It might be a stretch to tie in our "fitting" pattern blocks to "setting" the type on an 18th century printing press, but it's what we do.  Last week, Hoggatteers had some fun trying to make everything fit with no spaces.  They also played some short games to try to stump each other.

Sometimes, when we go to the movies or as we watch a show on TV, we are transported into the plot.  Directors understand that their selection of background music can change and enhance a scene.

Now it is time to turn it around.  This time, the music comes first.  Do not watch the video; instead, let the music lead your imagination.  As it plays, allow it to transport you into a scene that has yet to be written.  Then, write the scene.  Use all the visual imagery you can muster in your writing.  At the end, you will share your writing.  Will it stand on its own, without the music in the background?

I realized something this week, and it just had to become the latest in a long line of my Professional Pet Peeves in education.  It has something to do with the manner in which professional educators and legislators look at data.

Just the word, data, is enough to send chills down the spine when it is so often misused or weaponized against a student or a teacher.  We record information about all kinds of test scores, and suddenly kids are reduced to numbers and dots on a so-called data wall.  We use all kinds of red, yellow, and green stickers to show success; yet we never measure the joy of learning, the sweet taste of success, or the motivation to attack a challenge.  We don't ever get to the heart of learning, because we are too often only concerned with the muscles.  I tell you now, it takes both.

Fortunately, our current principal gets this.  He is, by nature, a "data man".  He loves to crunch the numbers and find points of interest, but he still gets that matters of the heart, the emotions, and everyday life must somehow be factored into the equation.  Every point on a graph can be questioned and thought out with logic rather than just being a rock that needs to be moved from here to there.  There is no reason to get too deep into the weeds without consideration of each life and soul.

So when the principal displayed some data at last week's faculty gathering, I took notice.  It wasn't in the weeds at all; it just floated on the surface for consideration.  It seems that, across the board, our students this year came to school in the fall with much lower math scores than reading scores.  That was easy to recognize at the time, and it made a lot of sense to me.  I remember thinking that this was a relief, because math is something a little more tangible and something that can be easily improved.  We all got to work.  While we didn't neglect reading, we wanted to work on something that needed to be fixed.  After all, these students missed a quarter of their third grade year when the world was locked down at home for a virus in the spring.

The result of our effort was that math scores exceeded our growth goals while reading remained steady.  The question, asked the principal, is why.  Why?

And so I did what I do.  I sat and listened to his "pep talk", while at the same time, I pondered the question (Ponder, ponder, ponder.), and I like what I came up with.  I could be wrong, but I think it makes sense.  I won't go into a lot of my own personal development, but suffice it to say, reading is different than math.  Got that?  We can all agree on that, right?  Reading and math are not the same.

Click the link for more Professional Pet Peeves.

Yes, the air has chilled.

The moon is new.

And it's January!

​That can only mean one thing:  it's teacher award season.  The biggest awards available to nominated teachers in our area have to be the Golden Apple Awards, hosted by the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce.  Our school has had eight recipients of this award in the past, including Yours Truly, the first Cecil Floydian to earn the recognition (way back in 2004).  Another three Golden Apple recipients have also taught at Cecil Floyd, either before or after they earned the award.  Nominations are open now for the Golden Apple Awards in Joplin.  To nominate a deserving educator, a form must be completed, and two letters must be written - one from a student (past or present) and another from that student's parent.  As a past recipient, I will never be eligible for future nomination.

The challenge was to design a floating vessel to hold as many little green dinosaurs (soldiers) as possible.

​In our challenge, each student sketched his/her idea.  When it was time to make a prototype, groups had to choose which design elements to use.  Then a thin sheet of aluminum was provided for the actual construction of the teams' ships.

Students now know the gist of the account of the first and largest of the American victories with George Washopotamus - er, Washington - at the helm.  Next, we'll be checking in on France.  Apparently Benjamin Franklin is over there, trying to stir up some kind of an alliance to help the Patriot cause.

Until then, here are some short videos of Wednesday's experience:

Hoggatteers had the chance to become George Washington, on Tuesday, when they took part in the interactive game appropriately named Be Washington.  They used the big screen to view footage of the situation, and on their laptops, they heard from expert advisors with conflicting opinions.  Based on all of this, each student had the opportunity to make his/her own decisions to respond to the battle scenario at hand.

​Forty percent of the class made the same choice that Washington actually made.

Dan Rockwell writes a blog called Leadership Freak.  He posted an entry titled One Thing You Must Stop Doing.  He began his article with five signs a leader may be creating dependency.  This attracted my attention because I know we often have to work on breaking learners from depending too much on their teachers or parents.  When considering my students, I have to realize that I could do everything for them - clean up their manuscripts, correct their computations, etc. - or I could empower my students to solve problems, attack and correct their mistakes, and challenge themselves.  I choose the latter.

Rockwell offers a simple list that makes sense.  His blog, of course, is about leadership and not applied specifically to education, but there are some practical ideas here that shouldn't take too long to remember.
He wrote that a leader does not empower the organization if members of the community must constantly ask permission before acting.  Trust is important.  Like oxygen, trust is invisible, but important to survival.  I have to think about how this is true in my classroom of 10-year-olds.  How do I empower my students without losing sight of procedures and expectations.

I have had students in my classroom who seemingly put their hands in the air before approaching a problem on their own.  When this happens, I refuse to jump in immediately to help them.  I must not fall into the temptation to crowd a child with guidance until I know s/he gets a chance to attack their challenges on their own.  I like how Rockwell puts it:  "Stay available but keep your hands in your pockets."  If I hurry to assist a child, I establish a dangerous pattern that says that I will always be there to swoop in, but the fact is, we (parents and teachers) are trying to get our children ready to face a world in which we will not always be present.

Rockwell also wrote that if nothing important happens when you're gone, then followers have to wait for the boss to be present in order to be productive.  We have to change this.  For the teacher, I should stop believing that nothing worthwhile can happen when I call upon a substitute teacher to fill my shoes.  Learning should not stop when I have to be away.

Later in his post, Mr. Rockwell suggests clarifying expectations through use of repetition and daily practice.  He says followers need systematic feedback (That means they have to be vulnerable enough to accept constructive criticism.).  Rockwell writes that not only must gratitude be expressed for achievement, but that it's always important to show gratitude for effort.  He says people must be challenged and stretched.  He affirms the forward-leaning attitude of Growth Mindset when he tells leaders to let people "responsibly fail".  He explains that this only teaches people to play it safe.

In this simple blog post, Dan Rockwell reminds us (leaders/teachers/parents) not to run to everyone's assistance. It's not always intuitive to allow our developing children to develop on their own and to stretch their thinking.  We seem to be OK with working our muscles by using such a strategy; I wonder why we resist using this approach with emotions and academics.

Sometimes, when we go to the movies or as we watch a show on TV, we are transported into the plot.  Directors understand that their selection of background music can change and enhance a scene.

Now it is time to turn it around.  This time, the music comes first.  Do not watch the video; instead, let the music lead your imagination.  As it plays, allow it to transport you into a scene that has yet to be written.  Then, write the scene.  Use all the visual imagery you can muster in your writing.  At the end, you will share your writing.  Will it stand on its own, without the music in the background?

Here's a tour of the Royal Governor's Palace at Colonial Williamsburg.  There are some awesome displays within these walls, and I patiently await my visit, next summer.

I will make mistakes.  As much as you may think otherwise, I am not perfect.  I will misspeak.  I will do things wrong.  There will be times when it be necessary to apologize for a weak choice that I make - probably something I say that should have been said differently or left unsaid altogether.  I pray that others will be patient with me as I continue to develop and react to my own humanity.

I will keep trying new things.  Yes, I still want to acquire new knowledge for myself and apply it to develop wisdom, and yes, I do want to experience events and places I haven't yet experienced, but to even try new things in daily life my be something of a joy, as well.  Whether that means trying new foods, performing different tasks, or meeting new people, I hope to boldly seek out and discover new adventures.

I will fall down.  This may seem like making mistakes all over again, but it isn't.  This one is less by choice.  Falling down means that things will happen to me that are unexpected and undesired.  I'll be tested here in how I react to tragedy and bad news.  Hopefully I can bounce back from hurtful things in my life with respect.  Hopefully my reaction to obstacles in my path is a positive example to those around me.

I will lose my temper.  One reaction we probably all struggle with is that of losing our temper.  We are quick to anger and quick to speak when we should instead remain calm.  For me, I tend to hold back until a point of eruption and then let it all out at once.  I know it will happen, but that doesn't mean it's something I just accept as reality and continue to willingly do.  We should all work on our tempers.

I will cry.  One way to react is to cry, and I will cry.  There will be moments of laughter and smiling, this year, but I must be ready and admit that tears will also fall.  I know from experience that I cry with empathy as well as cathartic times.  I will cry during movies and reading books.  I will cry with memories of the past as well as with the possibilities of the future.  I will cry.

I will forget.  Perhaps forgetting is the wrong word to use here.  I may actually remember events, but what I mean here is that holding grudges and regretting events in my life are not positive.  I need to learn to forgive others and find a more positive way to spend my thoughts.  I need to push negative thoughts aside and not allow them to dominate my life.

I suppose these things are normal for most people, perhaps even for everyone, but I wanted to think a bit about them during the opening days of a new year because bringing them to conscious thought will help me confront them more directly and efficiently.

One last thought is that I will do each of these items in view of other people, and I need to be all right with that. There is no shame in letting people see my faults as long as my reaction in every case is one of humility and sincerity.  It is a personal duty to show others my imperfections and let them in on the roads to recovery.  Perhaps in doing so, others (including my students) can also find positive roads to dusting themselves off and finding a forward-facing road on which to walk.