AMERICAN EVE

I just finished an awesome read. Paula Uruburu's American Eve Evelyn Nesbit, Stanford White The Birth of the "It" Girl and the Crime of the Century is a must read. I provided a link of goodreads.com The story is extraordinary and the narrative of 100 years ago and the crime of the century that happened in Madison square gardens...the history of New York at the time of such millionaires..rich who took advantage of your ladies. Read this book. It will take you away, far far away in a world that Professor Uruburu (who took 10 years to write this book) so eloquently captured as a crucial time in American History. In a recent two part blog she explains how we must not repeat the mistakes of the past... just read the tabloids about Brittany Spears and some of the other exploited teens who have crashed and burned in their 20's. It looks like history has repeated itself and Professor Uruguru is here to remind us with her book about Evelyn that our lust for beauty continues to rules is all into the present and probably into our near future. Stay tuned for the next teen to crash and burn at the hands of the media, tabloids, the exploytation of women by men and so onward we go... into our dismall future

This thing called Cancer

A colleague of mine was talking to me about his young son who is terminal. As I sat and listened to him talk I began to wonder about this thing called Cancer. It has taken so many of our lives, it has killed so many and we still have not solved it's puzzle: What causes this thing called Cancer? I can't help but wonder how this disease can strip us of life, early life and often without notice. My father was a survivor of Cancer but was beaten down because of it. He had lung and brain cancer; two bouts fought with all of him human strength-won yet ultimately lost-weak, frail and limited in mental capacities when he died of related complications last November.

It stopped my in my tracks. A young boy. My colleagues son, who is terminal. How he carries on with strength I don't know. He says to me after a long pause with tears streaming from his eyes, "it sucks"... this Cancer thing I have been speaking about. I am angry of the priorities of our nation. We spend billions on war...and spend millions on research for Cancer. We are dying at home and killing the innocent abroad. Our nation is missing out on the opportunity to help millions of victims. Missing out on curing a deadly disease that strips us down to nothing. If we had any sense at all we would set our priorities to cure this awful disease and take back our ill and help them to live! Seven years old and terminal. I couldn't help but cry for my colleague today. I felt his pain. His suffering. His inability to understand why this is happening to his son. I could only say "take care" but I wanted to say to him that I feel his pain and I will be praying for him. In a moment of silence...I am praying for my colleagues son that he finds a way to beat this thing called Cancer

Malcom Gladwell Gone Mad: Random thoughts about nothing

In Malcom Gladwell video conference May 12, 2008 - Gladwell seems to have gone mad. Gladwell, in his typical way, argues another 'so what' topic. This guy is mad. Why does it matter first of all that athletes are tested or teachers are tested or lawyers are tested for the rigor of their professions? Gladwell suggests that it is not accurate to try and test skills and abilities of athletes, teachers and lawyers. Putting a battery of test to raise the standards does not necessary guarantee any more success then testing an average Joe from the streets. Is Gladwell suggestion that professionals and the average Joe have the same skill sets? Is Gladwell suggestion that screening for fitness, cognitive capacities and knowledge does not guarantee any tangible results. He even suggest that those who test well in a battery of cognitive and physical tests fair poorly in everyday work task on the job. The only premise I agree with in all of Malcom's arguments is the truth that human performance is best tested on the job not in an artificial setting. The rest is just him spouting off about seemingly obscure, random thoughts about nothing. This being said, I still enjoyed listening to him...

See for yourself...click on the title and view video

Authentic Intellectual Work

At the Gates meeting on Tuesday the discussion was around "Authentic Intellectual Work." What is meaningful, intellectual work? It doesn't happen in isoloation and is typically from the constructivist model of learning. Learning can happen when students construct their knowledge through organization, interpretation, evaluation, synthesis of prior knowledge to help solve problems. Authentic Intellectual Work comes when students engage and construct knowledge through a variety of modalities. Their cognitive work usually come in the absence of the teacher. Most "deep" thinking can be done via- so called- hight level thinking. What is this? What does it look like? Accessing prior knowledge is the start of developing authentic intellectual work. To come to a deeper understanding in learning the learner must test their understanding with other opinions and theories (compare\contrast). Must build new understandings (transfer) from previous knowledge and develop new theories to test their understandings. The testing comes when we analyse the work done and come to a new conclusion about what our new learning is.

What seem to be missing in the conversation was where creativity fits in. In the world of high stakes testing and standardized learning, creativity seems to be a lost art. Bloom's new taxonomy state that when we recreate a new understanding and create something entirely of our own making- this is the highest level of knowing, understanding and being able to do what is necessary to show evidence that learning has occured. This is what I would argue to be "authentic intellectual work."

What happened to inquire, discovery, trial and error? These are the things that test our true understanding (authenitic if you will) of our own learning. Jean Jacques Rousseau said "The person who has lived the most is not the one with the most years but the one with the richest experiences." Learning come best through our experiences, and without this our creativity is lost.

Leaving

What does it mean to be leaving? What are people leaving? What are they running from? Where are people going? Who are they running from? Are they running? Why are they leaving? What keeps them from staying? Why are they not staying?

Leaving is a strange thing...because are we really ever present? Do we ever take seriously living in the moment? Do humans take advantage of opportunities to live from moment to moment? I don't think so. Humans are always looking and chasing something they cannot ever have. Leaving happens because people are unsatified with their lives. People are leaving because they are chasing something they may never find. Humans refuse to stop and examine who they are and what is keeping them from wanting to stay put. People are afraid of staying to facing themselves. Fear keeps us from facing ourselves. Fear drives us to leave. Fear consumes us. Facing our fears and not allowing our fears to consume us will keep us living in the moment...being present and will not win over us leaving.

Sara McMann's worst enemy on the mat is herself

This is a story that will move the biggest rock on the planet. Sara McMann. A Silver Medalist at the 2004 Athen games in Wrestling. In the last three years she has lost her brother to a senseless death and her finasee in a tragic car accident. Yet, she has perservered and is attempting to reach her goal to be an Olympic Champion. Stories like this amaze me. The resolve of some people and the depth in which people can reach down and find themselves in the worst of circumstance is extraordianary. You wouldn't know why Sara was crying at the Medal ceremony in Athens in 2004. Her then finasee was able to comfort her in a time where Sara was a medalist in the Olympics. Anyone would have love to be in her place, but do we or will we ever understand the pain that Sara suffers from her devastating loss of her brother and just a short time after, her loss of her fiansee. WOW...I know who's corner I will be in when Sara wrestles for the Gold this year in Beijing, Sara McMann's because she is a survivor, a battler and a worrior in having overcome her huge losses in her life.

Placement

News of my placement came to me from a gentle voice saying "you will be with us next year." Wow, made my day and was a suprise. I have been working in teaching for 12 years and 10 in the same place and now I will be doing more of my professional development at my home school. My principal intership should be very challenging but I feel up for it at this time in my life. It will be great to work with people I have built relationships with at this school. This will make for a better experience knowing the staff and feeling comfortable with the staff. I am happy to hear this news...it is great news.