Words Are Eternal

"Among the many worlds that man did
 not receive as a gift from nature but
 created out of his own mind, the world of books is the greatest… Without the word,
without the writing of books, there is no history, there is no concept of humanity. 

And if anyone wants to try to enclose in a
 small space, in a single house or a single
 room, the history of the human spirit and
to make it his own, he can only do this in
 the form of a collection of books."

                                                             ~Hermann Hesse

The ability to read and understand

simple, subtle, and complex ideas is

the golden feat we shall set our sights 

upon.  The priceless skills of reading

and thinking are tremendous gifts

which can elevate our children

into worlds of possibility!   

Let it be our mission and passion

to encourage the art of learning to

read for all children.  It may just

lead them to dream, and from

that distant shore....

there can be no turning back!

#IMMOOC & "The Purpose of Education"

"Change is nothing to fear."

Repeat:  "Change is nothing to fear."

  

Embrace it and step out of your comfort zone because each moment, each day, week, month, 

and the year that passes is different from
 the times that have eclipsed you and I.  The idea of "time marching on" is a powerful one.  Let it provoke wonder and energy within you because of the young people who come into class each day.  

Turning back to the first ten pages in George's 

The Innovator's Mindset, I recognized  

this phrase right away:  "What I care about

 is that kids are inspired to be better people because of their experiences in school." 

It was highlighted in yellow.  

I read the book months ago and was
curious about that first section which we
were responding to this week.  For me, 

it was necessary to "revisit" those 

early pages of the book. 

Why else should I rise from my bed each

morning and head off to work.....to play, to my important responsibilities?  It's for that genuine engagement with students, colleagues, families, and the community surrounding the school.  

Back to the book......I rediscovered three other passages (on page ten) that "jumped out" at me in that first reading of The Innovator's Mindset.

They were also highlighted in yellow. 

"Relationships are the crux of everything we do."

&

"The second thing my parents taught me was
 the value of being a constant learner,
especially in the face of adversity."   

&

In the same way, we need to, as Teach Like a PIRATE author Dave Burgess says, create

 an experience where students are

"knocking down the doors to get in."  

Lucky are we to recognize our mission

to be a part of encouraging and educating kids.

Let's reach out to seek the inspiration to 

get the job done......in style, and with love.

If you missed YouTube Live 1 

(Dave Burgess) and Week 1 Blog Prompts:
http://immooc.org/2016/09/17/youtube-live-1-dave-burgess-and-week-1-blog-prompts-immooc/

"Bill & #IMMOOC"

http://boomermagonline.com/magazine/2015/September/

A year ago I met a friendly gal around noon at

 the Vincennes, Indiana YMCA.  We were 

preparing to get our respective work-outs done under the watchful eye of a guard when she smiled and introduced herself as Laura.

 Throwing out a compliment about her suit,

 I jumped into the water and pushed off the 
wall.  "Timing is everything" they say,  
That poolside encounter proved to be true.

Little did I know a third swimmer

 finishing up his workout was the subject of
 of a piece Laura had  penned for 
Boomer Magazine, a local publication 

highlighting people and special events

 occurring in and around  communities

 adjacent to Knox County, Indiana.

Once I had the opportunity to read

 Laura's piece it both surprised and delighted
me.  Ironically I'd met the subject of her
 as a teenager and we were both living in 
Lawrenceville, Illinois.

He was my neighbor and the father of
 one of my friends, Mr. Carrithers.  

The afternoon Laura and I had a chance meeting, Bill just happened to be a couple of 

 lanes over from us.   Looking strong, he was

  in the midst of finishing up a mile swim.

Read Laura's story about Bill
in the link above (on page 8).  
Come back here to
"My Pedagogy Page," for there's
so much more to this story.

Bill Carrithers, Still in the Swim

Here's my shout-out to the group
participating in #IMMOOC 

Really Important

https://www.amazon.com/Reading-Nonfiction-Stances-Signposts-Strategies/dp/0325050805/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1472092199&sr=1-1&keywords=beers+note+and+notice+reading+nonfiction

Do Your Job

"It's not our job to play judge and jury,

to determine who is worthy of our kindness

and who is not. We just need to be kind, 

unconditionally and without ulterior motive,

even - or rather, especially

when we'd prefer not to be."     

                                                                       ~Josh Radnor

Selfless Spirit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcLEPr0cTPw

From 1917 until the end of World War One, the

woman of The Salvation Army provided donuts to soldiers.  

Today on this 1st Friday in June,

 we celebrate National Donut Day. 

It officially began in 1938 as a way of paying 

 tribute to the selfless spirit of The Salvation

 Army volunteers, the "donut lassies" during 

the first world war.  The holiday honors and 

symbolizes the services The Salvation Army 

continues to provide today.

Rose--- Work on This