12 (or so) Things I Learned From My Mother

Things I learned from my Mother!   (Louise Berry deceased March 7, 2012)

• Celebrate your faith. 
• It is good to have friends.
• Laughter is always good. 
• Never argue with a stubborn woman.
• Be committed to your relationships and your family. 
• Shift work is hard on the body and mind.  (7-3 one week, 3-11 the next week, 11-7 the next) 
• Make the best of every situation.
• You can have fun doing just about anything,,,with the right people.
• You don’t have to have much to have a lot. 
• Take care of yourself and be independent as long as you can.
• The more you give, the more you receive. 
• It is no fun sitting helplessly and watching a loved one die from cancer.
• We do what we need to do.
• It is what it is.
• Celebrate your faith.

Education Inequity

1)      As much as I admire out Founding Fathers, I do not see that all men/women are created equal.  There are major differences among people as to mental abilities and disabilities.  There are major differences among people as to physical abilities and disabilities.  These we understand and schools have tried a variety of different tactics to provide a quality education for ALL.

      The major problem is the major differences in opportunities for students.  Many students come from homes that are in shambles.  Many come to schools without the social abilities that are needed.  The differences in schools based on socio-economic location are vast.  I read about this in urban compared to suburban areas.  In Iowa, I have taught in an affluent school and a rural school in a depressed economic area.  Students are different.  They have different life styles.  They have different expectations.  They have unequal opportunities.  Some of this is the fault of the schools.  Some of this is because the families in poor areas have no idea what to expect from schools.

      When survival is the level of Maslow’s Hierarchy that you are at, success in school becomes secondary.  That is what we need to combat.  I disciplined a student once.  I told him what he did wrong.  I told him how he needed to act.  I told him that we expect more from him.  He looked at me and said, “And I suppose that you want me to succeed?”  He has no expectations of succeeding in school.  Very unfortunate for an otherwise bright young man.

Mission Statement

1)      Our mission statement for American schools needs to be to prepare students to:

a.       Be ready for jobs that don’t exist yet;

b.      Be ready to solve problems that we can’t yet envision;

c.      Be ready to use technology that has not been invented yet.

Bullying in Schools

I have been seeing many articles both in print and on television about bullying in schools.  Last night it was quoted on the nightly news that 70% of people surveyed had been bullied in school.  That is terrible and we need to do all that we can to stop this.  But.....

Why are we ONLY concerned about bullying in schools while it appears to be OK in adult life?  

Government is full of bullies.  Both sides have spread rumors and have distorted the truth.  Check out the TV ads currently running and those to come.  Both parties are pushing their agenda to the point of bullying and we are at stalemate.  It is not called bullying, it is called “politics”.

I have heard of and have experienced executives who manage by intimidation.  If you do not do things their way you can expect "payback".  Something bad happens to you.  Unions organized to stop management from bullying the workers.  Eventually some unions started acting as bullies.    It is not called bullying, it is called “doing business”.

We seem to be having a cause-effect problem.  Do we really believe that stopping bullying in schools will stop bullying in adults also?  Or could it be that stopping adult examples of bullying will be the best thing to stop bullying in schools?  Do children learn in school how to be bullies,  or do they learn to be bullies by the adult examples that they see in their life?

.....Schools definitely need to do all they can to stop bullying and harassment.  All adults in all walks of life need to do all they can to stop bullying and harassment.  It is NOT just the school’s responsibility.

6 weeks Into Our 1to1 Initiative

6 Weeks into our 1to1 laptop Journey!

MFL MarMac High School is now 6 weeks into our 1to1 laptop initiative.  Our “BLAST” off  (Bulldog Laptops Accelerating Student Technology) was held for grades 9-12 on August 17-18.  That was the day that it became educational practice instead of educational planning.

Last spring, all K-12 teachers received new MacBooks.  We held 2 days of training in iLife and iWork for all K-12 staff.  August 18-19, we held 2 days of technology training.  The HS had Apple come in and worked on Integrating Technology into the Curriculum.  The K-8 had AEA personnel in and worked on age appropriate technology integration.

The 1to1 is a HS initiative, but Technology Integration into the Core Curriculum is a K-12 professional development focus.

We have had 2 days of Professional Development covering How technology integrates into the Characteristics of Effective Instruction.   Deb Henkes, Jason Martin-Himer, Amy Holst and Sarah Seick did a wonderful job of exemplifying and modeling the Characteristics of Effective Instruction.  They didn’t lecture to us about not lecturing.  They modeled and teachers appreciated this.

I have been amazed at how quickly our staff has responded to the Board of Education directive.  Teachers are trying new techniques and students seem to be responding and seem more engaged.

I have seen:  Blogs; Wikis; Outstanding classroom websites; Movies; Paperless classrooms; Flipped classrooms; BackChannels for students; Fast Math; Collaborations with other schools with Skype; Prezi’s; and many other tools to engage students into the curriculum.

We have come farther on this journey than I had ever dreamed we would be at this point.  We need to keep in mind that this will always be a journey and not a destination. 

Berry's Rules of Learning

Berry’s Rules of Learning

1)                 Everyone can learn.

2)                 NOT everyone learns the same way.

3)                 If you don’t use it….you lose it.

4)                 You are in charge of your classroom.  Know what you expect from your students and make sure that they know what you expect.

5)                 Aim high for your students.  Make sure that their reach is always beyond what they NEED to learn.

6)                 If they want to learn…They will learn far more than you or they think is possible.  Find out what makes them want to learn.      

7)                 If all that we do as teachers is to dispense information…we may as well put the in front of a computer.  (See #6)

8)                 Any teacher that can be replace by a computer…probably should be.

9)                 There are circumstances that we can not control.  Understand that.  Control what you can.

10)            Laughter makes learning physiologically easier.  Proper use of praise opens up new neurons (No Matter What Age).  Learning increases learning.

11)            Learning never stops.  We can do things to speed it up.

12)            Have fun.  Love your students.  Help them to dream big.  You are far more important to them than you will ever realize.