The Money Tree

It seems like every day the government is giving out money. They gave away stimulus checks and now they want to give money for gas every month. Sure, getting money from the government sounds great!

But wait…where is this money coming from? Is it from the Money Tree?

I remember growing up and my parents always telling me that money doesn’t grow on trees. Yet, it seems like someone has forgotten to remind the government of this fact.

I’m not heartless that I don’t want to help the needy. I give to charity. I knit hats and prayer shawls and give money to my church. I try to help those who need help.

But everyone needs to stop and ask themselves where this money is going to come from!

People need to realize that this money is going to come from our taxes, mostly property taxes. Most of the money is going to help those who don’t own property. By doing this, the government is distributing my hard-earned money however they want to do this.

This kind of action hurt those on fixed incomes such as the elderly. Most people on fixed incomes will find their money no longer stretches the way it did. Suddenly those people that use to be able to be independent and pay their own bills will become those who need help. Now we have a larger group of people who will become needy.

How does this help our economy? Does the government think that making more people poor, it will make our country better? Are we rewarding those who don’t work and expect a handout while punishing those that work hard? This doesn’t make any sense.

This reminds me of this version of Aesop’s fable of the Squirrel and the Grasshopper. The squirrel prepares for the winter by laying up supplies while the grasshopper does nothing. In the winter, the grasshopper dies because he didn’t work hard to prepare for the winter. You don’t see Mother Nature taking the squirrel’s supplies to keep the grasshopper alive. Read the rest of this selection to see what happens in the alternate version of the same fable!

I pray that people will wake up and see this. The only way I see that we fight back is by contacting our legislators and urging them to stop giving our money away. I hope that people will fight back by voting against those who think giving away money is the way to go.

Stop thinking there is a Money Tree somewhere!

Photo by micheile || visual stories on Unsplash

Spring Season

Spring has started and clocks have been changed.

I can’t seem to get my feet back on the ground. I used to have a rhythm that kept me being productive during the day but lately I can’t seem to find it.

My body still hasn’t gotten used to the time change. I find myself noticing the time and saying what time it would have been. My body is still working on that time which throws me off of everything else.

Spring also brings allergies with it so while my body hasn’t adapted to the new time, my sinuses and head feel like I’m foggy. I feel like I’m moving through a thick gelatinous fog. Everything about me is moving in slow motion while the whole world is going fast forward. I try to take a few minutes every day to just stop and relax. I feel that when I do that, it give my body and the world time to get synced back together again.

I try to remember how I’m feeling so I can understand how my students are feeling.

Many teenagers are feeling the same way and then they have teenage hormones going at the same time. Their whole world is chaotic.

It is during this time that I think having a visual schedule available for all students is helpful. Knowing what to expect and what is expected of them is a helpful reminder. Allowing some downtime to regroup is also useful during this time.

How do you help students adapt to these changes? Please share.

Photo by nikko macaspac on Unsplash

The Way of the Warrior

“The NVIV (Next Vista Inspiring Video) series of posts are written by Rushton Hurley and designed to provide students and teachers with fascinating discussion prompts.”

In The Way of the Warrior, Rushton features Kiyomoto, a doctor in the daytime and a teacher of yabusame—a style of combat involving archery on horseback, in the evening.

He gives the following prompts to accompany this video:

“What do you notice about the training from watching the students? Have you ever experienced anything like what is in the story?

There are all kinds of possibilities for your future, and if you are willing to apply the time, patience, and effort, then no matter when you start, you can use what you learn to become something special.”

This is a great story of how someone is trying to keep something from their culture and history from getting lost in the modern-day. I like the idea that there are that many students at this school trying to keep this skill from disappearing. As a knitter and a spinner of fiber, I can relate because it seemed like no one was knitting or spinning until recently. Now fiber art is becoming alive again.

Please check out the video and think of other prompts you might come up with. Please share.

 

 

 

 

Uncomfortable conversations

Here is a question from the textbook that I use in my class.

“As a teacher, how would you talk to a student who comes to you with accounts of early sexual experience? What would you ask? What would you say, and how would you say it?”

I was very shocked and concerned by the answers from my students. This question doesn’t say how old the student is or what circumstances the student is in so the answers were quite different. Many wanted to sit down with the student and hear the story, Some wanted to tell the student that it was okay and they would not be judged. Some wanted to talk about birth control.

I want to share my response to all of these teachers:

NEVER have this discussion alone with a student! Always involve a guidance counselor or an administrator, who is specifically trained to deal with situations like this. This could be a situation involving abuse and you are not an investigator! Anytime a legal or medical issue is brought to light, you should always involve your administration. You may have strong feelings about this situation, but you are not trained to judge or give professional advice about any legal or medical issue.

I encourage any adult who finds themself in this situation to not put themselves in a position that could have disastrous results. There could be legal ramifications to dealing with this situation on your own. You don’t know if this is an abusive situation that must be reported or you would be breaking the law. You don’t know what the parents’ position on birth control may be and it is not your place to make this decision. You don’t know if this situation is causing any health issues that should be addressed.

I know as a teacher, you would feel honored that the student would feel comfortable talking to you about this uncomfortable situation. I know you would feel compassionate towards this student but I urge you to make the decision to protect yourself first. It is like flying in an airplane during a crisis. They say if the oxygen masks drop down, put them on yourself before putting one on your child. You are no help to anyone else if you don’t take care of yourself first.

How would you answer this question? Please share. 

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 3/25/22

Here are some interesting sites that I’ve found this week, thanks to my PLN. As a teacher, I feel we have to keep up to date concerning research in our field and current issues in the education system. I hope some of these inspire you, inform you, and even have you asking questions. Thank you for coming by and visiting!

Note: Each resource is labeled with a level and subject area to make it easier to use.

Levels: E: Elementary; M: Middle; H: High; G: General, all levels; SN: Special Needs; T: Teachers

Subject Areas: LA: Language Arts, English, Reading, Writing; M: Math; S: Science; Health; SS: Social Studies, Current Events; FA: Fine Arts; Music, Art, Drama; FL: Foreign Language; PE: Physical Ed; C: Career; A: All

Mouse for Sale - “Enjoy this CGI animated short film about Snickers a lonely mouse in a petshop, craving to be bought by someone. But he’s got one big problem: his huge ears. The kids entering the store keep laughing at him. Will Snickers find the buddy he so desires, someone who will take him for who he is?” (L:G; SA:A)

Speakpipe - “Receive voice messages from your podcast listeners” (L:G; SA:A)

National Museum of Computing - “The National Museum of Computing (TNMOC) has virtually opened its doors for anyone to visit and take a tour of the world’s largest collection of working historic computers. Wherever you live, you can now journey through the history of modern computing from its very beginnings to the present day at TNMOC - from the comfort of their PC or device. You can stroll through our new, virtual experience – unguided or with one of the museum’s experts for a live, virtual tour where you will gain first-hand insight and knowledge about the 50,000 artifacts in the museum’s unique collection.” (L:G; SA:A)

Photographer of the Year Awards - “From beguiling pictures of Alaskan mountains and Louisiana swamps, to stunning wildlife images taken in Kenya and Canada and mesmerising depictions of life in Syria, North Korea and Turkey, behold the winning images in the 2021 global Travel Photographer of the Year awards. Some 20,000 images were submitted by photographers in 151 countries, with the judges declaring that they present ‘a diverse and glorious view of life on our planet’.” (L:G; SA:FA)

Make Your Own Wordle Type Game - a video by Richard Byrne; “In the following short video I demonstrate how to create a Wordle-style game with Flippity's WordMaster template.” (L:T; SA:A)

Original photo by Pat Hensley

Streaks can be Motivators

I recently saw this cool app called Streaks.

“Streaks is the to-do list that helps you form good habits. Every day you complete a task, your streak is extended.”

When I’m on a streak, I will work hard to keep it up and not break the streak. One time I logged my food on MyFitnessPal for almost three years without missing a day. Now I’m learning Spanish on DuoLingo and I’m on a 140-day streak of learning. When I’m trying to get 10,000 steps or more, it helps if I can get a streak going because I don’t want to miss a day and break the streak. There are many industrial workplaces that post how many days they have gone without any accidents.

In my classroom, I posted a count of how many days in a row all of my students did their homework. No one wanted to be the one who broke the streak. If there was any daily routine that I wanted to get students to follow consistently, we kept a running streak. Students loved to help change the number.

When I was having problems with minor disruptive behaviors, I decided we needed to use the streak motivator. I told my students if we had no more than 3 disruptions in one class period (52-minute classes), it counted as one day. I started a paper chain at the ceiling and for each day in a row, I would add a paper chain towards the floor. When the chain reached the floor, the class would get a reward. It was amazing how this visual reminder helped students control their behavior.

I could use this streak motivator for things such as:

• Turn in homework
• Complete all class assignments
• Have necessary materials for class
• Read a book for 30 minutes
• Write for 10 minutes in a journal
• Walk for 30 minutes
• Random act of kindness each day

What other things can you add to the list? Please share.

NY Times Student Podcast Contest

I thought this looked interesting and that students, ages 11 - 19, might find this interesting also.

“In our Fifth Annual Podcast Contest, we invite teenagers to submit original podcasts of five minutes or less. Your creation can be about anything that interests you, in any form that you like. Our favorites will be featured on The Learning Network.”

Rules include:

• “Create a podcast that produces a complete listening experience with a clear beginning, middle and ending.
• You can use any podcast format or genre.
• Podcasts must be five minutes or less.
• Your podcast must be original for this contest.
• Create your podcast by yourself or with a group, but please submit only one entry per student.
• Use appropriate language.
• Be sure to use non-copyrighted sound effects or music, with some exceptions.
• Upload your podcast to SoundCloud to make it easier for our judges to listen to your work.
• You must meet our eligibility requirements to participate.”

Go to: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/19/learning/our-fifth-annual-student-podcast-contest.html for more information!

Effective Design

“The NVIV (Next Vista Inspiring Video) series of posts are written by Rushton Hurley and designed to provide students and teachers with fascinating discussion prompts.”

In Effective Design, Rushton features a video showing a robotic dog

He gives the following prompts to accompany this video:

“Try making a note of each thing the designers of the robotic dog added to make the robot successful. How many different things were you able to identify? What else intrigues you about the robot?

To make this work, the designers engaged in a lot of planning. What is something you’d like to make happen, and how many details can you explore in trying to give yourself the best chance for success?”

I’m always fascinated by robots and to see a robotic dog was even more exciting! I sometimes think that this is something that some people with special needs go through every day. They are different and trying to fit in with the majority of society. As a teacher, I try to find the little nuances that will help them fit in with their peers. This would be a great video to show some of these students to help them realize what they need to do in everyday life in order to fit in with people their own age.

Please check out the video and think of other prompts you might come up with. Please share.

Side Gigs for Music Teachers That Will Relieve Pandemic-Related Stress

(Guest writer: Joyce Wilson is a retired teacher and enjoys sharing lesson plans, resources, and teaching tips on TeacherSpark. She s passionate about teaching and loves using her writing to help teachers, parents, and students.)

Teachers have had to face multiple upheavals in their professional lives since the pandemic began, from not knowing how long their job would be there to changing their entire curriculum and teaching method to make virtual classrooms sustainable. Now, as the pandemic continues to shift and spread, it’s important for educators to have options. Whether you want to find a temporary side gig or create something of your own to fall back on, there are several ways to make extra money and give yourself peace of mind at the same time. Think about how much time you can commit to a new job and how you can apply your skills to it.

Visit Successful Teaching for strategies and ideas on how to improve your teaching skills. 

Utilize your connections

As a teacher, you probably have many connections with students and parents who would love to take music lessons. This is an easy way to earn extra money any time of the year, and if there are pandemic restrictions in your area you can use Zoom or another video chat service to give lessons virtually. Create a simple website or social media page that details your instruments of choice, your hours of operation, the cost of lessons, and your availability, and encourage students to spread the word to their friends. Do some research on how to start an LLC in your state, keeping in mind that you can use a formation service to file the paperwork and avoid attorney’s fees while ensuring that the legalities are taken care of.

Start a YouTube channel

If you’re not quite ready to start a business but you already have a social media account with the following, consider creating a YouTube channel where you can share videos of you performing and monetize them with ads. Learn more about the search engine algorithms that put your content in front of the right viewers so you can navigate them intelligently, and connect your channel to a blog or website that will help you drive traffic to the videos.

Write for a music publication

You may not be ready to garner a huge fan following, and that’s okay. If sharing your music knowledge is more important to you than performing, consider writing for a music blog or magazine, or for an educational publication. As a teacher, you have unique insight into how to get kids involved in a creative pursuit; as a musician, you can provide techniques, instrument and equipment reviews, and tips on how to get started with a new musical hobby. Look online for freelance gigs, and consider taking a writing course if you’d like to brush up on your word skills before taking a job. 

Offer up your services 

If your writing skills are more focused on songs, put those skills to use by offering up your services as a professional songwriter. You can create unique songs for advertising agencies, television shows, or special events, or team up with another musician to supply lyrics for an upcoming project. If playing music is more in your wheelhouse, you might offer your services at weddings, parties, or in the studio for other musicians. You might even consider working for a band to help them learn new techniques with their voices or instruments. 

As a music teacher, you have several options for earning extra money, but they won’t all be right for your needs. Do some reading online to find out more about these gigs and what they require, and think about how much time you have to commit to the job you take on in order to avoid stress. 

Photo via Pexels

Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 3/18/22

Here are some interesting sites that I’ve found this week, thanks to my PLN. As a teacher, I feel we have to keep up to date concerning research in our field and current issues in the education system. I hope some of these inspire you, inform you, and even have you asking questions. Thank you for coming by and visiting!

Note: Each resource is labeled with a level and subject area to make it easier to use.

Levels: E: Elementary; M: Middle; H: High; G: General, all levels; SN: Special Needs; T: Teachers

Subject Areas: LA: Language Arts, English, Reading, Writing; M: Math; S: Science; Health; SS: Social Studies, Current Events; FA: Fine Arts; Music, Art, Drama; FL: Foreign Language; PE: Physical Ed; C: Career; A: All

eStory - “eStory is a wide range of free, simple and dynamic timelines, submitted by our eStorians! You can access almost any topic, such as Art, Sciences, History, Lifestyle, Celebrities and Sports. You can also access a selection of related media content for each event in the eStory timelines. Anybody who is willing to contribute can become an eStorian and share their stories with the world!” (L:T; SA:A)

NASA virtual tour - Take a virtual tour of Langley Research Center (L:G; SA:S)

CanvasMol - see 3D representations of different molecules (L:M,H; SA:S)

Word Wanderer - “We are experimenting with visual ways in which we can enhance people's engagement with language. By fusing the information we can obtain from corpus searches, concordance outputs and word clouds we are aiming to enable and encourage people to notice and wander through the words they read, write and speak. To try an early prototype of the WordWanderer just select a text below or paste your own and take it for a walk.”(L:T; SA:A)

Ziplet - “Ziplet makes gathering and understanding student feedback easy.” (L:T; SA:A)

Original photo by Pat Hensley

Seeing Through Another’s Eyes

“The NVIV (Next Vista Inspiring Video) series of posts are written by Rushton Hurley and designed to provide students and teachers with fascinating discussion prompts.”

In Seeing Through Another’s Eyes, Rushton features a video showing different people in a hospital and what they are thinking at that moment.

He gives the following prompts to accompany this video:

• “If someone says something to you that you don’t like, how would you normally respond?
• If that person were dealing with something like the people in the video are dealing with, would you respond differently?
• How can you know?”

What a great video! We never know what someone else is going through! One time I was at the store and this woman was a little rude and let me know I was in her way so she couldn’t get what she wanted. I was a little shocked and then apologized to her (even though I was irritated because I was looking for something just like she was.) Then all of a sudden, she stated that her husband was terminally ill and on hospice so this was the first time in a week that she had left his side. That put the whole situation into perspective and I talked with her a few minutes more. She thanked me for listening and said this was the first time she talked about her situation to anyone in a week. It reminded me that we never really know what other people are thinking or what they may be going through and I should be more patient with others. This would be a great lesson for students.

Please check out the video and think of other prompts you might come up with. Please share.

 

 

 

Historic Flags Series

The 1968 Historic Flags series (#1345-54) consists of 10 stamps that feature the historic United States flags flown in American history. They were issued on July 4, 1968, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.

One stamp features the flag flown at Fort Moultrie. This flag was carried by colonists of South Carolina when the British attacked Sullivan’s Island. It is also known as the Liberty Flag. The victory saved Charleston and the fort was named for its commander, William Moultrie.

One stamp features the flag flown at Fort McHenry. There are 15 stars and 15 strips on this flag which was the inspiration for our national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner. It was flown during the War of 1812. The original flag hangs at the Smithsonian Institution.

One stamp features the Washington’s Cruisers flag. George Washington sailed seven ships around Boston to keep the British from getting supplies in 1775. The ships flew a white flag with a pine tree that represented freedom. These ships were the first United States Navy.

Another stamp features the Bennington flag of 1777. The British were defeated at the Battle of Bennington by colonists from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Vermont.

The Rhode Island flag of 1775 is also featured. It was carried at the Battle of Yorktown by the First Rhode Island Regiment. Since 1647, Rhode Island has used the anchor and motto. This flag has 13 stars.

The First Stars and Stripes flag of 1777 is featured in this series. It was the first thirteen star, thirteen stripe flag authorized by the Continental Congress.

One stamp features the flag carried during the Battle of Bunker Hill. The colonists were defeated the British took heavy losses.

The Grand Union flag is also known as the Continental Colors. This was the first national flag of the United States. The colonies are represented by the thirteen stripes and the British union flag shows that many wanted to stay loyal to England.

One stamp features the flag of the Philadelphia Light Horse Troop. General George Washington was escorted by the troop when he took command of the Continental Army.

The last stamp features the first Navy Jack which was flown by the Continental Navy. The rattlesnake was shown as a symbol of the colonist’s resistance to British rule.

Activities for children:

1. Have children pick their favorite flag and draw it.
2. Have children design their own flag.
3. Have children look up some of the battles mentioned and draw a picture of what they imagined it would be like.
4. Have children design their own stamps.
5. Have students collect stamps from letters that interest them. Then find out why they were featured on that stamp.

Reference: 
https://www.mysticstamp.com/Products/United-States/1345-54/USA/ 

Improve the World

My friend, Rushton Hurley from Next Vista for Learning has a great project for students to get involved in called Improve the World.

“Next Vista for Learning invites students around the world to share ideas that can help others.”

The student needs to make a video for 90 seconds or less. On his page about the project, Rushton gives in great detail how to go about sharing your idea to improve the world.

“The video can be you explaining something to the camera, or a screencast with slides as visuals, or narrated artwork. The style and editing are not what is important; what is important is that you have and convey a compelling idea.”

The student would choose one of the following categories for the video:

1. Promoting peace
2. Fighting disease
3. Providing clean water, sanitation, and hygiene
4. Saving mothers and children
5. Supporting education
6. Growing local economies
7. Protecting the environment

He encourages students to show others before submitting and get lots of feedback. Once it is refined, the student would upload the video to YouTube or something similar. Rushton also gives some recommendations for settings when doing this.

There is no deadline because this is not a contest. It is a project to help others improve our world. They will take the best ones in each category listed and share them with service organizations around the world who may decide to do that project.

What a great project that would incorporate all subject areas! It could be a month-long project or even a year-long project depending on the research and follow-up you would decide to do. This could be a class project or even a school project depending on how many teachers would want to get involved. It also would be great to make learning relevant to our students concerning the issues in their community and world.

Photo by John Cameron on Unsplash

Pi Day

I like March 14 every year because it is known as Pi Day. It is also a great day to eat pie!

This is a great day to do Pi activities with students. Here are some resources for the classroom:

A Brief History of Pi

Pi: The Most Important Number in the Universe?

Happy Pi Day: 5 Ways NASA Uses Pi

Real Life Application of Pi

Life is Weird – Ten Real Life Applications of the Most Famous Number in the World, Pi

Do you do any special activities on Pi Day? Please share.

Photo by Levi Guzman on Unsplash

Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 3/11/22

Here are some interesting sites that I’ve found this week, thanks to my PLN. As a teacher, I feel we have to keep up to date concerning research in our field and current issues in the education system. I hope some of these inspire you, inform you, and even have you asking questions. Thank you for coming by and visiting!

Note: Each resource is labeled with a level and subject area to make it easier to use.

Levels: E: Elementary; M: Middle; H: High; G: General, all levels; SN: Special Needs; T: Teachers

Subject Areas: LA: Language Arts, English, Reading, Writing; M: Math; S: Science; Health; SS: Social Studies, Current Events; FA: Fine Arts; Music, Art, Drama; FL: Foreign Language; PE: Physical Ed; C: Career; A: All

Media History Digital Library - “A free online resource, featuring millions of pages of books and magazines from the histories of film, broadcasting, and recorded sound.”(L:G; SA:A)

​​Let's Go on a Winter Scavenger Hunt! - “Jessi and Squeaks go on a winter scavenger hunt outside, and learn about all kinds of cool winter science - like different types of ice, dormant plants, and special signs of animals you can see in the winter!” (L:E; SA:S)

From Hidden to Modern Figures - “Hidden Figures is a movie based on actual events. While the movie dramatizes some aspects, it is true to the struggles of the women at the center of the story. The victories for racial and gender rights were not achieved easily or quickly, and our work is not done. Today, NASA strives to make sure their legacy of inclusion and excellence lives on. (L:G; SA:S)

Game Templates in Canva - “If you're looking to make some simple trivia games or icebreaker games to play in your classroom or at your next staff meeting, take a look through the game presentation templates in Canva for a little inspiration.” (L:T; SA:A)

Original photo by Pat Hensley

Armchair Educators

In A second opinion from Seth Godin's Blog, Seth Godin states,

“By all means, ask a second doctor before you get surgery. But in just about every public setting, the comments aren’t going to be particularly helpful.”

It seems lately that everyone is second-guessing the education system but the ones doing the guessing are not educators.

Everyone thinks they know the answer to improving the education system but no one is asking the educators.

It reminds me of people we call back seat drivers who think they can drive better than the person actually driving. Or the armchair quarterbacks who think they can play football better than the guy on TV who is actually playing football.

The only problem with this in education is that the decision-makers are listening to these people instead of asking the ones who are actually doing the teaching!

Sure, there are many great ideas out there for an ideal setting in an ideal world but we are working with real children in real situations. Every school and its community are different and educators need to teach the children that attend their school There is no one size that fits every school. Those who are not educators can not see this because they are not in the field working there.

I wish voters would insist that those running for school board spend a minimum of one month helping full days in a school. I truly believe this would change a lot of things that are decided for that school. It is easy to make decisions if you have never had to help in the classroom and think about logistics or federal and state laws/regulations.

How do you feel about armchair educators? Please share.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

SARCNET (a.k.a. School Amateur Radio Club NET)

(Guest Post: Jeffrey A. Meyer is a Radio Amateur and Model Railroader, and Retiree currently residing in Painesville, Ohio.)

SARCNET opens up the average classroom to an entirely new way to offer, conduct, coordinate and teach classroom STEM topics. They have accumulated fun, relevant, and practical lesson plans to teach elementary school-aged kids STEM topics for grades 3-6.

If your school doesn’t have something like this, your kids are really missing out. You also need to know that there are less than fifty programs like this in elementary schools nationally.

First and most importantly, I’m not here to tell you how to manage your classroom or how to practice your craft. You are the professionals, it’s your territory and you deserve both the praise and the respect that goes along with that level of responsibility.

TEACH ALONE OR AS A TEAM?

What I am proposing is that you don’t always have to do all the teaching alone. By approaching some teaching opportunities as a team, the employed teacher doesn’t have to be the subject matter expert, so the “other half” of the team could actually be recruited from hobbyists in Amateur Radio, Model Railroading, etc., as well as aviation and a host of other interesting STEM relevant professions.

Now take this tag-team approach and designate the non-teacher to be a local Amateur Radio hobbyist. The Radio Amateur would bring the needed practical side of the hobby, i.e. radio science, electronics, kit and antenna building, propagation, communication skills, project management, decision making, etc.

This collaborative approach, coupled by using a hobby (Amateur Radio), to explain and supplement classroom learning, is exactly what we are talking about. This is SARCNET.

HISTORY

SARCNET started back in 2015 when an elementary school librarian noticed some kids weren’t interested in playing kickball at lunchtime and thought these kids may be more interested in doing something else. Being a Radio Amateur herself, she brought her radio in, introduced it to the kids and SARCNET was born. What started out as an easy lunchtime diversion, has now expanded to six schools and two countries with a host of lesson plans and activities that are pure genius.

The kids learn Morse Code, radio communication protocols, assemble electronic kits, talk to the entire world, seamlessly learn geography, build solar and microcontrollers to both monitor power output and control plant growth, build antennas, search for sources of radio interference, locate hidden transmitters (aka “Fox Hunts”), manually track satellites, etc…..

The kids love it, the parents support it and the principal (Michael Day, St. Kevin’s Primary School, Ormond, Victoria, Australia) had the following to say about it:

“It is interesting that in this day and age of mobile broadband networks and social media that Amateur Radio, the pioneering radio hobby of the last century, would be an excellent way of introducing science and technology to young children today. Amateur Radio enthusiasts are an amazing, untapped resource for educators. They are hidden away in every community and can provide their own equipment and expertise. They also have a zeal to pass on this technology to the next generation. So this largely free and enriching collaboration, between the schools and the Amateur Radio fraternity, is a classic win-win situation.

When I first introduced the school Amateur Radio club at St. Kevin's Primary School in Ormond Victoria, I had no idea what a success it would be. We were lucky to have an Amateur Radio enthusiast within our ranks, so the introduction was initially driven by this staff member. The teachers, parents, and students are now raving about it. To see the children confidently building electronic kits or talking to other schools over shortwave radio is quite incredible. I am now exploring ways to expand this program. The following article, by Julie and Joe Gonzales, (our staff member and her husband) introduces the modern world of Amateur Radio. It explains how they set up Amateur Radio clubs at three primary schools in Melbourne and it provides all the information needed for other schools to get involved.“

ANOTHER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL USING AMATEUR RADIO IN THEIR STEM CURRICULUM

Now let’s turn to W. B. Beam Intermediate School in Cherryville, NC, and what they started in 2021. One of the school’s 4th-grade teachers there, Mark Reep, is also a Radio Amateur and he set up an Amateur Radio Club. I personally spoke to him in February of 2022 and with a total school enrollment of 200 students, he already has 77 of them actively participating in it, right now. That’s nearly forty percent of the total enrollment!

Why are these programs so popular? Plainly speaking, the kids find the topics interesting, relevant, valuable, and most of all, fun. As a teacher, this is possible anywhere in the U.S. and why not in your school?

As a teacher, using a team approach can reduce your stress, better connect you to your community, is likely to be FREE of charge, and offers a win-win-win for everyone involved. By partnering with any hobbyist or other relevant occupational professional, it’s a win for you, a win for the volunteer, and most of all, a larger life-changing win for your kids.

After all, it does take a Village and both hobbyists and professionals are just waiting for the chance to help you and make a real difference for the kids.

Your Fellow Villager,
Jeffrey Meyer
Painesville, OH

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

Massive Murals

“The NVIV (Next Vista Inspiring Video) series of posts are written by Rushton Hurley and designed to provide students and teachers with fascinating discussion prompts.”

In A Massive Mural, Rushton features Horizontes, a community project that fuses activism and creative expression organized by Armando Minjarez,.

He gives the following prompts to accompany this video:

“Do you know where the public art in your community is? Do you know what stories it tells?

If you were to paint a picture that speaks about the hope you have for yourself and everyone in your community, what would you paint?”

We love to travel and I am always thrilled to go through a town that has huge murals on the sides of its buildings. I like to see what someone thought would be eye-catching for their building. I think the murals tell a lot about the town and what it values. It would be interesting for students to look at local buildings and think about what mural would look great on a wall and share why.

Please check out the video and think of other prompts you might come up with. Please share.

International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8, 2022. I heard about this great resource that shares information about many women who have contributed to society in many different ways. I hope you take the time to check some of these out. 

https://artsandculture.google.com/project/women-in-culture

Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 3/4/22

Here are some interesting sites that I’ve found this week, thanks to my PLN. As a teacher, I feel we have to keep up to date concerning research in our field and current issues in the education system. I hope some of these inspire you, inform you, and even have you asking questions. Thank you for coming by and visiting!

Note: Each resource is labeled with a level and subject area to make it easier to use.

Levels: E: Elementary; M: Middle; H: High; G: General, all levels; SN: Special Needs; T: Teachers

Subject Areas: LA: Language Arts, English, Reading, Writing; M: Math; S: Science; Health; SS: Social Studies, Current Events; FA: Fine Arts; Music, Art, Drama; FL: Foreign Language; PE: Physical Ed; C: Career; A: All

Map Puzzles - different choices of map puzzles depending on levels of students (L:G; SA:SS)

C-Span - “Classroom Featured Resources (L:G; SA:SS)

Wheel of Names - random name picker (L:T; SA:A)

Certify’em - “Build an online exam that sends certificate.” (L:T; SA:A)

How to spot a misleading graph - “When they’re used well, graphs can help us intuitively grasp complex data. But as visual software has enabled more usage of graphs throughout all media, it has also made them easier to use in a careless or dishonest way — and as it turns out, there are plenty of ways graphs can mislead and outright manipulate. Lea Gaslowitz shares some things to look out for.” (L:G; SA:A)

Original photo by Pat Hensley

Street Food

“The NVIV (Next Vista Inspiring Video) series of posts are written by Rushton Hurley and designed to provide students and teachers with fascinating discussion prompts.”

In Celebrating Street Food, Rushton features four street food finds in Delhi, India.

He gives the following prompts to accompany this video:

“What do you learn about Delhi? The narrator tells you several things, such as the population, but what do the images tell you?

What would the images of your town tell others about your community?”

I confess to being a food snob but some of these items actually interested me. It was also fun to look at the background and learn a little about the area. As Rushton mentions, it made me think about what my area says about our population. I think it would be fun to put students into groups and have them pick an ordinary dish and have them come up with a variation. Then have them share their idea with the class.

Please check out the video and think of other prompts you might come up with. Please share.

Amateur Radio with the Blind and Deaf

(Guest Post: Jeffrey A. Meyer is a Radio Amateur and Model Railroader, and Retiree currently residing in Painesville, Ohio.)

Since its discovery in 1895, radio has always been on the cutting edge of technology and through the excellent work of both experimenters and hobbyists, our lives have been forever changed. Radio is so tightly woven into the fabric of our everyday life that we don’t know it’s all around us. From your remote car starter to weather radar, to your microwave oven and your smartphone, radio signals are everywhere.

Like many innovations, someone takes an existing concept, tweaks it, and applies it somewhere else. It’s that spirit that brought us from Radio to RADAR to Doppler Radar to being in your car to avoid accidents and keep you centered in your roadway lane.

Let’s now look at another branch of the radio’s family tree.

NASA needed a way to communicate with the MARS rover. Being a relatively tiny device, it could only use low power, so the transmitter and antenna had to be sized accordingly. So, the call went out looking for a solution. What came back was a software program that could “hear” nearly inaudible radio signals, signals that were so weak they were simply buried deep within the noise and static.

Fast forward to today.

Now, imagine that you are blind or deaf. How would you do many of the things the rest of us do so easily? Getting around is difficult, which complicates meeting new people, and that doesn’t include the loneliness, isolation, and occasional need to have to depend on others.

What if there was a way to meet new people, learn new things and get some serious relief from those daily problems?

Voila! There is and it’s called Amateur Radio. If they’ve ever heard of Ham Radio at all, they think it’s an ancient and boring hobby for old men. Not even close.

Today, our radios talk to us, so you don’t need to be sighted, and now, you can have a conversation with stations that you can’t even hear. Additionally, you can compete in contests that match your operating skills with others, or just simply kibbutz.

In essence, you can armchair travel anywhere your signal takes you, earn operating awards, such as working all continents, pass radio messages for people, participate in public service events, play chess over the air or contact new countries, any time of the day or night.

No other hobby or activity, on the planet, levels the playing field more for the disabled. If it’s a problem, smart minds and a supportive team can get past it.

We have Handihams, an organization that creates and provides podcasts, training materials in every format, local clubs that really want your participation, and an army of “Elmers” that will volunteer their time, talents, and resources to get you on the air. It really does take a village and this is it.

Most people don’t know that today’s weathercasters can’t actually identify the altitude where the rotation is. The rotation could be anywhere from the ground to the cloud, so they need “spotters” who know what to look for. For as long as I can remember, Hams have been the eyes and ears of the NWS and the blind and deaf can easily participate in that too.

So, if you’re disabled or know someone who is, let them know that there is an avenue for them to participate, learn, grow and benefit from. It could be in the areas of public service and so much more.

Finally, I’ve been personally involved in this hobby for over 45 years now and say this with absolute certainty; there’s always something new to experience, no two days are ever alike and it never gets boring. It’s like a good friend with infinite possibilities.

Come and join us, you’ll be glad you did.

Photo by Matt Seymour on Unsplash

2022 Goals Review for February

Wow, this month flew by! We spent most of the month painting the outside of our Florida house so we didn’t get much walking done. Yet, I feel we did a lot of things this month. 

1. Lose 5 lbs. - my weight stayed the same. 

2. Finish my national park blanket. - will not get to work on this again until we go back to SC. 

3. Year of the Gnome - knit at least one gnome a month. Completed 2 gnomes. 

4. Knit a sweater. - I’m almost finished with my Nordic Nights sweater. 

5. Yarn - more out than in (use more yardage than I buy) 

- Yarn used - 2765 yds. 

- Yarn bought - 5210 yds. 

6. Design 3 new patterns. - thoughts are swirling through my head.  

7. Learn something new. -  I think this year I want to try mosaic crocheting

8. Read 12 nonfiction books - read 3 books so far.            

- A Serial Killer's Daughter: My Story of Faith, Love, and Overcoming by Kerri Rawson 

- Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah

- Captive: A Mother's Crusade to Save Her Daughter from a Terrifying Cult by Catherine Oxenberg

How is your progress towards your goals? Please share.

Photo by Adam Winger on Unsplash