A Reflection...

Wow, my first year here at MBHS has come to an end. I have been teaching for a decade. It is hard to believe. I have seen good teachers come and go. I have seen teachers get fired up and get burned out. Through ten years of teaching, I have learned many valuable lessons. Because my house holds two teachers, education and the "business" of the teaching profession are often the topics of conversation. My husband and I have had conversations over dinner that include topics such as: bus/lunch duty, secretary squabbles, roach infestation in a classroom, "Johnny" continues to fail all of my tests, "Suzie" told me today that her mother has cancer, my point guard is not a leader, my head cheerleader has an eating disorder, my principal takes me for granted, transfer of allocation forms, lunch money.... and the list goes on.

I love teaching. Most teachers don't do this job for the money or the respect (because we usually don't get much of either). We do it for the love of our subject, our students, and our desire to make a change. It is a passion that we cannot explain. We are counselors, facilitators, parents, leaders, doctors, advocates, secretaries, custodians, motivators, and experts. The other stuff.... because there is plenty of the other stuff (see list above), is just the layers we have to peel through to get to the real job.

Since summer is here, I would like to open this blog up to teachers (and students if they feel the need) to share their thoughts about teaching, learning, school policies, etc. Ask questions, add your experiences, give advice.

The first question I would like to pose is this- What would you consider a "Professional Learning Community"? Forget the book definition of this and tell your perfect school community. Where does it start? Who is involved? Define roles, explain expectations, give philosophy... I think the only way we can truly see ourselves and our schools as institutions of PROFESSIONALS who promote LEARNING and foster COMMUNITY, we must decide what our own notion of this is.

I know that you don't have much time right now, but imagine this blog being a portal to extended "lunch talks" about stuff you need to talk about. Click comment and write your thoughts. You can post anonymously ... if you choose (which would be best) you can include your first name only at the end of your comment. You don't have to create a Blogger account to comment. Just click comment and type away. This will be open to teachers of schools around the state and the world (world wide web!), so what you say may be exactly what others need to hear.

Reflect... you know you need it. Have a great summer. I will see many of you soon.

Graduation Day!!!!!

“Anyway”
Author unknown

People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable
Be frank and honest anyway.
People favor underdogs but will follow only top dogs.
Fight for some underdogs anyway.
People may need help, but may attack you if you help them.
Help people anyway.
What you spend your years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyaway.
Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough.
Give the world the best you have anyway.

“Dream Big”
Author unknown

If there were ever a time to dare,
To make a difference
To embark on something worth doing
It is now.
Not for any grand cause, necessarily –
But for something that tugs at your heart
Something that is worth your aspiration
Something that is your dream.
You owe it to yourself
To make your days count.
Have fun. Dig deep. Stretch.

Dream big.

Know, though,
That things worth doing
Seldom come easy,
There will be times when you want to
Turn around
Pack it up and call it quits
Those times tell you
That you are pushing yourself
And that you are not afraid to learn by trying.

Persist.

Because with an idea,
Determination and the right tools,
You can do great things.
Let your instincts, your intellect
And let your heart guide you.

Trust.

Believe in the incredible power
Of the human mind
Of doing something that makes a difference
Of working hard
Of laughing and hoping
Of lasting friends
Of all the things that will cross your path
Next year
The start of something new
Brings the hope of something great.
Anything is possible
There is only one you
And you will pass this way but once.

Do it right.

May God bless you and guide you on your journey! Mrs. C

Poetry from-
http://members.accessus.net/~bradley/Graduationpoems.html

Podcasts are here!!!

One last grasp for technology...

So how do you use technology in your life? When you sit down at your computer, what are your favorite sites?(Please be responsible in reporting this fact!) What technology (whether equipment or site/software) can you not do without?

For me-
email (Outlook has good features)
Mozilla Firefox Browser (very cool tab feature)
The Blog- of course
Mapquest
mp3 player (I know it is not an ipod... I thought you guys were buying me one!)
iTunes
Sonic Foundry Audio editor
Homestar Runner (If you don't know, just Google it)
4teachers.org (online tests and rubrics... hmmm)
allrecipes.com
www.myspace.com/caldwellrocks (don't make fun- keep in touch when you graduate)
my laptop (I love the Mac!)

Picture Story... What were you thinking when your class did this?

Make a Free Flash Slideshow

Book Talk

What is the best book you have ever read? Why was it important to you? What made you connect with it?

Advice to Freshmen

Use this post to leave your advice to freshmen. They are leaving the junior high and will be entering sophomores. Tell them things you wish you had known at that age- about academics, social life, activities, etc. Use this opportunity to leave your mark for others to follow.

Let your voice be heard... literally.

You know me and new tools. Thanks to The 21st Century Learning Project I get information about new tools all of the time. I know you guys are thinking, " So that is why we have been in techie overdrive all year!" Anyway, there is this wonderful tool. It is called Vaestro (pronounced like "maestro"). Of course, I created a channel for us and I want you to record your message on it. Keep in mind that this is the WORLD WIDE WEB. Your opinions and ideas should be maturely and creatively stated without making you (and me, MBHS, your family, etc.) look stupid. The topics are pretty open. Please leave your mark. Let your voice be heard!

CLICK THE CHANNEL LINK BELOW IN GREEN:

The Tiny Kingdom Meets the World

If you don't have a microphone or you don't have time, just comment here and give

ADVICE TO THE CLASS OF 2006!

Prom... ahhh, what will you do all day?

What a concept... our prom is tonight, so the seniors stay home and spend all day getting ready. I am doing some good quiet work here today.

If you had the whole day with absolutely nothing pressing that you had to do, what would you do to fill your time?

By the way, this picture is an example of the "Duck Tape" prom attire contest.

Blogging on the go

Sorry I have not updated in a bit. The countdown is really on now. Four more real school days until senior exams. If you don't count senior skip day (Prom Friday), then only 3 days!!! Amazing how time flies. Here is a great link to how to blog with the Pocket PC.

AvantBlog « Projects « Dented Reality

Yearbooks

Ahh... yearbooks. I know that there are many unusual traditions here at MB, so enlighten me on this one. At many schools students sign each others' yearbooks. Is that a tradition here? Even if it is not, let's pretend. Sign someone's yearbook here. It can be someone in our class, a teacher, a sibling, a junior or sophomore, your choice. Keep it clean. Say something meaningful, since you have a bit of time to consider your writing.

Example:


Pam,
Thanks for sharing your room with me this year. I am glad you put up with my messiness and found ways to ignore carts of computers, swords and cauldrons, and the purple boogers on the ceiling (thanks Jimbo). Your advice and good judgement have been essential to my first year at The Brook. I will miss you next year. Have fun in that new career!
Thanks,
Brandi