Momma Always said . . .

(my hero, Forrest Gump, and Forrest and I on a wonderful day out.)

So, Forrest Gump is seriously my favorite movie character in the world. I've taken my picture on his actual bench, but that's not a picture in this blog. I have however taken my picture with him. Oh yes, the actual Forrest Gump. Jealous?

Ok, so what does Forrest Gump, a fictional character who was in the right place at the right time every time, have to do with teaching? Well, look at how he lived his life. He did what his Mother said. And his mother is the reason I'm writing this anyway. She says, "You have to do the best with what God gave you." This, my friends, is the most relevant part of the whole movie. Forrest knows that he's not the smartest, or the bravest, or the best at anything (except running, maybe) but he knows that he's the best him there is, which is cheesy, but relevant.

I mean, think about it. What if everyone in the world did the best with what they were given? They didn't try to be someone else or do something they aren't able to do? What if everyone in the world was satisfied with being themselves, no matter what kind of self it was? What if the man who knew the cure for some awful disease didn't tell anyone because he didn't think it was good enough, and everyone would just make fun of him? This is never going to happen, because of the media and the celebritites who make everyone want to be like them. The media teaches you that you'll never be skinny enough, smart enough, strong enough, pretty enough, and there's really no point in trying. I'm not saying that Hollywood is full of evil, monsterous little bald men who push the up and coming generations to swallow pills or starve themselves, but they make it seem that no matter how hard you work, you aren't going to get anywhere. You will never be good enough.

I hate that. I know I'm not the skinniest, the most attractive, the smartest, the most talented, or anything else that millions of people beat me at everyday, but I'm the best me I can be, and it took me a long time to actually understand that. I use to strive to be like everyone else until I realized that those actions will only lead to self destruction and self hatred. It happens all the time, and no one seems to do anything about it. Forrest was the best Forrest he could be, and look where it got him. He got a scholarship, graduated, got a congressional metal of honor, met 3 presidents, reported the Watergate scandal, met John Lennon, played ping pong all over China, started a shrimp company, became a Gazillionare, ran for 3 years, and became a happily married father of a very smart boy. All because he listened to his mother.

As a teacher, I want my children to be themselves, and the best themselves the world has ever seen. No one else can do what they can do, and I want to make sure they know that before they move on into the world. Children are very delicate, and now it seems that commercials and advertisements are targeting younger and younger generations. With the world moving the way it is, children need to learn at an early age that no two people are the same, and there's no way they can be, but they can be the best individual they world has ever seen. A child's self image can be damaged at a very early age, and it may never be repaired. I want my students to know that they're a very special individual, and shouldn't strive to be anything else.

"Power Rangers Jungle Fury, transform into a Robot!"

These are pictures of the Power Rangers: Jungle Fury and Transformers. And don't even pretend that you didn't watch the power rangers when you were a kid.



At work today, two children had the dollhouse, so toy people, and some animals out. The people (who really came from a leggo set or something) were power rangers. The animals were what the rangers became when you fed them pumpkin pie. The lived in the hotel, and hid in the hotel, and the fought each other. Every time they died, they just got back up and started fighting again. This was really fun to watch. A child's imagination is a crazy place, but the stuff that they come up with just amazes me. I know it's all pretend, and they know it's all pretend, but they were serious when they said that pumpkin pie turns them into evil cheetahs. I thought pumpkin pie just made me fat, but if I'm going to turn into a cheetah, you guys better watch out!

But seriously, I was intrigued with how children could just take all this stuff and make their own reality. I would never think about pumpkin pie creating evil cheetahs, but when you're wrapped up in a world or power rangers, anything could happen. Children have a knack for making the ordinary seem extraordinary, and that's something I've always appreciated. As a teacher, I want my children to feel free to make the ordinary extraordinary in my classroom. I believe that a classroom should be a place where anything can happen and it's safe to do so. Children need to be comfortable being themselves, and they should be able to do that, whether they like power rangers, ninja turtles or barbie dolls. That's what this experience taught me.

It's the blue pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

This is a real, 100% no color added blue pumpkin. It was a for real blue pumpkin. And I was more excited about it than the children.

I had never seen a blue pumpkin before. It was something new and exciting. Every pumpkin I've ever scene has been orange, or green if it wasn't ready yet. But never a blue pumpkin. Ever. When I saw it, about 5,763,324 questions popped into my head. Why was it blue? Was it a pigment issue? Was it dyed that color? Was the inside blue, too? Did it taste different? How often do these grow? Are they really popular? Or is it something really rare? Where did they find a blue pumpkin? This is extreme inquiry. I mean, a blue pumpkin? I always thought pumpkins were just orange.

With children, they have basic knowledge of lots of stuff, and as teachers, we are supposed to help build on this knowledge. Obviously, I would not be much help, because I don't know anything about blue pumpkins, but if I were teaching about pumpkins, I would be sure to know a lot about them, and even blue pumpkins. It's important to be prepared for questions, because children have them. And they really have questions about unusual things. Like blue pumpkins.

Inquiry is important because without it, children don't build knowledge, and they don't learn. In my classroom, we will question everything in every unit, because without questions, nothing gets answered. And if nothing gets answered, what's the point in the first place?

"The production of too many useful things results in too many useless people."

This, my friends. Is technology. It's a video entitled "cooties" and it's hilarious.

Technology is a very powerful tool in the classroom, but a lot of teachers abuse that. I remember in elementary school, we would watch Reading Rainbow instead of actually reading the book. That was something we did once a week. For real. The teacher spent that time grading papers or something else just as ridiculous. Instead of actually reading us the stories in the show, she would have the show read the stories to us. Instead of actually teaching us something, teachers expect a computer program or a television show to do it. Teachers rely on technology to do all the work and leave nothing for the teacher to do.

Technology is an amazing tool, when used in the right way. When technology is used in the wrong way, it become nothing more than a time filler. Movies and television shows are amazing resources for teachers, but a movie can't be expected to teach a child everything they need to know, and a movie won't hold a child's attention for that long, which is why they're always talking! If you just put moving pictures in front of a child with nothing meaningful behind it, they'll get bored. You can't expect a child to learn everything from technology. Now, some children are very visual learners a something like that is a great way for the children to get a grasp on the content, but teachers need to do the majority of the work.

I think a big problem is that teachers don't know how to make good transitions or link different materials together, so they have the computer or the television do it for them. I mean, what better way to link reading and math than to get a computer game that has them both? See. Teachers get concerned with how to handle their class and mixing curriculum and content areas, so they put it on technology. It's become a scape goat.

As a teacher, I won't rely on technology to do everything. I believe that teacher involvement is way more important. A teacher isn't involved with a computer or a television, but a teacher can be involved with active learning, or with any number of other things. Teaching isn't just about making sure the students understand the content, although that's huge. Teaching is built of different life skills, social skills, content knowledge, and basic technology. Technology should be a friend to the classroom, nit a hindrance or a growth-stunter. Technology should be a friend and not a foe.

*the quote in the title is by Karl Marx*

I like coloring books.

This is a picture of a coloring sheet. A perfectly good coloring sheet.

I may sound like the worst future teacher in the world, but I have no problem with coloring sheets. They, when used in the right way, can be a very resourceful tool. When a teacher gives children the same worksheet and tells them to color, of course it's not good. But when they're there with things like labels (so the children know what the picture is) or pictures that go along with the lesson plans, they become a resource. Sometimes children need something to go off. When they're expected to know the difference between a crocodile and an alligator, how are they supposed to learn? By the teacher showing them pictures and telling them the differences? No. When the children get a sheet that has a picture of a crocodile and a picture of an alligator, they can color and learn at the same time. In a classroom, especially with younger children, when you ask them to draw you a house, you get scribbles, which is a house for them, but it doesn't accomplish the purpose. It's easier to have different coloring sheets of houses and let the children decorate it how they want. It's still their work and their creativity, but it also serves the purpose of the assignment.

Coloring sheets also help show development. When a child starts to color inside the lines, they've reached a new stage of development. They can't do that if there aren't any lines. So, coloring sheets are a good thing, even if I am the only person in the world that thinks so.

Even Pumpkins have a little Character

These are all pictures from our trip to the pumpkin patch.

None of these pumpkins are perfect, and they all have some kind of flaw, but that's what makes them special and unique. Every Child as an imperfection, but that's what makes them special. As a teacher, it's important to embrace each child for who they are, and not try to make them something they're not. Because if we do that, then we have children who will always try to blend into society instead of breaking free from it.

Learning- anytime, anywhere

Student:"RAWR! I'm a dinosaur! I eat other animals!!"
Me: "So, you're a carnivore?"
Student: *blank stare*
Me: "A carnivore eats meat."
Student: "yes, I'm a carnivore."
AHHHHH, LEARNING!!

Student: "I like to play in the sand"
Me: "Look what I have. I have a tablespoon. You have a teaspoon. Which one is bigger?"
Student: "The tablespoon."
Me: " I wonder how many teaspoons fit in a tablespoon. Let's find out. You get a spoonful of sand and put it in the tablespoon. How many was that?"
Student: "three"
Me: "So, there are three teaspoons in a tablespoon."
AHHHHH, LEARNING!!

I love how with children, anything can become a learning experience. These are both events that happened with children at work, and they both were learning experience. With children, they have basic knowledge, and it's the teacher's job to help them build onto that. It's part of Inquiry, but not the main focus of this blog.

A child came up to me with a toy dinosaur, and he left learning what the word carnivore meant without a textbook or worksheet. A child and I were playing in the sand and she learned about measurements without a word problem. Every opportunity is a learning opportunity.

As a teacher, it's important to turn every opportunity into a learning opportunity. You just have to keep your eyes open for them. With children, they're naturally curious and want to soak up everything they see. As a teacher, it's important to constantly be on the lookout for moments of education or insight. There are all kinds out there.