom of just living life - when I begin to doubt not only my mission but that I have a mission at all.</p> <p>In my 20's I was quite self confident. I was an optimist. I was ambitious. I was a go-getter - ready to get things done - I did things - things weren't done to me. I I I I ... oh my goodness, it makes me nauseous to think of how things were. When I had a close person to me become down, or, as it happens, depressed - not only did I not understand, I made it worse - heaping guilt upon them for having a hard time, or feeling down. It might have been brought on by a failed business or a death, but to me, back then, before I KNEW and LIVED, I was so sure that although you can't help what happens in life, you can <strong><em>CONTROL</em></strong> how you think about it. You can <strong><em>CONTROL</em></strong> your feelings.</p> <p>Spoken like a neophyte at the game of living life. Control how you feel? Really? You can CONTROL that? You can MAKE yourself an optimist? Really?</p> <p>Those of you who watch me online could hastily dismiss all of this and say </p> <p>"Ah, she's suffering from burnout- she finally did it - she just did too much."</p> <p>But it isn't burnout. It has really been fallout. </p> <h3>Fallout is not the same as burnout</h3> <p>Life decays. People get older, including you and me. People die, things change, the natural radioactive decay of life hits you. Sometimes you open a horrible, "rich" deposit of radioactive material - dare I use the word rich, and your life has just been turned into a complete unrecognizable thing that you just didn't plan. Babies are born. Babies graduate. Babies aren't babies any more. Babies have babies and sadly, babies die. Schools open, schools close. Upsize, downsize, right size, incise. You get seized by change of all sizes.</p> <p>The radioactive decay of life can hit you, and you can be bouncing along happily one moment and the next in a fetal, fallout induced ball just trying to live from moment to moment.</p> <p>You can't talk yourself out of it, into it, over it or around it. </p> <p>And right now in education there is a ton of fallout.</p> <p>Education, and rightly so, is on the hotseat as we realize that in our attempt to create "to do" lists that we've forgotten our "to be" list, as my friend Angela Maiers so aptly said during the last two days of professional development she's done at my school. </p> <p>Maybe I've been afraid to admit the struggles of life that I've been having. I mean, no one really cares about me, as the emailer told me just a month a go. A somewhat unkind lady, on her path to correct me and tell me she was ashamed of me, just had to "put me in my place."</p> <p>And, as I talked to Angela today, she said, "why do we women do this to each other?" There are a few prima donna perfectionists whose job it is to straighten out the world and make them fly right. Well, I'm here to tell you - if you're a prima donna perfectionist -- someone who is radioactive by nature - man or woman - sending your negative decay into the world - GET LOST. I'm done with you. You are radioactive, negative and there is enough natural decay in life itself to be around you or listen to you. </p> <p>Life is tough. Teaching is tough. Being a mom is completely heartwrenching and exhausting. It is natural and there and nothing any of us can do about it.</p> <p>But I've been straightened out in these last two days with Angela. Yes, we talked about technology. Yes, we talked about 21st century skills and more, but more than that we talked about our to be list. Our to be list as a school and our to be list as professionals. </p> <p>It starts with who you and I want to be. We must reframe our thinking by surrounding ourselves with mentors and inspiring people. <strong>We must replenish our hearts before we can think about putting something new in our minds</strong>. And we MUST -- I repeat MUST realize and understand that other educators, people, parents, and students are experiencing the stress of life too.</p> <h2>Walk Slowly Through the crowd</h2> <p>My pastor, <a href="http://www.michaelcatt.com" target="_self" title="">Michael Catt</a>, says, "Walk slowly through the crowd, because everyone has a hurt."</p> <p>Everyone has a hurt. Everyone. You, me, everyone. And when it is too much, we experience fallout, not burnout. It takes time to heal and move forward. </p> <p>There are times such fallout doesn't really make us wonder if we have a purpose but if we have anything at all. If it matters at all.</p> <p>But there is the opposite of fallout. And although, you and I can't influence millions - or maybe we can, but most of us won't, we can, however, come in contact with many people who we influence. We can have the natural radioactive decay of life, or we can be the inverse - replenishers - sending tiny micro-particles of encouragement, a good deed, a kindness. A simple #youmatter into the world to help another person know that they are important. </p> <p>You never know who needs that micro-encouragement - that little deed that you think is so little but may save the life of another.</p> <p>I no longer tell people to "get over it" or "just control your thinking." That is hogwash, or perhaps more accurately, radioactive misthink.</p> <p>Instead, I want to be the person radiating the hope and encouragement this world needs. I can do this because I know the ultimate Encourager who replinishes me when I completely fall out from the fallout of the radioactivity of life.</p> <p>Here are some tips that are helping me stand after the fallout that I'm recommending may help you.</p> <h4>1. Maintain and improve physical health</h4> <p>Here's what I'm doing for starters: </p> <p> </p> <p>- 8 hours of sleep a night</p> <p>- pushups and situps every morning -doesn't matter how many as long as they are both more than yesterday</p> <p>- 2 glasses of water in the morning before I do anything or eat anything else</p> <h4>2. Carefully scrutinize the particularly radioactive situations and people in your life and working to shield yourself wherever possible</h4> <p>- If it is a situation - can I change it, can I propose solutions?</p> <p>- If it is a person - can I avoid them or remove them from my life?</p> <h4>3. Pick the 5 "mentors" or heroes of your life and study how to emulate those people</h4> <p>Angela Maiers has her "dream team" of 5 great people on her bulletin board who make up her people she wants to emulate. She said in our training this week that the people you want to emulate and fill your mind with have the most influence on who you become. I'm working on my dream team right now but have decided to fill my reading list with some biographies. While I haven't picked my entire dream team except one, there are some candidates (you can see the current list in the picture.)</p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-6zZKNkTXSUq0zDvWY5OOx9QDbkTVQX3p7h0RYqtY9DuGgCCJ71Uht-AEFPTDg7jruM-ErgRXC8b2-nQ1eMCCEe7IPnnkWryHO2L60s6JW8nwkN29QWa8Av_ol4jpSi6WqkQ4Az8PQWg/s960/Photo%252520Jan%2525209%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525209%25253A32%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="375" id="blogsy-1357787200762.3157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-6zZKNkTXSUq0zDvWY5OOx9QDbkTVQX3p7h0RYqtY9DuGgCCJ71Uht-AEFPTDg7jruM-ErgRXC8b2-nQ1eMCCEe7IPnnkWryHO2L60s6JW8nwkN29QWa8Av_ol4jpSi6WqkQ4Az8PQWg/s500/Photo%252520Jan%2525209%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525209%25253A32%252520PM.jpg" width="500"></a></div> <p> I'm reading some of the writings now of Mother Theresa - truly a great humanitarian and Christian who inspired everyone she met - she's blowing me away. </p> <h4> 4. Start your "to be" list before you get the "to do" list too far along</h4> <h4>5. Come up with a system to keep a master list of current projects.</h4> <p>I'm keeping my master list of projects in Evernote, primarily using '<a href="http://www.thesecretweapon.org/" target="_self" title="">the secret weapon</a>' series of posts to guide me with the system. This is important because, often fallout happens because you've got too many things going. The natural stress of any one of them emits radioactive stress in your life but with so many, it can become too much very quickly. I keep one evernote note for each major task with a good name and use the numbering system in the secret weapon. So, daily I review everything tagged ".Active Project" and "1-Now" and weekly I review everything for planning purposes. At the top of each note I have typed Next action: so I know what is next.</p> <h4> 6. Encourage others</h4> <p>I'm putting myself back out there in the hopes that encouraging you and being transparent about my recent bout with fallout will help some of you experiencing the same thing. If you want to help yourself, take steps to help and encourage others.</p> <p>Show others that they matter. Say thank you. Encourage others and be the kind of person you want others to be to you. Today as I worked the youth room during church, I started off by having a pity party - two ladies came in and were talking to each other. They introduced themselves and I said Hi back but they looked awkwardly at me and then started talking to each other. All I could think of was how I was the newcomer and felt so alone and awkward and they were leaving me out. It was horrible. </p> <p>But then, I just waited a bit and started talking to different people - after a bit, I finally ascertained that one of them was new and the other was pretty new - they felt awkward too. If I had a pity party and kept my mouth shut and pouted about how they should treat me instead of putting myself out there to reach out to them, I would have been a fool. We were all in the same boat and I ended up having great conversations with each of them before the night was over as I learned about their stories. Be the encouragement you want to receive in the world.</p> <p>Walk slowly through the crowd, everyone has a hurt.</p> <h2>Final words.</h2> <p>Tonight at church supper I had a conversation with a completely frustrated teacher. She's being evaluated under the new Georgia teacher evaluation system and today was the day for her students to take their reading "test." Well, last time they had her students write, and then take another test, so, she assumed they would do something similar.</p> <p>This time, they took the Accelerated Reader "STAR" test and were expected to gain 20% in their reading percentile between fall and now but the test was a different test (not apples to apples.) Her kids had a gain but not enough - she felt deceived and measured unfairly - she says the tests are never the same and can't be compared and she doesn't know how to prepare the kids. She feels let down by a system that is supposed to fairly hold accountable and was crushed. She is living in a radioactive situation.</p> <p>Many of you are too.</p> <p>I just want to tell you all that I understand. I care. I'm there and have been there. Maybe if we get through this together, we can all improve this profession we so love and keep our lives intact. I'm not telling you to control your feelings or get over it. I am telling you to keep going and to calm down and step back and first, start taking care of yourself physically and then put the other pieces in place to help negate the barrage of unhealthy microsituations you're finding yourself in and to shield yourself from what you can.</p> <p>This isn't burnout many of us are feeling, it is fallout - let's see it for what it is so we can shed the guilt and stop trying to solve this problem in a way that isn't appropriate. In burnout, you stop doing things. In fallout, you start shielding yourself and start choosing your situations and and people. </p> <p>Hey you. Yes, you, the person still reading this post. </p> <p>YOU MATTER. YOU ARE IMPORTANT. YOU WILL MAKE IT. One foot in front of the other, one step at a time. It will happen. Give yourself time and make good decisions. </p> <p>You can do it and so can I. Thanks, my dear friend Angela, for being my friend and picking me up when I just didn't even think I could crawl -- now, I think I'm going to stand and tell and help others that they can too.</p> <p>Remember your noble calling, teacher. </p> <p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img alt="Written by Vicki Davis, author - Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds - Posted with Blogsy from my iPad" height="20" src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" />Written by Vicki Davis, author - Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds - Posted with Blogsy from my iPad</a></div>

Inspiration Teaching Learning to Stand after the Fallout

I'm sitting in the stands after just dropping my friend Angela Maiers off at the airport in Albany. I have to admit, I've been a b...

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When a student notices: as close to perfect as teaching can get

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="float: right; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Special_ed_teacher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="English: A special education teacher assists o..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="202" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1e/Special_ed_teacher.jpg/300px-Special_ed_teacher.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 300px;">English: A special education teacher assists one of her students. (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Special_ed_teacher.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</td></tr></tbody></table><br />As I'm grading and giving feedback to students, some of them are sending me responses. I'm literally crying over this one -- I've just included part of it:<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"You are my roll model, and I want to be like you. You have so many unbelievably wonderful qualities that I wish I possessed too. I'm so thankful for your integrity and love for your students. You amaze me! I can't tell you how grateful I am to have you for a teacher. God bless you and happy New Year!"</blockquote><br />How could God have blessed me so much with students who take a minute to know that teachers have feelings too and that we often wonder if all that we give is worth it -- if anyone notices?<br /><br />Just want you all to know that I'm still here. Yesterday was the first day I've felt human in over a month with one of the worst illnesses I can remember having in a long time - largely exacerbated by a very tough schedule this December. This winter break has been a blur interjected with shots and doctor visits, quite literally.<br /><br /><h3>Encourage kids to given genuine thanks...teachers need it</h3>If you have child and they have a teacher who meant something to them - have you thought about mentioning that they might want to pass along a note. I have a tag in evernote that I file all of these "atagirl" comments that I read over when I feel hopeless and like I can't make it any more. Teaching is a high burn out job and we do these things to keep ourselves on track and focused about the main thing...our students.  You'd better love them...or you'll leave them...quite literally.<br /><br /><h3>Give genuine feedback to your students... they need to know they're not a number.</h3>Also, if you would like feedback from students, perhaps you should be giving them feedback as well as this was part of a response I received in response to a personal message I mailed to this student through my class Ning.<br /><br />Today, I needed this, and the fact that it comes from a precious 8th grader that I adore dearly, it means so much more.<br /><br /><h3>As close to perfect as teaching can get</h3>Tears of joy...back to grading and giving good, quality feedback to my students. I'm not perfect but sometimes, just sometimes, when someone says thank you, it feels as close to perfect as teaching can get.<br /><br /> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/?px" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_c.png?x-id=85bb1c97-eb2a-4c3d-a01c-478cdd8252a9" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>

Inspiration students Teaching When a student notices: as close to perfect as teaching can get

English: A special education teacher assists one of her students. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) As I'm grading and giving feedback to stude...

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Remember the noble fallen, teacher: 4 ways to take action in their honor #newtown

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEpfV1zSnI4WRlr_7Nf736xk6rf64J_T08sKfVHAMJaP8eb2oLtXRRELydG4IPiKEcyLL5MubbIyq7TiWJwzoZ9iUWG-6uG50-Ety8uBh6x0NVR2EH6iNFZs2cZveZZzgc9_God5v1HYDn/s1024/Photo%252520Dec%25252016%25252C%2525202012%25252C%2525207%25253A49%252520AM.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="375" id="blogsy-1355676591642.8264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEpfV1zSnI4WRlr_7Nf736xk6rf64J_T08sKfVHAMJaP8eb2oLtXRRELydG4IPiKEcyLL5MubbIyq7TiWJwzoZ9iUWG-6uG50-Ety8uBh6x0NVR2EH6iNFZs2cZveZZzgc9_God5v1HYDn/s500/Photo%252520Dec%25252016%25252C%2525202012%25252C%2525207%25253A49%252520AM.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>Angela Maiers is right, <a href="http://www.angelamaiers.com/2012/12/there-is-no-lesson-plan-for-tragedy-teachers-you-know-what-to-do.html" target="_self" title="there is no lesson plan for this.">there is no lesson plan for this.</a> There are children who will not open presents under the tree for them this year because of the senseless tragedy of <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/12/14/school-shooting-connecticut/1769367/" target="_self" title="">the lone gunman</a> in Connecticut at Sandy Hook Elementary school. This earth is neither heaven nor hell - but sometimes the face of both show up here. Friday, hell showed his face.<br /><br /><h1 style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-size: 27px; line-height: 40px;">Remember the noble fallen, teachers.</h1>You are a teacher. You are noble.<br /><br />Why does it take a dumb tragedy for people to realize how dedicated most of you are to your students? You make sacrifices every day and I know that many of you out there would do the same thing for your babies in your classroom.<br /><br />But you aren't called to die for your kids. You're called to live for them and show them how to live.<br /><br />We grieved as a nation when 9/11 happened, Columbine, Virginia Tech, and we grieve again now - whipped into even more of a frenzy by politicians and a media that are pulling on our heartstrings so that many can do little but cry and hold our babies.<br /><br />But it is time to loosen our purse strings and make the phone ring to save children alive today who need us. We are teachers, practical people who act. Let's honor our fallen by SERVING and SAVING kids in their honor.<br /><br /><strong>Teachers stand in the gap.</strong><br /><br />But we also must remember that there are warm bodied children who will be tucked into their beds tonight because the last task ever done by 6 noble teachers and a principal was to stand in the gap and protect them. These educators gave the ultimate sacrifice to protect the children in their care, like the Great Teacher who did this for us.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3AqIE1yGEuy9NApfvAANG6s9Zk2snVLzbEzzD5fN4U-FUFoOkjKMFhvaAbS_1cZhSlQvrSGGxIml1o7x9fSTHVCf5pyCU7JAmw43hBrvUO3bmAs4qEWZ6CC61kJVrPHa_AqaygiS2Pnp/s1024/Photo%252520Dec%25252016%25252C%2525202012%25252C%2525207%25253A49%252520AM.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="375" id="blogsy-1355676591643.6248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3AqIE1yGEuy9NApfvAANG6s9Zk2snVLzbEzzD5fN4U-FUFoOkjKMFhvaAbS_1cZhSlQvrSGGxIml1o7x9fSTHVCf5pyCU7JAmw43hBrvUO3bmAs4qEWZ6CC61kJVrPHa_AqaygiS2Pnp/s500/Photo%252520Dec%25252016%25252C%2525202012%25252C%2525207%25253A49%252520AM.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>We can be shocked and certainly, we can talk about this with others. But if talk is all we do, we're wasting our breath. There is nothing we can do to bring back these 20 children and 6 teachers. I want to add some perspective here about what we can and should do in honor of these children and educators.<br /><br /><h1>Act to save children now</h1>The death of children is always tragic. All of those hopes and dreams - gone. It is especially tragic if it is senseless and preventable. The <a href="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001915.htm" target="_self" title="">leading cause of death</a> of children according to the United States National Insitute of Health is accidents. In 2009, <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/child_passenger_safety/cps-factsheet.html" target="_self" title="">there were 1,314 children</a> killed in automobile accidents (almost 4 a day). One study showed that <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/child_passenger_safety/cps-factsheet.html" target="_self" title="">72% of cars</a> have their booster seats installed incorrectly. If we look at the <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/injury/facts.htm" target="_self" title="">CDC stats</a> on the things most likely to kill young children, it remains automobile accidents. It isn't a crazy gunman we should worry about most, but parents and caregivers who don't buckle their kids in properly.<br /><br />Let's also point out that <a href="http://www.childinfo.org/mortality.html" target="_self" title="">6.9 million children</a> die every year, largely due to malnutrition and another report cited by USA today says that <a href="http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-02-17-un-hunger_x.htm" target="_self" title="">18,000 children die every day</a> of hunger. Even worse, if there could be such a thing, there are an <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/this_world/6458377.stm" target="_self" title="">estimated 9 million children</a> in slavery today. (See <a href="http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2011/12/calling-all-bloggers-lets-free-slaves.html" target="_self" title="">Free Slaves this Christmas</a>.) <a href="http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/sudan_darfuroverview.html" target="_self" title="">Tens of thousands of children</a> have been killed by gunmen in Darfur since the beginning of that genocide in 2004.<br /><br />But, Vicki, are you marginalizing what happened in Connecticut?<br /><br />No! Please follow me here. Let's make these lost lives count to save others.<br /><br /><h1> Teachers stand in the gap</h1>Let's grieve by giving in honor of our fallen heroes. On Monday, you're not going to be asked to die for your students, but to live for your students. Let's channel this grief in the honor of those who are fallen to SAVE lives of children. It is what we should do as teachers.<br /><br />These teachers used their bodies to protect the children in their care. Let's use ours to protect the children in ours.<br /><br /><h2>What can we do to honor these fallen teachers?</h2><strong>1- Talk to your students.</strong><br /><br />Yes, of course, you can talk to and love your students. They will have questions, be there for them. But use this opportunity to talk about something that is a greater threat to them than a gunman -- wearing their seatbelt and getting adults to wear them too. We will save more children that way than putting bullet proof glass in the front office. (Larry Ferlazzo has compiled a great list of <a href="http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2012/12/15/more-resources-on-dealing-with-tragedies/" target="_self" title="">resources for dealing with tragedy.</a>)<br /><br /><strong>2 - Give donations to organizations that protect children in the name of the fallen teachers.</strong><br /><br />Donate to <a href="http://www.destinyrescue.com/" target="_self" title="">Destiny Rescue</a>, a slavery rescue organization, or any worthwhile organization that feeds and helps children. Raise money to help children who need you. Spent your grief honoring these fallen teachers and students by helping children! Write a check and put these six names above on the "in honor of" list.<br /><br />What greater tribute can be given to a teacher who gave her life sacrificially for her students than to sacrificially give to save another child's life? Couldn't we trend the names of these six women on donor lists for worthy organizations around the world?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTwjnwTF1fupjxr8bAW8NTYh6uXsRwt2R_8ER-Ax7vBBuhYkvdGpV8nm5n7ER2GggU1WAdJ6F7rsFiHJfGWUAoowbWdjAaP3TxNDMf-vJxiCNc977nYY0M-ZNRbfOWbuPC7lHeYC3TArg2/s480/Photo%252520Dec%25252015%25252C%2525202012%25252C%2525209%25253A10%252520PM.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="300" id="blogsy-1355676591639.8723" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTwjnwTF1fupjxr8bAW8NTYh6uXsRwt2R_8ER-Ax7vBBuhYkvdGpV8nm5n7ER2GggU1WAdJ6F7rsFiHJfGWUAoowbWdjAaP3TxNDMf-vJxiCNc977nYY0M-ZNRbfOWbuPC7lHeYC3TArg2/s480/Photo%252520Dec%25252015%25252C%2525202012%25252C%2525209%25253A10%252520PM.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><strong>3 - Schedule a car seat check at your school.</strong><br /><br />If you want to save the lives of children - work to make sure parents and children are properly secured in their vehicles. Use the empathy of parents in a positive direction for them to realize that senseless accidents are the number one killer of children in the US and how to prevent those. Don't let this grief be wasted - SAVE LIVES.<br /><br /><strong>4 - Rededicate yourself to your students.</strong><br /><br />When things like this happen, we see how much these kids really mean to us. Their lives are in our care. This is an incredible responsibility and opportunity. Never settle for even one child to be lost.<br /><br /><h1><strong>Let's take steps to end the death of children wherever it is happening.</strong></h1>Things went right back to "normal" after 9/11 and in a few weeks, many will move on from this too. But if we can adopt a hungry child - every month we can remember. If we can donate and raise money for causes that help children live healthy lives and do this every year -- we can remember. <br /><br />And more than remembering - we can honor.<br /><br /><br />So, in honor of these educators, I'm going to go to my classes on Monday and ask them what they want to do in the 3 days we have left to support an organization that helps save the lives of children and we're going to do it in honor of those who lost their lives at Sandy Hook. I'm going to make a donation in honor of these women to Rescue Atlanta, a nonprofit in Atlanta taking steps to end the child sex trade right here on my door.<br /><br />Talking, crying, melancholy - throw those tissues away and get busy with your grief - turn your grief into giving and do it in honor of the great ones among us who gave their ultimate gift to their students - their lives.<br /><br />Remember your noble calling, teacher.<br /><br />Remember the noble fallen teachers. May we never forget.<br /><br /><br />My husband said some of you will be mad at me for this post as I read it to him in the car - I hope before you comment, you'll read the whole thing and know that I<br /><div id="blogsy_footer" style="clear: both; font-size: small; text-align: right;"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Written by Vicki Davis, author - Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds - Posted with Blogsy from my iPad" height="20" src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" style="margin-right: 5px; vertical-align: middle;" width="20" />Written by Vicki Davis, author - Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds - Posted with Blogsy from my iPad</a></div>

Teaching Remember the noble fallen, teacher: 4 ways to take action in their honor #newtown

Angela Maiers is right, there is no lesson plan for this. There are children who will not open presents under the tree for them this year ...

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When fear is expected and welcome

<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mee238j8tX1riuuh0o1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mee238j8tX1riuuh0o1_500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">"I don't know how else to make a movie except to find some aspect of the experience that I haven't done before," he says. "Because if I've done it before, </span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/becoming-fearless/" style="background-color: white; border: none; color: #ba72ba; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial;" target="_hplink">I'm fearless</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">, and I don't work well when I'm fearless."</span></blockquote><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Steven Spielberg, when interviewed about making the movie Lincoln. <a data-mce-href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/29/oprah-spielberg-daniel-day-lewis-lincoln_n_2207277.html" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/29/oprah-spielberg-daniel-day-lewis-lincoln_n_2207277.html" style="color: #007bff;">Oprah, Spielberg, Daniel Day-Lewis Talk About 'Lincoln' (VIDEO)</a></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">I think it is hard for many people to realize that fear is a natural part of being innovative. If you do ANYTHING at all, fear is often part of that. </div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Every time we start a <a href="http://www.flatclassroomproject.org/">Flat Classroom project</a>, every time I get ready to get in front of an audience, really, even, every time I get up to meet my day and kiss my husband and kids goodbye, there is an element of fear in my life. </div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">But fear can't and shouldn't paralyze us. The existence of fear isn't what cripples us, it is the preeminence of fear and the resulting paralysis that can cause us to be unable to function.</div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Many don't collaborate globally because they are afraid. Others are too afraid of losing their job to do anything risky and innovative. </div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Most of what you fear never happens:</div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><em style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">“When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened.”</em><strong style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston_Churchill" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Winston Churchill">Winston Churchill</a></strong></blockquote><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><strong style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></strong></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Try to think back - what were you worried about last year... last week... ten years a go. Can you? Do you remember?</span></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">It is not that you fear, it is WHAT you do with that fear that is the issue. </span></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">It is not that our school board is AFRAID, it is if they allow that fear to cause them to make bad decisions in the hopes that anything is better than what is happening today.</span></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">People are afraid of the bogey man on the Internet when, in reality, kids are more at risk from the person that picks them up from school each day than from some random stranger they encounter on the net. Kids who engage in at risk behavior offline, engage in at risk behavior online.</span></span></span><br /><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Fear is real. We all experience it. It can guide and help us, but we not let its presence take over, overwhelm us and choke out our ability to function and make it in the world. </span></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">I find great comfort in the fact that a great filmmaker like Steven Spielberg experiences fear just like the rest of us. But look at WHY he fears.</span></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">He fears because he is innovative and in uncomfortable territory.</span></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">May I never be a filing cabinet teacher. Some teachers teach the same year 30 times in their career - never leaving the plans and never changing course. Others teach 30 different years -- always innovating and trying new things.</span></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Fear is part of innovating - it is also part of playing on the interstate. One is a healthy fear that comes with trying something new, another is a fear that comes with trying something stupid. Wise people learn to discern the difference.</span></div><div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><strong style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></strong></div><br /> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/?px" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_c.png?x-id=89cead74-a473-403f-8a98-18ccbabf7f3f" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>

fear innovation Teaching When fear is expected and welcome

"I don't know how else to make a movie except to find some aspect of the experience that I haven't done before," he says. ...

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