Bird Droppings August 9, 2012 What if we had a child’s view of life?               Seldom do I miss getting a Bird Dropping out each morning some weekends I will take a day off and occasionally a storm will knock out internet. Most folks never realize a day missing here and there for it…

Bird Droppings August 8, 2012 Are we going in the right direction?   “I believe that education, therefore, is a process of living and not a preparation for future living. I believe that the school must represent present life-life as real and vital to the child as that which he carries on in the home,…

Bird Droppings August 7, 2012 Is not wondering is a powerful tool?   Several years back we started sort of a school wide vocabulary of the week and with today being the first day of teachers going back to school I was reminded of this as I was looking through my various files for quotes…

Bird Droppings August 6, 2012 What about real planning?   It has been nearly ten years back I started setting up a new computer and in doing so one of my tasks was getting several years of writing, notes, books (started books), papers, poetry and misc. other information to my new computer. Not only that,…

Bird Droppings August 5, 2012 Why don’t we make it a Shay Day?             It has been a long week pondering getting back to school on Tuesday with teacher training and students a week from Monday. I will do my best to get back into my routine after being off for the summer and trying…

Bird Droppings August 3, 2012 Don’t cross word puzzles take some time?               Towards the end of the last school year one of my students was working on a history assignment and had to define bias. She was not sure which definition was correct and asked my opinion. I explained in history bias is…

Bird Droppings August 2, 2012 Why do more than simply belong?   “Choices are sacred to life’s journey. They lie along the path that all of us must follow for ourselves. An important Cherokee lesson is that if you involve yourself in any decision, you also experience the consequences of that decision.” Dr. J.T. Garrett,…

Bird Droppings August 1, 2012 Is not doing the best teacher?               It has been an interesting week. I did my usual going into school and working in my room. I spent a good bit of the mornings taking advantage of weather and light and getting some rather interesting photographs. Later yesterday afternoon after…

Bird Droppings July 31, 2012 Why do we use the word sacred?   “Teachers who do not take their own education seriously, who do not study, who make little effort to keep abreast of events have no moral authority to coordinate the activities of the classroom.” Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of freedom               I have…

Bird Droppings July 30, 2012 How do we know we are grown up?   “The day the child realizes that all adults are imperfect he becomes an adolescent; the day he forgives them, he becomes an adult; the day he forgives himself, he becomes wise.” Alden Nowlan   Earlier today a former student posted on…