Most teachers waste their time by asking questions which are intended to discover what a pupil does not know whereas the true art of questioning has for its purpose to discover what the pupil knows or is capable of knowing.

-Albert Einstein

What It's Really Like in the Principal's Office

My excellent wife, Jacki, told me about this series of videos on YouTube called The Principal's Office.  I have even more respect for school administrators now.

Meeting The Needs Of All Students

Recently, in one of my classes, we’ve discussed the needs of academically gifted children in the classroom. This has been an eye-opening subject for me and I have to admit that I’ve rarely given this student demographic much thought. This is a group that is as deserving of quality, need-meeting education as at-risk students. Somehow, AIG students are often overlooked and underappreciated. I hope to be a teacher that can scaffold my lessons to meet the needs of every student in my class. I don’t want any student to feel unchallenged, unimportant, or unmotivated.

Let Them Eat 'pi'

Happy Pi Day everyone!

http://www.piday.org/

"Overwhelmedness"

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed. Every now and then the demands of my personal life, my work life, and my academic life collide in a way that is decidedly not very pretty. My wife is amazing at helping me realize when I've said 'yes' to too many things and haven't focused on the things that are really important. I imagine that educators must feel overwhelmed quite often. Actually, I can't see how they don't feel overwhelmed continually! I'm curious to learn what strategies that teachers employ to help combat stress, burn-out, and frustration.

Staying Focused

During this morning’s commute I heard a story on the radio about a local soldier who will be receiving the Purple Heart today. He was seriously injured while deactivating an explosive. While his bravery, valor, and dedication are certainly contributing factors in the decision to award him such a prestigious medal, his ability to intensely focus on the job at hand with a huge number of life-threatening distractions taking place simultaneously must also be a characteristic of his personality. I hope that I can maintain focus on the best educational interests of my future students in the midst of all the events of a typical school day. Knowing that my future students are learning and experiencing new things will be all the commendation I need.

No Brakes on Learning

While driving through downtown Raleigh this morning, I noticed a person in a blue Toyota speed through a red light. I thought, what if that person was pulled over by the police and issued a traffic violation, could that person contest the ticket based on Toyota’s recent bought of vehicle component failures? That thought led me to envisioning lesson plans and extension activities that can integrate Newton’s 3 Laws of Motion. Although tragic, this current event could be the impetus for further education and some hands-on learning.