Monday, May 30, 2011

Taps

In honor of Memorial Day, the veterans in my family and my community, and around the world, I thought I would share some information about the haunting tones I've heard at too many funerals: Taps.

There are lyrics to this melody, which I have listed below. The tune has been a standard at military funerals since 1891, but had been used since at least the American Civil War to signal "lights out" at the end of the day in military installments.

When civilians hear Taps, we are obliged to place our hands over our hearts.



Taps
Day is done,
gone the sun,
From the hills,
from the lake,
From the skies.
All is well,
safely rest,
God is nigh.


Go to sleep,
peaceful sleep,
May the soldier
or sailor,
God keep.
On the land
or the deep,
Safe in sleep.

Love, good night,
Must thou go,
When the day,
And the night
Need thee so?
All is well.
Speedeth all
To their rest.

Fades the light;
And afar
Goeth day,
And the stars
Shineth bright,
Fare thee well;
Day has gone,
Night is on.

Thanks and praise,
For our days,
‘Neath the sun,
Neath the stars,
‘Neath the sky,
As we go,
This we know,
God is nigh.

Project-Based Learning, Video #2

For those at Northwood-Kensett who follow this blog, you know that a grassroots momentum has been building for the last few months around the concept of project-based learning.

To continue this momentum and to increase our knowledge of this teaching strategy, I've posted this video from Edutopia.

Hint: play very close attention to what Professor Seymour Papert from MIT has to say about curriculum. A challenging statement, but one we should not be afraid to consider...

Monday, May 16, 2011

Something To Look Forward To




Commencement has come and gone, and we've got "another one in the bag," as I like to say. This year's group has been the focus of the last six years of my career as their 7-12 grade principal, and so it is always with a mixture of sadness and pride (and sometimes relief!) that I wish them goodbye and hand over their diplomas.

However, the brilliant thing about education is that the next fall, I'm always going to get more kids--a fresh batch of eager young minds that I'll have the opportunity to influence, to educate, and to reinforce the concepts of honesty, hard work, and service to others.

It's that spirit of renewal that we all need to keep in mind as we approach the sunset of the current school year.

For some of us, summer will mean vacations with family. For others it will bring time back in the classroom, except we'll be the ones learning and someone else will be teaching. And for others, summer is a time to work that second job earning money, as a friend of mine always says, "so I can support my hobby of teaching!"

But for all of us, from the rookie on her first ever day of school to the veteran who may be anticipating his 40th first day of school, summer carries the same promise: the opportunity to improve upon our performance and carry our little corner of the nation forward one more step.

People look at me funny when they ask me the question, "What's the worst part of your job?" and I reply, "Summer." It's true: I put up with summer and the separation from my students because I know they're coming back. Now, of course, I enjoy my vacations as much as the next educator, and I value that time with my own family, but always in the back of my mind I'm itching to get back to the schoolhouse.

So it is with that hope that I wish you well for the summer, and I promise that it won't last long! Before you know it you'll be back in the classroom with your kids, educators. And that is definitely something to look forward to.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Preparation + Perseverance = Success

For those of you who've read my previous posts on this blog regarding the power of deliberate practice, this video will bring to mind those concepts.  Although I'm sure this particular hardship hadn't been anticipated in practice, her training and mental toughness allows her to persevere in an almost impossible situation. We can all take a lesson from her example.