Manic Monday- Ms. Mother Nature Please Stabilize the Temperature

Common Core Curriculum-It's coming to a state near you.

Today I sat in another long long very long looooooooooooooong staff meeting. The reason this meeting was so very loooooooooooong is that our English Site Counsel Representative shared with us the new state Common Core Curriculum. Now, at first glance it sounds real official and one expects that this curriculum comes from either State or Federal Departments of Education. That was my first mistake. No, it does not. It is being promoted by the very school publishers that many school districts receive their books from, like Scholastics. It is supported by the Department of Education. 

Check out these Youtube Videos. These are the ones we watched in our meeting. 

AND

Now for my gentle readers I have been teaching for over 20 years with Parental Units who were teachers. I have seen and experienced A LOT!  We were told that this new curriculum was going to provide a "more accurate snapshot of what the students are able to do." This new curriculum is also suppose to help students become more "critical thinkers" by reducing the fiction in the curriculum and add more non-fiction or "informational texts" for the students to read. Students by their 12th Grade year would be reading about 70 percent nonfiction. English teachers will be asked to teach "Author's Intention" by using some fiction books and we have about 60 books to choose from to teach this "Author's Intention." I did get to read one of the new curriculum books for this "critical thinking." Yikes!

The plan or the idea behind the National Governors Association Center for Bests Practices, which is not related to any state governors board, and the Council of Chief State School Officers- who are primarily supported by text book publishers- is to prepare students for college or careers. These two groups state that students have suffered from years of "easy reading and poor teacher training in synthesizing more complex reading materials."  States that accept Common Core Curriculum received waivers from the "No Child Left Behind" and other financial gains. 

The standards are said to be:

Aligned with college and work expectations;
Clear, understandable and consistent;
Include rigorous content and application of knowledge through high-order skills;
Build upon strengths and lessons of current state standards;
Are informed by other top performing countries, so that all students are prepared to succeed in our global economy and society; and
Are evidence-based.

These new guidelines will replace great literature like The Great Gatsby, The Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird and replace it with informational text like, The Environmental Protection Agency's Recommended Levels of Insulation and California Invasive Plant Councils's Invasive Plant Inventory.  I saw the book these were in and basically they are two-three pages long with several pictures. 
Want to learn more read Common Core Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects here.  Another substitution for the short stories and favorite literature units are essays by Malcolm Gladweel from his social behavior book, The Tipping Point. Why on Earth would you have students read this stuff!?


While I was at one of my school sites I over heard the Department Chair of the schools English Department pushing the need for this Common Core Curriculum. She believed that if the current 9th graders, who were failing English, didn't attend this coarse next year they were going to fail high school.  So, basically 10th graders next year could possibly be taking 2 English classes and 2 math courses to meet the state graduation requirements. When do they get to breath?


 The California Department of Education adopted this new curriculum for all the schools in the states in 2012, with the belief that because 45 other states have adopted the curriculum since 2010, that it was also going to be good for California. Check out there site here.

Now, today I got a chance to see the new material and curriculum. In our district we are to implement the English Language Arts by 2014, and Math, Science, and Social Studies by 2015. 

Let me share my observation:

1. The English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum and materials looked very similar to the current materials we are using in the classroom. My co-worker and I both went to our humble little office cubbies and found the same type books but with different covers. REEEEEALLLY!  What happened to the Language! program that was heralded as the fix- all for poor readers? Each district spent thousands of dollars on this program. Oh.. they are gathering dust in someone's closet unused. 

2. It worries me that fiction literature from author's like John Steinbeck, Harper Lee, Ray Bradbury, Truman Copte, Ernest Hemingway, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Booker T. Washington etc etc etc..... will not be used anymore because teachers in both the Social Science and English Language Arts will be spending their precious time on "information text" instead. 

3. All Standard Testing for Common Core Curriculum will be computerized. Yes, there it is again... The good old Savior of mankind... the computer. School districts have been promised, again, that their infrastructure will be kept updated so that schools can have their students' access the Standard Testing online. Let me share with you a story. The FITT Computer That Could that I use for my classes is over seven years old. Many teachers in the district were promised that these FITT computers would be maintained and kept current. Many teachers were also promised that these FITT computers would be connected to fancy interactive white boards so they could do fancy instructions. This promise has not been kept. In fact the department that was created to maintain these computers was eliminated last year. REEEEALLY! And we are suppose to jump for joy at this promise??

4. Common Core Curriculum  reduces the expectations of our students and children by making math and reading simpler by giving the simple "informational text" instead of reading the classics. Even the Shakespeare literature have been reduced to 2-3 pages. Common Core Curriculum are also reducing the expectations of the teachers to better themselves. Common Core Curriculum hands over a script to less experience teacher while us "old timers" are encouraged to "shut up" or "retire." 

Now, for many of you who are reading this the first thing you are going to expect is that I am Conservative etc etc..... These comments are based on hands on personal experience. I have seen a signficant change in our education in America. It seems to me that I have been in the front row seat of this change. 

I would like to remind everyone who reads this........

We are the ONLY Nation in the world who educates EVERYONE! It doesn't matter what your social economic educational background is- every American or Visitor receives an education in America. 

We are the only Nation that has the Americans with Disabilities Law (ADA) and the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). These laws allow students with disabilities to a FREE AND APPROPRIATE EDUCATION (FAPE). 

Our testing scores are compared with countries who divide their students around the 8th grade between Apprenticeship/Job Training and College bound. American students are being compared to Europe's and Japan's Elite. 

My suggestion as a parent is to stand up and fight for your student's/child's future. Ignore the complaints of being a "helicopter parent" and be part of your child's future. We have taken a stand. 

Take a stand.....

Teacher Appreciation Day

Show a Teacher you appreciate them.

Show a bit of gratitude.

How to Show Gratitude Part 2

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Mathew  6:21

"Viking Mom, how do you teach gratitude?"

That is a very good question. How do we teach gratitude in a society full of self centered, materialistic, rude, and disrespectful people? 
To be honest, this is something I struggle with as well. My current struggle is showing gratitude, respect and appreciation to people who are  frakkin-shtako boneheads. How does one sore with the eagles in an atmosphere full of turkeys?  

What makes me aware of my own actions are my children. Our children learn directly from us and they imitate what they see from us. Our children are the most powerful mirrors into our souls. Waldorf in the Home discusses this very clearly in their blog here. 

Showing gratitude can enhance ones life. It can become a habit before you hardly notice it happening. Gratitude can be something small, like a beautiful butterfly or something large like a rainbow. 

There is a saying, "Stop and smell the roses." 

I used to think this meant to stop and slow down. I think it also means we need to stop and show gratitude to that lovely rose.

Now, research has been showing that adults who show gratitude have fewer health problems, more energy, an a greater feeling of well being than those who complain and are bitter and angry. We all know those people who are just exude those negative vibes.   

Children who express gratitude are shown to be kinder, more appreciative, more empathetic, happier and more enthusiastic. Grateful children understand that other people have needs, are different, and tend to look outside themselves. These same children are more polite, usually better behaved and generally are more pleasant to be around.

Steps to teach gratitude:

1. We need to model gratitude ourselves:  We must model gratitude to our children so they can imitate gratitude towards others.  Write a "Thank You" card, say, "Thank You" to someone.

2. Say “No”. It is important for us to be reasonable and say “No”. We also have to be careful rewarding our children for everything. We want them to do good because it is the right thing to do, and not because they get something, like a new toy or money.

3. Give your children responsibility. We are always more grateful for things when we have to do them ourselves. The same applies to children. Give them appropriate responsibilities.

4. Teach your children to be grateful for adversity. When things are hard, or uncertain, or don’t go as planned, we need to teach our children to be grateful. To recognize the blessings that comes from hard things.

5. Point out the simple things. Teach children to be grateful for the creations around them, the seasons, the sunshine, the falling leaves and the rain. Children will quickly understand that there is beauty all around, and that it has come from something much bigger than we are. Celebrate creations. Jump in the leaves, splash in the puddles, and feel the sun on our skin.


Challenge for you: Take a moment of your day and show gratitude. 

Gratitude: feeling or expression of thankfullness

Random Act of Kindness:What is Gratitude? Part 1

"Viking Mom, what is gratitude?"

This is a good questions. This word, "gratitude" came up recently during my fundraiser. After observing people's attempts at gratitude I came to realize that people were confusing "Thankfulness, Gratefulness and Gratitude." They all have similar qualities but are three very different actions. 

How does a parent show gratitude in front of their children?

I decided this topic needed to be explored especially in this world that has become increasingly, materialistic, rude, self- centered and disrespectful. 

Lets put on our English teacher hats on and define the words.
I am using Dictionary.com for my definitions. 

Thankfulness:

thank·ful

 [thangk-fuhl] 

adjective

feeling or expressing gratitude; appreciative.

Origin: 
before 900; Middle English; Old English thancful.  See thank, -ful

Synonyms 
beholden, obliged.

Gratitude:

grat·i·tude

 

[grat-i-tood, -tyood] 

noun

the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful: 

He expressed his gratitude to everyone on the staff.

Origin: 
1400–50; late Middle English  < Medieval Latin grātitūdin-  (stem ofgrātitūdō ) thankfulness, equivalent to grāt ( us ) pleasing + -i- -i- + -tūdin- -tude

Related forms

o·ver·grat·i·tude, noun

un·grat·i·tude, noun

Synonyms 
thanks, thankfulness, appreciation, gratefulness.

Gratefulness grate·ful   [greyt-fuhl]  adjective 1. warmly or deeply appreciative of kindness or benefits received;thankful:  I am grateful to you for your help. 2. expressing or actuated by gratitude: a grateful letter. 3. pleasing to the mind or senses; agreeable or welcome;refreshing: a grateful breeze. Interesting that "gratefulness" and "thankfulness" are adjectives while "gratitude" is a noun. In the English language the adjectives give a description to the noun of the word. It is not the verb which shows action in the sentence. Gratitude, on the other hand, is a noun. In the English language the noun is the subject of the sentence. All elementary children sing the song, "A Noun: A Person, Place, Thing, or Idea."  Showing gratitude is an idea. We show gratitude by conducting an "act" of thankfulness and gratefulness.  To apply this definition to the actions of a few at the Fundraiser.  Allowing unattended children to run freely in a portion of the garden after being asked not to do this act despite the requests of the Hosts (who had donated the $800 space)-- no it doesn't show gratitude.  Giving a card and flowers in thankfulness and gratefulness to the sponsors and hosts---according to the definitions listed above, yes.  I think our society needs to learn what real gratitude is and then model and imitate it for our children. I think it is often confused with "thankfulness" and "gratefulness." More to follow..... Viking Mom

Manic Monday-Too Much Blood in the Caffeine System

Oh NO!!

There is way too much blood in the caffeine system.

Quick!

Transfusion...........

Happy Monday!!!

Happy May Day!!!

Mother Earth

Mother earth, mother earth,

Take or seed and give it birth.

Father sun, gleam and glow

Until the roots begin to grow.

Sister rain, sister rain

Shed thy tears to swell the grain;

Brother wind, breathe and blow

Then the blade green will grow.

Earth and sun and wind and rain

Turn to gold the living grain.