Day One - a new day

Despite my past experiences and learnings, I found myself becoming a holiday and special occasion church goer. It started out as one or two weeks when I was too tired or anxious to get out of bed, but then each week I found a different excuse not to make the effort. When people would ask me about it, I shrugged it off - made it into lesser of a deal than it really was. I believed my comfort - my schedule - my laziness - was more important than coming together with other believers in the house of the Lord to worship. I started only remembering the last time I was at church by the holiday that called me there.

Over the past 2 weeks I've met some new friends and gotten to know a few a bit better, and through these relationships and conversations, I felt the Lord pressing this idea: be intentional! In the way only the Lord can, he showed me three areas of my life that He's calling me to be more intentional about.
The first area is my faith - being intentional about getting to church every Sunday and growing in my relationship with the Lord. This needs to transcend the rest of my life - especially the other 2 areas that God is calling me to rise up.

Today was day 1 of being intentional. I set my alarm, got up, showered and headed off to 9:30 service. My new friend, Caren, saved me a seat and I worshiped and learned about the Lord alongside other believers. I let God speak into my heart in a way that I haven't been open to in a long time.
I'm learning that throughout this journey of being intentional, I must find accountability. So, as I said, today is day 1. Not every day will be perfect and not every day will I be successful, but every day the Lord is good, and He loves me with an everlasting love, and He will help me get back up and try again.

Spring time poem

Bring Me the Horizon ...

The smell of hope

brims on the horizon.

Every breath

of damp spring air

refreshes my soul.

Car wheels

on wet pavement,

Drip drops

from the morning rain --

Each fills my head

with dizzying daydreams.

Fresh soil

and blooming flowers

unite

in a tantalizing aroma

that brings me

to the edge.

The only thing

left to do

is jump

into

the 

possibilities ...

Nostalgia

Summers gone by ...

As I walk down the hallway,

a particular scent whispers against my nose.

Immediately,

a wave of nostalgia

crashes into me.

I can’t seem to identify the scent

or the memory,

but it reminds me of summers gone by …

fresh morning showers,

dew on the green grass,

and joyful noises in every direction.

As quickly as it hits me,

it disappears.

But its shadow

lingers with me for hours after -

sentencing me to dream

of the summers

gone

by.

Technology in Education

In today's educational circles, there is such a push for incorporating technology, social media, and cool new gadgets. While I am all for this, it raises two questions in my mind:
1. What do you do when the technology is not readily available?
2. Are we using technology in the best interest of the students?

1. What do you do when the technology is not readily available?
I know that in my district, computers are at a premium and are not always readily available. Fortunately, we have some other alternatives to use and incorporate such as iPods and iPads. We've even incorporated some Chromebooks in a few classrooms.
We are some of the lucky ones -- although we are not 1-to-1, we still have a good amount of tech available -- unless it's testing week, but that is a different story.
What about the districts that do not have technology available? Those that have 1 computer cart for an entire grade level, or students that do not have internet access outside of school? What do you do then?
Well, A couple things. I just found out that students who qualify for free or reduced lunch have an at-home internet option for $10/month. Wow. That is a step in the right direction in making the internet readily available to all populations!

Second, there are ways to get students learning socially without technology -- and in reality, isn't that what we are using technology for anyway? Finding ways to get students engaged in conversation in ways and groupings that they may not normally accomplish in a traditional classroom.
There are several sites available (on Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, Google, etc) that showcase how to incorporate social learning in a technology-poor classroom/environment. Although I haven't had a chance to peruse all of the different pins on this board, I am going to link to a colleague's Pinterest Board about Social Media in the classroom. This has options for not only using social media, but also alternatives to those who may not have access to it for some reasons.

2. Are we using technology in the best interest of the students?
Okay, so I know that I've been guilty of having students complete an assignment online only because it is online. We could accomplish the same task on paper, but in wanting to "engage the students" we slap it on a google doc or a blog post and have students go through the process of logging on and responding when it would just be simpler, quicker, and accomplish similar goals by just doing it on paper.
When using technology in the classroom, it is important to not only engage the students, but to extend their learning beyond the classroom -- to use the resources that come with technology -- network, explore, create in ways that are unique to the students in the classroom. 
I am being challenged in my own teaching to extend my technology use from just reminding students of assignments on twitter, to starting chats or using # conversations as formative assesments for reading or concepts. 
Pull in students or professionals from around the world to talk to classrooms on twitter or google talk to expand students' horizons and PLNs. Get students talking outside of the classroom -- applying what they are learning to their "real lives." 


I am challenging myself to go a little further with social media/technology this year. Each day is a new opportunity to try something new, to engage a student on a new level and incorporate technology for actual learning and not just for simply "doing it online."  

Banned Book Week Thoughts

I’ve invited my mother, Tina Barnhart, to join me for this post.

Since it is “Banned Book Week” we decided to write our thoughts on banned books.

Here are some questions we had as we started discussing this topic of banned books:

So what is a banned book?

According to the American Library Association , “a challenge is defined as a formal, written complaint, filed with a library or school requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness.”

How does a book get on the list of banned books and where is this list?

Well, there are several “lists” of banned books depending on where you look. The American Library Association compiles a list of the top ten most popularly banned books each year. There are also lists of books we now deem as “classics” that are in their own list, and there are lists of the most popularly banned books of certain decades. Really, it all depends on where you look. Each library, school, and community create and maintain their own lists. Some schools shy away from an actual “banned book list” as not to draw more attention or controversy over a certain book.

The biggest reason for “Banned Book Week” is to promote censure awareness, and the freedom to read. Often the reasons for challenging these books are pretty self-explanatory, but that doesn’t mean that no one should be able to read them. I know many people who take this week to explicitly draw attention to books that are “banned” and to give them as much positive press as possible. Isn’t it interesting that some of the books I have seen on banned book lists are now classics? What makes a story a classic? Did they become classics because they were banned, people became curious about them, and then decided to read them? Or did people want to ban them because they were already so popular?

This is the first time I’ve really paid attention to “banned” or “challenged” books.As I look over the list from the past few years, I notice that some of my favorite reads are mentioned. I too was surprised to see how frequently some of my favorites showed up on the lists. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie has been on the list since 2010. I have two copies of it on my classroom library shelf and often recommend it to readers who enjoy Diary of a Wimpy Kid and are ready for the next level. Some of these books are memoirs and autobiographies. How can one determine to ban another person’s life story?!

The Hunger Games, along with the number one challenged book of 2013, Captain Underpants, were shocking additions to the list in my opinion. Two books that I was not surprised to see on the list, but whose authors I am looking forward to meeting next month are The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky and Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher.

So, just because a book is mentioned on a banned book list somewhere does not mean that you should not consider reading it. Being that it is Banned Book Week, what a great time to explore some new titles and see what all the controversy is about!

What do you think: should books be banned?

Wow, it's been a while ...

So, I'm back!

Monday I start my first grad class in pursuit of my Masters Degree. I just finished reading Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon. Among so many great words about creativity, I found a theme or motif that God has been speaking to me about this summer.

Stop waiting for the right time or the right place. Do what you love in the place you are in, with the time you currently have.

Now, I know that so often plans are made in excitement and then quickly forgotten when issues and conflicts arise. My goal is to do my best to take time each day to work and exercise in the giftings, talents, and interests God has given me.

So I guess all that's left to say is ... here goes nothing! :)

www.austinkleon.com

New Adventute

It's the night before the first day of school and the house is quiet. It's just me and Joe here now. Jana's off on her first year of college and Ben's well into soccer practice for year three. I start a new job tomorrow and I'm laying here like its just another day. 

God really worked a miracle in the finding, receiving and transitioning of this job. It's really all I can say. There is absolutely no way it should have worked out as smoothly as it did and yet here it is: the first day of school. 

I'm starting my dream job tomorrow. Well as close as I can get to my dream job that is not on the mission field. I'm teaching 8th grade writing. Now if I could have chose any profession in the world with no thought of money, writer would be way up there on the list. So the fact that I get to spend my days teaching middle schoolers to write is just amazing. I get to share my love of writing with them and watch their creativity explode off the page. 

It must just simply be peace because as I lay here thinking through it all I am just calm. No nerves, no butterflies, just calm. It's as if I'm walking toward my destiny for this phase of life and all is grand. 

I know. Big words that are usually followed by a figurative glance over your shoulder. But really. I am just excited and ready for a new adventure that brings with it even more opportunities for even bigger adventures. 

So to go with my figurative theme. Here it is: a figurative toast to the first day of school -- which is always the start of a new adventure.