Luv 2 Teach High School

Sexting IS bad!

2010-04-18T08:02:00.002-05:00

I do not write this blog to inflame or degrade parents, I write my opinion to hopefully help adults in kids' lives to give them the tools and critical thinking skills to choose right from wrong.

"Sexting" has become a popular phenomenon with far reaching ramifications. This type of texting involves people, mostly teens, sending explicit pictures to others via cell phones. While many teens view this as harmless it is far from it.

I believe society today has come full circle. The "60s" saw the development of the "I Feel Good" and "It's about me" era. History does indeed repeat itself. As a teacher, I have seen first hand how teens do not understand respect and responsibility not only for themselves but for others. I'm seen the "it's all about me" syndrome firsthand.

According to CNN, one young man is forever a sex offender. He got mad at his girlfriend and sent a "sext" to all his friends. This is distribution of child pornography. Since this young man was charged he will be labeled a sex offender for that distribution.

"Fifteen-year-old Marissa Miller of northeastern Pennsylvania was 12 when she and a friend snapped themselves wearing training bras. "I wasn't trying to be sexual," she says, "I was having fun with my friends at a sleepover, taking pictures, dancing to music." The picture recently surfaced on a student's cell phone and Marissa's mom, MaryJo Miller, was contacted by Skumanick. "He told me that he had a full nude photo of my daughter," says MaryJo Miller, who calls the picture innocent.

Rather than force her daughter to take the classes, which would have required she write a report explaining why what she did was wrong, Miller and two other families -- with the help of the ACLU -- are suing the district attorney to stop him from filing charges. "We believe she was the victim and that she did nothing wrong," says Miller. "How can I ask her to compromise her values and write this essay, when she didn't do anything?" - CNN.com

The above except from CNN gives "sexting" a whole new meaning for me. The parents believe their daughter is a victim and did nothing wrong. WHOA! In my opinion the child is not victim and did do something wrong. Whatever the child's intent is irrelevant at this point. She snapped partially nude photos of herself and a friend and DID do something. "Sexting" surfaced in 2005 and I am of the opinion unless you live with your head in a sandbox most people are aware of this fad.

What if a pedophile got a hold of the pics? It is so easy to get information on people today and it would be fairly easy to mask oneself on a website that could be a real danger to this child. This fad of "sexting" is allowing kids to express themselves in an inappropriate way. It is allowing the opposite sex to believe that the person in the pictures would be a willing participate in sexual activity.

Parents and children need to understands the ramifications of "sexting" for the long term. Not only is it labeling the child as sexually active, it is a crime, one that could last a lifetime. There have been girls that have committed suicide because of "sexting." Bristol Palin is right, "Pause before you play." It is my opinion that nude, partially nude, or other explicit photos are not accidental. They are not "all in fun" and "harmless." They may very well be a peer pressure thing. It could be a boyfriend's "if you love me..." Then, BAM! they couple breaks up or has a heated argument and the pictures start circulating.

Parents help your children understand this is not "normal" behavior. And if you think it is, you need to seek professional help. As I always told my daughter, "if you don't want anybody to know about it, then don't write it." Same is the case with "sexting." If you don't want some sicko to ruin your character, don't snap that picture. Or kids, if you don't want to end up "sex offender" at the end of your name don't attempt it.

Parents teach your children about respect and responsibility that come with ownership of a cell phone. Better yet, don't buy them one with a camera. Or block the ability to send and/or receive multimedia messages. Teens live today and think not of tomorrow. As a parent, it is our responsibility to inform our children of the dangerous world we live in today. Make sure they understand that every reaction has an equal and opposite reaction. Whether good or bad, a consequence will be rendered.

Stop and think. What will snapping this picture do for me? What could happen as a result of the picture? Who would really benefit from explicit "sexts?"

Bullying: To Law or Not To Law

2010-04-02T06:11:00.000-05:00

Why wouldn't a state put off a law on bullying? Why isn't there a federal statute on bullying?

With the revolution of technology, i.e., Facebook, MySpace, text messaging, etc. bullying laws should be an important part of the books.

In the Massachusetts case of the young girl hanging herself because she couldn't endure another moment of it. The school says they have been unfairly blamed for the girl's death. WHAT?

It is the responsibility of the school to provide a safe and orderly environment that is conducive to learning. It is clear this child was in trouble. There are several reports of disciplinary actions taking place. The school stands by the notion if the girl didn't tell them everything there was nothing they could do to stop it.

HELLO! While there appears to be several discipline actions involving this one student should have raised a huge red flag. It has been my experience that children that are the subject of bullying do not disclose it to the proper authorities. Reasoning at the age is somewhat whack! I know I would be scared for retaliation. If this is a classic case of bullying, this child clearly came to the end of her rope (no pun intended). While it is the village's responsibility to see to the welfare of our children, I see nothing about parental statements.

Her self-esteem would be deeply affected. Moving into another state is another concern much less a new country. How did she know how to trust anyone? Had she talked to the school counselor? It would seem there was one teacher that took up the matter; however, once that is done, it is an administrator's job to finish the discipline.

Why am I blogging on this subject? I feel there needs to be more proactivity toward our youth today. My problems seemed huge during the teen years but I didn't have to endure what our kids today are living in. Drugs, alcohol, bullying...Sure we had a class bully but I don't remember them being much but hot air. Whip their tails and they ran home to Mama; problem solved. Today kids carry weapons to prove they are serious in their effort to rise to the top for whatever reason. The easiest way to get there is through fear.

However, kids seem to have become much crueler today. Parents aren't as quick to hold their children accountable. In Massachusetts I am sure there are parents emphatically denying their child had no role in this catastrophe. Wanna bet?

Who saw this happening to this girl at school and didn't get involved? I know firsthand what emotions can do to a teenager. My own daughter did not wish to live. She was not being bullied; it was just the opposite. However, we moved and she changed schools. The pressure she put on herself was too much. She felt the "supposed" friends were just that...surface friendships. She was very normal at home and didn't show any signs of being in trouble at school but didn't feel she had a confidant.

But I seem to attack the school system because my child wrote her name on the counselor's board to be seen everyday for three weeks. Don't tell me at that point it was not the school's responsibility. She was never seen, my daughter took matters into her own hands. Praise God she did live and makes it a point to love children and desires to work with at-risk children. She does not want children to feel what she felt and if they do, she wants them to know she's walked the road.

In conclusion, the school authorities think they have been blamed unfairly but I think not. Among all the overworked educators in this country part of their duty is to make it safe for that child. 'Nuff' said!

School Improvement

2010-03-30T14:45:00.000-05:00

What is school improvement really all about? Should it be labeled teacher improvement? Student Improvement? Or how about Parent Improvement?

For years I have been watching what school improvement does to a district. Administrators and teachers look like circus workers jumping through the hoops. The "new buzz" strategies intended to improve a school is really on a book shelf gathering more dust just like all the other papers disseminated in meetings and workshops. They might be pulled out if the teacher knows their classroom is up for a visit. It seems that new and improved ways to enhance a school and/or educate its students come out each week.

Teachers spend endless hours in Professional Development to learn how to help their students. The continuation of education for teachers is endless. Many teachers will attest to the fact of sitting in Professional Development for six hours with fifteen different subjects thrown at you will literally fry your mind.

While I believe teachers have gotten away without accountability for many years, how can you blame them? If a teacher is not "cutting the mustard" and not held accountable by their superiors for years of bad teaching why do the rest of us have to suffer? I'm not leaving myself out of this loop. I have done many times what it took to get by and sometimes skimmed right by without doing what I was supposed to in the essence of time and sanity.

Lately I've been watching a case develop in Rhode Island where 88 teachers lost their jobs. This tactic has been threatened for many years and BAM! it happens. The district was given three models to follow and ultimately chose this one because they felt it was workable for them. Now, the district can hire 50% of those teachers back. 44...How would like to have that job?

When you look at the case closer their student body is highly mobile and poor. If states use their own standards there will be a gap in the education of students. The graduation rate is what tipped the scales against them. If the student body is highly mobile would that mean the anticipated graduates moved?

Living in the Delta region of the United States I can tell you high school students come to school without education on their mind. Many come for the food because they have none at home. Many come for the pure socialization with their peers. Education is the last thing many students want. So how can students be improved? All the information is given to the teachers to use but what is given to students to motivate them? Do we include them in this "circus" and see if they will jump through hoops? Highly doubtful...

With so many people involved in the education of children one would think parents would be at the front of the line beating down the doors for a great education. NOPE! Many parents use the school system as a babysitting service. Many parents are not involved in their child's education until it is too late to help the child. There are a vast majority of great parents that are concerned and want a good education for the students. Unfortunately, those students do not fall into the improvement category. The rise well above the threshold and gain knowledge. My parents weren't the most educated of people but they stood by my brother and I to make sure we stayed in school, did our best, and got that education. Let me tell you the methodology my Mother used was right on target. A belt to my backside. All she ever asked was for us to do our best but she knew when mine wasn't the best and I felt the heat!

I was the same with my child. A single parent I knew she would need her education to go to college. I was full aware that college was needed for a job in this generation. I never blamed a teacher for my daughter's lack of capabilities. She once argued with a teacher all the way out of the classroom into the hall over her lack of understanding. She was punished by me, not the school, for the way she handled the situation. You might wonder the teacher's point of view..."Why your daughter is the best student I've got. OK - if she is the best student then why is she arguing with you over math to the point you both end up in the hallway?" (This would be case in point of teachers afraid of students and their parents - which is another blog.)

School improvement is about everyone. States hold districts accountable. Districts are starting to hold teachers accountable. But who really holds students accountable or their parents? I keep hearing that students aren't going to receive credit or fail a certain grade if they don't score proficient on the benchmark. Has it happened yet?

I have a saying that rings true here: "You can lead the student to the test but you can't make them bubble in the right answers."

I honestly believe our government needs to look hard at the way they create accountability for education. Consistent standards across the country would close some of the gap. Looking at the content of benchmark testing dependent on the area of the country a student is raised would be a great start. My students don't care if Dick saw Jane run. They don't care if Spot runs with Dick and Jane. They care about the bills being paid, the parents not being drug addicts or alcoholics, the love they don't receive from family yet long for each day. For students, it's about survival. I don't believe that my area is much different than many areas in the United States. Write benchmark prompts in a variety where students can relate to the content.

School Improvement...Teacher Improvement...Student Improvement...Parent Improvement...Schools are in distress, teachers are suffering from stress, and students only care about the way they are dressed and no one told the parents about the test. See the pattern here? School improvement will only be an improvement if everyone connected to that one student step up to the plate and see they receive the best education they can get.

Just a LOONNGGGG thought!

Blogs and Copyright - Final Answer

2009-07-26T09:50:00.005-05:00

In July 2009, I traveled to Charleston, South Carolina to visit my cousin for a week. My favorite author, Dorthea Benton Frank, just released her new book, “Return to Sullivan’s Island.” The heroine of the story, Beth, had just completed her college degree in journalism. She went back to Sullivan’s Island to live for one year while her mother went to Paris to teach. As the conversation of Beth putting her life on hold took place she mentioned she might “blog” while in South Carolina. To Beth, this would be a good way to hone her journalistic skills. Her eccentric old aunt that was leaving for California said, “Are you crazy? People will steal your thoughts!”

This statement caught my attention. I have never thought about blogging or other types of Internet communication as vulnerable to theft. As part of the Multimedia frameworks I am required to teach about Copyright laws. One part of Copyright law is specific: once that thought is completed on paper, the writer has a copyright to it. Do we really have that security?

I have heard on the news about people being fired from jobs for what they have said in blogs, on Facebook, and MySpace. Personally, I have always thought, “Way to Go, STUPID!" I can't believe someone would talk negatively about their job in this type of forum and I never gave a thought to a thief of words. It truly does make sense in today’s world. Most people, especially students, don’t comprehend plagiarism and its seriousness.

Anyone stealing someone else’s work is irritating to me. After much contemplation and researching I think I understand why it strikes my nerves. I don’t really consider myself important enough to have my thoughts taken away by a hacker or plagiarizer because they probably wouldn’t be interested in my opinion. However, I have worked very hard to obtain my education. It is sometimes difficult to gather the thoughts and research while giving them a place in the context of assignments. I have done many projects behind the scenes because of my inability to say no and others have taken the credit.

Evidently it bothers me more than I think because I am writing about the subject. Another aspect to look at…some of the postings on blogs are very personal to people. They have taken a risk and laid their life before us. I can see some of their personal issues being turned into a book. Some of the blogs I am currently reading hold my attention without fail and would make a wonderful work for a good book.

I really don’t understand the whole blogging concept unless the author wants someone to read, critique, and comment on it. I know I have become caught up in “blog-o-mania” and find myself blogging constantly. If one’s work is to be that confidential why start a blog? An electronic journal would be the same thing and it could be kept on the personal hard drive of the computer or a flash drive.

I was once told in a workshop the mark of a good teacher is they will share everything they know without fear. I don’t mind sharing; I don’t mind constructive criticism; and I certainly don’t mind mechanic correction, but ask me for the information and I will gladly give it with a promise of credit in return.

In writing on this subject I drew on previous knowledge about Copyright laws. I also completed new research on the subject because the concept of blogging creates a whole new realm of copyrighting. I found an article at http://www.problogger.net/archives/2009/02/08/how-to-defend-your-blogs-copyright, which shows the violation of Copyright is still an issue. It also outlines ways to protect your blog. A free licensing web site www.creativecommons.org will let you create a little license symbol in HTML for you to place within your blog. Of course, there are various settings within the blog site to set to help protect your work. Not that either stops someone from stealing thoughts but it gives the writer a little more copyright infringement rights.

Blogs and Copyright - Part 2

2009-07-24T08:12:00.003-05:00

Revisions
Apparently copyright and blogging are a big deal. After doing Internet research I found the following article on copyright and blogging.

http://www.problogger.net/archives/2009/02/08/how-to-defend-your-blogs-copyright/

This article was actually written in February so it would be considered new evidence of copyright infringement.

Although I don't consider myself important enough to have my work stolen and I have always understood a good teacher shares all the knowledge they have without reservation, this issue seems to be plaguing me.

I think I might understand why...Since I have indicated previously the brain is used to make life easier and difficult problems, analytical thinking, etc. require a great deal of effort from the brain, I might be offended that someone couldn't think for themselves.

I, like my classmates, have worked very hard to obtain this degree. It has been difficult for me to gather some of the thoughts and place in the right context. I don't want some "yahoo" coming along and plagiarizing or writing my work as their own irritates me. If I want you to have the information, ask me and I'll give it to you as long as I get credit where it is due.

I think another reason this bothers me is I have done so many things at work behind the scenes because of my own inability to say no and others have taken the credit. Should I ever decide on the PhD, I may want to use one of these posts as a dissertation thesis or research source.

Another aspect to look at...Some of the postings on some of these blogs are very personal to people. They have taken a risk and laid their life before us. I can see some of their personal issues being turned into a book. Some of the blogs I am reading hold my attention without fail and would make wonderful work for a good book.

Therefore, as part of my revision, I did a little more research. You will notice at the bottom of this post, I have a copyright. This is free from creative commons. You can select your choices and have the code emailed to you. It is also free. In conclusion, I feel a little better that I can at least say, "Hey this is my work. If you want to use it, just ask."

Original Test
"As copyright laws go, once that thought is put on paper, you have a copyright to it. Do you really?

While in Charleston, my favorite author, Dorthea Benton Frank released her new book, "Return to Sullivan's Island" and I obtained my signed copy. Reading through the book the young woman who was a writer talked about blogging. Her eccentric old aunt said, "Are you crazy? People will steal your thoughts."

This really caught my attention. I had never thought about blogging or Facebook notes as vulnerable to copyright theft. Since I really have nothing personal to blog about, it is all on a professional level, I never thought about a thief.

I just don't really understand the purpose for blogging unless you want others to read it. If you wanted to journal, it could still be electronic but stored on your computer or another type of media.

Any other thoughts on this?"

Luv 2 Teach High School Blog by Janice Hudson-Owers is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at msowers.blogspot.com.

Three LIttle Pigs and One Wolf

2009-07-20T07:24:00.003-05:00

As I was completing the reading for this week I must admit sadly I never knew the wolf had his own story. I have always believed the pig and his story.

I plan on capitalizing on these two accounts this fall. I always have a huge discussion with students sometime during the year about our realities. I always explain to them that my reality may be different from their reality.

To explain this I will use a fight illustration. If two students are fighting and a teacher gets caught up in the fight I am focused on the teacher. Students for some reason flock to fights all seem to see different things. Their focus is on the students fighting. In my reality I don't really care who swung first I care who keeps swinging endangering my co-worker. The students each have an account of stops fighting first. At my school for some reason it takes a huge investigation when fighting occurs. I guess that would be the democratic way. However, in my opinion, they both go home if a teacher gets caught up in the middle of it all (I'll save that for later).

In the above illustration two different realities occurred. The student reality and my reality. While I will most probably stay with my original statement, the student(s) will have different accounts of the fight. Therefore, given the position of the student, physically and mentally, their reality of what happened is different.

I have always had a hard time getting this point across without concrete evidence to show them. Alas, enter The Three Little Pigs and The Wolf's Side of the Story. After reading the passages and the table in the text I have decided to draft a lesson plan on reality from these stories. Although the first story seems to be told by an unbiased outsider which could preclude any prejudice that might occur, I am certain the second story is full of bias. After all, it is told by the wolf.

My plan will be for the students to read both stories and form opinions on each. Then, they will create a presentation in groups (I think) of the events and the reality of each story. This will lend itself to the ability to analyze the components of the stories. It will give them the opportunity to complete a teamwork activity. Finally, it will give them insight of people having opinions and it being alright to express those opinions without judgment.

Please give me your thoughts on this idea and help me expand it to be able to deliver it effectively.

Some People...

2009-07-18T21:20:00.003-05:00

While I was at my Career Guidance Conference this last week we had a wonderful speaker. Paul Vitale is a nationally known motivational speaker that hails from Arkansas.

He talked about getting out of the ruts and moving on...Standing up and taking the chance...Risking it all...

He showed this from YouTube and I just had to share it. Get moving People!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSIkjNaICsg

Balanced Writing Takes Time

2009-07-18T09:47:00.004-05:00

"Being able to write well is an admired skill, but it is a form of communication we use somewhat grudgingly when we cannot pick up the phone or meet face to face. Whether we are an adult or a child, writing is often a love-hate relationship that some of us take joy in, some find a tool for communication, and some just hate" -Bonnie Burns

For some reason this thought has stuck with me this week. As somewhat of an introvert (which really doesn't show) I would rather communicate by writing most of the time. I really don't like to talk on the phone. Face to face meetings can sometimes be nerve-racking for me. Therefore, I have come to the my own conclusions. Disclaimer: the opinions of this author are not necessary pertinent to all cases and is just what it is - an opinion.

Since writing is a step-by-step process could it be that our approach to writing is the same? For example, when we look at those little ones (Pre-K and K) with their little pads just writing and coloring away, we see their longing to do something that their older siblings or their parents do - write (the love relationship). This process continues through those formative years in elementary school until WHAM! it gets harder to write. Students become more needy of the teacher. The teacher is stretched to the max because of too many students (the hate relationship begins).

According to Daniel T. Willingham in his new book Why Don't Students Like School the brain is not constructed to do difficult tasks. The brain likes the simple tasks. I pondered on this statement also. It is true...We walk and talk without effort when we learn. Many of us resisted this blogging concept because it was new and we perceive our own writing skills as less than average. The level of difficulty in composing these blogs actually hurt our brain. When a small child says, "It hurts to think" it probably does. According the Willingham the brain is there to simply our tasks. When we put it in the position to solve difficult or unsolvable problems it really does try to shut down. I really do recommend this book for your library. It is new research (published in March 2009) and lends insight into those students that do express a dislike for school. This is only one factor in many such as home environment, etc. but we'll save that for another post.

So, as we continue on our educational journey, we find things to dislike about school as the difficulty increases. Since we do so much reading and writing it is easy to blame our dislike of school on those things. Writing takes time. Writing is not a one shot good thing. It is a process and all the steps should be followed in order to be effective. Many of you have read my ADD post. Think about this, if you had trouble following my post, as much trouble as I had reading on an airplane, think about those adolescent students whose eyes are drawn to every noise. Even though writing is a process in my opinion it is made much more difficult because of the setting we are forced to write in today. 22 or 23 little 5th graders where many have cell phones and are of the video age and we have the audacity to ask them to compose a story. 7th and 8th grade students that really need to know who is with who TODAY and we ask them to write. 9th -12th graders that really are there for the social scene than to learn and we ask them to write. The whole love-hate relationship is more hate for more years than love.

I actually have been drafting this post for 2 hours now. The TV is on...I called and ordered my daughter's cable and Internet for her move...we talked about new furniture because her dogs have obliterated their current furniture...my daughter and son-in-law picking on each other...my Mother folding their laundry and not needing too. No wonder it has taken me two hours to get this done.

Writing takes time. Balanced writing takes even more time. As we age I believe the process of writing becomes easier because we become more at ease with the task at hand. I'm not really much of a prewriter. I prewrite in my head and I have to get it all up there before typing or writing a thing. Then, BOOM! it all goes on paper. I do what I am supposed to and that is spend the majority of time on revising and editing. I get sick of reading and rereading my writing. So if I am feeling this way, how do our students feel?

I feel as I've beat this dead horse too long and would ask my classmates - how can we turn the writing process into a love relationship? What steps can we revise to help our students learn to like their words and process them in an efficient manner?

My Baggage

2009-07-16T17:52:00.002-05:00

With previous conversations on blogging and wanting to keep things on a professional level, I have been inspired by others to share something very personal. I share this story because it is such as incredible blessing.

I have been divorced almost 21 years. My daughter was 2 and 1/2 when we divorced. My ex remarried soon and gained a step-daughter. My husband had two children from his first marriage he never saw so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that he didn't involve himself in Robyn's life. However, the marriage was bad enough I have never remarried and promised God I would raise her for Him if I could get back home to Arkansas.

When she was four, my ex and I were arguing over a month late Christmas present. Robyn just wanted to talk to her dad. I told her just a minute and I honestly didn't hear her pick up the extension. My ex said he didn't love Robyn, didn't care about her, and as far as he was concerned she wasn't even his...

I never knew she heard this or the repercussions of such words until she was 11. We had moved to a new community when Robyn started 5th grade. She was the only 5th grader to make the cheerleading squad that year, became popular fast, and seemed to be adjusting well.

In March of 1997, my precious Robyn took 23 Motrin pills to end her life. She had been suffering for 7 years over the remarks of her father. If it had been Tylenol the doctor said it would have killed her. After a couple of weeks on inpatient therapy, outpatient therapy, and medication, Robyn seemed to come around to the fact that her father really didn't care because she hadn't heard from him in years (only through his parents). He never supported her but we always made it.

Fast forward a few years. Robyn was 16. One Sunday she was at the altar sobbing. I had gone down and prayed with her to no avail. Her youth pastors came down and prayed with her. Her youth minister told her, "Robyn you will do great things for God. You will tell people things you have experienced that will be unbelievable. People will be left speechless." Before she went off to college, a prophetess was at the church and touched her head and told Robyn, "You are a chosen one for God and don't forget that."

I felt a little like Mary, I pondered on these things but tucked them away in my heart. Although Robyn finished therapy and took medication, she still had no contact with her father. This made life a daily battle for her. She never could believe anyone could even like her because of that lack of love.

When Robyn left for college she moved 400 miles from home. For years, my feet hit the floor for her. I was at all the ball games. We did most everything together. Talk about empty nest...Whew! I still can remember the pain from being so lonely. We both had moments of extreme loneliness but the phone usually helped us out. She still suffered from horrible self-esteem. She was majoring in psychology because she wants to work with youth and children because of her situation. She decided to take a Business Communications class for her elective in Spring 2006. She had to write a one page paper titled simply, "Who Am I?"

She drafted this paper and I proofed as I did all her papers. The emotion in this paper was awesome. It was her reflection on what she had been through yet what she had become. My one and only child had grown up. She had reconciled her life without her father.

Side note - My Dad stepped in and took up the slack greatly but he was 65 when she was born. He still works everyday, drives, himself, etc. but wasn't fast enough to keep up with her. As far as she is concerned her Papaw is her dad.

When the professor gave back papers to the class he had written notes to all the students except one. He announced to the class he could do nothing but say, "Wow!" to Miss Owers' paper. AHA! Prophecy fulfilled. I saw a change in Robyn. She had a renewed sense of her path in life. She realized the God has a purpose for her life.

During this time she also met Justin. On November 3, 2007, my Dad gave my one and only child to Justin Taft. They both had issues growing up and strive to make their marriage work. It is not perfect but they are so in love. It is in their eyes.

Robyn graduated in May from John Brown University with a BS in Psychology. She has been accepted into The Forest Institute of Professional Psychology with the intent to gain a Master's in Forensic Psychology. The blessing - she didn't even have to have the required interview to get into the school. My son-in-law walked into an interview Monday and walked out with a job.

I realize how blessed I am...I have friends that have lost nieces and nephews. I have classmates and students that have lost children. For whatever reason, God knew I couldn't live without my Robyn and gave us the second chance. Neither of us take it for granted and thank God for His Hand in our lives. While we don't know what life holds for us and we have ups and downs with self-esteem, we both know everything works for the good to His purpose.

Blogs and Copyright

2009-07-08T17:36:00.002-05:00

As copyright laws go, once that thought is put on paper, you have a copyright to it. Do you really?

While in Charleston, my favorite author, Dorthea Benton Frank released her new book, "Return to Sullivan's Island" and I obtained my signed copy. Reading through the book the young woman who was a writer talked about blogging. Her eccentric old aunt said, "Are you crazy? People will steal your thoughts."

This really caught my attention. I had never thought about blogging or Facebook notes as vulnerable to copyright theft. Since I really have nothing personal to blog about, it is all on a professional level, I never thought about a thief.

I just don't really understand the purpose for blogging unless you want others to read it. If you wanted to journal, it could still be electronic but stored on your computer or another type of media.

Any other thoughts on this?

Airports, Planes, and Literacy...

2009-07-08T17:09:00.003-05:00

What a combination....I went to Charleston, SC on vacation this weekend. My flight left Memphis at 7:20 pm on Thursday night. With the humidity, the temperature must have been 300 degrees. I will spare you the details of the horrible ordeal I experienced there due to my non-flight activity of 21 years...

Upon finally boarding for my non-stop flight, I retrieved my "Dimensions of Literacy" to be the model student and read while flying. Uh, I discovered I am way too ADD to read on an airplane. Apparently the most popular flight on Northwest Airlines' schedule, it was packed. I am a tad bit overweight. Now, my fat (as a passenger put it on CNN's blog) was not hanging over on the other seat but I was snugly fit into place. If we had gone down, there would have been no flotation device for me because I could not have gotten to the bottom of my seat. See, the ADD has kicked in and I'm on another subject.

As I read Chapter 2 and the writer talked about confusing, I was right there with him. Between the screaming baby, the nightfall from the air (BTW - Atlanta is beautiful at night), the other passengers, I found myself lost as to what the author wanted me to learn. Finally quit the book and played solitaire on my IPOD for the rest of the trip.

The return trip home yesterday was not much better despite the fact I had extra time to read. I would read and find myself looking around at people. Watching people is a hobby and it's fun to see how people act. Oops, there I go again. Are you as lost as I am?

The flight in was delayed and apparently there was a problem because this guy who would never look like Will Smith or Tommy Lee Jones in Men in Black but thought himself so important was not incognito. He stuck out like a dolphin in a desert and once again distracted me from Chapter 2. I think I was somewhere around processing demands but as you can tell I was not processing. There were 2 Atlanta police officers waiting around the gate. You know, Gold and Black with big white letters reading POLICE on the back of their shirts. Not many people noticed I don't think but I am thinking...."hmm...problem?"

I was 12 minutes late boarding to a packed plane. I took my seat which I had to ask two gentlemen to move for me and once again retrieved my book. The intercom came on and the captain advised us there were weather problems around Atlanta and "another" issue that would delay us 20 minutes. Here I am scrunched in a window seat with the guy next to me moving continually and he just can't see I'm trying to read. Alas, I made it to semantic. Could someone explain that to me again? We were on taxi and then halted. Captain came on (another interruption) and advised us we had to move from the gate to make way for another flight and we would be on the tarmac for 30 to 35 more minutes. Oh good...more reading time.

I finally made it to "The Great Big Enormous Turnip" and Atlanta. To tell you how much I learned reading the story, I just reread it to get more details. Another packed flight to Memphis. I tried to read more and the two business men next to me felt the need to talk the whole way. There goes the ADD again. The middle seat guy kept peeking around me to look out the window. Hey, this is my window seat!

The moral of the story....if you are going to read "Dimensions of Literacy" don't read it on an airplane or in the airport. Lock yourself in a padded room and maybe this might enlighten the subject that confused me terribly.

Literacy Lab vs. Online College

2009-07-02T12:41:00.004-05:00

I am enrolled in Arkansas' NextStep Literacy Lab. It is this program that has caused me to attain a second masters. The professor that holds these workshops is a pretty good guy. He gives lots of book talks and Scholastic provides lots of books to give away. I won a book yesterday titled, "The Stolen Children." A review from Amazon.com reads as such:

From Booklist
After graduating from a babysitting course, 14-year-old Amy is filling in for a wealthy family’s nanny one afternoon when she and her three-year-old charge, Kendra, are kidnapped. Their two abductors have hatched a plan to take the little girl, send daily DVD messages to her parents, collect the ransom, and return her unharmed. They hit a snag, however, when their accomplice, Kendra’s nanny, takes off before the scheduled heist. Forced to take the unexpected Amy along, they head to a derelict secluded cabin, where they bide their time for several days. Amy’s ingenuity and child-development savvy save the day, but only after a few daring escape attempts. Plot-driven and consistently paced, this quick read has ample suspense and drama. While the bad guys have a gun, it is unused and no actual physical violence occurs, making this a worry-free recommendation for those requesting a just-thrilling-enough story. Grades 4-7. --Andrew Medlar

The purpose of these workshops, which is a two year program and a total of 14 days, is an intensive attempt to teach us what literacy techniques we should be using in our classrooms. These workshop days can affect you in one of two ways. From 8:30 to 3:30, with the exection for a one hour lunch, he lectures for the whole time period. There is no real opportunity for interaction. While we walk away with many new and useful strategies for getting literacy going in our classrooms, I have found I much prefer the courses I am currently enrolled in at University of New England. As we have proceeded through these two workshop days, much of the information is so much more familiar to me based on the knowledge I have gained from my UNE classes.

Having no real opportunity to participate in these workshops is a downer for me because it is my opinion that some of the best classroom ideas come from peers. However, on the upside, Scholastic places tables and tables of books for young readers/adolescents and they are offered to us as a discount. Our district furnishes the money for these 14 days to be college credit for us as well as $1,200 dollars to spend on books.

While we were here this week, we received an extra $100 for purchase of books while we are here plus an author that visited gave each participant an autographed copy of Clare McClafferety's new book, "In Defiance of Hitler."

I normally have a specific purpose for my blogs. However, with this blog it is strictly a comparison of two programs and my opinion on which one is best. I love receiving the books for my classroom library. However, a little more audience participation would be nice vs. 7 hours of straight lecture. Thanks to my UNE classmates for their input, ideas, and courage to go back to school for their master's. To me, the interaction is a valuable educational experience.

Literacy Today

2009-06-29T20:18:00.003-05:00

Last year I was privileged to become part of Arkansas' NextStep Literacy Lab project. The project is a statewide process to enhance Literacy in Arkansas. I found it to be an amazing workshop. I have always loved to read but I found myself reading young adult books and they were AMAZING.

As I started thinking about literacy efforts at my school and again I was privileged to be a Career and Technical Teacher in the realm of Literacy. I became enthralled with it and decided to get a second masters degree in Literacy K-12. I have completed 12 hours so far in this program and it has been the greatest learning experience I have ever had in my life.

I find everywhere I go I look for literacy. Last week I was at the doctor's office getting a check-up. The office was updating records and everyone needed to fill out new patient forms. I filled out my Mother's form (which I am used to these days). One young woman they called to the window replied to the receptionist, "I can't read this, I need someone to help me fill this out." The receptionist replied, "Is there someone at home that can do this for you and you can bring it back tomorrow." I was playing games on my Blackberry but inside I felt my heart melting. Someone in this day and time that couldn't read. This woman wasn't an elderly woman. She returned to her seat where she was sitting with her daughter. She mentioned several times that she couldn't fill out the form.

I finally got up and walked to the lady, explained I was a teacher and asked if I could fill the form out for her. She was grateful and we completed the form. She had everything written on a piece of paper. She couldn't even recite her own address. She had to pretend she was dialing the phone to give me a contact number. She was 39 years old....What became even sadder was her daughter who had just finished the fifth grade couldn't complete the form or even partially either. She shared with me that she didn't read "good" either. I explained to her and the mother to go to Wal-Mart and buy a "Junie B" book. I felt that would be a good place for her to start. I asked her to read to her mother and with her mother. I also explained that with reading came knowledge.

My heart still broke as I went on to my appointment. I keep thinking what 39 year old doesn't know how to do anything buy sign her name. What to me was even sadder was the daughter going into the 6th grade was a struggling reader and would probably end up the same way unless some major interventions are done.

As I contemplate this situation, I reflect on a major grant for upgrading literacy and libraries awarded to several schools in my state. The money is mostly going to be used in elementary schools. According to Vacca, 60% of our adolescents in America can't read. And these are the people that hold our future.

HELLLLOOOOO!!!!! Any politicians out there! I can read, you can read, but what about a 39 year old woman that cannot even help her child with her school work. And chances are that child will fall through the cracks just like her mother.

If educators can take just one student to the world of literacy it would be worth it all....But if we can put funds into middle and high school literacy we can help create those productive citizens that become successful for life.

The Definition of Tardy

2008-04-12T15:39:00.006-05:00

A conversation between a teacher and a student at 8:10 am. The school bell rings for class to begin at 8:00 am.

Teacher: "Why are you tardy?"

Student: "I'm not late, I just got to school."

This statement has perplexed me for many years. The first time a student told me, "Miss, I'm not tardy, I just got here." I was stunned. I have walked away many times shaking my head. It really does get more comical year after year.

If you notice the teacher used tardy and the student used late. This would indicate that the student knows the two terms are related in some way. I can guarantee I have used "Why are you late?" and have gotten the same response nine times out of ten.

The questions that arise in my mind: 1) can the student answer the question as it was asked or does the question need rephrasing; 2) does the student honestly believe their school day doesn't start until they arrive?

Question #1 - I am uncertain as to the student answering the question even if it was rephrased. This battle of the wits could go on for minutes while the objective of the teacher is to find out WHY the student is in the hallway.

I could ask, "Why are you late?" and the response would be "I'm not late, I just got here."

In the above statement I have answered question #1. The question has been rephrased and the answer is the same. With that part answered, question #2 seems to be answered. Either the student honestly believes the day doesn't start until they get to class or they think we are fools.

As the quest for knowledge continues, the student still doesn't answer the question. "WHY?" A simple, "Well Miss, it's personal." "Well my car broke down." "I missed the bus and had to walk to school." This would satisfy the original question or any rephrased question, "Why are you tardy?" and would complete the teacher's mission of trying to find out why the student is just getting to school.

Most young people believe anyone over the age of 21 is stupid so I guess that could mean we teachers are fools. I remember how I felt about school and teachers and probably felt they were all idiots but I have come to understand teachers are about the most abused, underpaid people in America (a different blog subject).

Since most teachers are mothers, I guess the better question would be, "Where have you been?" Isn't this what we would ask our children when they miss curfew?

I know some would think "Why is THIS an issue?" but it is a big issue. One of a teacher's responsibilities is to help a student become a "productive" citizen. One aspect of being "productice" is being on time.

Hence, if a student believes their day doesn't start until they arrive on the job, students will not be "productive" citizens and I can almost promise, it certainly won't be their fault.

Reflection of Reflection

2008-04-11T06:32:00.005-05:00

Reflection…a noun is consideration, thinking, thought, contemplation, and deliberation.

My teaching career started in August, 2000. After 8 years, I have decided to complete the requirements for National Board Certification. When first introduced to National Board Certification a few years ago, there was a mysterious box that applicants received. The contents of the box were a secret. Applicants were not supposed to tell anyone of the contents.

Now, all material is online. It is still a massive amount of paperwork to read; however, the contents are no longer secretive. After looking at what my printer was spitting out, I can see why applicants wouldn’t want to share “the box.” Why would one take a chance on someone working so hard for a year and then another stealing right out from under them? It could happen.

Today, since all information is online, the major focus is reflection. Consideration…What does “it” (the evidence of impact on the student) look like? Contemplation…How does it impact student learning? Thinking…a forming of thoughts. Deliberation…serious thinking about what something looks like and its impact on something.

Let’s reflect on reflection for a moment to try and grasp a concept of “Reflection.” As I reflect on reflecting, it occurs to me that this “Reflection” needed to complete National Board Certification is really a deliberation. A deliberate act of thinking that sinks into the depths of the mind to produce a deep, purposeful response.

This type of thinking is somewhat foreign to me even though I am a kinesthetic learner. I analyze things heavily to the point of overanalyzing many things to my detriment. As I prepare to be a purposeful thinker, I am looking for ways to find time to think. After attending the meeting on National Board Certification, I was told to start “reflecting” now by starting a journal. The journal doesn’t have to have anything to do with teaching, just learn to reflect.

My buddy teacher, Ms. English, says this process is to pull the creativity out of me. So now, not only to I have to reflect, I have to be creative in that reflection. Creative, an adjective, is defined as original, imaginative, inspired, artistic, inventive, and resourceful. I am uncertain if it would be bragging or not, I feel I can be imaginative to a certain extent. I have some artistic ability…The ability to needlepoint, cross stitch, and make decorative candles. This is where my imagination and creative “juices” tend to flow in the best manner. I would not consider myself original in the teaching process because I do not reinvent the wheel. If there are lessons out there that suffice for my curriculum and I have permission to use them, I do. I may revamp a little to suit my purpose but I have not created very many original assignments. Therefore, in light of the last sentence, I would term myself more resourceful in the classroom than original.

Creative reflection…my opinion would be one needs to be resourceful to complete the process. I have been creative in trying to persuade my students to learn. Especially after Spring Break. The senior class, every year, tends to be “DONE.” Their pop-up timer has popped. The intent forms for graduation have been passed out and students find out they really don’t need my class to graduate. Once this secret is released creative resourcefulness is needed for seniors to keep them on task and working. Why would a student just blow off a class? The answer is simple…Gathered credits exceed graduation requirements and a failing grade barely impacts the grade point average.

Most students do not comprehend the future. Teens live for today and now; therefore, the thought of what the grade of ”F” on a transcript for an elective class does not play a part into planning for the future. I understand the concept of cutting grades at the end of nine weeks to determine graduation; however, do the students have to receive the “Intent to Graduate” in the second week of April? How can creative resourcefulness come into play to get all the necessary paperwork done before graduation but not let the student in on the secret they only need English and Math to graduate. In my creative reflective thinking, this feels very much like a slap in the face to those of us who work so diligently to create the finest lesson plans that relate to the student.

Therefore, when reflecting in a purposeful manner, using creative thinking to complete the process, there is only one goal…How to impact the student.