The typed message at the bottom is the BEST. It reads: "I'm sad because of what happened to you. I don't like major flooding." .............. as opposed to minor flooding. That's okay. :)
This was just sweet and then I looked at WHO created the picture. It has Biblical allusions. Tee hee.
Yep. Move to Grand Forks. It NEVER floods here!
Grand Beach, Manitoba
Here are some yard signs that can't be torn down or stolen!
pics via Andy Smith who's been reading my mind!
Our school held a year-end Reading Rally to celebrate the reading efforts of our students this year. We've done a sort of tally on the wall outside the library all year documenting student books and staff books in a friendly competition. We gathered to announce awards, accomplishments, and to present some books purchased with our NEA Books Across America grant.
Continuing with the theme of popcorn, we celebrated with a popcorn party--featuring the Book Club's favorite caramel popcorn as one of the choices.
In addition, we honored our 2010 Poet of the Year, and read his poem to the group. There were so many good ones this year it was a close race.
This is the kind of stuff that gets my heart beating a bit faster. I loved that kids used the post-its we put on the table to indicate books they wanted to be first to check out. I have a handful I know I am eager to read too. I love it when I get to try an idea I have and I love it even more when it turns out better than I imagined.
UND Bookstore Childrens' Dept. now features a large screen TV.
My pal Andrea and I had the pleasure of presenting a session together yesterday at NDRA on Creating a School-Wide Reading Initiative. It was loads of fun to talk about getting kids motivated to read and all the great YA books available to keep them engaged.
Friday, our luncheon speaker was Jacqueline Woodson and she read from a variety of books. I haven't had the pleasure of reading any of her work, but I want to now!
Jeff Wilhelm's presentation on Teaching with Inquiry blew me away and got me fired up for fall. The whole perspective shift and re-framing lessons just makes so much sense when it comes to teaching. This was my conference highlight!
A few months back I discovered an inspiring 20 minute TED award acceptance speech video by Dave Eggers and I fell in love with his vision for pairing community volunteers and students who need tutoring. In San Francisco, they set up a tutoring center in conjunction with a "fake" store front... a Pirate Supply Company. The gimmick worked better than they ever expected and now their store actually makes a profit. Other tutoring centers have cropped up all around the US and one in Brooklyn is fronted by this Brooklyn Superhero Supply store. Sam Potts did the design work on the storefront and on the product lines within. It's fantastic, especially for a superhero fan like me.
Recently I ran across the name Sam Potts Inc in conjunction with an entirely different venture. On a website I visit regularly I read that Sam was giving away pamphlet copies of Barack Obama's speech from March 2008. I quickly emailed him and my pamphlet arrived in the mail on Thursday. I was thrilled. I am sure it seems silly to be so excited by something like this. Except that it's lovely and did I mention, free.
And as I emailed my mailing address to Mr. Potts I had a student working on a project that included Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" and we paused for a moment and speculated what bits of politics today might have lasting impact... that 50 years from now, or 100 years from now might be remembered or studied. Perhaps this will be one of those. Maybe not. Either way, I have a lovely copy of the speech and I will treasure it. Thank you, Sam.
It took me a minute or two to discover that Eggers was behind the site; that he is an advocate for education, particularly reading and writing. And not only an advocate of education, but of building bridges between citizens with skills to offer and kids who need one on one tutoring.
The website is the result of Eggers receiving the 2008 TED prize (Technology, Entertainment & Design Conference).
In his speech he details his dream, its roots, how he got involved, how his dream has grown, and how he wants to hand off this dream to communities everywhere using the onceuponaschool website to make the evidence visual and inspiring for others.
Eggers speaks rapidly (at light speed, actually) genuinely, passionately, with his hands, and in a style that is completely his own. He is funny and yet, I was completely moved. I urge you to watch the entire speech to really understand what he and others did at 826 Valencia in San Francisco. The video is 25 minutes. I realize that's a lifetime to typical blog reading, internet browsers. Yet, once I started watching it I was transfixed. Maybe you have to love Dave Eggers or be passionate about kids and volunteering and writing, but I thought it was entirely worth it. In fact, I can't stop thinking about it.
If the idea of watching that video is too much, read on. I have reprinted some of the best bits from this article by Alan T. Saracevic, Chronicle Business Editor
Each year, the TED conference organizers pick three extraordinary individuals to each receive an award and then make a wish. Then the TED community, made up of some of the most influential scientists, artists, business leaders and politicians in the world, goes forth and works to make those wishes come true.
This year, San Francisco's very own Dave Eggers, a Pulitzer-nominated novelist and community activist stole the show. In a hilarious, rambling speech that had the crowd roaring with laughter and applauding in appreciation, the 37-year-old writer made his wish:
"I wish that you - you personally and every creative individual and organization you know - will find a way to directly engage with a public school in your area and that you'll then tell the story of how you got involved, so that within a year we have 1,000 examples of transformative change."
To help facilitate the process, Eggers has created a Web site, www.onceuponaschool.org, that will serve as a clearinghouse for people to chronicle their volunteer efforts.
Eggers founded a groundbreaking tutoring center/publishing house in San Francisco's Mission District. Named after its street address, 826 Valencia, it has grown into a municipal treasure and a national movement that is helping thousands of kids with reading and writing skills in cities from coast to coast.
The way it works is simple: Interested writers, editors and artists rent a storefront and hang a shingle offering tutoring services to kids in the neighborhood. During the day, the pros work on publishing projects such as Eggers' McSweeney's literary journal. When school lets out, the kids come in to do their homework and work on projects with one-on-one help. In many cases, the kids work up anthologies that get published.
Now, you're probably wondering how Eggers and his friends get kids to come in for more tutoring after a day of school. A lot of it has to do with the program's whimsy.
When Eggers first rented that storefront on 826 Valencia St., the landlord said they had to sell something. It was zoned commercial. So the writers put together a Pirate Supply Store in the front of the shop, selling gear for the "practicing buccaneer." Visitors can buy custom peg legs, and eye patches, and planks by the foot. Ocean maps and parrot feed. It's all pretty hilarious and it seems to put the kids at ease: This is not your average learning experience.
That very model, learning mixed with whimsy, caught on across the country. A group of writers in Brooklyn opened a store that sold superhero gear. In Chicago, there's a tutoring center masquerading as a spy store. And in Los Angeles, there's a time-travel mart.
Through those experience, Eggers has become committed to the power of tutoring and the need for supporting the nation's foundering public schools.
"This is a different kind of TED wish, one that we haven't had before," said TED organizer Chris Anderson, who went on to say that anyone can get involved in this idea, not only the world's elite power brokers. "I really hope that in a year's time, there's a thousand stories."
To learn more about 826 Valencia and the other like-minded tutoring centers emerging across the nation, go to 826national.org Check it out.
Maybe my talented, intellectual, highly skilled friends in the Seattle area would be interested in volunteering at their site.
As a teacher, I recall doing dioramas as a project in various classes and once, not all that long ago, I was challenged to abandon such things as classroom assignments by a presenter at a workshop. His point was that as adults in an authentic reading experience we don't typically complete a book and then begin to complete a vast study guide and even if we do spend some time on the reader's guide questions we usually discuss those questions with friends in a book group or over coffee. We most certainly do not make a diorama of a scene from our book. It makes me smile to think of doing some of the projects I've assigned, at home in my spare time. Some of them might be fun. Yet, I also realize for the time involved to make them good (a diorama for instance), it doesn't justify the amount of learning that could take place in another way. I'm a little embarrassed I didn't figure this out a bit sooner.
Wayne Sanstead has occupied this position for more than 20 years. It truly is time for a change.
So on June 10, mark your ballot for change: Vote for Max Laird.
Laird is a teacher who is not only knowledgeable about the politics surrounding education, but, more important, he is passionate about kids. He believes that all young people deserve equal opportunities, no matter their socioeconomic background, their ACT score or the location of their school. All kids matter to Laird.
It’s easy to talk about change, but what has Laird done to make a difference? He has been involved at the local and state level in making changes that help young people. He works in the classroom and knows firsthand the problems and the benefits of No Child Left Behind. He knows what parents and teachers face in educating young people. He is active in education and has been for more than 25 years.
If you want to continue life as we know it at the state level, vote for a man in his 70s who hasn’t been in the classroom for more than 20 years. But if you want to see real change happen educationally for all students, rural and urban, vote for Laird.
Laird will work with legislators and educators to bring about needed improvements in our state education system. He’ll be an advocate not only for parents, but also for kids. That’s the kind of change we need in North Dakota.
Eileen Zygarlicke
Ninety-six printmakers of all experience levels, have joined together to produce 118 prints in any medium; woodcut, linocut, monotype, etching, lithograph, silkscreen, or any combination. The end result is a periodic table of elements intended to promote both science and the arts. I'm on a real "elements-kick" lately. Go Sn! Woo, Ag, we love you. Pb, take a hike. 
What I Was Reading in December
read by Janeane Garafalo, one of my favorites. In an effort to celebrate graphic novels I gave Manga Shakespeare a try (not so great, but an interesting twist, surely) and Beowulf by Gareth Hind was more my speed. It's well done and just in time for me to see the film... still need to do that.
La Vie En Rose was a biopic about the life of legendary French singer, Edith Piaf. I didn't love the film, but I really enjoyed learning more about this amazing woman. And Marion Cotillard did a fabulous job.
n as Bond. I'll admit it. It's true. Sean Connery still remains number one, but Pierce is right up there. I am sad to think that I'm nearly done watching them all.. I guess from there I simply need to start viewing them all over again.
Documentary
to typefaces some people are. Oh to be that passionate about just one thing.
In Theatre
ell done and did a good job hedging what is a much clearer attack on the church in the books. What I liked is that it's more a message of resisting big brother-like oppression ala Orwell. I can't argue with that. I prefer the book, of course, but I can't argue with the casting or the way it was brought to screen. Not bad at all.
Dec. 10
Dec. 29
