Friday Fiction - The Pecking Order chapter 4

The Pecking Order chapter 4
Free Relationship Advice

The knock at Jaime’s front door interrupted his afternoon coffee.  Getting off the couch he scooted the grotesquely sized coffee cup across a TV tray and turned the volume down on the compelling day-time drama. I hope I won't have to put pants on.  He thought or said out loud to himself; he wasn't sure which.

Outside Will stood on the porch breathing slowly. He was busily reviewing the reason for his visit but when the door opened he only managed to ask "Did you really tell her to 'eat shit'?"

"You'll need to be more specific as to which 'she' you're talking about,” insisted Jaime, but in truth, he knew exactly which 'she' Will was referring to because he had only told one woman to 'eat shit' that week. Stepping aside, he gestured for Will to come in and he did. In addition to the cold cup of coffee, the TV tray had a familiar carton of Chinese take-out. There wasn't a lot of furniture but the carpet was well-kept, brown shag.

"Explain to me why you can't get along with her anymore?" Will asked as he sat back in an uncomfortable bean bag chair only to stand up again and remove his suit coat before sitting back down. Jaime only replied by asking "How ‘bout you explain to me why you have to bow down to her?" Since neither of them knew how to answer, they silently let the issue die.  Jaime turned the TV volume back up.

Thursday Theories - A Rationale to Change Your Philosophy on Teaching

A Rationale to Change Your Philosophy on Teaching



Waitzkin, Josh. The Art of Learning: a Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence. New York: Free, 2007. Print.



First, go pick-up a copy of Josh Waitzkin's The Art of learning and add it to your growing stack of books to read. For now, squint and read the excerpt above.

The Indian parable is my rationale for the current outlook on education. From a teacher's perspective, the landscape is thorny and unmapped. Educators could fight to make every obstacle bend to their will as represented by the concrete mix. They would need endless stamina to overcome the evolving new family unit, a new type of empowered student known as a digital native, a new curricula through Common Core that promises career readiness and numerous gripes about the challenges in the classroom.

Choosing this direction would result in harsh resistance and exhaustion.


Rain soaked Converse

On the other hand, educators could always choose to evolve with the landscape as represented by the shoes. They could make efforts to recognize the needs of a class filled with digital natives accustomed to learning in high-speed bursts. They could put current assessment to the test (see what I did there?) and determine if it’s going to benefit students after graduation.

 Veteran educators always referred me to a pendulum analogy regarding educational trends. Depending on your stance of how a classroom should function, you’re philosophy is either on the up-swing or down-swing. With states adopting the broad Common Core standards, I feel we’re on an exciting up-swing! The standards emphasize authenticity by conducting OTC (Outside the Classroom) applications in lessons requiring more creativity and thinking than regurgitation and bubbles to fill-in.

In my current position, we already assist educators in developing authentic lessons that just happen to align with most or all the Common Core standards. Feedback from teachers suggests this authentic teaching style is more engaging and fosters happier students. Happier students makes for less work for the teacher! It’s a snowball effect towards successful teaching habits!

How will big business assessment companies and data hungry bureaucrats fit into this?

How can I help prepare my teachers prepare for change?

It would be ideal to create a formula, so here's my start:
1. Rationalize the need for change in how lessons are developed
2. Change the view of our students to a more positive stance
3. Develop authentic assessment beyond traditional tests
4. (TBD)

Tuesday's Traumatic Childhood Stories: Hamsters are Lousy Pets

Tuesday's Traumatic Childhood Stories:

Hamsters are Lousy Pets

When I was nine my pet hamster, Butterball, bit me. It was the middle of a perfect day during the summer and I thought he (or she-it didn't really matter) would enjoy playing Robots versus army men in the backyard.

Dragging a canvas back pack containing a lifetime of treasures, I made a dramatic, but urgent entrance into the family living room where Butterball took residence, much to mom's disgust, in a clear-plastic tank with built in lemon colored exercise wheel. From the canvas back pack containing my life, emerged a menacing robot/jet plane, Starscream of the Decepticons! He was intimidating in his robot forum and I guess Butterball thought so too because when I open the flimsy, chewed door and made way for Starscream to enter Butterballs' cage then walked the evil juggernaut up to the sleeping hamsters bed, Butterball barely opened his eyes before lashing out with his cartoon-like front teeth. But he missed the malicious robot and bit my index finger. It was an accident I’m sure.

The robot escaped my hands as I reeled back with an “ouch" and immediately put the finger in my mouth. Removing my finger from safety, I watched with the tension as a bright pool erupted and flowed down my index finger. I didn't, yet, lose my cool demeanor for I had a little medical training at my young age.

Based on many hours studying a documentary called M.A.S.H., I had to apply pressure to the wound. That's what Hawkeye would do. That's how my mother found me; standing in the bathroom, applying pressure with her decorative pearl towels. Now they were lightly blood-stained, decorative pearl towels that once perched mute on a wall towel bar, never to be touched. In my haste of getting medical treatment, I forgot you don’t really use the decorative towels because they were just for looks.

Molly Jane, world's best hound

Mom screamed. I thought it was because I ardently used the decorative pearl towels, but it turned out to be the blood. She grabbed my wrist and grabbed the phone and called the local Emergency Room.

I started crying at the thought of going to the doctor or the emergency room because that ALWAYS meant a shot was involved. I’d rather take my chances bleeding than take a needle to the skin.

To make a long story short, now I’m a dog person.

Manly Mondays - Trucks and Window Decals (Video Blog)

The Most Manly of Truck Decals

Check out what MJ and I found on one of our morning walks. It's the epitome of confidence and masculinity. Take notes!

Upon further investigation, there was the same decal on the owner's license plate. It was a designer plate that said "Square and Line Dancing Champ". Does that make it less or more awesome? I like to believe the later.

Need help on regaining your masculinity? See the helpful model of manliness below: