Sunday, May 31, 2015
We Made It!
Wow! What a great year we've had. Thank you for loaning us your student. As summer approaches, encourage your kids to continue reading and working on math. Help them to keep their skills sharp. If you get the opportunity this summer, visit a college or two. Check out careers and what skills are needed to be successful in that field. Most of all catch your breath and find time to relax. Next school year will be here sooner than we think.
Monday, May 25, 2015
May We Never Forget and May We Always Teach Our Children
May We Never Forget and May We Always Teach Our Children
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Graduation on the Horizon
In just a few short weeks, 3 to be exact, we will gather to honor our students who have completed 12 years of school. It is such an exciting time in their lives! High school begins with us at the 9th Grade. I love watching these young adults mature and grow. Over the next couple of weeks, I will be sharing motivational graduation speeches. When you're in the ceremony, you have so many emotions and feelings, it's hard to remember what the speaker shared. Hopefully, the class of 2015 will be able to replay the words of wisdom which will be delivered. Until then.... enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gtz7sVBH2uI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gtz7sVBH2uI
Deaf Valedictorian Delivers Inspirational Speech
“Who could ever have imagined someone like me would make it this far?” asked Evan Mercer last week during his high school graduation speech as class valedictorian.
Mercer offered classic advice to his fellow classmates to never give up -- except the words meant much more coming from him. That's because Mercer is deaf, and he told the story of the serious setbacks he faced to graduate first in his class at Harrison High School in Kennesaw, Georgia.
Mercer didn’t start to speak until he was 5, according to his mother, Pam Mercer. Despite her son being at a disadvantage, though, she was determined to not treat him any differently.
“I’ve expected him to do everything every other kid does, and I saw no reason why he couldn’t,” she told ABC News. “And if he struggled the first time, we just tried again.”
Mercer, 18, worked hard throughout school, receiving no special treatment other than sitting at the front of the class and using a special audio system so he could hear the teacher.
All his hard work paid off: He received full tuition to Vanderbilt University.
“Deafness had taught me a lesson to never give up,” he said in the speech. “Not when the experts tell you it cannot be done. Not when you have fallen so far behind that quitting seems the only way out. Not when achieving your dreams seems an absolute impossibility.”
Mercer spoke for about four minutes, after which he received a standing ovation from the class and supportive messages from family, friends and strangers.
“They’ve been sending me messages on Facebook, email, they’ve been talking to me in person telling me how it had an impact on their lives and how they’re really inspired by it,” Mercer told ABC News. “It feels amazing. Seeing that my words actually have an impact on someone and that they want to do more stuff because of my words makes me feel wonderful.”
Sunday, May 10, 2015
Education Commissioner Dr. Holiday
The following is from Dr. Holiday:
http://kyedcommissioner.blogspot.com/
FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2015
http://kyedcommissioner.blogspot.com/
FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2015
The truth about teaching
Teacher Appreciation Week is drawing to a close. But I didn’t want it to pass without a nod to our state’s great educators. In my travels around the country, I often brag on our teachers. They are the ones on the front lines of learning day in and day out and are primarily responsible for the progress we have seen in recent years.
Coach John Wooden once said that the teaching profession contributes more to the future of our society than any other single profession. I agree. Regular readers of my blog know that I often cite the importance that other countries place on the teaching profession. We should follow their lead. As businessman Lee Iacocca once noted, in a completely rational society, the best of us would be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something else.
Most of us think we know what it means to teach, and by extension, to be a teacher.
But, the truth is, most people don't really know much about teaching. Their memories and perceptions come from being students — not teachers who spent hours, days and months preparing for them to arrive in their classrooms.
Most people have no knowledge of hours-long curriculum planning meetings, weekends spent correcting students' work or the time spent on professional learning seeking out new teaching strategies to help students master critical concepts.
Most people have never managed a classroom of 25 or more students, some of whom come to school angry or neglected, leery that another adult will let them down, but at the same time craving someone who will listen to them, see them, believe in them and help them.
Most people don't know what it is like to stress over learning new, more in-depth standards, master yet another new technology, or feel like a failure when all their hard work results in barely a percentage blip on state assessments.
In the public eye, teachers often swing between being revered and reviled. They are either members of the noblest profession or they are viewed as incompetent and ineffective.
These are simplistic, one-dimensional characterizations. Neither offers a true portrait of what it means to teach. In fact, the two extremes allow the realities of those who teach our children to be glossed over, unsaid and unshared.
Our preconceived notions and assumptions stop us from really knowing the first-year high school special education teacher who deals with students who cannot control their emotions and act out by swearing, throwing things, and sometimes physically harming themselves.
We don't get to meet the teachers who keep snacks in their desks so students don't go hungry, who buy winter coats, hats and mittens for children who come to school cold, or who purchase new shoes for those who can't afford them. Then there are the teachers who often work summers to raise money to help send students on field trips and to sporting events — experiences these students wouldn't otherwise have, if not for the teacher's selfless acts.
We seldom hear about teachers who help students afford the medications they need or who, often anonymously, pay to have heat, electricity or water turned back on for struggling families so their students will have the basics at home.
We miss out on learning about the teacher who regularly helps students' families read their mail because they cannot read well enough to understand it.
Or the teacher who logs 50 hours in one nine-week period volunteering time after school so that students can have the experience of being part of a drama production.
Yet, all of these teachers are real — dedicated, compassionate professionals who want the best for their students.
Few, however, take the time to learn what teachers really do and what is happening in their classrooms. Teachers ignite the spark of learning in children. They inspire, encourage and support our children. Great teachers don’t see students for what they can’t do, but help them discover what they can do.
If all the current critics of public education spent just one day with a teacher in a classroom, they would learn the truth about our public education system, the progress our students are making and the dedication and professionalism of our teachers.
Too often we think we know what teachers do and what they need to do better. But we don't really know unless we listen to those who know — those who teach.
Teachers educate our children, but they also have much to teach all of us about what is happening in our schools. Let's take the time to not only thank them, but also talk with them and to listen to what they have to say.
Coach John Wooden once said that the teaching profession contributes more to the future of our society than any other single profession. I agree. Regular readers of my blog know that I often cite the importance that other countries place on the teaching profession. We should follow their lead. As businessman Lee Iacocca once noted, in a completely rational society, the best of us would be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something else.
Most of us think we know what it means to teach, and by extension, to be a teacher.
But, the truth is, most people don't really know much about teaching. Their memories and perceptions come from being students — not teachers who spent hours, days and months preparing for them to arrive in their classrooms.
Most people have no knowledge of hours-long curriculum planning meetings, weekends spent correcting students' work or the time spent on professional learning seeking out new teaching strategies to help students master critical concepts.
Most people have never managed a classroom of 25 or more students, some of whom come to school angry or neglected, leery that another adult will let them down, but at the same time craving someone who will listen to them, see them, believe in them and help them.
Most people don't know what it is like to stress over learning new, more in-depth standards, master yet another new technology, or feel like a failure when all their hard work results in barely a percentage blip on state assessments.
In the public eye, teachers often swing between being revered and reviled. They are either members of the noblest profession or they are viewed as incompetent and ineffective.
These are simplistic, one-dimensional characterizations. Neither offers a true portrait of what it means to teach. In fact, the two extremes allow the realities of those who teach our children to be glossed over, unsaid and unshared.
Our preconceived notions and assumptions stop us from really knowing the first-year high school special education teacher who deals with students who cannot control their emotions and act out by swearing, throwing things, and sometimes physically harming themselves.
We don't get to meet the teachers who keep snacks in their desks so students don't go hungry, who buy winter coats, hats and mittens for children who come to school cold, or who purchase new shoes for those who can't afford them. Then there are the teachers who often work summers to raise money to help send students on field trips and to sporting events — experiences these students wouldn't otherwise have, if not for the teacher's selfless acts.
We seldom hear about teachers who help students afford the medications they need or who, often anonymously, pay to have heat, electricity or water turned back on for struggling families so their students will have the basics at home.
We miss out on learning about the teacher who regularly helps students' families read their mail because they cannot read well enough to understand it.
Or the teacher who logs 50 hours in one nine-week period volunteering time after school so that students can have the experience of being part of a drama production.
Yet, all of these teachers are real — dedicated, compassionate professionals who want the best for their students.
Few, however, take the time to learn what teachers really do and what is happening in their classrooms. Teachers ignite the spark of learning in children. They inspire, encourage and support our children. Great teachers don’t see students for what they can’t do, but help them discover what they can do.
If all the current critics of public education spent just one day with a teacher in a classroom, they would learn the truth about our public education system, the progress our students are making and the dedication and professionalism of our teachers.
Too often we think we know what teachers do and what they need to do better. But we don't really know unless we listen to those who know — those who teach.
Teachers educate our children, but they also have much to teach all of us about what is happening in our schools. Let's take the time to not only thank them, but also talk with them and to listen to what they have to say.
Sunday, May 3, 2015
I LOVE TEACHERS!
I love this week!
This is the week we take time to say thank you to our teachers. Teachers are the backbone of our
existence. We would not be where we are
today without great caring teachers.
When asked who has influenced us, made a difference in our lives, or has
left a lasting impression, the name/face of a teacher probably comes to
mind. I’m not sure we realize how
dedicated, giving, and hard-working educators are. Take time this week to say thanks to one of
your teachers or to one of your student’s teachers.
If you would like to share your appreciation in a tangible
way, Pinterest is the best.
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