Dirty hands

The current unit for science includes a bunch of stuff about erosion and weathering and dirt.  The textbook talks about red soil in Hawaii and loamy soil and nutrient-rich soil and clay-rich soil.  Since a field trip to Hawaii is out of the question, the pictures and text in the book is somewhat irrelevant.

Instead, we went out side and looked for evidence of weathering and erosion.  We walked the places that water flowed and looked at the different dirt in different areas around campus.  We found places where fine particles of soil collected and we found areas with no fine soil, only rocks.  We noticed the direction the water erosion took place on the grounds of our school and checked out areas for deposition.  They felt the moisture-rich soil and shared the different soils in their hands.

And while all of this was happening, we used the appropriate vocabulary.  We noticed and wondered.  We found relevance in the ground beneath our feet.  We created connections between our world and the foreign language in that textbook.  After a great science walk, the kids mostly owned the vocabulary.  More importantly, they didn't memorize it.  They experienced it.

It is not what you say...

"It is not what you say, it is how you say it."

I have heard this since I was little.  Choosing the right tone of voice can be everything.  No matter what needs to be said, it can be said kindly.  It can be said with good heart.  Except when the words shouldn't be spoken at all.  

Choosing the right words is every bit as important as saying the right words kindly.  When you can't find the right words to say, it doesn't matter how pleasant your voice sounds.  When you can't find the right words to say, don't say them.

Puddle Jumper!

I love the rain.  I also love getting outside right after the rain!

One of my favorite things is watching a kid size up a jump across a rain puddle.  Toes on the edge, a little bend of the knees and a swing of the arms...and jump!  Then the smile!  The great thing about this risk-taking leap is that the smile comes whether those feet clear the water or they make a splash!

The goal, the plan, and the results take almost no time at all...and end with a smile!  The goal was chosen, the effort was made, and the smile came regardless of success!

What about a more long-term goal?  Wouldn't it be great to approach it with the same puddle-jumper attitude!!!

Bringing it home!

Last week, my sixth grade son opened his backpack and removed several straws and popsicle sticks held together with masking tape.  He excitedly jumped on the floor to re-create the catapult he made in science class.  The truth is, he is a tough customer when it comes to being entertained at school.  He regularly calls school "normal" and rarely says his days are good.  This day was quite different.

When I asked him to tell me about his catapult, he said he wanted to use what he learned to build a better one at home.  He went into the garage and gathered a few supplies.  He also found a giant box of popsicle sticks (Doesn't everyone have a box of these things sitting around the house?)

I watched him from afar because I didn't want to stifle his creativity.  I loved seeing his brain work through his fingers to make another, even better catapult.  I loved that his school assignment carried over to further exploration at home!  He stayed with it for quite awhile, testing and refining and testing and refining.  He was excited to show me his progress!

It was tough not to play the role of teacher at this point.  He needed me to be the excited parent!  And believe me, I was excited!

After a little more than a week, he has gone back to his interest in catapults and rubber-band propulsion several times.  I love that he has unknowingly become a little scientist and I love that he brought home this excitement from school!

Beach time!

So much to do!  So much to get done!  Gotta hurry!  Gotta go, go, GO!

This sounds like pretty much everyone I know for the next few days!  Traveling, last minute presents, and let's not forget the thirteen trips to the grocery store to get the sliced almonds for the green been casserole and the marshmallows for the sweet potatoes!  Then for those of us with kids, the morning of December 25th is all about surprise and smiles and laughter!

Then we get to some point after the craziness, and we get to slow down.  That point where we stop hurrying to get ready for the holiday and we actually relax.  

I wonder if there is a way to make things slow down over the next few days instead?  Can I slow down and soak in the next few days and relax, even though the trips to the store will still be necessary?  So many people, myself included, typically need a few days off after the vacation, to recover from the vacation. 

In the summers, I call this relaxing period, "Beach time."  After several days on the beach, with nothing to do but enjoy the minutes with my toes in the sand.  Things slow down and there is not much urgency at all.  I relax.  That doesn't mean that I sit in a chair under my EZ-Up the whole time.  For me, I am catching sea critters and fishing with my boys.  We play in the waves and play games on the beach.  I read a few pages and chat with friends.  I take a thousand pictures.  I am actually quite busy on the beach!  But it is the most relaxing busy that I know.  Beach time.

Is there a way to get myself on beach time for the next few days?  I am gonna try it out!

Drive Safely!

I remember loving cars when I was little because of the dashboard.  I loved all the little gauges with the needles that pointed out one measure or another.  I wondered what they measured and I liked to watch them move.  It took me a while to understand the tachometer.  I didn't quite comprehend how the engine speed could differ from the car's speed.  I was also intrigued by the "red zone" on the tach.  That was the engine's danger zone!

These days, I keep my eyes on the gauges in my truck to make sure my car doesn't over heat and everything is running well.  I'd prefer not to break down on the side of the road!

I was chatting with a co-worker a few days ago and he told me that he was hurrying home from work and there was a Sunday driver in the left lane with a line of cars backed up behind him and an empty lane ahead.  He was traveling 15 miles an hour under the speed limit and gradually getting slower and slower.  He said, "The slower he went, the higher my road rage gauge climbed!"

That got me thinking...we all have personal gauges for a variety of things.  We all have measures that go up and down depending on our circumstances.  Theses gauges may be more or less sensitive to certain issues than other folks.  For example, your road rage gauge may not budge when you encounter a slow driver in the left lane.  But, maybe you get cranky when that same driver throws his cigarette out of his window.  That may make your litterbug gauge jump to eleven!  I think these personal differences are somewhat based on your own personal wiring.

 I know there are tons of inventories out there to help get in touch with our personalities, our internal wires.  I think those inventories can be quite helpful for people to get to know themselves.  I have done several of them and I know that I am a learner, I am orange (True Colors), and I like to ask questions.  I also know that I need to be more patient and I need to be a bit more organized.

However, those inventories provide a snapshot.  A somewhat static, overall measure.  Realistically, many of the traits on our personal dashboards are more like the gauges in our cars.  They change constantly due to other factors.  How often do we monitor our personal gauges?  Do we know when we are about to hit the "red zone?"  Do we monitor our dashboard to make sure we don't break down on the side of the road?

Drive safely, my friends!

Happy Dance!

Last year, at a regular faculty meeting, the disco lights came on, the music played and we danced!  We talked about the courage it takes to make our school worthy of all the little people that were counting on us.  We also talked about the need to stay happy in our pursuit of excellent learning.  These talks were not preachy by any means, as the faculty owned a brave and happy attitude and brought it to life!

A few teachers, a bit out of character for them, decided they were going to head out to a local restaurant for lunch and courageously crank up some music and start dancing.  I don't remember why it didn't quite work out for them, but I thought it was really cool for them to try it!  Very happy and brave!

What changed your mind?

"You can't think your way into right actions, but you can act your way into right thinking."

According to Google, Bill Wilson gets credit for this quote but I have heard the premise many times before.  What is easier to change at first, your mind or your behavior?  In a classroom full of kids, I think we would all agree that you set the expectations for certain behaviors and the benefits of those behaviors cause kids to believe in them!

I always think about James, a great kid I taught in fifth grade.  He hated the idea of "hands on" math.  He thought that little blocks were for little kids, not fifth graders.  He wanted to learn how to do fractions and decimals on paper.  I wanted him to deeply understand how three fifths and 60% were the same.  Anytime he needed guidance with his learning, I didn't hesitate to pull some kind of blocks out of my Home Depot tool belt.  (Yes.  I wore one!)

At first, he would reluctantly work with me.  He experienced success even though his attitude said it was wrong.  After a short time, I saw him grabbing his own set of blocks to work things out.  Victory!  As his teacher, I changed his behaviors which eventually changed his mind.

More than not, if you need to change your attitude, change your behaviors first.  Your mind will follow!

Serious Business!

The Texas State Capitol was abuzz with activity a few days ago.  There were scouts setting up tables for something fun.  A huge group of folks in light blue shirts were on the steps listening to somber music and holding up signs for their cause.  Tourists posed for photos and pointed at everything.  A Segway tour hummed around the sidewalks and throngs of school children played in  the grass.  All the while, the folks working in and around the capitol went about their daily business.

I stopped and watched for a few minutes.  I watched the adults act like adults and the kids act like kids.  It reminded me of my first foray into middle school.  An 8th grade teacher told me that I acted too elementary.  I kinda thought that the place could use a little more elementary!

Watching the activity all around me, I looked for similarities between the kids playing and the blue shirt rally.  Kids were running to and fro, gathering in small groups, chasing each other.  Some were sitting and laughing, others were inspecting the trees and dirt.  A few peered through the fence and waved at passing cars.  Some hung by their teachers and others laid in the grass and looked at the sky.  It was serious business!

The rally also shared a common cause.  They wanted amnesty for some perceived injustice.  They all faced the steps of the building and shook their signs.  They stood together and clapped together.  They hurrah-ed together and cheered simultaneously.  There were also little groups doing their own thing.  Organizing tables and pamphlets.  Setting out water and snacks.  Pointing up and down sidewalks and making decisions about where to do what.  It was serious business!