21st Century Teaching

The school I work at is adopting the idea of becoming a 21st century school, that does not mean one to one computers or anything, but rather just making students aware of what it out there and prepared for what the business world and job market is like after high school. I am a huge fan of 21st century teaching, in fact this blog all started because of it, however I am not a fan of it when the tools for teaching in the 21st century are limited because of policies and political fears. As an avid user of social networking sites, including Twitter and Facebook, I see the benefits and positive things that they have brought to the global market. Some of the people on these sites offer great avenues of getting into and understanding the world outside of what majority of students are used too. Unfortunately, at the same time when these communication devices are not readily available and/or we are asked to not use them as communication devices for students, it becomes frustrating and in my opinion makes the ideas of the 21st century student in the global market null and void. As educators we are taught to be aware of the ethics and values that coincide with the job that we have, being aware of trending topics, global activity, and even what students are dealing with on a daily basis. What I feel is that sometimes the people are at a level so much higher then the students and they have forgotten what it is like to be a high school student. Students are more apt to tell their emotions and fears on a status update than in a journal a teacher reads in class. I know that there should be a level of discretion and some editing that needs to exist, but doesn't that happen in the classroom anyway? I mean if i need to get my lesson's down to 140 characters so my students can comprehend it I will, because I am now on their level and they are more willing to learn outside of the classroom. I guarantee you the students will remember if i tweet a line from the Shakespeare play, rather than if I have the memorize it. There are lines that a teacher needs to be aware of, I understand that, but being asked to teach in the 21st century but then not be allowed to use the necessary tools is frustrating. I guess it is just a new challenge to find another way to make students excited about their education.

How I see my self, through Jason Mraz's lyrics, Nerdy I know, it is kind of like a bad mix tape to myself.

"A Beautiful Mess"

by Jason Mraz

You've got the best of both worlds

You're the kind of girl who can take down a man,

And lift him back up again

You are strong but you're needy,

Humble but you're greedy

And based on your body language,

And shoddy cursive I've been reading

Your style is quite selective,

though your mind is rather reckless

Well I guess it just suggests

that this is just what happiness is

Hey, what a beautiful mess this is

It's like picking up trash in dresses

Well it kind of hurts when the kind of words you write

Kind of turn themselves into knives

And don't mind my nerve you could call it fiction

But I like being submerged in your contradictions dear'

Cause here we are, here we are

Although you were biased I love your advice

Your comebacks they're quick

And probably have to do with your insecurities

There's no shame in being crazy,

Depending on how you take these

Words I'm paraphrasing this relationship we're staging

And what a beautiful mess, yes it is

It's like picking up trash in dresses

Well it kind of hurts when the kind of words you say

Kind of turn themselves into blades

And the kind and courteous is a life I've heard

But it's nice to say that we played in the dirt

Cause here, here we are, Here we are Here we are

We're still here

What a beautiful mess, this is

It's like taking a guess when the only answer is "Yes"

Through, timeless words and priceless pictures

We'll fly like birds not of this earth

And tides they turn and hearts disfigure

But that's no concern when we're wounded together

And we, tore our dresses and stained our shirts

But its nice today.

Oh the way it was so worth it.

Things I learned in one weekend.....

Okay, so it is a fact that the Holiday Season is a very busy time of year, this holiday season kind of kicked my ass. In the course of just under 2 months, I was caught having my dog in my pet free apartment, which left me no choice but to find a new place to live, I put on two high school productions, worked two jobs, and decided after looking at some of the worst rentals in my small town, to buy a house. I closed on December 18th and moved in on the 19th. So my head is just spinning now. Among these small things I have seen more changes in my life in those same two months than I thought possible, and the amazing thing, I learned more about myself that I thought possible.

1. I realized that friends who will clean out your nasty refrigerator are awesome and are better friends than you initially thought.
2. That strangers who surprise you on a Monday, can end up being a friend by Sunday.
3. That when toxicity leaves your life, or in my case when you tell toxicity to leave your life, good things come.
4. That chivalry is not dead and it can surprise you at the most random times.
5. That no matter what age people are, they will still go out of your way to make the people they care about have a better situation.
6. I realized that the holidays get pretty lonely, but at least your alive to experience them.
7. That although family is pretty amazing majority of the time, they still know the exact ways to annoy the crap out of you, but it is always better to shut your mouth than discuss how annoyed you are with them.
8. I also learned that a 7, 8 and 12 year old, can make you feel pretty good about yourself, and yet still cry when the games at the arcade eat their money.
9. The singing/rapping karaoke always makes you laugh as well as other people, no matter how awful you are, it still a good time.
10. That sometimes coffee is the only thing that can make your day better.

It seems a little odd that this is the topic of my blog today, but in an effort to sort out the many thoughts that are circling my brain and the inability to concentrate, I guess putting it all down here, seemed like the best idea.

This holiday season, I hope that all of my wonderful 18 followers and random people who come across this blog, take something away from the mini moments in life to really appreciate what surrounds them. Happy Holidays!

Impatient

I know my mother worked very hard teaching my patience. I am pretty good at teaching other people patience, however I am not very good at being patient myself.

I am in the process of buying a house, so this time of transition and uncertainty is driving my nuts, to the point where motivation is wavering and everything is depending on another thing. For example, I don't want to start packing everything up, because than I live among the boxes, and won't be able to find things, yet I want to get the packing done, because there are family things I need to help with. I need to work the second job, but I never have enough time to finish things I start. I need to work on school stuff, but by the time rehearsal is over my mind is gone and I lack motivation. This internal conflict is driving me batty.

I know, I know about prioritizing and doing things that need immediate attention, but it seems like everything in my world needs immediate attention, or something randomly pops up and my causal ADD kicks in. I am loving my life I just want parts of my life to move a little faster than others. Thus I am impatient...

Happy Wednesday.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZ5DfWN3fWU

Thank you Evan for making my day.....