– Originally posted August 28th, 2007 – If you come to a fork in the road, take it. – Yogi Berra Transitions I’ve taken a job at a high school and I am looking forward to the new challenge! After seven years of teaching Grade 8’s and two years of teaching Grade 9’s, I will […]
Category: pairadimes
Reflections: Stirring in the crock pot
Spring brings new beginnings just as a school year comes to an end. As a teacher it is difficult not to be reflective in June. Special moments remembered, peppered lightly with what could have been, and never transpired. The nostalgia seems to loom more so this year as I contemplate a move after my nine-year […]
The Capacity to Lead
Students of all ages have the capacity to lead. For a few years now I have taken a group of Grade 7 and 8 students to our feeder schools to teach the incoming Grade 5’s the “Seven Secrets of Leadership”, but really it is about so much more than that! This is from the e-mail […]
bRinging tools to class
Today during a Math lesson on Surface Area and Volume: Mr. Truss, I forgot my calculator, can I borrow one? Do you have your cell phone? Yes? Then you have a calculator. Really? I can use my cell phone? Really! Cell phones and mp3 players in the classroom: Not Obstacles but Opportunities “Kids are going […]
How to Prevent Another Leonardo da Vinci
… continue teaching school like it is 1890. “Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!” -LEONARDO DA VINCI Here it is from Kris, a 15 year-old former student, “How to Prevent Another Leonardo da Vinci“. I think this post should be mandatory for every student teacher to read before they graduate. […]
Statement of Educational Philosophy
[Originally posted May 23rd,’07] I wrote this three years ago, but recently had to make a change… As little as one year ago the second paragraph did not exist for me, and now it is placed in a position of importance. I post my Statement of Educational Philosophy now, after reading and posting a comment […]
Blogging with students requires biting your [digital] tongue
In my last post about my Science Alive wiki, I mentioned that our Renaissance Fair Project was starting, (here is the assignment). I also mentioned that with our lousy computer lab, I wouldn’t be blogging again as I did last year. Well, I decided to go ahead anyway! I can’t use our useless communal teacher […]
Wikis in the classroom: a reflection.
Well here it is, my completed Science Alive Wiki. After an incident delayed getting feedback from my students until last Monday, things got extremely busy with preparation for the Renaissance Fair and my Grade 5 Transition Retreats [the subject of a future post]. All this included 3 afternoons out of my classroom at other functions… […]
More than one face to Cyberbullying in the classroom
I apologize in advance for the clinical nature of my description below… these are students currently in my class, and this blog is open for anyone to read. Background: Student 1 is male; Students 2 & 3 are female. Student 1 and 2 ‘dated’ earlier in the year. Student 1 and 3 are good friends… […]
School 2.0h no, not yet…
I’ve been having this conversation in a few different places, and now I need to put my thoughts together. Here is a summary of some discussions and e-mail messages, a Wesley Fryer’s post “Advice for designing the school of the future” and my comment there, and my forum post in the School 2.0 social network […]