School lunch is on my mind a lot these days.  This simple “article” made me think that there are better ways to feed our students. Thanks to The Portland Pickle for this tip.

Over the last week, four or five DOE contractors have been replacing the beautiful, old doors in our hallways with “fire safe” doors.  The entire process has been a microcosm of what’s wrong with how the DOE runs schools:

• DOE contractors can only work between 8:30 and 3:30 (the hours the kids are in class);
• They make no effort not to disrupt classes;
• It takes months of phone calls to get anything fixed in the school, but somehow they have managed to block off 45 man-hours to replace doors that have been working perfectly for 50 plus years;
• The doors make our halls look noticeably worse; and
• Reduced the amount of sun our halls receive by 50%.

I’m in no position to comment on whether or not they make the school safer and I’m sure there is some study that says they do, but in light of all the other dangers my students are exposed to every day (asbestos, school lunch), this seems like a total waste.  The contractors putting the doors in were not to blame, as they clearly worked hard and I’m sure no one mentioned that they should be mindful of the classes and silent hallways.  Ultimately, the doors are just dark and ugly.

Teachers (or former camp counselors): I’m looking for suggestions for advisory team-building activities to start the day off. We do a lot of journaling and discussions, but that can get old during five-day weeks in December. Ideally, the activities will:

• require few supplies
• be appropriate for 20 or so 8th graders
• can be taught and executed in about 20 minutes
• not involve sharp objects
• not involve human knots or falling off desks into the arms of your classmates

Email me or hit up the comments.

Shared space is a serious issue; unfortunately the image accompanying the article is representative of the debate I often encounter on it.

On a (mostly) unrelated note, congratulations to the Harbor School on their new digs.  Very excited for these guys.

I have a quiver full of blog posts from my second year of teaching and I need to start posting them.  Inspiration, via Daring Fireball:

Bart’s Blackboard

“I do not have power of attorney over first graders.”

Elliott Smith – When I Paint My Masterpiece (Bob Dylan)

I had trouble believing this article when I read it. Banning bake sales? You should see the stuff they serve to kids in the cafeteria – bagel rolls, deep fried government cheese, spoiled chocolate milk. I’d take the nutritional value of the cookies a parent baked over 90% of what they serve our students. This is a must read as well – one school trying to make a difference in how kids eat.

I’m a month into my second year of teaching.  Wow.  After the success of last year’s community service and misc. adventure in Costa Rica we decided to roll out a lot more community service and a few smaller field trips early this year.  They are great for relationship building – getting together with students outside of the classroom does wonders for the time you spend together in the classroom.  

On Thursday we broke off by advisory and spent the day throughout NYC doing community service – soup kitchens, food pantries, and even the Williamsburg Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library.  

On Friday, to celebrate our community service, we hopped on a bus (well actually two buses, after a two hour delay) and drove to Philadelphia.  It was the easiest trip in the world – we did a scavenger hunt at U Penn, lunch in front of Independence Hall, a few cheesesteaks, a tour of Independence Hall, and a two hour bus ride home.  Completely worth it.  A few thoughts/questions:

1. I need to teach a few mini lessons before our next trip on basic economics and getting ripped off in tourist traps.  Any ideas how to explain this to 8th graders?

2. I had a little mini-lesson in front of Independence Hall on why we were not going to hit Wendy’s or McDonald’s while in Philly.  After a little resistance we hit the street vendors for some cheesesteaks (followed by another little discussion about why the guy wouldn’t put lettuce or tomatoes on the cheesesteaks).

3. Don’t forget that every little part of a field trip needs to be planned and taught – if you aren’t clear about your expectations for your students, don’t be surprised when their not met.

None of my students got my Woolworth’s joke though…

Ween – Freedom Of ‘76

I realize I haven’t updated in awhile.  I’ve got some good stories from Round 2 of teaching.  Much more in the pipeline…

Randy Newman – Back On My Feet Again

Gene Harris & The Three Sounds – Get Back (Beatles Cover.  Hot.)

I had a lot of help with this, but I’m pretty excited about the whole thing.

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”  - Albert Einstein (Attributed)

How many bad presentations have you sat through?  How many times have you walked into a meeting, been handed a copy of the PowerPoint, and had it read it to you? I often think about those days when planning a lesson.

A copy of Garr Reynolds’s Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery has been floating around school and making a huge impact on our professional development and classrooms. I’ve been using the book as a guide this year as I put together my lesson plans, materials, and presentations for my class.  I highly recommend the book and his blog.  His tips and thoughts are universally applicable – I wish someone would give this to the people running meetings at BigLaw.

If you read one post, read this one, “10 tips on how to think like a designer.”

And yes, I am using a book on PowerPoint Presentations to plan an 8th grade history class.