National "No Phone Zone" Day

Tweet My husband works for a company that provides him with a cell phone. Because of this, he is basically on-call 24/7/365 and is expected to answer that phone whenever it rings. Sometimes, these calls could be life-or-death situations so his cell phone is extremely important.

However, he's often driving when his phone rings. When he answers it, it's a scary thing. I've seen other drivers talking on cell phones, weaving all over the road. So far, my husband has not had a problem, but that doesn't mean something couldn't happen. There have been hundreds of deaths caused by the use of cell phones while driving.

That's why Oprah Winfrey has promoted today as National "No Phone Zone" Day. It is a national day of awareness to end distracted driving. On her website, you can sign a pledge, watch videos, tell your own story, and get information about the hazards of distracted driving.

I would encourage everyone to consider making a pledge to not use cell phones while driving. I would especially encourage parents and teachers to have their students and children watch the videos and sign the pledge.

I would also encourage companies who require their employees to use cell phones to consider setting up some guidelines for those employees. Some of these might include pulling to the side of the road to answer and if that's not possible, allow it to go to voicemail and then answer when it's safe.

If I knew in advance, on any particular day, that my cell phone use was going to cause an accident and that someone was going to die, I would not use my cell phone that day. Well, the simple fact of the matter is that day could be any day. We need to start realizing that everything we do has consequences and some of them can change lives forever...or take them away.

Math Video Lessons

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I have, on several occasions, written about websites I've found that might be helpful to students and teachers. Another one that you might like is Teacher Zone - Free Library of Math Video Lessons.

Once you register, you have access to about a thousand math videos on a variety of subjects for grades 3 through 10. I believe there is a monthly fee for students, but it is free for teachers.

Accommodations

Tweet Before Christmas I had mentioned to Santa Claus that I would like to have a guitar. I had one years ago and had learned to play a little. Well, as it turned out, Santa was good to me.

I decided I was going to try to teach myself, at least at first. The problem was that every time I sat down with the guitar on my lap, it was really uncomfortable. It was really difficult to hold the guitar there and try to play it at the same time.

Yesterday I bought a strap for it. As soon as the strap was on and I put it around me, everything changed. The guitar suddenly became very comfortable. I practiced for more than half an hour and even learned a few new chords. I believe that this one little change is going to make all the difference for me.

That's the way it is for students in school who need accommodations. Often it just takes one little change to make all the difference for that student.

Teachers often complain about all the accommodations they have to make, especially if they have a large number of students who need them. It does sometimes take a lot of extra work. And often accommodations are required for students who don't need them, which often angers already overworked staff.

But all teachers need to remember that when an accommodation is needed, it can make all the difference whether the student is successful or not.

You Can't Do This, Can You?

Tweet We'd like to think that all students can learn anything and everything. We expect them all to be proficient in all subjects. But the fact of the matter is that not every student is going to be good at everything and there will be some who aren't going to be good at anything academic.

When I was in junior high, we all had to pass the presidential physical fitness tests. I had passed them all except the standing broad jump. My teacher finally took me outside and spent almost the whole class period with me, practicing this jump. After quite a bit of time, she just looked at me and said "You can't do this, can you?" I could have told her that before we started. It just wasn't something my body was built for.

We need to realize that students are this way in academics as well. Some are just not built for succeeding academically. I do believe every student can be taught to read and do simple math, but some are just never going to do it well. However, if they're doing it to the best of their ability, I think we need to ease up. Yes, they need to keep practicing and keeping up the skills they have and improving what they can, but they shouldn't be expected to do what they can't.

If my entire school career had been based on the standing broad jump, I'd still be in 7th grade, practicing something that I was never going to do well.

Learn All That You Can

Tweet I just read another article in which the author mentioned taking college courses in which the information taught did not need to be learned, nor would it ever be used.

This is precisely the kind of attitude that makes it so difficult for teachers who are teaching certain courses. I don't know how many times I had a student tell me he or she was never going to need the material I was teaching. In most cases it was an excuse for them to not have to learn, but that kind of thinking is pervasive. Even the parents, and unfortunately some of the teachers, will buy into it.

The simple fact of the matter is that all knowledge is valuable. And most students don't even know what they want to be when they grow up, so how do they know if the courses they're taking will be important to them?

Do welders need to take speech? They do if they ever have to teach a fellow welder a certain technique or skill. Speech helps everyone communicate better.

Do lawyers need to take biology? They do if they ever expect to properly prosecute or defend a person accused of a crime based on DNA evidence.

Do math teachers need to take a foreign language? They do if there's a chance they might have students in their classes who speak a foreign language?

I even had a student in PreCalculus refuse to sign up for Calculus during her senior year. She wanted to be an architect, but had been advised by an Industrial Arts teacher that she would never need Calculus. While it may be true that most of the heavy-duty math would be done by a team of engineers and most of her design work would be done on a computer, how could a course in Calculus hurt? She was extremely bright and had room in her schedule, but opted out. It's my personal opinion that every student should take the toughest courses they possibly can in high school. They are so much better prepared for anything that lies ahead.

Sure, there were courses I took that seemed irrelevant at the time, but it's amazing how much of that information I discovered I needed at a later date.

And unless you take a wide variety of challenging courses, you never see the interconnectedness of everything. I discovered this when I took a course called "The Brain." I needed all the biology I had learned because the brain controls every function in the human body. I needed all the chemistry I had learned because every process in the brain is chemically driven. I needed all the physics I had learned because the brain uses electrical impulses to work. Of course, I needed mathematics to do the science. But I also needed the social sciences such as psychology and sociology to further understand the workings of the brain. Environmental studies were also important because of the effects of that environment on the chemistry, biology, physics, and psychology of the brain.

Everything is connected. Every subject is important. Knowledge is never wasted. Learn all that you can because you never know what the future holds for you. And never tell anyone that something they've learned is irrelevant or that they will never use it. You really just never know.

"The Book of Awesome" by Neil Pasricha

Tweet Yesterday morning on MSNBC, anchor Alex Witt was reading a book titled "The Book of Awesome" by Neil Pasricha and did an interview with him. The book sounds truly "awesome." It is basically a list of the little wonders in life that make it a little happier.

As it turns out, there is also a blog, 1000 Awesome Things, that lists these "awesome" things, as well as postings on Twitter (1000Awesome) and Facebook (1000 Awesome Things).

Some of the "awesome" things listed are snow days, bakery air, peeling an orange in one shot, the smell and sound of a campfire, the other side of the pillow, getting out of the car after a really long road trip, popping bubble wrap, and 993 other fun and "awesome" things to enjoy.

I've always believed it's the little things in life that are the most precious. I also believe that we need to teach our children to be grateful for these simple pleasures. So many children (and adults) think they have to have the best clothes, the latest iPod, the sportiest car, or the most expensive of anything and everything. But there's nothing that gives a student (or teacher) more pleasure than waking up and finding that they get to enjoy a snow day.

Printliminator

Tweet The other day I was reading the blog Free Technology for Teachers by Mr. Byrne. He was writing about a bookmarklet called "Printliminator." Of course, I had to try it out.

I went to the Printliminator website and installed it with a simple click and drag procedure. Then I tested it. What a neat and handy tool!

I went to a website that had an article I wanted to print. It had a lot of ads and miscellaneous items that I didn't want to print. This is where Printliminator shines. I clicked on the bookmarklet and then was able to click on all the items I didn't want to print. I eliminated a few pictures, ads, and text, and was then able to print straight from the website, printing only the items I wanted to. The finished product looked amazing. It also saved a lot of paper by not printing all the unnecessary items. I used to have to copy and paste text from websites into a word processor to get these kinds of results, but not any more. Printliminator makes the job easy.

Six Websites for Making Free Donations

Tweet As we finish Earth Week, we need to keep the effort going all year. The following is a list of websites where you can continue to give. They are all free to you. Simply click and the sponsors will make the donation. It's something you can do everyday of the year.

1. Care 2: Care 2 lets you click on tabs for a variety of causes including the rainforest, recycling, global warming, oceans, wolves, primates, seals, child hunger, breast cancer, and several others. If you register, you can earn "butterfly credits" for your clicks. These can be redeemed to help other causes.

2. The Hunger Site: The Hunger Site is similar to Care 2. There are 6 tabs to click: The Hunger Site, The Rainforest Site, The Breast Cancer Site, The Literacy Site, The Child Health Site, and The Animal Rescue Site. Again, click on the tab, click to donate, and the sponsors will make the donation.

3. Free Rice: Free Rice donates grains of rice for your correct answers to vocabulary words. The questions are multiple choice and as you improve, the words get harder. You can build your vocabulary and support a worthy cause.

4. FreeKibble and FreeKibbleKat: FreeKibble and FreeKibbleKat ask you to answer a multiple choice question about dogs or cats. A donation of 10 pieces of kibble is given whether you answer correctly or not.

5. Sleedo: Sleedo is a search engine powered by Google Search. Ten grains of rice are donated to the poor for each search you make. They do ask that your searches be legitimate and that you use the search engine as you would any other.

6. The Non Profits: The Non Profits lists links to over 60 charities. Again, you click on the cause and the sponsors make the donation.

Ten Last Minute Activities for Earth Day

Tweet Okay, so today is Earth Day and you've procrastinated about planning anything special for it. Here are ten last minute activities that will make you feel like a participant in the festivities.

1. Clean out your files. Today is also Clean Your Files Day. Just make sure you shred any papers with confidential information and that you recycle all paper.

2. If you're out shopping, buy some reusable shopping bags...and use them.

3. Make a quick trip to the library and check out a movie like "An Inconvenient Truth," or "Erin Brockovich," or "The Day After Tomorrow."

4. Wash your windows. I mix a little white vinegar with water in a spray bottle and I use old newspapers instead of paper towels.

5. Go for a walk...outside. Parks are nice this time of year.

6. Try eating vegetarian for the day. Doesn't a fresh green salad sound good?

7. Cut down on your use of energy. Turn off lights and appliances. It saves even more energy if you unplug them. Walk or bicycle instead of taking the car.

8. Instead of watching television, turn the evening into family game night. You'll save electricity and have some quality time with your loved ones.

9. Make a donation to a local charity or food bank. Take books you no longer want to the library. Green organizations always welcome cash donations.

10. There are lots of printables available on the Internet. A quick search of "Earth Day activities" will give coloring book pages, crossword puzzles, word search puzzles, as well as a variety of other fun things to do.

Clean Your Files Day

Tweet Tomorrow is Earth Day, but did you know that it is also Clean Your Files Day? I, however, started today.

I looked around my computer this morning and this time actually looked. It's amazing at how much clutter and how many piles of paper I can just ignore. It collects and I don't even notice. I always think that I'll get around to sorting it all, and I do, but unfortunately, not before it gets out of hand.

Well, today I finally took action. It's a liberating experience. What a great feeling to know that part of it's done. Some was filed, some was shredded, and everything I could possibly recycle was recycled. I think I got everything cleaned around the computer. Tomorrow I'll tackle my desk.

Teachers and students always have tons of paperwork that can be sorted and cleaned. It's getting close to the end of the school year. Tomorrow would be a great time to clean out a couple of desk drawers or a file cabinet. Students could meet the challenge by cleaning their lockers or notebooks. Just remember to recycle it all when you're finished.

Remembering Columbine

Tweet It's had to believe it's been 11 years since Columbine. I remember that day and the horror we all felt. Yet we knew that it could happen in any school at any time, even ours.

That day changed school security in schools across the nation and I'm sure will continue to have an influence on schools for many years.

Today, my thoughts and prayers are with the people of Columbine who had to suffer this tragedy.

A Tribute to Those Who Lost Their Lives This Day

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW8QoiCY04k&feature=related

Make A Difference Day Awards

Tweet Make a Difference Day was October 24. I blogged about it twice, once on October 19 and again on October 20. The awards were announced in the USA Weekend supplement to our local newspaper and I thought you might be interested in the top ten groups who each received an award and a $10,000 donation for charity.

1. Larimer County, Colorado saw 4450 people helping 75 organizations and 40000 residents by completing 150 projects countywide.

2. Lucas Metropulos, 17, or Boca Raton, Florida taught a fishing class to needy kids so that they could help feed themselves and their families. For Make a Difference Day he raised money to take 20 students fishing on the Atlantic.

3. Olga El Sehamy of Commack, New York, along with her husband, son, and a few volunteers prepared 50 chicken dinners, drove to the city, and gave the dinners to those in need.

4. A food drive in Frankfort, Kentucky brought in 123 tons of food for the food pantry.

5. Rebuilding Together, a national non-profit, and Lowe's joined together to fix up 35 homes across the country.

6. Members of Delta Sigma Pi, a collegiate business fraternity, took on more than 100 projects nationwide.

7. Faculty members and 500 students of Fairfield Community High School in Fairfield, Illinois raised money for playground equipment for a city park in honor of a beloved math teacher, Dana Hungerford, who had died a month before Make a Difference Day.

8. Pattie Belongie, along with 19 volunteers and 40 people who had been sentenced to community service, passed out Christmas stockings at four stores in Iron Mountain, Michigan. They asked shoppers to fill them and collected enough donations to send 400 stockings to service members and to provide gifts to 147 kids.

9. The high school youth group of St. Andrew Church in Colchester, Connecticut decided to collect shoes and supplies for Haiti. Word of their efforts spread, other students joined in, and by day's end they had collected 2000 items and $1900.

10. Georgia Fowler, of Fountain Inn, South Carolina, along with many family members collected items and assembled them into gift bags to give to caregivers across three counties.

If you're interested in participating this year, the 20th annual Make a Difference Day will be Saturday, October 23, 2010

National Library Week

Tweet Today was the last day of National Library Week. In my opinion every week should be National Library Week.

When I was in grade school, the library, for me, was a place where you checked out books during the summer. There was always a summer reading program and you got stars for completing a certain number of books.

In high school, the library became a little more important as we learned to write research papers. In college, the library became indispensable and one of my favorite places.

Now the library is so much more than a place to check out books. Our local libraries feature storytimes, computer classes, anime days, game days, workshops, genealogy seminars, artist visits, and movie showings as well as access to books, CDs, DVDs, videos, audiobooks, computer software, and much more. It seems there is something special planned for almost every day of the year.

I remember several years ago we had a faculty meeting where we were discussing why so many students were performing below grade level. Of course, at the high school, we blamed the middle school teachers. We soon discovered that the middle school teachers blamed the elementary teachers. This is when the assistant superintendent told us about the huge number of children who start kindergarten and are already a year and a half behind. She told us that some of them start school not even knowing how to hold a book, not knowing which is the top and the bottom.

I think we were all shocked that there are homes without books and with parents who never take their children to the library. There is no reason why a child should be denied the wonderful world of books and the library. This is why I believe the library needs to be promoted every day of the year. National Library Week is a great idea. The week just needs to be expanded to 365 days.