Are Grades Failing Kids -->

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One of my educational heroes is Kerry Gallagher, better known by her Twitter name KerryHawk02. Before I go any further, please take a minute and both follow her on Twitter and subscribe to her website Start with a Question because she is THAT amazing! Okay, done? Good, now I can continue.

Kerry is an excellent writer and she recently posted something that really hit me. She wrote about the experience of her first grader coming home and telling her that her stomach ached because she got a 90. What? Why is a first grader worried about grades?

Here's my favorite line in the whole post:

"The thing is, I have an expertise at being a mother of two little girls who are just starting school–one is in first grade and the other is in preschool. My daughters’ game of choice is "playing school" with a little easel and some books and paper and a class made up of dolls and stuffed animals. They teach through singing, drawing, and encouragement. They build in rest time and quick chats with the pretend parents who pick up their stuffed animal students at the end of the day. It's funny how my 4 and 7 year olds have intuitively picked up the parts of a learner's day that have the greatest impact. They know that music, hands-on activities, and positive interpersonal connections help create an environment where learners can thrive."

I love that her daughters just know instinctively which parts of a school day are the most effective for learning. And yet, how many of us professional teachers forget those simple, yet effective pieces to the puzzle? Do yourself a favor and go read the rest of this great post by Kerry.

The Pen Addict Turns 200 - #100DayProject - Day 020

Image Source: Relay.fm/PenAddict

One of my favorite forms of both entertainment and education is podcasts. I have been listening to them for years (even being lucky enough to appear as a guest on a couple) and yet, I keep finding more and more to listen to and love. I wrote about my love of podcasts a while ago so maybe at some point, I'll update my list of current subscriptions, but today is not that day. Today I want to spotlight one of my favorites, The Pen Addict Podcast!

The last time I wrote about TPA it was a part of the 70Decibels podcast network, way back in 2012. Since then, it's moved to the 5by5 network and now lives as part of Relay.fm, my favorite podcast network.

Something pretty amazing recently happened for Brad Dowdy and Myke Hurley, they recorded Episode 200 Live from the Atlanta Pen Show! I am so excited for these fellas because they create what is possibly my favorite podcast ever and they are so fun to listen to. When I started listening to TPA four years ago, I wasn't even a pen addict yet, but I certainly am one now!

For this live show, just like last year, the fellas decided to have it both audio and video recorded and I'm so excited to SEE this episode! I have already listened and it was great. Now I just need to have the video finished with the edits to fully enjoy the show. Stephen Hackett, 512 Pixels author and Relay.fm co-founder, was there to help with the recording and wrote an excellent post about it, which you should totally go read even if you have never heard of TPA because it's an excellent post.

My favorite line from Stephen's post:

"Obviously, the setup for this was more complicated than what we normally use to record a show like this, so I thought it would be fun to share how we did it."

If you want to listen to an incredibly geeky show with two buddies who thoroughly enjoy what they do, then I can't recommend The Pen Addict Podcast highly enough! Although listener beware, you may find yourself suddenly buying an excessive amount of analog tools, but that's just part of the experience of becoming a Pen Addict. Congrats Brad and Myke on another excellent show and here's to another 100+ more.

Intro to Raspberry Pi -->

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In my excitement to share the good news about taking part in the #Picademy, I maybe didn't explain what a Raspberry Pi computer was. I was just reminded of an excellent intro to Raspberry Pi written by the amazing Alice Keeler and thought I'd pass you that way.

"Raspberry Pi is an inexpensive computer, as low as $5. It runs Linux as the operating system. Students can play Minecraft and access the internet on a Raspberry Pi computer."

So if you are looking for more info, check out either Alice's post or go the Raspberry Pi website and learn more about the amazingly powerful little computer. 

Music - #100DayProject - Day 019

I am a believer in music. I have played instruments since age 8 and continue to play instruments to this day. I have played in many different bands ranging from jazz ensembles and symphonic bands in schools to rock bands trying to live the dream. In fact, I will be performing this coming Friday in a very special concert for a dear friend and former collegiate level band director at his final symphonic band concert as director of bands at Dixie State University here in Southern Utah. Maestro Gary Caldwell will be retiring from his position as director of bands at DSU after 37 years and he has invited back as many alumni to join in the fun as possible, hence my involvement.

Jud Burkett at The Spectrum wrote an excellent piece about Caldwell's retirement and I love the following quote from Gary:

“We’re doing one big final blowout,” Caldwell said. “We’re bringing back a bunch of alumni -- we’ll feature student music compositions and soloists and we’ll be putting the emphasis on present and former students.”

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

I really am excited to be taking part in this amazing opportunity, but I am a little hesitant because I haven't played in a high-quality symphonic band since I was in college back in the early 2000s. Plus, there will definitely be something different about this coming experience as I will be playing an instrument I have NEVER played before; I will be playing the Contra Bass Clarinet. What, you're not familiar with the Contra Bass Clarinet? Here's an image to help you out. Notice just how large that instrument is. Now imagine what it's like to try and transport it from DSU to my home in my Nissan Sentra. Can you imagine it yet? No. How about a few pictures to help you out.

My trusty Nissan Sentra

View from the trunk.

Notice the passenger seat is all the way forward!

The back seat had to come down and it barely made it through the gap.

Looking back from the drivers seat.

The case standing on end. I'm 6 feet tall.

Pretty big, huh? Now it shouldn't be totally new for me since I have actually played the Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, and Alto Clarinet in my time as a musician, not to mention Bass Guitar and even Tenor and Baritone Saxophone. But even though all of those instruments, minus the bass guitar, are played using the same fingerings, they are all played differently in the mouth. I'll be sure to report back after the concert on Friday night and may even be able to post a link to the audio or video of the concert.

I want to wish Maestro Caldwell a happy retirement as well as thank him for the many years of mentorship and friendship. Gary is an incredible musician and I'm glad he'll stick around as the conductor of the Southwest Symphony for a few more years yet.

Financial Literacy Giveaway -->

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Time for a little something extra during my #100DayProject. How about a chance to win an awesome prize just because you're a teacher? I'm all about prizes and I recently heard about this one being sponsored by Dave Ramsey. It's called Teacher Appreciation Giveaway and it looks awesome! It's being offered as a way to celebrate teachers and because April is Financial Literacy Month.

From the site:

Teachers, you are unsung heroes, and we want to change that! April is Financial Literacy Month, and we're celebrating in a HUGE way! You impact the lives of students every day, and we want to thank you in a fun and practical way.

What can you win? How about an all-inclusive trip for 2 to a tropical paradise, a school assembly with Ramsey personality Anthony ONeal, or a $500 gift card for use in your classroom? I think any of the options would be great so why not enter to win? No purchase is necessary and you don't have to do anything more than entering. I know I just did and I'm hoping to win.

This opportunity ends April 30th, so don't delay! And if you win, let me know so I can help you celebrate!

#Picademy - #100DayProject - Day 018

Image Source: Raspberry Pi

I am starting to get very excited because, at the end of the month, I will be traveling to Mountain View, CA to attend Picademy! What is Picademy you ask? I wondered the same thing when I started seeing the hashtag #Picademy showing up in my social media timelines back in late February 2016.

So what is Picademy then? According to the Raspberry Pi website,

Picademy is the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s FREE teacher training initiative. Our goal is to give educators the experience and tools they need to teach computing with confidence.

Doesn't that sound so cool! I was immediately hooked on the idea as soon as I started seeing pictures of the February event and had to know how I could get involved. So I reached out to my friend Rafranz Davis, who was lucky enough to attend the February event and she pointed me to their website and sign-up form so I could try my hand at joining in the fun. I submitted my information with very little confidence that I would be selected since there would be so many applying for so few spots but still, I had just a glimmer of hope. Imagine my surprise when I received an email on March 29th telling me I have been accepted! It was so amazing and yet, so surreal!

Image Source: Raspberry Pi

What does it all mean then? I will be taking part in a two-day training event for how to utilize the Raspberry Pi system in helping students become more confident in their computing abilities. I will also be allowed to take a tour of the Computer History Museum which is also where the training will be taking place. I am so excited to have the opportunity to learn more about the Raspberry Pi system as well as learn from the trainers and fellow participants.

How can you be involved with this amazing opportunity as well? First, follow along on social media using the #Picademy hashtag and see what awesome things are going on. Then, if you decide that #Picademy is something you are interesting in attending, go to the Picademy USA page and fill out the form to be updated of when the next US training will be held. Once you find out about the next training, enter as quickly as possible so you too can take part in the Picademy!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a little preparation to do. I need to familiarize myself with Scratch from MIT and the Python programming language. If you have any helpful hints on either, please feel free to let me know either via the comments below or via Twitter - @lars3eb.

Movement - #100DayProject - Day 017

I am a huge fan of The Minimalists because I have a slight obsession with minimalism and maybe an even slighter desire to join their ranks. The other day they tweeted out a link to an article about the benefits of walking to improve creativity. The article reminds us that many of the great minds of the past were walkers in order to improve their skills and create their masterpieces. And yet, we are now part of a society who has "become increasingly sedentary."

Olivia Goldhill at Quartz writes:

But in recent years, as lives have become increasingly sedentary, the idea has been put to the test. The precise physiology is unknown, but professors and therapists are turning what was once an unquestioned instinct into a certainty: Walking influences our thinking, and somehow improves creativity.

I believe that the above part about our society becoming more and more sedentary is an awful truth that we must all recognize. I know that even though I teach elementary kids, I tend to sit more than I thought I would, especially since I love to watch movies and TV to relax. But I have also noticed something about myself that has me thinking I need to replicate the idea with my students. Whenever I am thinking, talking on the phone (yes, some of us still do use our phones for their original intended use case), or just needing to clear my head, I tend to pace around. At first, I thought I was crazy until a friend of mine, yes you Amy, told me her husband does the same thing. Then I started hearing it from others and suddenly it dawned on me that I wasn't actually crazy, but more normal than I thought.

Even though I don't yet have my students pace around as they are coming up with ideas for their writing, part of me wants to try it while the other part reminds me that idea could be absolute chaos so why not try it, I do try to make sure we stand up throughout the day to stretch out and move our limbs a little so we don't become all stiff and sore. Another way I keep my kids moving is through the use of GoNoodle.com, an excellent website where you watch short videos that get kids moving and grooving to some awesomely crazy creative videos. If you haven't yet tried out GoNoodle please do so because it's so much fun and your students will thank you later!

No matter what you use to get yourself and your students moving, use it so you can get those creative juices going and become a better you!

#Crazy4Christie - #100DayProject - Day 016

Image Source: Crazy4Christie.org

I am trying to be a little healthier and exercise more frequently, although I think I'm kind of failing thanks to my love of eating even more, and my wife is very supportive of this goal. In fact, she also is trying to be healthier so we are working together toward this common goal. We also love to support friends and family who are struggling with illness and other issues. We have been known to travel for and run in fundraiser races, although we don't do it for times, but more to spend time together.

Today happened to be one of those opportunities to run in a fundraiser race for a high school friend of my wife's. This friend is suffering with cancer for the second time and we felt that we needed to be there to support her and her family during this difficult time. So we loaded up the family and headed north to stay with my in-laws and then run in a 5K to support a friend. It was nice that we were able to stay with my in-laws because they love seeing the grandkids and my mother-in-law wanted to run with us as well.

Me, my wife, and our daughter pre-race.

We made it to the event and it was a cold morning! We were freezing but it felt good knowing we were there to help a friend and ourselves in a quest to get healthy. The best part, though, was that our whole family was there together and we were able to have a fun time doing something we don't do enough of. I really got a kick out of watching my 6-year-old daughter run ahead of us and act as our trainer because she kept telling us to hurry and go faster. What a tough girl!

It was really nice to see all the support Christie and her family received with the runners, but it was even better to see a lot of other support via drawings, auctions, breakfast, bake sale, and an online store to help alleviate some massive medical bills. We did our part with my amazing mother-in-law buying a number of goodies from the bake sale, but I thought I'd share a link in case anyone else would like to donate to this amazing family. Christie's husband is a 3rd-grade teacher so he's part of our community and if you can spare anything, please don't hesitate to donate a little to their cause.

I have a long past with cancer and hate what it does to families. I have lost three of my four grandparents to the disease as well as many other family members. I hope that one day we will be able to solve the riddle of cancer and find a way to beat it once and for all. I think that is one of my goals as an educator, to help get my students excited about school in the hopes that one of them may be the doctor to help destroy that family tragedy machine for good! But until that day, I'll keep teaching my students and keep hoping someone beats me to the goal!

Unfamiliar - #100DayProject - Day 015

Image Source: peasap on Flickr

One of the worst things a father has to deal with is a screaming baby when she should be sleeping. My daughter decided to teach me that very lesson tonight. As I was trying to console her I had a thought. While sometimes kids cry because they are either tired or many other reasons, I think my daughter was crying partially due to the fact we aren't at home tonight. We are staying with my in-laws for the night and my baby girl was in a different location where she isn't as comfortable. And yet, I know she's safe and will be okay, but she doesn't. 

Is this situation any different than when we as educators are asked to do something that we are unfamiliar with and scared to try? I have been asked to do things by my district office that I don't always understand or necessarily want to try, but once I give it a shot it ends up being very different than what I initially thought. And just like that, we end up finding that there is very little to really worry about if we are willing to try it. 

So what happened with my daughter? After a short bout of crying, my sweet girl fell asleep. Will we always end up perfectly content like my daughter? No, but more often than not we will end up okay.

#MakingADifference - #100DayProject - Day 014

Yesterday was an amazing day for basketball fans as two big events occurred. First, it was the last game for Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant who led his team to a 4th quarter victory over my home state team, the Utah Jazz, by scoring an impressive 60 points! And if that wasn't enough excitement, the Golden State Warriors broke an NBA record for best record in a regular season when they beat the Memphis Grizzlies 125-104. Congrats to both the Black Mamba and the Warriors on their amazing athletic feats!

While both of the above events are incredible, it made me think of how different the world of sports is to the world of teaching. Wouldn't it be cool if teachers were treated in the same manner as athletes? Having their retirement make headlines and even be partially to blame for a massive Twitter outage during their last lesson in class? I guess I'm not the only one to wonder about this alternate universe because popular comedy sketch duo Key & Peele created an amazing sketch called TeachingCenter back in July 2015 to address such ideas. If you haven't already contributed to more than 6.4 million views, then do so now.

As funny as the above sketch is, I kind of wish the actual teaching career had even just a smidge more similarities because those teachers in the video were worshipped! Not that I need to be worshipped, but I wish the profession was more respected. So even if you don't have the salaries mentioned in the video ($80 Million guaranteed over 6 years with $40 Million in testing incentives!), have press conferences to announce your pending transfer of schools, or were "drafted" out of college becoming an instant millionaire, know that you matter and that you make a difference!

Thanks for being a teacher and changing the world one child at a time!