“Why Bother?” - Dana Patterson2/8/2011 9:14:14 AMWhy bother you ask? I wake up everyday knowing in my mind I can make a difference. Rain or shine I can brighten at least one child’s day if I try! Giving a smile as they walk into my classroom, complimenting them on their nice sweater, or simply taking the time to listen to what they have to say can mean a whole lot on any given school day. I asked my 8th period seventh graders if they knew what passion meant and if so describe it for me. Some of the replies I received were happy, excited, and fun. I then proceeded to ask them if they thought I myself was a passionate teacher and luckily they said yes! Phew! They told me it’s quite obvious to see which teachers enjoy their job and sadly which do not! I’m glad I am on the plus + side.:)
Prelude & Fugue - Yoon Soo Lim 2/8/2011 9:02:33 AMPrelude & Fugue
It’s her eager voice to tell me she’d sing a new song in front of her class,
It’s his willingness to borrow a guitar over a weekend to work on a chord progression,
It’s their sweet voices gently humming the songs in the hallway while working on their project,
It’s their soft eyes before a concert, with a questioning stare, “Are you sure we can sing this?”,
It’s their bouncy dance steps after taking a quiet bow and a curtsy,
It’s their bubbly giggles and chuckles as they sing and play games,
It’s their never ending request for me to sing them a spooky song around Halloween,
They are my joys!
My Thoughts on Passion - Lyn Hilt2/7/2011 5:06:00 PMPassion is a word that has recently taken center stage in many conversations involving education. We seek to cultivate learning conditions where students can find, develop, and learn in the name of their passions. Schools are looking for passionate, innovative teachers and administrators to lead the way with these efforts. Why is passion such a priority?
As a principal, I have a unique opportunity in that my viewpoint allows me to gaze upon my entire learning community and witness the passions of so many intertwine. I interact with hundreds of children daily, each one unique, charming, inquisitive, and passionate about something. Many children have not yet discovered their passions, and I believe our duty as educators is to help shape learning experiences that will help them uncover their worlds and identify that which makes their souls sing.
Passion - Tim Gwynn2/7/2011 5:01:00 PMMany respond with a look of utter confusion when I explain that I turned my back on two years of pre-med classes for the picture book reading life of elementary education major. It's true, I wanted to be a doctor, a pediatrician to be exact, and I set out on that path during the final two years of my high school career. However, deep down in my gut, I always had deep admiration for teachers. I had some of the most amazing teachers growing up, and to this day I owe a lot of who I am as a teacher to them (Thank you Mrs. Alameda & Mr. McBride). Teaching was where I was headed until the status and money perfumed fragrance of the medical profession wafted into my olfactory receptors like the aroma of chocolate chip cookies fresh out of mom's oven. It took an organic chemistry class kicking my ass to knock some sense back into my head (and trust me, it kicked hard). It allowed me to reflect on what I really wanted to do for the rest for the rest of my life.
My Thoughts on Passion - Michelle Baldwin2/4/2011 9:52:00 AMI’ve been thinking a lot since the Amy Chua, aka Tiger Mom,
posts and
reaction articles exploded last week, including
Michelle Rhee’s own response.
Mostly, I’ve been trying to wrap my brain around what people consider necessary skills or necessary knowledge versus sheer talent.
So, what exactly do we expect kids to know and be able to do? Does talent fit in this answer? Or do we explain away that some people have God-given talents that most don’t have… and that’s okay?
Passion For Real Education Reform - Steven Anderson2/4/2011 9:42:00 AMDepending on who you listen to, this is a really great time to be an educator or a really bad time to be one. On one side you have those that would have you believe our education system is broken, un-fixable, so far beyond repair that they reach at straws trying to find something that will bring us back from the brink of disaster. On the other, there are those that know there is greatness out there, it just isn’t seen in the mainstream. There are lots of voices, each trying to be louder than the last, proclaiming that they have the right idea.
Me?
#Project PLN Mission Statement2/4/2011 9:30:00 AMYou've seen the crazy videos, you've heard the chatter on Twitter, you might be asking yourself, what is this Project PLN and why are we doing it? Teaching can be a lonely profession in some schools. You teach all day in your classroom and enjoy brief encounters with colleagues in the teachers lounge or passing quickly in the hallway. There isn't a lot of time to have a meaningful conversation about education and learning. Project PLN aims to connect educators.
He Said:
One day I woke up and thought it would be a cool idea to have a collection of posts in one spot to send to other teachers. I contacted Kelly about the idea of creating a magazine that would collect posts from educators around the world in one spot. After a few DMs on Twitter, we created Project PLN.