- Is it ever discouraging to dream big? What happens when your dreams don't come true?
- Should discouragement or obstacles stop you from pursuing your dreams? Explain.
- This series of videos is called Lessons in Leadership. How might dreaming big be considered leadership?
- Washington dreamed big, but were his dreams selfish? How are Washington's dreams different?
- Can dreams be too big? Explain.
- What's the difference between dreams and goals?
George Washington was a visionary. Take two minutes to watch this video: Now for some questions:
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Life in the 18th Century (the 1700s) was a bit different from our life in the 21st Century. Some work that existed then no longer exists for us. Other work might have been more difficult. At the same time, this type of hands-on, physical work might have also been more fulfilling.
If reading this book makes you uncomfortable, fantastic! That's always the challenge - to change methods and even beliefs even after being in the system for, say, 28 years. Author George Couros' own introduction to the book is hard to put down. If the rest of the book is as chock-full of wisdom as the intro, this book will be a valuable addition to a teacher's professional library. Something as simple as a new, positive outlook on our changing educational world resonate: Change is an opportunity to do something amazing. I find myself leaning more and more to Couros' style of thought, moving away from offering algorithmic-style problems, with rote and repetitive problems and moving toward offering students more opportunities to find, create, and solve their own problems in life. Inspiration is one of the chief needs of today's students. Kids walk into schools full of wonder and questions, yet we often ask them to hold their questions for later, so we can "get through" the curriculum. We forget that our responsibility isn't solely to teach memorization or the mechanics of a task but to spark a curiosity that empowers students to learn on their own. How many concepts could Couros stick in such a short segment? Those few words could provide fodder for a full-length talk show about these changing times. As for me, I see great value in not providing answers, or even questions, for my class. It might be a difficult proposition, this giving up of time to empower students, this nurturing of a problem solving garden without removing all the weeds, but it does foster curiosity and creativity. I'm convinced there are many teachers who dream, like me, of offering that kind of an atmosphere. We all seem to realize this much: Twenty-first century education is not about the test; it's about something bigger. That's easy for educators, parents, and even administrators to believe. We all seem to be on the same page when we say things out loud, but here comes the rub: These teachers want to be innovative, but, instead of connecting and learning from others around the world, let alone with colleagues in their own schools, they spend their time in staff meetings that often seem irrelevant to the heart of teaching. They are constantly told that if they want to be innovative, they are going to have to find time to do it. When teachers are empowered, teachers can better plan strategies that empower their students.
Life in the 18th Century (the 1700s) was a bit different from our life in the 21st Century. Some work that existed then no longer exists for us. Other work might have been more difficult. At the same time, this type of hands-on, physical work might have also been more fulfilling.
George Washington made the choice to attack when the enemy wasn't expecting it. It was the most unlikely time for an attack. Take three minutes and watch this video: Now for some questions:
Life in the 18th Century (the 1700s) was a bit different from our life in the 21st Century. Some work that existed then no longer exists for us. Other work might have been more difficult. At the same time, this type of hands-on, physical work might have also been more fulfilling.
When we think of Thanksgiving, our minds conjure images of Pilgrims and Natives sharing a common feast in the New World in 1621. President George Washington recognized the importance of a national day of giving thanks, and later, President Abraham Lincoln made the holiday a permanent one. Today, let's spend some time considering this important holiday from a slightly different perspective. (LIBERTY) BELL WORK
Quick Write: If you could make one law, what would the law be and why would you make it?
Turkey's on the Table
I know one of the last things parents need to see is a picture of their kids playing games on their electronic devices, but here we go anyway. Tuesday saw our students playing on their own devices in the darkness of the classroom cave, only the screens and their glow bracelets (and an occasional camera flash) to illuminate their areas. This, of course, was a reward for positive behavior during the month of November.
We're going full force for the rest of 2017 to prepare Hoggatt Cave for the general public. Part of yesterday's efforts were spent preparing our crystal formulas. The table salt and Epsom salt crystals should develop in the next few days. When they do, we'll put them on a wall and share them in our cave tours.
About the only thing I can change about my application is the personal essay. As I always relish the opportunity to revise my own writing, this is both a challenge and a delight. This time around the personal essay saw a complete overhaul. I approached the writing from a number of angles before settling on the current one (reproduced below). This 500-word essay accompanies two professional references, a resumé, and fill-in-the-blank material to complete the application. Participants will be chosen from various states sometime in February or March. PERSONAL ESSAY By robbing children of relevant historical discussions, we blur our nation’s founding principles. Yet, tomorrow’s family, community, and nation leaders still enter my classroom deprived of their own history. While they long for stories of our nation’s founding era, history is often relegated to dusty corners. While students hanker to presently apply lessons from history, history too often remains hidden. Education’s shuttering of our founding principles in favor of the three R’s disregards our nation’s future. History is quickly demoted to an ancillary role: we might use history as the text for reading classes, but fail to teach it explicitly. "You can spread jelly on the peanut butter, but you can't spread peanut butter on the jelly." (Dick Van Dyke)
![]() Many educators advocate for writing across the curriculum - to encourage (or force) students to respond to their science experiments, their math problem solving, and their reading through the art of writing - to keep a journal in every area, in which they record their experiences throughout the day. I understand the sentiment. I also understand that certain students will be turned off of the writing process when this is done. That's why I want to use conversation and technology, in concert with writing, to share learning. I want to use a combination of methods rather than exhaust one. Talking about thinking after the thinking has taken place is vastly different than producing representations of thinking designed with the specific intention of sharing one's thinking. Knowing you will have the opportunity to explain your thinking to someone else causes you as a learner to anticipate the articulation of your thinking in a way that will personally connect with other learners. Any of those methods of response accomplish similar results - continual reflection and a stronger emphasis on learning.
![]() We always celebrate when a student reaches the century mark (100 combined points) on ClassDojo. ALEXSANDER, ARIANA, CADENCE, JORDAN, MACIE, NAKAYLA, RAHAF, and SOPHIE have all reached that mark in the last couple of weeks, with more students coming very close. As a reward, each is allowed to choose a friend from the fourth grade to join him/her in eating lunch in the classroom with the teacher, along with some time to play some quick Wii games. They don't even have to cash in any of their points for this special time. This is a different way to think about it. Take one minute to watch this video. Now for some questions:
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