in the event of some confusion

extra extra (but not nearly enough)

the front page of the wrap-up project. but what does it all mean and what learning took place other than i know someone who can put a nice newspaper together? (in fact, we're married. thanks mrs b!) i've learned this teaching involves a lot of work. also, these important lessons never end:

• planning
• planning
• being prepared
• planning

if graded on these lessons right now, my rubric would read barely developing. nonetheless, the kids seemed to have liked seeing their feature articles cleaned up and published.

missinglink?

it's about time

walter

a friend of a friend for nearly two decades, walter reminds me that the friend-acquaintance-loved one i take for granted today, will likely become an unavailable resource in time.

there's something larger to discuss here about students as well, those diminutive humanoid creatures that impact us and are impacted by us on a near daily basis, but i can't put my finger on it just yet.

in the meantime, god bless walter (and truman).

big unit

i'm realizing this teaching thing is kind of difficult. being prepared and aligned is a lot tougher of a task than i had previously thought. at this writing, i'm attacking the final assignment of 5012, the unit. it's changed so many times in the past month or so that it's virtually unrecognizable as the unit i started with. it's downright intimidating, like a randy johnson fastball. truth be told, i've never faced a randy johnson fastball, but i am facing this big unit.

more bread when you have a chance?

the ultimate end of education is not a perfection in the accomplishments of the school, but fitness for life; not the acquirement of habits of blind obedience, and of prescribed diligence, but a preparation for independent action. we must bear in mind that whatever class of society a pupil may belong to, whatever calling he may be intended for, there are certain faculties in human nature common to all, which constitute the stock of the fundamental energies of man. we have no right to withhold from any one the opportunities for developing all their faculties. it may be judicious to treat some of them with marked attention, and to give up the idea of bringing others to high perfection. the diversity of talent and inclination, of plans and pursuits, is a sufficient proof of the necessity for such a distinction. but i repeat that we have no right to shut out the child from the development of those faculties also, which we may not for the present conceive to be very essential for his future calling or station in life.
-pestalozzi, letters on infants' education (1819)