Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Former HS Teacher's dream led her to career as astronaut, seat aboard shuttle



When Dorothy “Dottie” Metcalf-Lindenburger tells students to reach for the stars, she means it literally. ... Metcalf-Lindenburger, who taught five years in Vancouver, Wash., completed astronaut training in 2006. She is a member of NASA’s Teacher in Space program and visits schools to inspire teachers and students to think more about space, science, math and technology.

Continue Reading: http://www.gazette.com/articles/led-99025-aboard-seat.html

See also: The Teachers in Space program
http://www.teachersinspace.org/

The Teachers in Space program is working with many new spaceflight companies to make sure that teachers are among those who have a chance to go. As a new age of opportunity unfolds, who better than teachers to lead the way? Unlike NASA's Educator Astronaut program, which takes teachers out of the classroom to join the NASA astronaut corps, Teachers in Space will allow teachers to “keep their day jobs.” Training will take only a few weeks; and many teachers will be able to complete the program during school breaks which will eliminate having to take time away from the classroom.

Monday, May 10, 2010

The Inspiring Teacher Series: Interview with Travis Tingle


Welcome to The Inspiring Teacher Series - a tribute to inspirational K-12 teachers and college professors, and what we can learn from them and each other about the craft of teaching. Now let's meet...
Travis Tingle
Band Teacher
Union Grove Middle School
McDonough, GA

Bio
Travis Tingle has been a middle school and high school band teacher for 8 years. He taught at Hull Middle School in Duluth, GA; Jonesboro High School in Jonesboro, GA; Stockbridge Middle School in Stockbridge, GA; and is currently the band teacher at Union Grove Middle School in McDonough, GA. Travis received his undergraduate degree in K-12 Education with a concentration in instrumental music from Georgia State University and his Master’s in Business Administration degree from the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University.

Travis was awarded the Business and International Education Scholarship for overseas studies in International Business in spring 2008. He spent 16 days in South Africa with the J. Mack Robinson College of Business studying the social, educational, and economic landscape. He perceives the global business community as a large contributor in aiding countries both financially and socially by producing jobs and partnering with the academic community. His students have been selected to participate in the University of Georgia Honors Clinic, the Georgia All State Band, Troy State University Honors Clinic, Metropolitan Atlanta Youth Wind Ensemble, Atlanta Youth Wind Ensemble, and the Music USA Contest in Orlando Florida. His students have consistently received excellent and superior ratings in all Georgia Music Educators Association large group performance evaluation categories.


What inspired you to teach?
Much like Bridget Robbins, one of the other bloggers for the inspiring teacher series, teaching was the last thing on my mind when graduating high school. My dad was an assistant principal and my mom was a world history teacher. Dinner discussions were not at all inspiring or very positive!! Don’t get me wrong, they did a great job in their fields but the schools they taught in were very difficult. The communities around the schools were plagued by drugs, alcohol, and broken families. I remember finding a baseball bat in my dad’s closet in his office and I was immediately reminded of James Belushi playing the role of Ricky Latimer in the movie “The Principal!” Who in their right mind would want to enter the teaching profession after hearing those horrifying stories at dinner every night!! Not me! I was dead set against being a teacher or a pastor! In my teenage opinion, both were underpaid and had to deal with crap being shoveled on them every day! Who needs it!!

I had no idea what I wanted to do as a career and after two quarters I dropped out of college and decided to work at a restaurant waiting tables until I figured it out! Several months later I decided I would give the college of education at Georgia State University a chance seeing as several of my friends I attended high school with were education majors there. I went in as a K-12 Music Education major because I was very involved in music through my school years as a kid. During my middle and high school years I was fortunate to be selected as a member of the Georgia All State Bands 8th-12th grade and was also selected to attend the Governor’s Honors Program in Jazz Studies at Valdosta State University. The opportunity to teach private saxophone lessons afforded me the break I needed to quit waiting tables and still make a living as an undergrad! Then the unthinkable happened: I actually started to enjoy teaching and watching the kids get better! I was full force going to finish my undergrad in education and get a job teaching!

I was VERY fortunate to have great mentors that taught and still teach in the Atlanta area. While watching them teach I took endless notes and my mentors allowed me to teach their classes and gain experience using their techniques!

**Here’s the most important facet of learning to teach in the classroom for people currently teaching, student teaching, or just registering for your first education courses as an undergrad: You must have mentors that have held successful teaching careers from surrounding schools and from the University you attend. Go ahead and fight the pride and understand you know nothing about teaching in the classroom until you have copied their techniques and molded and developed them into your own over several years by trial and error (I call it “Trial by Fire”)!! Then give it some time and hang in there! Hey, it takes 5 years of teaching to get over the shock of it and then things in the classroom will get a little easier and VERY rewarding!!

What teaching methods are most helpful in pushing students towards their goals?
I teach 6-8 grades, so Character education is something my students and I practice in the classroom. It may sound old fashioned to many, but students by and large do not know how to address adults or each other. We spend a considerable amount of time in the first two weeks of school going over my expectations and role playing them in class. It’s simple stuff like, being in your seat on time, raising your hand before you speak or get up, do not play your instrument until the director begins rehearsal, and do not touch anyone’s property except for your own. The big one is, you must answer with yes sir or yes ma’am, or simply yes or no. There is no yeah-uh huh business that goes on in our classroom!! Another crucial expectation is disrespect with gestures like smacking lips and sucking teeth!! I use Bon Qui Qui (look it up on You Tube) at Burger King as an example of this and the students think it’s hilarious that I am re-enacting Bon Qui Qui!! I have a student act like the teacher and I act the part of a student. They call on me for misbehaving in class and I respond by smacking my lips and sucking my teeth. Then, the student (acting like me the teacher) gets up and writes my name on the board! Hey, it gets the point across and they get to see how ridiculous people look when they behave this way! I have the students demonstrate the wrong way and the consequence of me writing their name on the board and they receive what we call in my school a “citation”. Of course, they don’t really receive a citation from me while we are role playing the expectations! The first 2 weeks of school is perfect for this because the environment is not threatening and most students are not misbehaving yet!! Basically the procedures of the classroom are ingrained in their minds so they become second nature to the student. Now, it’s not as easy as it sounds, the first few weeks will be a little difficult and there will be quite a few names on the board!!!

What is the one thing you wish you'd known when you started your teaching career?
I wish I had known how mentally and emotionally draining it was going to be. If I had considered the emotional drain and the pay scale, I would have majored in something other than education. I wish I had known how many years of experience (5-6 years) it would take for the shock of teaching to wear off! Presently, I enjoy my job at my new school and am happy teaching, but I had no idea how much of an uphill struggle it would be to get there. Most jobs, careers, and life in general are common in that way. Unfortunately, Generations X and Y were not well prepared for the reality of the world. Our teachers and guidance counselors painted a very rosy picture of the world and told us everything was going to be okay if we work hard and pursue our dreams. That is partly right but it was definitely not the whole truth!!

Friday, May 7, 2010

The Inspiring Teacher Series: Interview with Barry Hantman

Welcome to The Inspiring Teacher Series - a tribute to inspirational K-12 teachers and college professors, and what we can learn from them and each other about the craft of teaching. Now let's meet...

Barry Hantman
Homebound Instruction Teacher
Queens, NY


Bio
Barry Hantman won his school spelling bee in 5th, 6th, and 7th grades. His inexorable decline began shortly thereafter and he’s been trying to make a comeback since 1973. Barry graduated from Bayside High School (Go Commodores!), Binghamton State University (Go Bearcats!) and received his teaching Masters degree from NYU (Go . . . ?). Barry has worked as a Home Instruction teacher for the NYC Department of Education since 1984. Relevant quote: “If Perry perceives me as an inspiring educator, I fear we may already be in trouble.”

What inspired you to teach?
Teaching was not a calling that beckoned me. I had always been interested in politics and government (so-called “political science”), thus I’d assumed I wanted to practice law. But the dull reality of law school inspired me to find a better way. I don’t believe in reincarnation so if I only have one life to live, I decided it would not be as an attorney. Since my parents were teachers, the field of education seemed like a natural option to explore.

Please explain the “day in a life” of a homebound instruction teacher.
A homebound instruction teacher educates students who cannot attend school for physical or emotional reasons. A typical case is a broken ankle/leg for about 7 weeks, but I’ve had students recuperating for months from heart surgery, a kidney transplant, leukemia, etc. Or a pupil might get expelled from school and is at home awaiting placement at a new school. Once I even taught a youngster in the Witness Protection program! I work with students from grades 7-12, but occasionally teach even kindergarteners or first graders (and have proudly taught 3 such children to read). Not only do I instruct students of various ages and home environments, but I also teach kids from the most diverse possible ethnic backgrounds. I work in Queens County, New York City – according to the US Census, the most diverse area on the planet!

A Home Instruction teacher is like a basketball point guard – you must know when to speed things up (such as reviewing for state exams) and when to slow down the pace (at times that a child isn’t feeling well, whether physically or emotionally). You start to get adept at readings faces and moods; within 20 seconds of walking through the door you can usually tell how productive the day is going to be.

I love my job but of course, it has its own peculiar set of hassles. Driving from apartment to apartment means finding several parking spots a day, no easy feat in congested parts of the city. I might only find a one hour meter but the lesson is for another half-hour. Then I have to remember to go back downstairs to feed the meter or I’ll return to find a nice orange parking ticket slapped on my windshield. Building elevators are frequently out so I have to walk up and down several flights of stairs. And driving in the snow is a hassle. I have a fuel-efficient Nissan Sentra that squeezes into tight parking spots but it doesn’t like heavy snowfalls.

What teaching methods are most helpful in guiding students toward their goals?
I have the luxury of working one-to-one so I try to take full advantage. I assess student strengths/weaknesses in order to focus on areas of concern. Many classroom pupils who failed a course or state exam and now must retake it will suddenly flourish with their own tutor. It’s incredible what a difference the extra private attention makes. This is true for the math and creative writing instruction I give but also for the tennis and guitar lessons I arranged for my son; there is no comparison between one-to-one and thirty-to-one.

I also utilize what’s around me. I scan a home’s walls and tables for homework essay ideas. For example, a Sikh student’s apartment displayed a large drawing of the Golden Temple at Amritsar. I asked Chami to write about the Temple’s significance and to outline some of his faith’s tenets. I read Chami’s essay the next morning while sipping chai tea his mother had prepared. Another pupil’s family were Afghan refugees. They had an enlarged photo of the father in between President George W. Bush and Afghan leader Hamid Karzai. Detailing that treasured photo was Shaheera’s writing assignment. Even the smell of a delicious meal being prepared could very well lead to a recipe request for homework (and to a free sample for the teacher).

What skills should a teacher training program emphasize? De-emphasize?
The most critical factors can’t be taught – intelligence (both IQ and even more importantly, EQ – emotional intelligence), motivation, creativity, sense of humor, and character. But all those qualities can be enhanced. I believe the best teacher training involves hands-on experience mirroring the actual job you seek. My teaching Masters degree courses were a joke, consisting of either theoretical jargon or somewhat interesting concepts that I could’ve easily grasped on my own. I would eliminate such grad school requirements and instead mandate a two year “student teacher” training program in classrooms led by outstanding educators.

What would you like to improve about your teaching?
Nothing. I’m done. Actually, my view is that as soon as anyone in any profession grows overconfident, it’s the start of that person’s downfall. The ancient Greeks were right – we must guard against complacency (hubris). I’m still always learning from my students, National Geographic, the Science section of The NY Times, museum exhibits, The History Channel, etc.

What is the one thing you wish you’d known when you started your teaching career?
I’ll just relate the sage advice of a retiring veteran homebound teacher fondly known as Bamby. At the annual end of June luncheon, Bamby was called to the microphone to deliver a few parting gems of wisdom. Perhaps he would reflect upon the meaning of his 35 years in the program. As Bamby cleared his throat, we all attentively leaned forward. His gaze met ours. Then Bamby uttered his immortal final words as a Home Instruction teacher: “In the winter, park in the sun. And in the summer, park in the shade. I’m moving South tomorrow. Bye.”

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Never Crush Anyone's Dreams


I never dreamed of being a college professor. Does anybody?

In fact, I always gave my teachers fits in school, as evidenced by grade school report cards:
- Second Grade: Improvement needed in self control
- Fourth Grade: Perry needs to exert more self control
- Sixth Grade: Perry needs to exercise better self control

As a little kid, I dreamed about playing professional basketball. I played and played for hours. In third grade, we had to write an essay on what we wanted to be when we grew up. I wrote that I wanted to be 6’10” and play in Madison Square Garden. When the teacher handed back my paper, she laughed out loud and said “You can’t do that!” That was the first time someone had crushed my professional dream.

Why would a teacher be so unthinking? She may have been right about the 6’10” part, but this molder of young minds lacked the understanding of what negative reinforcement can do to little kids. She also lacked the understanding that height isn’t everything for a basketball player. Teachers, especially in the impressionable K-12 years, are my personal heroes. But they need to be dream builders, not dream destroyers. It’s healthy to discuss rational backup career plans, but why spoil youthful exuberance which could flower into the unexpected?

Take Away: Your words can stay with a student for his or her entire life.

Note: That's me at age 25, playing basketball with former NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Mark Eaton (7'4" center for the Utah Jazz)

© 2009 Perry Binder, J.D. This article contains excerpts from my book:
Unlocking Your Rubber Room: 44 Off-the-Wall Lessons to Lighten and Transform Everyday Life http://www.yourrubberroom.com/

Sunday, May 2, 2010

What qualities make a great teacher?

Reader comments from Minnesota Public Radio.

My favorite: Never-ending understanding. Non-judgmental. Accepting. Encouraging. Inspiring. Dedicated. Driven. Knowledgeable not only in subject matter but life lessons as well. Has desire to continue learning. Levelheaded. Ability to see from any angle needed. Patient.

Continue reading...
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/todays-question/archive/2010/04/in-your-view-what-qualities-make-a-great-teacher.shtml

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SPEAKING OF GREAT TEACHERS:
TAFFEL TALKS KINDERGARTEN BLOG
Here is the blog of Arleen Taffel, an inspirational teacher for 40 years who recently passed away.
http://mtbethel.blogs.com/taffel/
A kindergarten teacher for 40 years, including 30 memorable years at Mt. Bethel Elementary School in Marietta, Georgia, Arleen taught up until nearly her last day and will always be remembered for her love of teaching. She will forever serve as an enduring inspiration for the countless children, parents and teachers whose lives she touched.

...................

Here's some...
GOOD NEWS -- UPDATE ON MARSH FORK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Thanks to a generous $2.5 million grant from the Annenberg Foundation, the long march for a new elementary school for children in the besieged Coal River Valley hamlet of Sundial, West Virginia, has come to an end: A new school will now be built in a different location. ...
Along with the Annenberg funds and a gift from the Coal River Mountain Watch, the school also received commitments of $2.6 million from the West Virginia School Building Authority, and $1.5 million from the Raleigh County Board of Education and Massey Energy, which is responsible for the whole mess of coal dust and the dangerous coal slurry impoundment.

Continue reading...
Goodbye Massey Coal Dust: Welcome to the Ed Wiley Elementary School!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-biggers/goodbye-massey-coal-dust_b_559167.html

See my posting

Thursday, March 25, 2010
Move Elementary School out of Harm's Way

This is a follow up to my Saturday, January 23, 2010 post

I follow the Marsh Fork/Massey coal issue very closely -- in April, there will be a school board vote on needed funds to move this school.
In West Virginia, the Marsh Fork elementary school sits 400 yards downstream from a dam holding back billions of gallons of water/coal sludge. The West Virginia government has refused to build a new elementary school in a safer location. The community, afraid for its children's lives, began the organization Pennies of Promise to raise the funds themselves. In April 2010, the school board will vote on funding for a new school. Are you willing to lend your voice to support these kids?

My students have joined the Facebook page below, and I am reaching out to other schools in an effort to elevate media awareness and the importance of a new school.

The "Pennies of Promise" Facebook group:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2256931294

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

The Inspiring Teacher Series: Interview with Bridget Robbins


Welcome to the first installment of The Inspiring Teacher Series - a tribute to inspirational K-12 teachers and college professors, and what we can learn from them and each other about the craft of teaching. Now let's meet...

Bridget Robbins
Kindergarten Teacher
Abbotts Hill Elementary - Johns Creek, GA

Bio
Bridget Robbins has been an elementary school teacher for over eight years. For the past 2 years she has taught Kindergarten at Abbotts Hill Elementary School, and prior to that taught 1st through 6th grade in both urban and rural settings. Bridget worked as a substitute teacher at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. She received her undergraduate degree (B.S. in Elementary Education) from the University of Michigan – Flint and continued her education at the University of Georgia where she earned her Master’s Degree in Educational Administration & Policy and an Early Childhood Reading Endorsement, May of 2006. While attending the University of Georgia, she worked as a graduate assistant with the UGA - Clarke County School District - Athens Community partnership. In that role her primary responsibility was to act as the liaison between the partners. She helped further the goals and vision of this long-term Partnership for Community Learning Centers’ initiative. During this time she also helped plan professional development and conferences for teachers. Bridget recruited and trained students to help with tutoring and to provide other support and academic services at the elementary schools in Clarke County. Bridget loves teaching and helping students realize their full potential! She currently serves as Team Coach for her grade level and began First Class Learning, LLC – which offers tutoring services and Adventures in Reading & Math camps for children at Abbotts Hill and in the Johns Creek, Georgia community.


What inspired you to teach?
Wow! Teaching was the last thing on my mind when I graduated from high school in 1995. My family is full of teachers – my mom, grandma, aunts, and uncles but I decided I wanted to be different and began working on an accounting degree. However, that was not to be my fate! I decided to spend some time helping my mom out in her classroom and eventually began substitute teaching to make some extra money. As I worked in the classroom I was amazed by how much I enjoyed it and how much the students seemed to enjoy having me as their teacher. They were enthusiastic and eager to please. I was taken aback by their natural unconditional acceptance of me which inspired me to change my major and pursue a career in education. When I started substitute teaching, the teachers and principals began requesting me regularly to sub in their schools. It has been such a rewarding experience to teach children and see the progress that they make academically and socially. I feel it is one of the most fulfilling jobs. Teachers help shape tomorrow’s future which is what makes teaching such a fulfilling job.


What teaching methods are most helpful in guiding students toward their goals?
Positive, positive, positive & meaningful reinforcement!!! I respond well to words of affirmation and I believe this plays a role in my teaching style. I have found that helping to build up a child’s self esteem and self worth reaps a great reward – for the student and for me! We all want to do well and we all want people to like and care about us so I try to do my best to encourage, support and build trust with my students, especially during the first few months of school. Students need to know that you genuinely care about them. At the beginning of the year, I take time to get to know their likes and dislikes and what really matters to them. We develop our classroom rules and consequences together so that students can have ownership and actively help to reinforce the rules.

The second thing that really makes a difference is consistency in discipline and classroom routines. Believe it or not children like and respond very well to order and a consistent schedule. It helps them to feel safe in the classroom. The idea of fairness is very important to children. Being consistent promotes a feeling of equality in the classroom. Whenever I discipline a student, I do my best to do so in a positive way. Instead of saying “stop that or be quiet, I try to say things like, “Please keep your voice off or remember to raise your hand before speaking.” I then explain to the students that because of the choice he or she has made, he or she will have to deal with the consequence. I tell them, I know you can do better next time and everyone makes mistakes.” Students will usually respond well and take the consequence without complaining. Many times, they will apologize or choose to sit by themselves next time so they won’t get in trouble. With time, students become intrinsically motivated to meet our classroom expectations.
We celebrate as much as possible in my classroom! Throughout the day we cheer each other on! “Way to go!! Awesome! Great Job!” is frequently heard in my classroom. We have class parties and on Fridays we play our Morning Boogie music and dance together which helps build a sense of community. When you encourage kids, they become encouragers. Be what you want your students to be!!!


What skills should a teacher training program emphasize? De-emphasize?
Teacher training programs should emphasize hands on, real life experiences with children in classrooms. Service learning is a great opportunity for students to get some of these experiences while helping others. It would be beneficial to have more classes on classroom management and meeting the needs of diverse learners. It would also be great to have more of a focus on self reflection; thinking about what kind of teacher you want to be and what you need to do to become that person.

De–emphasize classes on research and statistics, and focus more on practical techniques that can be used in the classroom.

What would you like to improve about your teaching?
I would like to create more lessons that are fun and engaging for the students that really focus in on the skills and objectives that they need to master. Time management is another area I would like to improve on – getting the most out of the minutes we have with our students each day. I am always looking for ways to be more efficient.

What is the one thing you wished you would have known when you started your teaching career?
I wish I had known the importance of time management, organization and prioritizing! I have learned that I need to focus on what is most important because there is always more to do. Focus on the things that will give you the greatest return for your efforts -those things that will really help your students be successful.

Friday, April 23, 2010

College Professors should use Social Media as a Learning Tool Outside the Classroom


I've stated repeatedly over the years how the internet has revolutionized how educators can give assignments and communicate with students outside of class. And in the middle of our social media revolution, I still feel the same way (e.g. in the past, I've had extra credit assignments done exclusively on Facebook; and in an upcoming Mass Media class, the students and I will make active use of Twitter for communication outside of class, in an effort to engage professionals in the field).

On the other hand, while I encourage college students to bring laptops to class (to take notes or look up class information on task), I am not a proponent (yet?) of integrating Twitter/texting in real time to post comments DURING class for immediate review. Yes, I believe that class is an improv troupe, with the unexpected just waiting to happen. However, there is also a certain structure and flow that would be disrupted by real time comments posted and displayed on the big screen. Maybe if I had a teaching assistant to filter the relevant comments/questions from the clutter in my class of 120 students, I'd consider this usage.

I do recognize that students are techno-multi-taskers and that everything a prof says is not so useful or interesting. Thus, I have no problem with a student receiving a silent text because it doesn't disrupt the class. Professionals at conferences are continuously under the table with their Blackberries, and I try to treat the students the same way - as adults. It's up to me to make the class dynamic enough so they'll resort to paying attention.

I do have one classroom rule: If an unmuted cell phone call/text goes off - I get to answer it! That usually gets students to mute the phones AND get a good laugh.
Anyway, do you really think you can prevent students from using technology in class?
Why Banning Social Media Often Backfires

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Graduation Gift Book Ideas


Here's Amazon's Best Graduation Book Gifts (my list)

They left out one of my suggestions - Oh the Places You'll Go!

Friday, April 16, 2010

Professor goes from caves to classroom


By Genevieve Adams - Kentucky Kernel April 15, 2010

What is learned in the classroom is only half of one’s education.This is the mentality one UK professor tries to bring to her students. As a cave diver, teacher, adventure seeker and published author, Stephanie Schwabe seeks to not only teach her students about geology, but the wonders of the world they don’t see.
“I try and bring my experiences and the excitement that I feel for what I do to the students,” Schwabe said. “I want them to be excited about this amazing planet as I am. That is the main reason for teaching. It certainly isn’t for the money.”

Continue reading:

Monday, April 12, 2010

Name School After Role Model - A Teacher


From Canada...

Admirers of inspiring teacher seek new tribute
April 11, 2010

GUELPH — There’s a movement afoot to have the new public school under construction in Guelph’s south end named after Michael Elrick, the high school teacher who ran environmental leadership programs for the board and who died of lung cancer in November last year.

For Joanne Harris, there’s dignity, passion, grace, and a quest for excellence associated with Elrick’s name, making it a fitting name for the new school, she said.

“He had a broad reach,” said Harris, who teaches the co-op education program at Centennial CVI. “Mike was on the national kayaking team, he was passionate about the environment and he touched so many lives. Teachers at Centennial are telling me this is a brilliant idea.”

Continue Reading: