June 2017

Chocolate 4 Teachers 2:55 PM 2 comments

Is education truly valued? I'm not so sure that education is a valued commodity. In cultures, other than the U.S., education is valued. It must be earned. Failing to do so is an embarrassment. Here, and I'm sure in other places, failure is someone else's fault. Responsibility and Accountability have been replaced with Entitlement and Enabling. "Please help me" has been replaced with "Do it for me." I don't operate that way. I worked long, hard hours to earn my degrees. Granted my freshman year in college was quite an adjustment (to say the least), but after that year I realized that I was ashamed of failure- still am. I wanted to achieve. I wanted to do well. I didn't want to disappoint my parents or shame them. I knew if I failed that it was my fault. I had no one else to blame. Consequently, the education I earned was my education. No one could, or can, steal it from me.

I am so privileged every time I work with a student who takes pride in their work and wants to achieve. Someone who wants to complete public school and attend college. Someone who understands that an education will open doors for them. Let me rephrase that last comment. Education will open doors for you if you have the initiative to knock. No one is going to beat down your door because you aced the physics test. No one is going to ring your doorbell because your instructor said that you had potential. Everyone has potential. To do something.

I had an interesting conversation with someone this week. Someone who stressed that they weren't afraid of work and realized that while they were in college they couldn't be picky. Their job choices were limited because of their school hours, but working was important because they would be networking with others and, hopefully, opening doors in preparation for graduation. Smart thinking! I did the same (not that I thought I doing the smart thing. I needed to work, so I worked). While I was in college I worked on campus and during summers off I worked at a job in the field in which I planned to make my career. I was a reliable and dedicated employee which earned a recommendation for my first job. I appreciated my manager providing such a valuable reference. Without my work history and my manager's reference, I wouldn't have landed such an awesome job right out of college. It took both my degree to qualify me and my work ethics to speak for me.

There is something to be said for work. Hard,honest work. Being dedicated and motivated. Add those qualities to an employee with an education and you have a keeper. Notice the combination. Experience + Education. Nothing is more frustrating to me than to hear a student talk about the high level job they are going to get as soon as they graduate. No entry level job for them! Then, when it doesn't happen, they are disappointed and think that an education isn't important and the college failed them. Well, no one failed them. They failed themselves by believing the lie. You have to demonstrate that you can put your book knowledge to work. Show those skills. Being book smart can't replace common sense or self-motivation. Put your education to work.

As educators, we want education and ourselves to be respected and valued. We can help our 'cause' by educating our students in real-world thinking. First, no one is going to give you anything. You need to earn it. And, let's use that term. Earn. We don't give our students an education, nor do we give them grades. They must earn them. Secondly, it is up to the student to use their education. There are no limits. Only the boundaries they place on themselves. A diploma sitting on a shelf won't do much good. Dust it off. Discover your potential.

So... is an education valuable? I think that it is the most valuable thing you can provide for yourself. But, don't provide the education without the experience or the willingness to use it. An education is only as good as the person who applies what they know.

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Chocolate 4 Teachers

Chocolate 4 Teachers 11:57 AM No Comments

I'm sure to step on toes today. Sorry in advance. I don't mean to, but I feel very strongly about this issue. The freedom of speech. We all have our own opinions, right? So, why are we so eager to censor others, just because we disagree with them. This has made it to the news in different levels this week, but all alarming.

First, a student was denied his diploma because he did not read the speech prepared by school administrators. He wrote one thanking his mother and God. Apparently, this was unacceptable to school administrators and teachers. Later, he was given his diploma and an apology, but what did he learn from this instance? I hope that he learned that defending freedom, everyone's freedom, not just those who agree with you is important. He has already enlisted in the military so he apparently believes in fighting for freedom. I hope that all of the administrators and teachers that condemned him will appreciate his service which protects their freedom. What was also disturbing to me was the fact that the journalist reporting the incident lumped all educators into the same basket. According to the news media, we are all a bunch of closed minded individuals that do not applaud our students achievements if they disagree with us and we are not educating them to search for facts and express their opinions. That wouldn't describe me or many of my colleagues. Maybe he should meet some of the teachers I know.

On another level, a woman, wearing a Trump t-shirt, was ridiculed at a Starbucks. She left feeling humiliated. Did the associates forget that she was a customer? Did they think it was okay to print a message to her on her drink? I think they forgot that paying customers are the reason they have job. She did receive an apology from Starbucks, who stated that they will use this as a learning opportunity. Great. I just hope that they do. And, I hope that they instill in their employees a sense of respect regardless of the opinions of others.

Social media certainly hasn't been any help. We think that because we are safe behind our computer screens that it makes it okay to trash someone. We unfriend and block people without giving it a second thought. Ranting and raving is the norm for some. I don't get it. If you don't like my posts or what I have to say, scroll on by. I'm not forcing you to read it or agree with it. And, please don't call me names. You don't know me. You only read my FB posts and judge me. I'm not judging you, nor am I being childish and blocking you. I'm reading and, if I don't agree, I respectfully scroll on by.

That is what is missing. Respect. The ability to agree to disagree. It will come as a shock to some that we don't all agree. That doesn't make you right and me wrong. It makes us different. That is what makes us a great nation. We all think for ourselves and forge new ideas and make discoveries. By working together we can do things we could never do alone. Disagreement makes us dig deeper, have a better understanding of what we believe and why we believe it. Disagreement helps us find the bugs in a plan and work them out. Disagreement that results in arguments, violence, depictions of violence, or some other equally immature way only deepen the problem. These methods are not solutions.

Are responsibilities being taught in school, along with freedoms? Do people, young and old alike, realize that with all of our rights we have responsibilities? Apparently not. We've crossed the line between socially acceptable and downright disgusting. Are we teaching students what the Constitution and Bill of Rights says or what we want it to say? Do we have the right to force our interpretations on a captive audience? NO. We don't have the privilege of enforcing our ideology in the classroom. We are modeling behavior for impressionable young people that we are teaching how to think for themselves. How to explore and research. Don't believe everything you read or see. We all know the old adage, "You can't yell 'Fire' in a crowded theater." But, do we know the legality behind it and, more importantly, are we teaching it? You see.. this is the responsibility part. It goes hand in hand with the rights part. We can't have one without the other. We want our kids to grow up to be independently thinking, mature adults that express themselves wisely. We can do this by teaching the whole picture, not just the one that agrees with us. After all, it isn't about me. It is about my students and their future.

What freedom is all about!

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Chocolate 4 Teachers

Chocolate 4 Teachers 7:19 AM No Comments

We are right in the middle of summer school. Buses are running. Kids are hopping off and teachers are greeting them with a smile. Parents are relieved. But, how beneficial is summer school? I'd say that summer school was highly beneficial IF it is designed to be beneficial and not just a babysitting service. Let's face it, in some cases, school has become the babysitter. We get there earlier and earlier to greet those little sleepy faces and stay later and later waiting on parents to get off work. Now, summer school fills a new niche. We have to be careful that summer school doesn't become a daycare. We have to design lessons and activities in a perfect balance of learning and fun.

I'm sure we've all taught summer school at one time or another. And, I'm sure that most of us have some tales to tell, but how many have actually been part of a summer school where learning was pushed to the top of the agenda? I hope everyone has had that experience. Learning should be the number one priority. BUT, I think that is should be accomplished in a fun and engaging way.

Keep in mind students are just as excited about summer as we are. Can you imagine their disappointment when they discover that they've been signed up for summer school? Now, top that off when they learn that summer school is a sit-in-a-row-memorize-all-day experience. No one wants that. There are creative ways to keep kids on the right track without boring them to tears. There are ways to get them up and moving without dissolving into total chaos.

What about reading under a tree? Tree not available, okay, what about going to the auditorium, stage, or room not being used. Sometimes just a change in venue lightens the task. Kids don't like reading aloud. No problem! Read to them. I have yet to meet a child that didn't like to hear a good story. And, why not select something that is over their reading level. Give them a chance to experience something they couldn't on their own. The best choices (again, my opinion) are mysteries. Especially when you stop at the climax. They can't wait to hear what happens. Tomorrow. Don't cave in and keep reading. Make them wait.

Learning multiplication? Or addition and subtraction? If a trip to the store (or school cafeteria) is in the budget, have students figure how much it would cost for everyone to get an ice-cream treat. Better yet. Flag down the ice-cream truck. Do you have a playground area? Why not hook up some sprinklers and let them figure how much water it takes to water the lawn? Drop by drop. Or, how long it takes to water the lawn? Minute by minute!

Writing? There are a million ways to make writing fun, even for those who can't think of a thing to write. Look up at the clouds. What do you see? A pirate. A dog running across the sky. A fierce Indian Chief. There are some great writing prompts just above you. Look around the school. What would happen if.... we were trapped here all night, we discovered a secret room, a strange cloud suddenly enveloped the school????

See? All it takes is a little imagination and learning is FUN! Summer school is a blast. And, most importantly... summer school is beneficial.

Speaking of summer fun.....

Summer Fun Printables & Task Cards

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Chocolate 4 Teachers 12:41 PM 2 comments

Awww.... nothing to do. No alarm clock to interrupt my reverie. No responsibilities. Just me and summer. Then reality hits. Ballgames. Summer events. Vacations. Family Reunions. Back to School. Bam! Summer's over. And, it just got started.

How do you spend your summer? Resting and relaxing or running kids to every sporting event and attending every family function? Or, maybe you do a mixture of both. However, you spend your time the biggest plus (for me) is not setting the alarm. I hate, yes hate, my alarm. My body hates my alarm. That annoying little intrusive piece of electronics!

My summer is just my sweetheart and me and our furry babies. And responsibilities. Lots of them. Obligations. Well-meaning people that think I have nothing to do because I'm on summer break.
Well... actually... I don't get a summer break where I currently work. Our classes are year-round. No breaks. No summer (that's okay- I'm only part-time). So all of those good intentions about signing me up or insinuating that I have nothing better to do all day, please just let them slip right out of your mind. Please don't think of me first because you know I'm just dying of boredom. I'm not.

I'm good at keeping myself busy. I know that you don't think sitting at a computer typing a blog or those little ole lessons for kiddos is work. I know that you think this is child's play. I know that you think catching up on household chores, or doing the routine laundry doesn't take up much of my time so surely I'd like a little diversion. Maybe... not so much.

You see... teachers work a whole, entire year in just 9 months! That's right, we cram 12 months of work into 36 weeks. Summer is our time to catch up, spend with our families, do things we want or need to do. Summer is our time. So, thanks for thinking of us... but....

Speaking of those little ole lessons.... Check out these mysterious reading units...