GingerSnapz!

So it’s my turn on the meme where I post 7 things you don’t (or might not?) need know about me.  I have a very large number of things that I could post, but in the interest of professionalism and good taste, I’ll not post most of those. 

1.  I used to sing first soprano and have even sung a solo in Westminster Cathedral in London and the Church of the Madeline in Paris.  I would’ve done it professionally (was classically trained for many years), but knew that it would take WAY too much work for me to make a decent living at it. *And I’m lazy, hence my current profession!* Incidentally, my college choir is having a reunion of all who sang in it for the past, what, 20 years? I’m SO going to that!  I never went to a High School reunion *truthfully, I wasn’t invited to the reunion at the school from which I graduated, but did get an invite to a school reunion from which I did NOT graduate; go figure!*  but I’m going to the aCapella choir reunion!

2.  I didn’t work fast food as a high school job, but I did work as a dog groomer!  It’s also where I officially fell in love with terriers of all kinds, but specifically Westies!  *I loved dog grooming so much, maybe that will be the job I go into when I’m done with teaching!*  I also was a telemarketer, but apparently I have an annoying voice or something.  I was doing everything right according to my supervisors, but I just wasn’t making sales. When I cut my hours down due to getting the lead in a school play, I got fired. Oh well.  *”Thank you for your time and please keep us in mind for the future!”*

3.  As very few people I know, I have an unnatural fascination regarding serial killers. I wonder if it has to do with the fact that I too, used to do terrible things to animals when I was a kid.  ’nuff said.  I’m still very conscientiously working to repair my real life karma.

4.  My childhood was very…different. I know everyone has skeletons in their closet and those skeletons truly do deserve to remain there.  Suffice it to say I was one who up and moved all the family “product” (via the trunk of the car) when the man came knocking.  It’s a nice job for a sixteen year old honor student, especially when mom’s double personality included being PTO secretary, girl scout leader, etc.  *My chameleon skin is so thick, it’s nice to be around kids all day where I can really be more of my true self.*

*See, I’m finding this very difficult, because I don’t share things you don’t need to know about me.  Those things are just gross or to inappropriate in other ways. Let me continue thinking.*

5.  I’ve never broken a bone (unless you count that possible broken foot at NECC ‘08). *If you don’t get it xrayed, it’s not broken, right?*  Word to the wise: DO NOT point out a potential hazzard on the walkway for me. I know I’m a klutz; I’ve been in this body for >35 years, so I’m ALREADY staring at the ground!  If you say my name loudly and quickly, I’ll look up and will go down like a sack of potatoes!  *But thanks for trying to save me, Charlie!*
I’ve also had only one slightly bloody nose when, at age 4, my sis tried to teach me how to do a backward sommersault. She pushed me, my knee made contact with my nose and that’s pretty much where the story ends.  *It’s not that I’m careful in my physical movements; more that I’m just not so athletic.* While we’re on the subject of interesting physical traits, apparently my hips were dislocated when I was born, so the Doctor at a regular, I think, 3 month check up, twisted my little legs til I squalled. Now I can turn my legs around backward like a nice, true freak. 

6.  I secretly long to author an anonymous blog, but I don’t have the time to write it. I’d love to be my true self online, and talk about the comedians and movies and music that I like, but those just don’t mesh in with my professional self.  My kids are online and it’s really important to be a good role model. *There’s a time and a place for all that, and it’s called COLLEGE!*

7.  Before the time of celebrity chefs, I wanted to go into that profession. But my parents are *were?* hillbillies.  I had a terrific set of cookbooks and was even making hollandaise from scratch by myself in 6th grade.  The HomeEc department at my high school had a cooking unit where they *and I’m not kidding one bit* made blueberry muffins from a box! So instead I decided to take shop with the boys!  So when it came time to get some training for this profession, I didn’t know what to ask about and my dad kept referring to it as “Chef-ery School.”  I was supposed to be a smart kid, so was too embarassed to ask for the real name of the training and what path I needed to take to get there.  So instead, again, I became a teacher. 

Interesting. I tried to not create a boring post; I could’ve shocked and disgusted many, but the TMI line is not usually one I notice. I hope I was able to balance interest with prudence!

Another funny thing about this blog post? I’m going to tag some of my students, but they already know most of this stuff about me! As I said, I’m more myself around them than anyone else! 

So I’ll be tagging Mason (at Rock and Roll) and Caylie (at The Blog Club) in this meme!
Kiddoes, it’s time for you to write, carefully, seven things we didn’t need to know about you! Consider your online safety! Be sure to comment here to let us know when you’ve finished!

Each year I travel to to a high school about an hour from ours to let my 7th grade students take the SAT’s as part of Duke University’s Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP). For several consecutive years, the same great guy has been the coordinator here; a counselor at the high school. About 3 years ago, his familiar and friendly face was gone. His replacement told me a story with which I’m very familiar: he’d decided to leave eduction and had taken a job as an insurance agent. Educators know this story well. It’s a profession that takes a lot of emotional energy from a person, as well as generally being a chosen lifestyle that one wears 24/7. Hearing that another long-time educator had left the field before retirement age is nothing new and every educator can empathize with each story.

However, this year when I returned I was surprised (and delighted) to see this dedicated man back at his post. He told me he’d tried his hand in another field and found that it was so difficult to make that switch that after one year, he came back to education. He was not ready to give up his relationship with his high school students, as well as not really prepared for the very different pace and environment of an independent insurance professional. He had been working as a counselor again for the past 2 years and couldn’t be happier to be back. He said, “We think the grass is always greener, don’t we?”

Hearing this story and having my students’ 4 hour testing duration as ample opportunity to consider it, I reflected on his words. The grass truly does seem greener for everyone, doesn’t it?

For the past 2.5 years, I’ve been listening and reading intently as the schools of the future are being theoretically built in books, blogs, communities, conferences, and conversations. I’ve also spent a great deal of time studying the leaders of these communities, weighing who seems to know their stuff and who seems to be making a buck or a name for themselves. I’ve often thought that I may like to be one of those leaders after creating a proving ground for myself at TPLC. Alas. As I look deeper and allow my foot to stray across the fence into that in that seductive meadow, I find the pasture has taken a distinctly different verdant hue. Do I actually have to cross over to find out?

Likewise, it seems that my students spend a great deal of time considering other pastures. When they arrive at Turning Point Learning Center, they believe they’ve dived head first into the lushest of all green fields. However, after a year or so in, it seems that they have begun considering other opportunities. Is it that the TPLC field isn’t really green? That the words of the experts aren’t true: that the efforts of the staff (me) aren’t enough? Or is it that the green has simply faded and the eyes of the budding teenagers are simply wandering, as they’re supposed to.

If the words of the experts aren’t true, or that my efforts aren’t good enough, where does that leave us? How does one till and seed ground that that the ground breakers haven’t yet reached?

Or if the eyes of the teenagers are wandering, how do we enrich their current environment to sustain educational nutrition? I’ve heard Chris Lehmann, Principal at the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia say that PBL, tools, and novelty isn’t enough to sustain engagement and I’ve found that to be completely true.

Maybe Chris has found the right answer; maybe I should consider applying to work at his school; maybe I could get “off the farm” here in Kansas. I hear it’s the perfect place to work and the kids are always engaged…

I’ve been playing a little bit and want to share with you! 

I drew this little dancer in about 3 minutes and now she’s groovin forever!  Have fun playing a LITTLE bit, but I wonder…

What would be a really cool use for some little dancer like this?   

Sometimes I’m as as bad as my middle schools students in not wanting to fully complete a job. I’ll get all the essentials finished, but sometimes, well, actually, OFTEN…Oh, I’ll just go ahead and admit it to myself: very rarely do I like to go in and put the finishing touches on the event, work, whatever.  I hate it. I abhor it. It’s truly distasteful work. I’d prefer to be on to the new. Not the “been -there-done-that” project.

So what’s the lesson for myself today?
Every single job really does deserve to be completely finished. 

This includes the proverbial crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s.  This includes adding the final coat of varnish.  This includes not only getting the contact info for someone and calling it once, but following through and actually setting up the event.  I’m not so good at that and I excuse my behavior by saying “I’m a big-picture thinker.”  I often rely on others to tie up loose ends. 

Would I accept that behavior in my students? Nope.  Why not?  Because IRL (in real life) we let people down when we don’t finish out the job, or we make more work and/or stress for ourselves, trying to scramble well beyond the acceptable amount of time.  We should’ve finished, but we didn’t.  We just went on to the next job and things went haywire because we didn’t finish it properly. Or worse, the poor finish reflects as if I’m a poor worker, which I most certainly am not.  

Since they say a picture is worth a 1000 words, I think we really ought to look at a few pictures to quickly illustrate this point:

While that situation is funny to us sitting comfortably in our chairs, imagine the fallout from this.  You know there were carts damaged and they can’t send out damaged goods to stores.  You know the truck driver is on a time schedule and needed to be somewhere, or at the least, for productivity costs, NO ONE should load a truck twice. 

Yet so many people neglect to finish jobs.  It’s time to start; if I’m going to expect my students to finish their jobs, I really need to be the very best role model there is.  Actions speak louder than words, right?  Even wrong actions speak loudly and that’s not what I’m trying to say. 

Take a breath, make your to-do list.  Then make another list: a finish list.  It’ll do everyone some good!

I’m trying to get a better blog going with the help of a terrific resource from Steve Dembo, called How to Be a Better Blogger in 30 Days!  I sure hope that you check out his advice and also let me know how I’m doing with my blog as we go!

Any input is appreciated; just be gentle!

I just came back from the local town meeting where we got to hear from Emporia citizens who are truly fired up about a possible city-wide smoking ban.  We’ve been studying and learning about how the democratic process works, so when the kids expressed a deep interest in this, I my mind nearly exploded! 

In this season of political campaigns, as well as great economic upheaval, I really do want my students to be looking at what *they* can do right now, in 4 years, in 8 years, and in 20 years!  Voila, I tuned into LinkTV and found the link to the webpage.  There are many, many terrific videos on here, but I’m sharing this one with you, called What Does Change Look Like? highlighting people who truly is or has made a difference in this world.

Take a look here and I hope you’re able to leave a comment about activism = democracy = change.

Empathy. I got a good dose of it.

So this morning I woke up bleary-eyed, hungry, and not wanting to go to school.  It’s not that I don’t like school, it’s just that I wanted to SLEEP.   I had a good breakfast, but I was still hungry. 

Funny, I started thinking about students and how some come to school feeling the same way.  The one saving grace is that I love my work, so was able to fight through the feeling.  What would happen if I was a student and HATED school?  I’d never have fought through it and would have begged to stay home.  I may even develop real symptoms of sickness due to the unhappiness.

This really gives me a need and a push to keep the school fun and a place that my students want to come to.  I want them to LOVE the school as much as I do.  I can’t imagine feeling that way and having to go some place I hated. 

Empathy:  I got a good dose of it.

What have you experienced lately that has allowed you to “walk in another person’s shoes?”  What has helped you develop empathy?

This is a new blog I’m going to try to keep up.  My students are posting so I’d like to jump in the deep end with them. 

For those of you new to blogs, please check out the following video from the awesome folks at Common Craft!

So in closing, what do you think I should blog about: my personal thoughts/ideas, my professional thoughts and ideas, or something completely different?