Education Nation 2011

 

I should be very clear and say that I do not miss a day of first grade for just anybody! I LoVe what I do and truly miss being away from my little monkeys. With that said, Education Nation was on the "must do" list and with good reason!  NBC hosts this extraordinary open forum for education gurus, lovers of learning, educators from all grade levels, researchers, corporate partners, and well, those with lots of extra money. The interaction possibilities are right on! During the Teacher Town Hall, teachers, parents, and community members were tweeting, posting on Facebook, and posting on the blog! It was awesome! Check out my tweet on the big screen! We were buzzing in with a response system similar to the one in my classroom. Technology was everywhere! I am hopeful this buzz will continue in the virtual world, as well as, well....the real world.

Have you heard of Jennifer Garner? Yep, the actress from.....Valentine's Day and many more! Did you know she is an early childhood education advocate? I didn't! Check this out! I like her more than ever as early intervention is so close to my heart!

Does LeBron James ring a bell? He is an education advocate too! I was unaware of his campaign-26 Seconds. Every 26 seconds a student drops out of school. How can we sleep at night at knowing that?Want to know more? I did! Look here! (Side note-he was my second crush of the event!)

Actress, basketball player, Secretary of Education....those things go together, right?

Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan had much to say after the Innovation Spotlight with Sal Khan. (By the way, if you haven't checked out Khan Academy-you are missing out!) Duncan has a positive outlook, but knows there is work to be done. I like Secretary Duncan. I do not always agree with the Secretary, but I think he is an ok guy. When he participated in Parenting Magazine's Mom Congress letters to our children, it made my heart sing. This is a real guy. He does not have all the answers, but none of us do. 

Is that all? Nope! There was Brain Power! This intense research made my heart soar and sink at the same time! T is 2 1/2. Half of his first 2,000 days have passed. Wow. I couldn't help but think how blessed we are, but at the same time think of how others have so little. This is weighing on me and I am, of course, coming up with a plan to help young children here in Atlanta. Look at this research! We must TALK and READ to our children. They need to LAUGH and PLAY everyday. If not now, then when? 

For more info on the Brain Power research, click here. 

Dr. Nancy Snyderman offers tips for grownups too! 5 Tips

Was it all work and no play? No way! Life is too short for that!

       

We are an Education Nation..........right?

Where to begin! I left Saturday afternoon for a turn around trip to the Big Apple! I was determined and excited to attend NBC's Education Nation Teacher Town Hall in New York City September 25th.

Armed with my media credentials (a first for me and I loved it!) I braced myself for the challenge and hailed a taxi to 30 Rock. I felt very New Yorkish as I (in my best accent) said, "30 Rock!" The driver nodded and I was on my way!

Brian Williams, my first crush of the event, started the with a kudos to teachers and a warm welcome. Speakers included teachers of the year, administrators, school leaders and more. Melinda Gates was absolutely a highlight, though I may not always agree with her beliefs and ideas. She says we must have a new teacher evaluation and I completely AGREE with that! However, I am not sure if all of this-peer teacher's evaluations, student assessments, parents surveys, student surveys, and administration observations-should determine final evaluation and pay. More than the obvious issues that might arise, I just do not think the logistics would ever work. Who would cover the other classes while colleagues observe a lesson? How will these surveys been done without bias? I could go on and on. I KNOW teachers should learn from each other and I am the first to volunteer and also share,

 but are we ready for this?

I am really pondering the best type of teacher evaluation system and I fully intend on passing along my ideas....when I have one! Do you have an idea? Please share! Mrs. Gates was also intermingled with teacher pay talk. She knows teachers should make more money. We all know teachers should make more money...I hope anyway! For more with Mrs. Gates, visit Ed Nation Part 1.

Another big hit for me was Maddie Fennel (hope I am giving her name the justice it deserves!) She was a heavy hitter that I can admire and probably listen to for hours. My favorite comment was geared for our teacher friends who may not be in the right field, "This may not be for you. Let us help you find something better to do with your time." (or something along those lines.) I get happy chills just thinking about it!

To hear more of Maddie and her preacheresque friend on the panel, click here:

Ed Nation Part 2.

Bottom line-this could have gone on for days. Seriously, if I could have my way--it would! There were not enough teachers present, the ones present were not geographically diverse, there were few parents, administrators, or superintendents either. There were a couple of speakers who easily could have been replaced with educators sharing their real life experiences. I am all about real teachers sharing what is going RIGHT and sharing SOLUTIONS on how to make things better. Did I enjoy the speakers on hand? YES! Do I think a little more TEACHER input could have been used to choose speakers--absolutely!! 

There I go again with that teacher input thing! :) 

International Dot Day

Have you read The Dot by Peter Reynolds? If not, it is time!! 

My first grade class and I celebrated International Dot Day on September 15th. My toddler and I celebrated that night! The Dot is all about believing in yourself, being brave, and going for it! A struggling artist is sad about her ability to draw until a fabulous teacher displays her work (a dot) with pride. Vashti starts to feel a little bit better and ends up with a beautiful dot display. She then shares her gift with another developing artist. It is just beautiful! Paying it forward, awesome art, and more! My class created their own dot masterpieces....

                    

But what about T? We had a dotty dinner! He ate a pancake dot, with syrup dots, raspberry dots, and so on! 

While you are at it, you might as well buy ish too! It is another must have by Reynolds! Each year my class and I read the book and have a great discussion about how our pictures do not need to be perfect-they can be -ish! We then make a class book with our -ish drawings and mine are always included! (I drew a giraffe last week that the kids mistook for a spider. :/) The result is always del-ish-ous!

MoNsTeR?!?

T will be 3 in January and so the time is right. The time to share one of my all time favorite (I know I have quite a few) books with him. This is one of the books that I read the very first week of first grade.

Here's how I start the book talk-"Boys and girls, I want to share a book with you and the main character is Grover from Sesame Street." This is met with "what, Sesame Street, is that a board book, blah blah blah." I then say, "I know what you are thinking-Sesame Street is for babies and you are just too old for that. So let's make a deal. If you don't like it when I am done, I will take it home and never ever ever bring it back! Deal?"

Then I read the book and they BEG for me to read it again. Here we are, four weeks into school and they STILL ask me to read the book! "Please don't take it home, please!" :)

Here it is...(click on the pic to visit Amazon)

I just so happen to also have this in board book and on cd! 

Now, this is one of those books that you MUST read before sharing with your child. You must become a Sesame Street character and go for it! You have to act like you are nailing the pages and tying them down and so on! I guarantee a smile from your toddler, your kindergartener, your first grader, and maybe even your spouse! 

There is a sequel, but much like great movies, the second one just doesn't compare.

Still not sold? Check this out! My Mommy Reads (link to T and I reading the book! Push play and enjoy!)