Someone's Having a Christmas Party...

....and someone's playing a "Guess The Christmas Tune" game...




I'm sure the kids will love the 8bit versions.

Or not.

I can change Mondays, with my own two hands

Somebody has a case of the Mondays.

Secret's out. It's me.

I've got another secret.

Teaching can beat a man (or woman) down.

I started to dig through an old box of cds that I haven't looked at in about a year.* Originally I was looking for some Pixies, inspired by some Caribou**coffee I was drinking, but I came across this album by Ben Harper and I immediately knew it was the remedy I needed.

I can change the world. With my own two hands.

It's the first song on the album, but I know the rest of the album is going to take care of the Mondays just fine.






*sad face

**in case you didn't click the link the first time and need some Caribooooooou

Natural Selection Creation or Knowing God Through Science

This is a repeat of a post I wrote a couple years ago, but it's still true and needed a new venue. As we begin our unit on evolution I needed a reminder of these words to give me perspective.

Earlier this evening I got into a conversation with my wife about evolution stirred on by a recent purchase of mine(proud to say I got it for 6 pennies + cheap shipping - no joke).* We were discussing the poster and suddenly I was forced into playing devil’s advocate as the creationist. She wanted me to explain how someone could refute all of the scientific evidence for evolution(as if I was an expert). At first I really struggled giving a creationist argument and then I remembered the greatest one - the Bible. All I had to do was say “the Bible tells me so” and I won.

Finally I said “wait, wait, wait - why do I have to be the creationist in this situation?” But then I remembered - I am a creationist(so is she). I believe that God created “the heavens and the earth,” the “beasts of the earth,” the “seed bearing plants and the fruit bearing trees.” So why do I have such a hard time being labeled a “creationist?” I know it’s a fear of the negative connotations that come with that term, like ignorant and close-minded, for starters.

I am a creationist - but I am a scientist and I can see the beauty of God’s creation through the lens of science. Natural selection is a gorgeous process. It’s amazing when you stop to think about how life has grown and evolved over millions of years. Soak it in - it’s awe-inspiring. I believe God deserves more credit for the process of the masterpiece. It’s more compelling than thinking He spoke some words and stuff just happened.

I’ll use an analogy to explain. Take the most beautiful painting in the world. What are you more impressed by? Knowing the intricate process the artist took in creating this work of art or knowing that the artist just spoke “Art!” and it appeared? I’ll take the artist’s process any day.

A friend of mine in college told me once why she studied science. To paraphrase: “I want to know science to better understand God’s creation.” That’s always stuck with me. Some people read the Bible to understand God better. I understand God better by studying science.

Read your Bible, savor the words. I’ll take those words and add to it. I’m a nature man. I see God in the photosynthetic greenery, in the genetic variation of insects, in the dead epithelial tissue that covers my body, in the invisible world of pond water, and our celestial sunset. I love the creation - and I love it even more through the lens of natural selection.

Picture 1: view from hillside in Vail, CO looking towards Rocky Mountains
Picture 2: around the corner from my house after cornering a little friend
Picture 3: Hanging Lake - Glenwood Springs, CO. Hike it. Pictures don’t do it justice. 

*The poster still hangs in my classroom, reminding us we are all related.

The Times They Are A Changin'

Day 1 of school is complete. I can complain about things I don't have, but I'd prefer to focus on the positive.

I'd like to go as paperless as possible. I'm very close to that point. I'd like to make my classroom a student-centered classroom. I want my students to actually control some of how the class is run - and that's scary to think about, but also really exciting.

This song came on earlier today and I couldn't help but agree.

A couple things I find interesting about this video and Dylan:

1. 50 years after writing this PROTEST song he's singing it at the White House.
2. I love how you practically never hear Dylan perform a song the same way twice. Nice touch with the piano, Bob. Some people might be annoyed by that. Not me.

Rococo and other big words like endoplasmic reticulum

"Let’s go downtown and watch the modern kids
Let’s go downtown and talk to the modern kids
They will eat right out of your hand
Using great big words that they don’t understand"
-Arcade Fire, Rococo

I've been meaning to write about this since the first time I heard this song. There can be many interpretations of a specific piece of art, even from one person. Sometimes this song means different things to me, but the last time I heard it I imagined the "modern kids" were my students.

It's true - they will eat right out of your hand. They trust me and I try to never take that for granted. If I can't answer a question I tell them that I don't know. I don't like to just guess at an answer because I know they won't view it as a guess. If I say something then it's probably true (to them at least). 

We talk to them about levels of trust in our sources when doing research. Don't go to sites like Yahoo! answers, Answers.com, or Wikipedia(or at least make sure you can check the original source of the information). I've said it enough that I think they're starting to get it, but they still trust that their teachers are going to give them the truth.

By instinct, I probably teach pretty similarly to how I was taught. I had some fantastic teachers and some not-so-fantastic. I try to break the habit when I can. To some degree, we are what we eat. We have to be careful how and what we feed our kids. They'll eat right out of our hands. We've trained them this way.

They use "great big words that they don't understand." Honestly, at times, I wish they used more big words - as long as they understand them - but too often they just spit back what we want them to say. The bigger the word is the more correct it is, right? As teachers we do the same thing. We use big words like "differentiation," "flipped classroom," and  "engagement" without always stopping to think what that means - or will really require. 

The term "Rococo" refers to a style of 18th century art characterized by a light, whimsical style, shallow in substance. "Rococo" - a big word that people don't understand (I had to look it up) symbolizing an art that lacked substance and depth. Brilliant.

I hope for:
Students using big words because they know what they mean, know how to use them and understand the importance of using them.
Students who question what they read, hear, and see. 

Enjoy the song in its entire live glory below:

 They're singing "rococo rococo rococo rococo..."

Consortium of Sorts

We just wrapped up the first year of STAAR testing here in Texas. Students answered multiple choice questions to the best of their test taking ability as I monitored (actively) in silence for four hours.

Today in a faculty meeting my principal mentioned a consortium to review how we assess our students and if there is a better way to do it than a standardized multiple choice test.

I think it's hilarious that we just started STAAR and we are now discussing things to replace it. You just have to love education. "Change" or be replaced. It's a pretty big beast to change.