I found this scrap of newspaper (yes, some of us still do read the newspaper) on the desk, and I remember discussing it with my middle school PE classes back in September --
"...the importance of social and emotional skills in the workplace...a polling of 5,000 millionaires reveals that crucial to their success was integrity, discipline, social skills, and hard work."
Looks like it's from a book "The Millionaire Mind" by Thomas Stanley, guess I'll check it out.
I would rather my students (and children) learned and practiced those four traits over anything and everything else. Of course, once you get going with those four, even algebra is a piece of cake, right? Anything is possible!
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Drowning in Scraps and Doodles
Funny thing is, I've started this post/project umpteen times lately and never quite finished. And so the pile grows...
Love post it notes. I go into panic attack mode if there is not one near by when needed. Even without a pen handy, I can carry around several blank sticky notes just to remind me of what I'll forget as soon as I find that pen. Let's see what I can uncover and decipher this morning...
"Kurt SAT" -- oh lordy, is my oldest really that old? No, 16 is not really old, but next comes 18, then 21, then 28, it just doesn't stop, does it? Dang, another hair just went gray.
"Hula hops w/ strings" -- probably "hoops" for a lesson on planetary orbits; tie strings to hoops to demonstrate orbits, earth hoop connects to sun hoop, moon hoop to earth hoop, student holds/stands in center of hoop... hmm, might be one I need to try out w/ my lab rats (sons). Also, strings/cords of varying thicknesses to show level of gravitational pull? I love doing the moon rotation lessons, and props plus student movement seems to help.
"Crawdaddy Simone" -- song title?
"sardonic" -- word of the day/week up on a poster with room for students to write what they think is the definition/use it in a sentence, points or prizes given at end of week, extra credit for defining root words, etc.
"show me 5" -- heard a teacher say this when getting class attention; I think the five were eyes, ears, smile, hands in lap and legs criss cross.
"Time Line" -- I love time lines, and I know students have issues conceptualizing the When of events, eras, etc. My son lumps the Revolutionary War, King Arthur, Ancient Egypt all into "way back when" so I want him to raw out his own timeline and fill in what he is interested in at the appropriate space on a long roll of paper (calculator/receipt paper?). Could be done as whole class project and add people/events as the year goes on. Works with across all subjects -- fractions/measurement, science, literature...
"Connections" -- I'm all about the connections, I want students to be able to access as much different information in that computer on their shoulders as possible. Just like the word bat (it's a noun! a verb! a creature with fangs!) I want them to see all the possibilities in a lesson -- how can this Math be used in Science, the "real world", and what is the who and when behind it? How does this book connect to our Social Studies lesson? I think even younger grades can learn how to take notes, writing down everything they think of when I say a certain word or phrase so they expand the "search" and bring more connections, more background knowledge/prior experience, more opportunities for new information to stick. Isn't there a board game where you list everything related to a word or phrase?
"46 across, 5 letters, Submarine" -- I like crossword puzzles. I want to use them in my class, and not as time filler for students who finish early. They're connected to making connections -- could "submarine" be a noun, a verb, a...?
"boys (swords, wool) girls (emot, love triangle)" -- not sure what this one means
"Reading First" -- free.ed.gov
Cool, that was a good sized stack reviewed, sorted, crumpled and tossed!
Love post it notes. I go into panic attack mode if there is not one near by when needed. Even without a pen handy, I can carry around several blank sticky notes just to remind me of what I'll forget as soon as I find that pen. Let's see what I can uncover and decipher this morning...
"Kurt SAT" -- oh lordy, is my oldest really that old? No, 16 is not really old, but next comes 18, then 21, then 28, it just doesn't stop, does it? Dang, another hair just went gray.
"Hula hops w/ strings" -- probably "hoops" for a lesson on planetary orbits; tie strings to hoops to demonstrate orbits, earth hoop connects to sun hoop, moon hoop to earth hoop, student holds/stands in center of hoop... hmm, might be one I need to try out w/ my lab rats (sons). Also, strings/cords of varying thicknesses to show level of gravitational pull? I love doing the moon rotation lessons, and props plus student movement seems to help.
"Crawdaddy Simone" -- song title?
"sardonic" -- word of the day/week up on a poster with room for students to write what they think is the definition/use it in a sentence, points or prizes given at end of week, extra credit for defining root words, etc.
"show me 5" -- heard a teacher say this when getting class attention; I think the five were eyes, ears, smile, hands in lap and legs criss cross.
"Time Line" -- I love time lines, and I know students have issues conceptualizing the When of events, eras, etc. My son lumps the Revolutionary War, King Arthur, Ancient Egypt all into "way back when" so I want him to raw out his own timeline and fill in what he is interested in at the appropriate space on a long roll of paper (calculator/receipt paper?). Could be done as whole class project and add people/events as the year goes on. Works with across all subjects -- fractions/measurement, science, literature...
"Connections" -- I'm all about the connections, I want students to be able to access as much different information in that computer on their shoulders as possible. Just like the word bat (it's a noun! a verb! a creature with fangs!) I want them to see all the possibilities in a lesson -- how can this Math be used in Science, the "real world", and what is the who and when behind it? How does this book connect to our Social Studies lesson? I think even younger grades can learn how to take notes, writing down everything they think of when I say a certain word or phrase so they expand the "search" and bring more connections, more background knowledge/prior experience, more opportunities for new information to stick. Isn't there a board game where you list everything related to a word or phrase?
"46 across, 5 letters, Submarine" -- I like crossword puzzles. I want to use them in my class, and not as time filler for students who finish early. They're connected to making connections -- could "submarine" be a noun, a verb, a...?
"boys (swords, wool) girls (emot, love triangle)" -- not sure what this one means
"Reading First" -- free.ed.gov
Cool, that was a good sized stack reviewed, sorted, crumpled and tossed!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Cover Me!
I hate cover letters. Almost as much as I hated classifieds when I was searching for work in the real world -- I wanted to place my own ad touting my features and benefits, and encourage prospective employers to send me their offers so I could consider who would deserve my talents. Ok, a little on the ego-driven side I admit, but the traditional resume seemed such a weak way to present who I am and what I could bring to a company.
So now I'm composing cover letters and fighting my creative urges again... I may gather quotes from my students: "He's my favorite coach." "He's funny!" "He ties my shoes."
So now I'm composing cover letters and fighting my creative urges again... I may gather quotes from my students: "He's my favorite coach." "He's funny!" "He ties my shoes."
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