St. Augustine 2010

Just back from a whirlwind tour of St. Augustine Florida and all its tourism, history and heat. We survived upper 90's weather with a health dose of 80-85 degree water and air conditioning. I do not know how Ponce de Leon drank that water. The Flagler history there was mind blowing. Golf at the King and the Bear was phenomenal. Good time, good city and good to be home where I can consider a pair of sweatpants tonight because 66 is a bit chilly.

Sunny day

So here I am at work and looking out at 75 and beautiful. How do people do it? How do they work through this weather? I can't and I am out of here.

Game 6

Teamwork and knowing your role, that is why the Celts are here. Wouldn't it be great if everyone understood this in all they did?

Beat LA

I do not watch too much regular season pro basketball but when the playoffs come around I do. I love the Celtics run they have made and I have hope that older men can still play a little ball.

Energy

Is there an inverse proportion for student energy at the end of the year and adult energy? These two weeks of school are always the most trying and exciting. Hold on!

Time

I realized over vacation that I would really like to control my time. Time for work and time for fun under my control would be really living. I feel controlled rather free to enjoy the things I need and want to do. We are overbooked in my house and finding time to enjoy the better things of life is a challenge sometimes. Like now.

Homework

SO where do you stand on homework? How much should students be doing? Are students supposed to be spending hours after a full day in school and after all their activities? I am having serious thoughts about homework. What are your thoughts?

Week before vacation

What is it about the week before a vacation? The energy level goes way up as if some part of us is already on vacation. Wittingly or unwittingly, I always seem to schedule a million things to do and almost make it like I have to go on vacation to recover from the crazy week preceding it. Interviews, school board meeting, practices for my kids, and all that goes with being a principal normally is enough to send me over the edge. Our memory is short when it comes to year to year for this type of thing. I for one never learn.

If

If someone writes a blog and no one reads it, does it make a point?

March Madness

I love the first weekend of the NCAA tournament. It is a time when David can beat Goliath. We see all these teams we haven't seen all year and root for them. Murray State? Yea I had them. Old Dominion? Them too. Missed St. Mary's though. It is just plain fun to watch.

Choose your attitude

I had a conversation with a parent this morning who was trying to convince his son that we indeed get to choose our attitude each day. He was suggesting to his son that if he wanted to be in a good mood today that he just had to plan on it. Is it that simple?

I believe it is. I believe that people are who they want to be. They are in the mood they most feel comfortable in. They let things drag them to the negative sometimes because it is easier to do.

There are some people in the world who have many challenges and yet they manage to smile and have a positive attitude. There are those who don't have many challenges but make some for themselves and have a negative attitude. It really is who they are and what attitude they choose.

So I am going to choose what mood I am going to have each day from here on out.

Education in the 21st Century

So when the White House asks, "what does education in the 21st Century mean to you? What would you answer? I am really struggling with this right now in my own thinking. Dealing with meeting the mark on standardized tests is our reality, but the preoccupation with this is not. Technology needs to be integrated and not the end all. But a better prepared student for this changeable society, that is what should be striving for. Check out this blog that will shed a little more light:
http://ow.ly/1dZiZ

Snow and short memories

If you love New England, you have to appreciate the year to year snowfall. This year it has been sparce. It has been a month since we had snow. 4-6 inches of snow is remarkable this year and we close school with the threat of this snow even if it came in after school. Last year, it was part of life each week. We do have short memories when it comes to weather and how to handle it. Drive slow and deal with the snow, don't be afraid of it.

Bill of RIghts

So we are studying the French Revolution and the Declaration of Rights of Men tonight. A long reading assignment coupled with several challenging questions is the work we are engrossed in. When did reading a section and answering questions be put forward as a good practice even a best practice? How do kids really engage in overblown and pompous writing and reading? Have them discuss it or challenge their own understandings of rights. Get down and dirty with the topic and give them something really to consider rather than read about history from 400 years ago that doesn't really relate to them.

How we doing?

Do you ever feel like the world is spinning and you want get off? The image of being on a merry go round and trying to jump off. I wonder if I can keep my balance when I land. I wonder if we only have so much resilience that we have over stretches of challenge. Outlets for our frustration such as family and exercise, least that is how I do it. How do you do it? Answer the question below:

Curriculum 21

So I just received the new ASCD book called "Curriculum 21: Essential Education for a Changing World". Having read the introduction, I realize that we are teaching a curriculum that is better suited for when I was a kid and not what about the world is now. Have we missed the boat on the last 50 years in Social Studies? Could we a do a cursory coverage of colonial America versus and look at 9/11 in a more in-depth way? Just a thought.

Face to Face

So, I am guilty. Guilty of getting caught up in the technology. Caught up in the gadgets and the websites and the social networking. Guilty of connecting to places and things thousands of miles away and not within my own sphere. I have to keep remembering the need personal need to connect with people face to face. Have a conversation while reading their mood and needs. Talking about everything and anything. I need to put the Blackberry away.

Twitter versus Facebook

SO what do you use? It is the topic of the week among my friends. I have not even scratched the surface of Twitter but I think I will like it more than Facebook due to the amount of information available. But Facebook is all the rage and I strive to be cool.... Twitter it is.

Snow Days and unfazed

We have officially reached the point in winter that when it snows for two straight days and a dusting turns into 4 inches, we are unfazed. Living in New England can be a drag sometimes but when you see how beautiful the last couple of days have been you don't mind. Shovel the light dusting away and go!

Time Flies

It seems like we were just starting the school year and here we are in the middle of January. Time flies when you are doing good things. WE are really doing good things everyday with kids, parents, and community members. This really is a good school and community of educators to work with.