I am an animal lover. Anyone who knows me, knows that. Everything, but reptiles, but especially cats.  I was appalled with the recent headlines concerning Cecil, the friendly lion from Zimbabwe.  In fact, I am appalled every time an animal is killed for purposes other than food or to put it out of its' misery. I think hunting for sport is wrong, inhumane, and horrible. Well, don't even get me started on baiting in the prey. So, it comes as no surprise that I would be upset and angered by this man's selfish actions.

Then, someone posted a picture of a child starving in Zimbabwe. And, for the first time I really saw what I have heard about in the news and from my boss, a native of Zimbabwe. Children are starving.  Really. I used to think that all the commercials were just a hoax to get my money. But over the past year, I have heard Dr. B. talk passionately about the need to help the children of Zimbabwe. I have listened to and been emotionally moved by his words, but until I saw the picture comparing the life of a child to that of a lion, it wasn't real. Whether the picture was real or not, God made it real, to me, in that instant.

I couldn't go to sleep last night. I kept thinking of my selfishness and the way I've turned a blind eye to problems that don't directly affect me. I am so ashamed. I worry about running out of creamer for my coffee and losing electricity in a thunderstorm (I don't want to lose my air conditioning in this heat wave!).  But there are defenseless, innocent children, who are the victims of their country, who have no one to help them. Children who have never had a decent meal, let alone cream in their coffee.  Children who have never had air conditioning and live in one of the hottest regions of the world.

I have heard the argument that we have starving children right here in the United States, so why would we help foreigners. Yes, there are children that go without in the United States. I have seen it in the classroom and I have fed many. We don't have to look starvation in the face on a daily basis. We don't see children dying of starvation in our schools or on our streets. The majority of Americans live in comfort compared to those in other countries. What it comes down to is this: Would you let a child starve just because they didn't share your ethnic background?

Zimbabwe is home to the beauty of Victoria Falls and Lake Kariba, but it is also home to children who live with the fallout of mining practices that have left toxic waste behind. Zimbabwe is home to orphans at the hands of AIDS.  Zimbabwe is the home of people just like you and me. Well, maybe not just like you and me. They are happy with the clothes on their backs. They are content to have a cup of uncontaminated water.  And, they are dying.

I am still appalled by the tragic shooting of Cecil. I still love animals. But, now I better understand the plight of children in Zimbabwe. Now, I will listen to Dr. B. more closely and ask how I can help.
I want to make a difference.

If you are interested in ways to help, send me an email and I will connect you with Dr. B.




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I grew up in southwest Missouri. Not exactly an area steeped in our nation's history, but enough to whet my appetite.   Thanks to my family, the love of history was ingrained early.  Before I was old enough to read, my parents and grandfather were reading tales of Laura Ingalls Wilder to me and taking me to visit nearby historical markers, family cemeteries,  and planning family vacations to visit some of our nation's national parks and "out-of-the-way-little-known sites".  My great aunt took me to Newtonia, Missouri so I could tour the Ritchey Mansion and see where Belle Starr had been held prisoner during the Civil War.  A littler further down the road stood the marker for the Civil War battle of Newtonia.  Some family friends asked me to join them when they explored a Civil War cemetery. My grandfather took me to the ghost town of Jollification, Missouri to see the barn that he helped to build as a young man.


As an adult, I have been thankful for all of those family vacations
to places near and far, for all of the experiences that I have had that
have made me curious and eager to explore. I find history (famous or not) fascinating. It always amazes me that others don't feel the same, but every year, that I taught History, I would find one or two or three (or more) that thought history was boring.  Boring?  How can a town of empty buildings telling a silent story be boring?  How can a floor painted black to cover the blood of wounded soldiers be boring? How can a daring escape from a second story window be boring?  Unfortunately, to some, it is boring. I find this to be more common as the years pass. The "younger generation" is less and less interested in our past.  History is something to be endured rather than absorbed. What a shame!  We live in a great nation, with a great history, but it is being lost.

What can we do about it?  Make history come alive. That may mean leaving textbooks in the closet and getting out travel brochures or national park resources. I have found that state and national parks are more than willing to load teachers up with resources. It is refreshing and exciting to have students pour over the resources, learning about places many of them will never visit. Bring in your own photographs and share them. Read historical fiction aloud and have your students create their own story or play. I still have students that stop me and say they remember the Civil War play that they wrote and performed. Yes, this was before the age of technology. My students researched using books! Amazing! And, what they learned and retained!  Still puts a smile on my face.

Better yet, some of those students have grown up to become teachers. It is my hope that whatever subject they teach they are making it come alive for their students. After all, the reason learning our history is so important is to keep it alive and to keep the spark of learning alive. Learning history can create lifelong learners by developing that sense of curiosity. That should be our main goal- creating lessons so enticing that our students want to keep learning, want to keep exploring long after we are gone.

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I think responsibility and accountability go together. It just makes sense that someone who takes responsibility will also be accountable.  I do think we can model and teach these character traits to our students. I disagree with the concept that some people are born more responsible than others, but I realize that some people will never 'get it'.  To say, that someone doesn't have the ability to be responsible is just an excuse ( and don't get me started on what I think about excuses!).

To model responsibility, we need to take ownership of our mistakes and actions. Don't be so important that you can't admit to and apologize for your errors. We're all human and we all make them.  There have been times, my students will tell you, that I publicly apologized for making a mistake. I got the date of the assembly wrong, I made a discipline decision based only on what I had observed, not on all the facts, or (heaven forbid) I taught them the wrong way to punctuate. Life is all about making mistakes, admitting them, righting the wrongs, and learning from them. If we are afraid to be human enough to admit to failure, what will our kids think?

I agree that it is much easier to teach if all the adults in the building are modeling it. But, there are always a few that don't and those are the ones that get thrown in your face. "But, what about Mr. Jones? He never makes us turn our assignments in on time!"  Ouch!  How do you respectfully answer that and teach this student responsibility when it isn't expected of him all the time?  "I understand that Mr. Jones may not always expect this, but this is my class and I need to see your progress more frequently." That works, but in the student's mind, you're just an old stick in the mud who doesn't understand the younger generation.  To overcome this misconception, show your students why it is important to view their progress. Give them opportunities to correct and learn from their mistakes.

It is the same with discipline, which is almost a thing of the past. You consider it insubordination (I know, a strong word) for a student to repeatedly turn in assignments late, if at all.  It is insubordination. They are pushing the envelope just to see how far they can get in regards to the limits. We all have deadlines to meet- IEPs, grade reports, progress reports- and so do students. School is their work and the assignments are their responsibility (there it is again) to complete in a timely fashion. Would my principal overlook late progress reports quarter after quarter? No. So, why should we expect less from our students?  Back to the discipline for late or missing assignments. Turn it back around on the student. Ask them to determine what they should be held accountable for and how much of it is their responsibility to complete.  Ask them for a responsible solution. Doesn't work every time and usually doesn't work the first few times, but sooner or later, they will start saying, "I know this is my responsibility to complete," or "I know I will be held accountable for this."  Before you know it, they are modeling responsibility and accountability because they know what you expect. Again, this is hard to do without administrative support. It is really hard to tell a student what you expect when your building administrator doesn't hold students to the same level of accountability.

So, how do you teach responsibility and accountability? I think modeling and expecting it are the two best ways.  Let your students see you take responsibility for an action. Tell them about the things that you are accountable for. Use the words responsibility and accountability regularly in the classroom. Use them in reference to your job duties, expectations, and results. Show them and tell them that, as the teacher, you are held accountable for the student's safety and learning (among a million other things).  Playing educational games will also teach responsibility and accountability. Collaborative learning is a great way for students to experience how each team member has a responsibility to the team.  Any team activity your students participate in is a way for them to see that they play a role that is important to the team AND important for the team's success.

So, what will your students think of you if you raise your expectations? I know what my kids think of me. Some feel that I am stubborn and out of touch because I hold my ground for what I believe is right. Some feel that I was unfair with the consequence I gave them for their behavior.  But the majority have told me personally and in letters, "You may be strict, but you are fair and we always know where we stand with you", "You always tell us the truth and you teach us how to make mistakes and admit them and move on", "You've taught me respect", " You've taught me responsibility." Awww... there it is. Responsibility.  Good. I succeeded with some.


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This blog does not share personal information with third parties nor do I store any information about your visit to this blog other than to analyze and optimize your content and reading experience through the use of cookies. You can turn off the use of cookies at anytime by changing your specific browser settings. I am not responsible for republished content from this blog on other blogs or websites without my permission. This privacy policy is subject to change without notice and was last updated on June 5, 2015. If you have any questions feel free to contact me directly at kimberlyfrencken@gmail.com

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Perceptions can be tricky. I see things one way and you may see them another.  I once had a very wise principal tell me that, "It doesn't matter who is right or who is wrong. What matters is how the situation is perceived."   She had a point.  A good one. It took me awhile to see that and agree.  It all comes back to how we look at something. What angle are we viewing? What points catch our interest? 

Have you thought about applying this principle to the classroom? We may be teaching from one perspective, but our students are viewing the subject from another.  

Try switching things around when you present a topic. Start backwards. Start with the question first.  Or let a student present the lesson and become a student yourself. Ask questions. Listen and look from the other side of the room.  By doing this, you may realize that some vital part of the information we are presenting is unclear, or we may see our explanation as too vague or confusing.  Play "Stump the Teacher". Let students ask you questions about the subject to try and stump you. This is always eye-opening. I perceive some of the questions as "unfair". Just like my students perceive some of my questions as being "unfair".  This opens up a discussion that leads to deeper understanding (and better questioning). 

We may perceive something as being too juvenile for our students. Why not let them decide  if they like the cutesy posters or funny cartoon?  It might actually grab their attention. We might view something as too complicated. What is wrong with challenging our students? Nothing. And, they might surprise us. I love to challenge my students and push the bar a little higher. I love to see them attain levels that they didn't think were possible. 

When it comes to discipline, changing perspective works wonders. Put the student in your shoes. Let them solve the problem.  Oh, you can be sure that they will take their side at first. They will justify their actions. But, remind them that they are no longer the student. They are the teacher making a decision that affects not only the 'offending' student, but also the entire class. The longer they think about it, the more they will begin to take ownership of their actions. Responsibility and Accountability in action!  

Does changing perception work every time with everyone? No, nothing works for everyone all the time. There is no magic solution. There are no easy answers. Just more suggestions. Just teachers working together to share what has worked for them and what might work for you. Just sharing our perceptions with our colleagues, hoping to make our jobs a little easier.

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This blog does not share personal information with third parties nor do I store any information about your visit to this blog other than to analyze and optimize your content and reading experience through the use of cookies. You can turn off the use of cookies at anytime by changing your specific browser settings. I am not responsible for republished content from this blog on other blogs or websites without my permission. This privacy policy is subject to change without notice and was last updated on June 5, 2015. If you have any questions feel free to contact me directly at kimberlyfrencken@gmail.com

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              Happy 4th of July!!!!

I'm taking the day off!  
So, I've linked a few suggestions for a good read!


This blog post is an excellent read on the changing state of schools and how to tell if your child is in a failing school.

Or, if you would like to select your own article to read, check out this variety on my Pinterest Blog Site, Favorite Blogs.

Or, if you are using this week-end to get ahead on some classroom ideas, try Teacher Stuff or Literacy Centers.

I have several other boards at Pinterest Chocolate 4 Teachers. Take your pick!

Have an awesome and safe week-end.

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                     (can you tell I LOVE chocolate!)

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Chocolate 4 Teachers