When I was in elementary school we learned social studies and science every single day. It may have been boring but it was taught. I hear teachers say, “We are concerned about students passing the CRCT!”  Teachers are not teaching social studies and science because they are prepping students for the CRCT. A simple solution to me would be to integrate subjects. Students can still read and learn new words. Teachers can create worksheets for student to practice language skills.  Students can learn about the process of elimination by completing science experments. There are so many things teachers can plan that promotes learning in every single subject.

You must look within for value but must look beyond for perspective.  

Denis Watley

We want our children to love their neighbors as they love themselves. We want our childrent to have confidence and self-worth, to be thinkers who act, react, and reflect. We want our students to be life long learners and life long teachers.

If we teach them lies then they will think lies, act, react, and reflect on lies. If we teach them truth then they will think truth, act, react, and reflect on truth. When you know better then the goal is to do better. Education is important if we really want our students to be leaders who are thinkers who act, react, and reflect the truth. If we refuse to teach them the truth we are teaching them to turn their backs on themselves, on others, their country, their world.

 Don’t forget to watch the video. Click the blue link.

We are all familiar with the famous line, “Only you can prevent forest fires.” This also applies to teachers in the classroom. Teachers must be attentive to every detail, develop eyes that can see through walls and around corners, keep a listening ear for trouble lurking near, negotiate melt downs before they occur, and make sure every one is learning everything that could possibly be taught. It is truly “only you.” Whew!!!

This was a very long process and at times I often felt frustrated and wanted to withdraw from the conversation of naming.  However, I like the name.  I decided to do a little research on how others see Pangea.  I found a board game, a music group, film companies, organic products, businesses, and film festival, all named in the effort of uniting the people of the world for a greater and fuller tomorrow.     

Question: What assumptions do you have about urban classrooms?

Answer: I assumed that the majority of students would be black and hispanic or latino. I also assumed that they would be sitting in their seats faced forward and so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. I assumed that the teacher would be frustrated. I assumed that the class size would be unbelievably large.

Question: How was the classroom experience different from your assumptions?

Answer: In the classroom, majority of the students was a total of 17 students–1 White, 3 Asian and Pacific Islanders, and 13 Black students. The children spoke upmounst themselves as they ate their lunch and even welcomed the vistors into their conversations. The teacher was very calm and relaxed. She acknowledged students for following directions, “Thank you for making good choices,” which encouraged other students who were not following directions to the necessary changes to their own behavior.

Question: What is something interesting about the classroom observation?

Answer: In Ms. Robb’s class there was a little girl from Myanmar who could not speak English. She came to Idlewood two weeks ago. During these two weeks, the young girl has learned each of the other student’s names and the teacher’s name. During fresh air time, the young girl played with the other children with no problems. They were chasing one another. Some students were monsters while others were the prey. Her interaction with the other students was simply awesome.

This was a very encouraging experience and gave me a sense of hope. I felt welcomed by the student

Since I did not know the answer.  so I went to look it up.

Max Planck was a German physicist, known as the founder of quantum theory.  Planck came up with the mathematical solution to explain the nature of black-body radiation.  Planck won the Nobel Prize in 1918 and together with Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity his quantum theory changed physics. 

“Fin de siecle” is a french phrase often used to refer to the characteristic world weary mood of European culture in the 1880s and 1890s.  It is also used to characterize anything that has an ominous mixture of decadance combined with a shared prospect of an unavoidable radical change or approaching an end. A modern day ”fin de siecle” would be Y2k.

Great information to for trivia pursuit.  Enjoy learning something new.

This is my favorite Spongebob Squarepants episode.  The reason I chose to post it was because it shows a community.  Inside the community there are those who lift you up and those who tear you down.  You have to strong enough to be your own motivator.  We have to instill this in our students. The help is always here, pull from within.
I hope you enjoyed!