Outliers.....What a great read!!!!

I know it's been like year and a half since my last post. I'm sorry....I guess graduate school, work, trainings, baby work, and well everything else in between has been sucking up my time. I'm sure that none of you are busy, or even stressed out right now (liars), but in case you are in need of something to fill up your time....do I have something for you!!!

My father recommended this book to me called Outliers. It sounded fairly interesting, and from what I understood, it seemed revolve around factors that define those who have demonstrated above and beyond greatness. I was intrigued by this concept, since as teacher, I would like all of my students to have that kind of success.

If someone were to ask you, why Bill Gates is so successful, how would you answer? Would it be because of his intelligence? Or maybe because of his hard work? Those are reasonable answers, but since very few people have amassed the wealth and success that he has, the answer is not as simple. The author, Malcolm Gladwell, does a remarkable job of breaking down all the factors that have helped established Bill Gates. What you discover from the research, was that not only was he smart but he was so determined that he was able to put in over 10,000 hours of work in his field of study. By living so close to the University of Seattle (within walking distance) he was able to take advantage of his environment.

I know what you're thinking....that's nice, but how does that relate to my students? Good question. In order for anybody to be an expert at something, Malcolm Gladwell has researched that it takes at least 10,000 hours to develop their skill. But it's not enough just doing the amount of practice hours alone. They need support and guidance from someone who they can give them the proper feedback when needed.

Think about any objective that you feel they should have by the time they graduate. Whatever it may be, the student who tries to cram it all in and the end, won't be anywhere near as successful as the one who prepares well in advance. No surprise, right? From here on out, encourage the parents to find a task that matches the given objective. It take a village to raise a child...which means no teacher can do it alone.

Outliers is a fun, and an enjoyable read. I challenge you know to find it somewhere, and find out for yourself.

How about an upgrade?

I'm still a little frazzled as I'm writing this so please bear with me. About a couple of months ago I wrote about how I was about to embark on a new journey....to Kindergarten. Well, my friends those times....they are a changing!!!! I've got a new calling, and time will tell if it's the right one for me.
Early on this year, I was asked to go to a special reading conference about Leveled Literacy Intervention. Basically, it's an accelerated reading system that helps lower level readers become stronger readers. That pretty much just summed up what I had to sit through two days of training (you're welcome).
So anyways...I'm loving this system and I was one of the few teachers who was picked to use it and see how it works. Well....my kiddos loved it, and we had a lot of fun as well. As a result of all the positive data that was collected, my school district is implementing this as the required reading system for special education teachers to use......and guess who they picked to help train the teachers??? No...not her...ME!! I know, I was just as shocked too.
So...i'm a little bummed about not having to experience the little ones in kindergarten. I am going to miss seeing all of my old students, and hopefully I'll be able to check back in and see how they are progressing.
Now, here's the scary part.....I'm going to be working with teachers. For those of you who are teachers...you know that this is not an easy task. It'll be a hard challenge...and hopefully we'll all come out ok in the end. (please don't roll your eyes at me....I'm serious).
I know that on paper this position is a promotion, but when I think about it having to train and work with all the special education teachers in the district....I have to wonder just if this really is an upgrade. Only time will tell.....

It's not all Flowers and Sausages.....

Ok, I think it's safe for me to say that I really love this blog. I have a lot that I follow, and they are spread out across the board, but I love the well placed humor and emotions that are placed into every post. For those of you who are wondering just what I'm talking about....(you're not alone), You have to check out her blog to enjoy the whole enchilada. Mrs. Mimi is a teacher in NYC who writes about her adventures in teaching the second grade, with a very funny outlook on life as well.

As a teacher, we all know that this profession is a calling....and clearly not meant for everyone. No matter what school you work in, there's always that one teacher who you just can't mesh with. Life is like that, however teaching is one where you can find yourself sinking or swimming in your classroom very quickly depending on how you handle the first couple of situations. I know what's like to have to deal with administrators who are from another planet, teachers who give lazy a new defination, and substitutes who do more good staying home than being in the classroom. These are our adventures...These are our stories.

Please be sure to buy her new book on amazon when it comes out in Sept. It's a mixture of her old posts with some back story as well. I know I can't wait for it.

Here's an actual interview that she had on Alexander Russo's blog This Week in Education.

Mother Child Experiment....Powerful Video

Ok I have to admit it....It was really hard watching this video when the mother was not paying attention. You can see the frustration grow in the child until he couldn't take it anymore. As painful as it was....it was also moving and powerful.

How often as a teacher, have you experienced a student who shares in your excitement and joy? Our body languages speak more words than our mouths do, and in this video the child is picking up on everything and even more so when it's not there.

The point that I'm trying to make here is simple....be fully aware of your interactions not only with your child, but also with your students. It's very easy to get caught up in the moment, and lose sight of how other people around us are feeling. Hopefully this video helps you to become more aware and to have a lasting positive image on our loved ones.

• This video was inspired by Steve Barkley's lastest post...check it out if you have the chance.

What is going on with Texas Social Studies?....

Ok, so I took some time off from blogging and enjoying some relaxation when I saw this story in the Houston Chronicle. I couldn't and still don't believe it. The State Board of Education are meeting to discuss new standards in social studies curriculum. Not a big deal....here's some of the things that they are going to bring up.
Cesar Chavez - not worthy of his role model status because of active participation in democratic process.
Chief Justice Thurgood Marshal - Be removed from history books on the basis that he is not an appropriate example of a historical figure of influence.
According to a prelimanary draft other historical figures to be removed are:
George Washington
Abraham Lincoln
Stephen F Austin
And the removal of Independence Day and Veterans' Day

So right about now, you're probably thinking...."so what exactly DOES the board of education want"? Well....are you sitting down? They recommend that school children get a better understanding of the motivational role the Bible and the Christian faith played in the settling of the original colonies. There goes the separation of church and state.

Only in Texas does this seem to happen.

What do you think of this? Are you in favor of these changes?
oh, Texas
Originally uploaded by KerstenMarie

Wordle

I love art, and I also love words, so you can imagine how excited I was when I saw this sight. Wordle allows the user to create an artwork out of any selected words they want. I just happened to use my last blog post ( how unique....I know). Anyways, you can allow your students to use any of their stories, poems or writings. You can even use this as a quick write format, and just give them a topic to explore on. Since a lot of our students are visual learners this site caters to their needs.

In case your thinking..."well this is nice, but how else can I use it for my students?" Good question...Terry Freedman gives us 5 solid reasons to that very question. I found her blog off of twitter feed from @nharm....so if you are still haven't got on twitter you need to. Or else you'll miss out on cool links and stuff like this.

A new adventure....

My principal the other day called me into her office. Well actually not really her, more like her assistant, but you get the idea. As I was walking down there, a thousand and two things were all going through my head. "What did I do this time", "Who did I offend today?". As I was going over all the different scenarios for my being summoned....the real reason was the last thing I would have ever expected. Which was....she wanted me to go to kindergarten. Yup....that's right......she wanted, me....to go to.....Kindergarten. This was a shock given the fact that I had transfered from my other school because they wanted me to do the same thing. I was taken away from this, especially since I had asked to move to a higher grade. Needless to say I was not too crazy about the whole move, and I did a lot of thinking on it the next few nights.
So a few days later I went in and spoke to her and asked her point blank.....why? Did I do something wrong? Did she think that I could not handle the upper grade levels?

And what she said next sold me on being a kindergarten teacher......

"We need strong teachers to help bring our low kids back to where they need to be at. We need to you to make sure that our kids have a great start and are ready for what's to come."

Once she put it that way, I began to warm up to the idea. Now it's been a week and I feel good about the idea. Who knows what's to be expected down the road from now. Hopefully a year from now, I won't be that much crazier than I already am......but I doubt it. Here's to good times and a bright future.

In case anyone out there was in the same boat about kindergarten or a teacher who had really has no clue about the importance of a good kinder teacher.....than you need to check this site out.

I hate boring meetings!!!!

The one thing that I value the most as a teacher is my time. That's it, simple. Don't waste it, and we'll get along fine. Time, is something that I just can't get back. I have a thousand and three things to do to get ready for the next lesson, week, assessment and not too mention all the other stuff at home too(just ask my wife).

I'm not sure what it is, but something in my brain starts to explode the minute I detect a meeting becoming a waste of time. It's probably somewhere between the speaker talking about personal boring, yack yack stuff, and stretching out a short, simple point to a 15 minute discussion. It's always around that time that I start to wonder just what exactly did I get myself into?

Don't get me wrong. I love my work, and everything that comes with it. Teaching is a very demanding occupation. From the moment I step inside, till I step back outside, I'm going full speed teaching mode. Guided reading, Stations, writing, small groups.

I have a passion for learning as well. Anything that I find interesting and even applicable, I'm all in. I can go to toe to toe with anyone on my campus for being a person who loves reaching and exceeding all of my students expectations. I'm also a first time father, a graduate student, and a night time ESL teacher, so any free time that I have is really precious now.

Which brings me back to my topic at hand. Since my time is very important to me, if I find myself having to attend one of those "mandatory meetings", the very least they can do is try to make it interesting. Reading right from the power-point, talking while sitting down, printing out the handouts, are all a few of things that all presenters need to avoid. These are killers to any presentation and instantly changes what could have been a interesting meeting to a waste of time, boredom.

Here's a blog which very nice and neatly lists out the top ten things you can do to make a great presentation.

Transfer Fair....

I hate job fairs. Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of people wanting to test out the waters of other schools. That's fine. Go at it. Knock yourself out. What I have a problem with is how shallow the conversations tend to be. There was no genuine conversations to be had, it was for lack of a better term, speed dating. You had under a minute to convince why you should be hired before moving on to the next school.
Flocks of people waited in lines at school's respective tables to speak to the principal. Each one trying to show off why they should be the candidate for the position. The whole time, I was there I realized something......I'm not as "sexy" as these other candidates. I don't have the amount of experience as some, nor the certifications as others, or even the awards as well. I felt like these principals were sizing me up, and noticed instantly all of my imperfections. I kept thinking that this was exactly like speed dating. I was waiting in line to talk to a principal and I noticed that she tried her best to look interested in hearing what others had to say. It was at that moment that I knew I wasn't going to "wow" her. I'm still a relative new teacher and I after working a year in resource, I was just looking for a campus that I can teach my own class. Something I know I can do well if given the shot. The only problem was that I was just one of 200 going after maybe 5 jobs.
I walked out after talking to a couple of schools. I did my best at the song and dance, but it's really hard when you know the odds are stacked against you. What I don't have in experience or awards, I can make up for in creativity determination and imagination. I have a master plan that might get me another shot. We'll see if it works. I'll have an update in a few months on this post.....

Facebook users have bad grades.....

At least that's what a study done by doctoral candidate Aryn Karpinski of Ohio State University and her co-author Adam Duberstein of Ohio Dominican University have concluded. College students who use this very popular social networking site have a considerable difference in G.P.A. from those who don't.

Typically, Facebook users in the study had G.P.As between 3.0 and 3.5, while non-users had G.P.As between 3.5 and 4.0.

In addition, users said they averaged one to five hours a week studying, while non-users studied 11 to 15 hours per week.

The researchers surveyed 219 students at Ohio State, including 102 undergraduate students and 117 graduate students. Of the participants, 148 said they had a Facebook account.

The study found that 85 percent of undergraduates were Facebook users, while only 52 percent of graduate students had accounts.

I can't believe that facebook is the only variable between all these students that links them to lower grades. There should other considerations, like amount of time watching t.v., studying, if they work. The most important thing is, how long are these students on the site? 20 min, 45 min, an hour...more?

Sure, it can be distractating, but how much more than anything else? Maybe we'll find out more data about users in the near future, and we'll have a better idea of the impact it's having on our culture. What do you think of this study? Do you agree or do you have another opinion? Here's an article in Time that also talks about the same thing as well.

Now I have to go and check my facebook status.