Forgetting My Camera!

It was an interesting day in the office as I feel we have tried to build a good reputation for good technical service... so when Roxie phoned the office this morning, by the time Brad was off the phone it was just another learning experience in the grand story or helping others. I don't mean to boost or be proud, but I believe schools will weather the storm. What needs remembering is we are all in the same fleet that sails the ship.

So on Friday I told Brad I was headed to the board meeting on Monday. It was going to be a short week but busy. Of course I didn't foresee myself catching a nasty cold and suffering Sunday, at work half-baked on Monday and yet productive.

I was delighted and confused tonight. The presentations to the board, there were three, were intriguing, as the night started with the public forum presented by Paul Chaffin. I wish I had his speaking skills.

We were then kicked out of the admin office to stroll across the street for the presentation from Central Elementary teachers. I was disappointed that the PLC room was not set up for the audience to more fully enjoy the lenghty barrage of educational know-how as we all stood for what seemed a 40+ minute session. The ladies who spoke during the presentation did an excellent job of describing what they do and how the pieces are to fit together in such a way that those who are ignorant might mistake their efforts as easy and uncomplicated. This multi-disciplinary project [I am thankful...] came out of one of our TRC classrooms. What an excellent model of students creating relevance in the tools from creating their avatar, to writing their story, to recording their best audio voice all wrapped up for a feast-full Thanksgiving season.

We have much to be thankful for.

p.s. I was so upset to have left my camera across the street in my computer bag. Tonight should have been filmed! :)

Deep thinkers......

We are deep thinkers.... at 8:03 a.m. today, I had another excellent response to my e-mail from district staff - not just teachers, mind you, but everyone on staff in our organization with an email account including cooks, custodians, and paras got this e-mail.

Dear Karla,

Thank you for this article. It is a small view of the world gone mad in my opinion.

I heard on TV that the biological limit of food production of the earth is about 9 billion people and we would be eating everything is site. We are at 6 billion plus and we are heading to 12 billion. Some place between here and there a lot of this article will happen. I am beyond sad. Mathus was right.

Here is an article my nephew sent to me about government. You might like it. I did.

http://www.wimp.com/thegovernment/

Thanks for the article again.

It's imperative we are touching all our senses in educating for tomorrow. [karla's words]

Thanks for sharing. It is appreciated.

Passionate Teachers.....

I sent this out to our staff @ 7:30 p.m. and at 8:52 p.m. I had this message from a teacher. How wonderful and refreshing......

That was one of the most poignant stories I have had the pleasure of reading in a long time. I often try to explain this type of world to my students and they look at me with the same blank eyes. I am going to have my juniors read this tomorrow in class, and maybe somewhere later in their lives they will be richer for their exposure to such a moving and provocative story.
--Jonathan
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Dorris Lessing - On not winning the Nobel Prize

I am standing in a doorway looking through clouds of blowing dust to where I am told there is still uncut forest. Yesterday I drove through miles of stumps, and charred remains of fires where, in '56, there was the most wonderful forest I have ever seen, all now destroyed. People have to eat. They have to get fuel for fires.

I'm reminded of my own political science teachers in my rural community high school days. Knowing I turn the half-century mark this month, that is saying...I'm old.