Choice Words-Who do you think you're talking to???

My pile of "summer reading" is actually divided into three piles that include the professional, personal and classroom titles I have been accumulating over the past year. Now that I have completed Peter Johnston's Choice Words (2004), I am not sure which pile it belongs in. It might be one of those rare books that has a place in all three piles. Professionally, this work reminds me that one of the most powerful teaching tools I possess is the language I use as part of my classroom discourse with students.

Language is action. Johnston notes, "The language that teachers (and their students) use is a big deal. " Speaking is a much an action as hitting someone with a stick, or hugging them (Austin, 1962)," Having been witness to more than a few "verbal slappings" in the classroom (and a recipient at times) I know that the words can and do silence small voices in the classroom setting. However, I think the recommendations in this book have implications for other settings beyond the classroom. I have found myself being more consciously aware of the words I use in social and professional situations, as well as becoming more attentive to my own responses to words that have potential "slapping power."

Just as teachers can build positive classroom discourse by consciously editing and attending to their speech, I think that our "choice words" can rub off on our students as well. "The way we interact with children and arrange them to interact shows them what kind of people we think they are and gives them opportunities to practice being those kind of people." (p.79).

So, who do you think you're talking to... what words are you going to use...and how will you use them?

Cake Conspiracy?

As I was browsing through some of my older school-related photos, I was reminded that the graduation cake snafu is NOT the first time my local bakery has "messed up" a cake for me. This cake was prepared for a parent education session, and there was NO SOUP involved.

No Parking-Fire Lane

Or...RED HOT SAVINGS at RIDGEDALE?

This is what happens when you mix a hot butt with dry shrubs, on a windy day...fortunately, no significant damage, but an opportunity for me to try out my handy new camera phone.

Cake-er-ator decorator check-or-rator?

Apparently, the local bakery forgot to send their cake decorators to cake college.

April Showers?

It's April in Minnesota....Barbecue anyone??

The "cutting" (or jagged) edge of technology and teaching

I have to admit, it was reassuring to find this message from Dr. D. in our group email today. It makes me think that I am not alone in the cyber wilderness. As I imagine Dr. D. having "fits" I am inspired to keep moving forward, chipping away at the techno-glacier which is inching into my life and teaching. Can old teaching dogs learn new tricks? If so, can we learn them quickly and apply them effectively in our instruction? How can we be "cutting edge" instructors when "what's new" changes in a millisecond? I am juggling a number of variables as I consider how to integrate "digital literacy" with what I know (and don't know) about effective literacy (decoding/word recognition/comprehension) instructional practices and student motivation/interests. How can effectively integrate the "new literacies" into teaching when I myself am not competent in the use of such tools?

I am having fits updating the WebVista site.
I keep getting error messages and I can't get
my changes to show up. I see nothing when I toggle
over to student view, so I have no idea if you can
get into the folders on the homepage or not.
Let me know. I have a help call into the tech
support team. In the meantime, I am attaching
the readings for Wednesday.  All of the stuff
you need for readings and assignments were in
the WebVista site when I first went there,
and then it all went away.
Remember, technology is our
friend!

Nimrod Nightmare

I wish that I could take credit for this...but I can't. However, none of this would have been possible had it not been for my vehicular operation on the evening of Friday, January 18th, near the outskirts of "Nimrod." My passenger, HOTSEAT Holly claims she snapped this photo just before impact.

She then followed up with this summary of events:

The sun did not shine

it was too cold to play

We did still go out

on that cold, cold, cold day.

I sat there with Toni.

We sat there, we two.

And I said,

"How I wish more frequently fun things we'd do!"

Too cold to go out

and the car almosted stalled.
We sat in the car

doing (almost) nothing at all.

So all we could do was to

Drive!

Drive!

Sit! Sit!

And we did not like it. Well, maybe a bit!

And then Something went BUMP!

how that bump made us jump!

We looked!

Then we saw him jump up

and heard a big SPLAT!

We looked!

And we saw him!

The Cat with no Hat!

And he said to us,

"Toni, why do you drive like that?!"

"I know it is cold

And the sun is not sunny.

But dying like this

Is not at all funny!"

Then Toni and I

Did not know what to say.

We just turned around

and let that cat lay.

No comment....