Robin Williams ~ A Superpower Star that Lives on in Each One of Us

Teach Thought 30 day blogging challenge ~ Day 16 ~ If you could have any superpower, what would it be and how would it help?

It would be the superpower to make a powerfully positive influence in every one of my student's lives forever.

I'm not kidding. To spend your life and energy giving life and energy to others is no different than what allows our entire universe to exist. 

A star gives its light and energy out into the universe, and if it's a big enough star, explodes out into the universe during its supernova death, the nuclei of its atoms fusing together to spread the building blocks of life:

www.pimco.com

- the oxygen in our lungs
- the carbon in our muscles
- the calcium in our bones
- the iron in our blood

The elements of life are born in the fiery heart of a dying star.

And add to that the precious elements gold, silver and platinum. 

www.nasa.gov

During their lives giant stars are ablaze in magnificence.

At their death they give themselves to enable us to find our own magnificence. 

Robin Williams was a giant star, and has done exactly what a giant star in the universe does with both his life and his death.

Thank you Robin. 

You are the superpower I want to be for my students.  

Belief is More Powerful than Current Reality

Three Strengths I Have as an Educator

Teach Thought 30 day blogging challenge

1. I BELIEVE in ALL my students

2. I BELIEVE I can find a way to teach STUDENTS with lessons that ARE AMAZINGLY effective. 

3. I BELIEVE in the AWESOME power of belief


I BELIEVE ALL STUDENTS ARE AMAZINGLY AWESOME

Dead Poets Society ~ Feedback Can Bring Out a Barbaric YAWP

Teach Thought 30 Day Blogging Challenge ~ Day 14 ~ What is feedback for learning, and how well do you give it to students? 

 Feedback is critical, specific information about what a student is doing right, or not quite yet right. 

 It is this aspect of teaching that allows us to be very effective towards our desired outcome of student growth. 

 We act as physical fitness trainers, strength coaches and medical doctors and are just as effective for the student mind when we take this potential of our teaching seriously

To Robin Williams, who inspired me and taught me how to teach with passion and purpose.

Robin Williams -Technology & Impersonation of a Smart Kid

Teach Thought 30 Day Blogging Challenge - Day 13 - Name the top edtech tools I use on a consistent basis 


 PowerPoints ~ For lessons involving critical content, I go to PowerPoint for its attention-grabbing sights and sounds.


 iMovie - It's still in it's infancy as I'm still learning the commands (like, "The movie was here a minute ago. Now it's totally gone! I command you to reveal yourself or the laptop gets it!!) 


 Exel (and now Macintosh Numbers) spreadsheets - I'm a huge data cruncher, because the assessment data will tell me WHAT each student needs to be taught. 


 Class Dojo - By tracking customized student behaviors, I learn HOW to teach each student. What seems to motivate him the most? When is she most productive? How long can I keep these little monsters entertained with these little monsters?












As always, this blog is dedicated to the man who made me want to be a teacher. 

Teaching is Always Exciting When You're Always Trying to Get Better

Teach Thought 30 Day Blogging Challenge ~ Day 12 ~ How do you envision your teaching changing over the next 5 years?

Getting better

That's how I envision it. No matter how good I am or ever could be, "How can I do this better?" is a question constantly running around in my head.

With this question directing my focus, teaching remains exciting and new. 

As always, this blog is dedicated to the man who inspired me to become a teacher. 

Dreaming and Laughing Together

Teach Thought 30 Day Blogging Challenge ~ What is your favorite part of the school day and why?

I don't have a specific time of day, but I do have specific moments....

It's when I'm having fun. I'm enjoying what I'm doing and how it's being done.

The students and I are connected in a meaningful way while making meaning of a meaningful lesson. 

As Robin told us to do, we are "Dreaming Big" and having a great time together doing it!

Dead Poets Society - Random Funniness ~ Robin Williams

Teach Thought 3 Day Blogging Challenge ~ Day 10

5 random thoughts about myself:


I like to learn new languages

I love to travel

I want to own horses but not sure I can even afford a kitten

I'm constantly thinking of ways to improve my teaching

I don't think I can live long enough to experience everything I want 



4 things from my bucket list:


Travel, write and live in Europe

Write, travel and live in Europe

Live, write and travel in Europe

In Europe, live, write and travel



3 things I hope for this year


to create powerful teaching lessons that truly empower my students for the rest of their lives

to have more fun than I and my students have ever had

to take so much action that there is much more happening in my classroom and much less hoping it would happen



2 things that have made me laugh or cry


When I'm focused on enjoying teaching the students and having them enjoy learning it, I laugh and play and find myself slipping into accents just like Robin in Dead Poets Society. My students love seeing a teacher have fun and they often laugh so hard they fall out of their chairs.

Sometimes students whom I didn't have great success with will come up to me at the end of the year and thank me. When I ask them for what, they say, "For never giving up on me". This makes me cry.

One thing I wish more people knew about me.........I'm not sure. I guess one thing I wish was knowing what I wished more people knew about me.