3 Questions To Ask Your Kids Today

Ask your kids these three questions every single day

"What questions did you ask today?"

"What questions did other kids ask?"

"What questions did you not have time to ask today?"

Can we push our kids too much and too far?

Reading an article in Parents as part of my self experiment to push my comfort zone and perceptions I read about the issue of the amount of pressure we place on our children to excel at activities. This article and topic lead me to connect the contents to Passion which has been my hot ticket item this summer on this blog.

As a parent of 8, 6, and 2 year olds I feel great pressure that my kids are not involved in activities on a daily basis, participating on travel teams, being involved in scheduled events all day everyday, and not competing like every other child that we know and run into.

I feel torn and this has been an issue that I struggle with as well as my wife. We both are quite competitive coming from college sports backgrounds in basketball and volleyball. We loved what we did. It is hard not to have kids loving what we did. They are young and my heart tells me they will develop their love of things on their own. However, the crazy culture and society we live in today makes me feel like I am doing a disservice to my children by not forcing them into drills and travel teams and being part of an organized system all day and night.

My instinct as a parent along with my coaching experience that includes all the good and bad parenting pressures leads me to believe that my kids need to be kids. They need to experience the world on their terms and find their own passions. By giving them the freedom to create, play outside, be bored, experiment, and just not live a structured life of always being in an organized activity will pay off. So many children today do not know how to entertain themselves on their own. How will they ever find their life passion if they cannot accomplish the most important ingredient in life - making oneself happy? To be clear my kids are involved in activities, but during the summer they are left to figure out how to entertain themselves, create their own games, organize their own fun with the neighborhood kids, etc.

The article discusses how parents are getting kids to find their speciality early to appeal to college. Parents feel like they have a head start if they start their children on these paths early. I love the quote by Michael Thompson, Ph.D when he states, "The goal of childhood is to become independent, moral, loving, and productive young adult - not to go to a great college." I think it is easy as a parent and also as an educator to lose sight of this central idea.

This quote stuck with me as an educator. As we work to be the best teachers we can be I think his quote is a great reminder of what our jobs are as teachers. We are trying to help students and kids become independent, moral, loving, and productive young adults. Schools are so focused on standardized tests and college prep that we are overlooking the most important ingredients to our recipe for success in the classroom. Those ingredients are the ones that we should be focusing on because if we can help students become independent, moral, loving, and productive, then the scores and curriculum content will just naturally occur and the test scores will take of themselves.

"Enthusiasm motivates a child to keep getting better at something." quote by Madeline Levine, Ph.D. strikes another chord with me. As parents and educators we have to share our passion and enthusiasm for life and learning. I have blogged about finding our passion and sharing our passion as teachers to engage learners. Enthusiasm is key. It is contagious just like passion. Look at a young kid loaded with excitement for life and try not to smile!

Reading this article made me feel better. My kids will find their niche. It took me most of my life to find mine. I have bounced around to explore. I have to remember that basketball was not always my desire, but for a large part of my youth it was. It has once again changed. I have to remember that my instinct is right. My kids will be fine. When it comes to my classroom I have to allow my students to explore and learn and bounce around. I cannot worry that my children bounce around from activity to activity. I have to remain open to this idea both as a parent and an educator because after all life is the passion of child. Kids by nature are to explore and therefore bouncing around from this activity to this activity is part of the process.

Whether a parent or educator our jobs are to provide many different experiences and opportunities for students and kids to explore and find more about themselves. Mix things up. Appeal to the senses. Move around. Try new things. Share your passions for life. By doing these things  we are creating the next generation of passionate learners of life.

What are your thoughts on this topic?

Ideas were based on reading of article from August 2013 issues of Parents magazine: http://www.parents.com/parents-magazine/

How Coffeechug Uses Evernote: Part 1

If you have thought about using Evernote, then this post may provide you one example of the benefits to this amazing piece of software/web tool/app. I started to use Evernote as an experiment towards the end of the school year last year. Since then I have fallen completely in love with it and will never go back to the old ways.

I am far from a pro and have much to learn about the best ways to use this tool, but I want to share the many ways that I find benefits to Evernote so far.

The first way I use Evernote is as a digital portfolio for my own children. My school district currently does not have a digital portfolio system in place for students. It drives me nuts. I am hoping to create a grassroots movement by having my students create one this year and spread the word. (mischievous grin while typing!)




Without going into how to set up everything because I am sure there is a much simpler way than the way I do things I basically have a stack set up for each of my three children. Within each stack is the school grade they are part of as seen in the picture to the right.

There is not a lot in the folders as one of my summer projects is to add all the paper copies of school work from years past. I would like to organize the contents within each grade level.

Within each grade level I have added materials to the folders since I started using Evernote. This is such a great benefit. I can take pictures using the Evernote App and add to the proper folders. Below you can see a small example of my daughter. There is no reason to keep all the paper copies. It just creates clutter. So I quickly snap a picture and dispose of the work. At first my children were super bummed that I kept tossing things until they realized what I was doing. It finally made sense to them that I was keeping it all in digital form. Some things we do keep, but the day to day stuff can go. However, what this allows us to do is see their growth. I kept a little story Addy wrote at the beginning of kindergarten and compared it to the end of the year and it was amazing. This learning journey is more valuable than a data on a report card.

One of my favorite features is being able to record audio to the images and documents. Below is a story Addy wrote about our trip to Wisconsin Dells. I cannot read what she wrote, but she could read it clear as day. I recorded her reading the story. This is so powerful! I did the same months later and it was amazing to hear the growth. I will be doing this at the beginning of the upcoming school year and throughout. I think it is good for my kids to hear themselves and actually see and hear their growth. They are kids and don't always think they are learning.

I will continue to do this for my kids. I need to improve with using tags and organizing but it is a start and one that I find to be powerful for all of us to document their journey. Being my own children I have added elements outside of school. I continue to find many uses.

I will be using Evernote this year for my TA students as we create our journey with Habitudes and learning about ourselves. This will be an interesting experiment with using Evernote with students. It will be a big learning curve for us all, but one that I think will jump start the conversation about doing this for all students in our district.

If I was still in gifted education this was going to be our ongoing project to document our students and where they ended up after we were done with them. Now that I am an instructional coach I am going bigger and thinking all students.

I hope you enjoyed this. Please let me know if you found this worthwhile. If so, then I will continue to share the many other ways I use Evernote. It plays a role in everything I do now.

Digital Citzenship CAN and SHOULD be taught to young kids

My son is going to be in third grade this fall and he has more online awareness than I had at any time in my life growing up as a kid and teenager.

Like many other kids, he is addicted and loves Minecraft. He does things so quickly and rapidly that blow me away and most times do not make sense to my eyes.

One thing we have done as parents is instill a sense of trust with him. We have laid out guidelines and have open communications about what is acceptable and not acceptable. We then cross our fingers that he listens.

He is a typical boy. He pouts. He does not like chores. He loves outdoors. Etc. He is just your regular run of the mill boy.

And he gets the gold star in digital citizenship.

He plays on the JoKaydia server which is ran by an amazing educator and person who I have so much respect for. We don't peer over his shoulder, but ask that he remains open and honest. He has done wonderfully talking about issues. It leads to some great conversations not only about digital citizenship, but making proper decisions in life and treatment of others.

The other week I was out of town and I had to discuss with him over the phone about why he cannot play Halo or Modern Warfare while his other friends get to play. This is tough and puts him in a tough situation as he cannot play with his friends when they play these games. I often wonder if we are losing him to the peer pressure and possibly open communication.

Then I was reminded that he is a rock star. We received an email about him dealing with a situation on the Minecraft server.

HI ********,

I read the server logs of the incident you had with ******** in the mines today and I wanted to let you know that he has been banned for using swear words (cussing) and being rude to you. I'm sorry you had to experience that situation and I wanted to let you know that I'm very proud of you for handling it so well. You clearly reminded him to follow the rules and not use bad words, and you logged out when he wouldn't stop - which was exactly the right way to handle things.

We take bad behavior including rudeness like that very seriously, and ******* account will stay banned for at least 2 weeks and we will discuss the problem with him and his parents before he is allowed to come back.


I was very proud as a parent. My 8 year old son handled a situation completely on his own and handled it perfectly without any guidance from us as parents. This also showcases how amazing some people are like Jo Kaydia who help make learning possible in safe environments. Additionally, this shows how fluent kids are today with the internet and the digital landscape.


On a higher level this goes back to an idea I shared months ago. Digital citizenship needs to be taught starting in kindergarten. Kids are networking online younger and younger and need to learn how to deal with issues. They need to be taught how to behave and what to do when others choose not to behave properly. They can handle it. The earlier they hear the message and more frequent they hear the message, the more positive their digital footprint will develop. They live in a day and age where they can no longer erase their actions. All they do is recorded. We must provide the kids with the tools and mindset to handle these powerful tools and games in the correct manner.

Part of our jobs in schools is to help develop these discussions and awareness. Yes, parents play a pivotal role as well, but not all parents are aware of these issues and don't know how to go about it. This incident is another reminder of the obligations we have to our youth.

Time With My Kids - May The Force Be With You

In the chair of a student: Minecraft learning reverses my teacher role!

Learning how to play Minecraft with the teachings of my 8 year old son has brought me back to my school days. I felt stressed and not sure about myself.

As Aiden rattled off all these keyboard shortcuts, new lingo, how to do this and that all at a blazing speed of an 8 year old excited to show his dad the world he loves, I was out of my element.

Now, I am a nerd. I love computers and games and anything involving technology so it is not like I don't understand basic game mechanics. However, I needed him to slow down. I realized that his excitement was over the top. I loved it! He was so passionate about what he could create and do.

What I finally had to do was tell him to move on and just let me explore. I had another kid on the server help me at a much slower pace. I felt much better getting instructions from someone else. I felt bad about this, but this is when the light bulb clicked.

As parents, how many times has our children not listened to us, but hear the same message from someone else and it completely sinks in?

As teachers, how many times have we grown frustrated that a child cannot do this or that, but never give much thought to the fact that this may be their first time ever doing the task while we have done it for years?

Sitting in my computer chair I was reminded that I too, need to slow down. I must remember that not everyone operates the same way that I do. I was reminded that as teachers we can be the ones to deliver the same message that they are not hearing at home despite the family preaching it a million times or not at all.

I was also reminded that my brain operates much different. He lives by self teaching through YouTube. I had to download some books as I like to read, take notes, and then apply. Our brains and lifestyles have changed as technology has provided new ways of learning. I hate to say it, but I learn the old school way and he is part of the new school generation.

Despite feeling stressed about learning so much so fast in Minecraft by my son, I loved the experience. It reminded of what he goes through everyday. It reminded that I have so much to learn as there is so much I don't know. It reminded me to stay involved with the passions of my son and to be sure to share my own passions. All it takes is 5 minutes to listen, even if it stresses us out! It shows we care. And even more importantly he is excited about it.

Instead of harping on him all the time about playing too much perhaps I should embrace that he wants to share his passions with me. If all I do is harp at what point does he no longer share his passions with me anymore?

Minecraft present to their mom

My kids Aiden and Addy worked hard to build a little birthday present for their mom for her birthday. Pretty impressive considering how quickly they built it and completely on their own. Many little personal touches that I was quite surprised they put in on their own.

Once again Minecraft has been an outlet for my kids to showcase their personalities and thinking. By taking a new world and working together they built a perfect present for their mother. This is much better than anything you buy with money because this shows their appreciation for their mom.

I never expected them to share what they did. So proud of Aiden and Addy.

I only show this as an example that people can trash video games and electronics, but I am believer that there is a word of positive in these tools and games.

Here is the link for the video

8 year old Aiden Minecraft Video #2: Pez Dispenser Challenge and Help Requests

On April 2nd my 8 year old son posted a video to Youtube to showcase a rollercoaster he built. We shared it on this blog as a blog post. I was not sure what to expect and just wanted him to have the chance to do something that interested him. My only rule was that he speak and explain his thoughts(the teacher in me).

About a week later he has over 50 views. I know that is not a lot in the YouTube sense, but it is a lot for an 8 year old testing out the waters of social media. I showed him how to look at the views and to check for comments. He was so happy to see that people actually watched his video. It was like he was testing out the waters himself to see if it was worthwhile.

A few days after posting he had a comment left on the YouTube site by the infamous Jo Kay who is a staple in the Minecraft world. Jo had challenged Aiden to build a better rollercoaster and gave him a place to start with learning and viewing. This was all that was needed for him to continue his self learning. Over the last few days he had been working hard to meet that challenge for Jo.

Here is what is cool about this whole process. He wanted to record again, but this time it was different. He is stuck. He has watched I don't know how many videos, but he just cannot grasp what he wants to do. This time around he asked me to leave the room so he could record by himself. I let him do that, but I did edit the video because there were some long pauses of nothing going on. As I condensed the video I realized I have another chance to teach him about presentation skills, tips, and ideas.

To make things even cooler he had a comment left for him on the blog by another 8 year old who lives in China and likes his rollercoaster. I have never seen a smile so big when he found out another kid his age left a comment. He feels so special to have these two comments. Now he is working on connecting to these people online to learn and to teach others. It is a rather remarkable journey that we are embarking on together.

So, here is a link to this latest video where you can see his two attempts at making a Pez Dispenser rollercoaster from the challenge and some other ideas he has.

 http://youtu.be/LjPLwUV4-Nw

Like a typical 8 year old who is excited and working through the process he skips around so bare with him. He laid out his plans for his Minecraft video series last night so they will only get better and I think he has plans to show the Ender dragon and all that jazz.

Let the journey continue.........

And if you have any suggestions or ideas for him leave a comment here or on YouTube.

My 8 year old son's Minecraft Roller Coaster Challenge

My son always plays Minecraft. After viewing some cool videos online I gave him the challenge to build his own roller coaster. He set out to do just that by learning on his own and making it happen. I think it turned out pretty good for a self taught 8 year old.

He would love it if you checked it out and perhaps had any cool suggestions for him to try to make it better or cooler. I lack any Minecraft knowledge and am not able to help him in any capacity.

I hope you enjoy and this is just one more example of the power of Minecraft. Despite not understanding how to do things, I do see the power of thinking and creative expression within the game.

A Future Problem of Public Education

If schools today are struggling to keep up with meeting the needs and ways of learning for this current generation of students, then how will we ever catch up with the next generation who will be moving along at an even faster rate?

When my daughter can operate an iPad to meet her needs before she can speak a full sentence, then we are really going to have our hands full as educators.

What is the answer? I am not sure there is one at this point in time.

Spike the Elf: Days 1-9 Adventures

Here is a rundown of the adventures of Spike the Elf in the Maurer household.

Day 1: Started out pretty simple. He just sat down in a high chair in our dining room that we used at Thanksgiving time(I know too lazy to carry it down to storage). For an obvious spot Spike was not noticed all day until the time of getting ready for bed. Simple and not too glamorous of an entrance.

Day 2: After sitting unnoticed all day in an uncomfortable spot he need a soak in a marshmallow bath. He was noticed right away as the kids tried to brush their teeth before school. They were fascinated by the magic marshmallows from the North Pole and took extra caution not to touch. Spike also wrote them a letter back on the paper that they hid the first night. Thank goodness someone overheard the kids talking strategy about hiding the paper to test Spike! This could have proved disasterous.











Day 3: Once again he was easily spotted as he accidentally trapped himself on the mantle of Christmas decorations. He somehow got wedged in this container and was trying to break free. It was pretty crazy when the kids were talking about Spike being stuck and he moved his arms while we were all around him. It really startled them all.

Day 4: Spike moved to the top of the fridge for our next day. He was spotted in record time despite being hard to notice. He was wearing these amazing glasses that turn Christmas lights into 3D shapes and patterns. These particular glasses make Christmas lights look like Snowmen. He was spotted and was in great viewing for the behavior of the kids who were not being the best! Spike took note and took copious notes.

Days 5 and 6: Spike became quite clever with this next challenge. In our dining room he set up a brainteaser. One his note behind the candle it stated that the kids had to move two toothpicks to create four equal squares. If they did this, then they would receive a prize. It took the kids two days of trying before they gave up. Needless to say no prize was given, but brain cells were lost during the thinking process. Spike moved on to another spot and gave them a chance to recover.

Days 7 and 8: Spike moved on to another hiding spot that he thought would be super obvious, but lo and behold he was stuck idle hiding in the Christmas tree for two full days before being discovered. Spike could not believe that he had to sit upside down for 48 hours. This was one that he thought for sure would be easy after the challenging brain teaser from the days before.

Day 9: Spike returned back to the giving spirit by creating a cool little setup. He asked the kids to plant some peppermint seeds and water with candy sprinkles for a tasty surprise to grow. He set three containers up for each of the kids. Addy and Ava were on this quick and ready to go. Now the kids have to excercise some patience waiting for the treat to grow. What will it be? Only Spike knows.......























Stay tuned for the prize and the rest of the events to unfold.

Some Quality Answers From Aiden's Work At School

You  have to love the honesty and straight to the point thoughts of a 2nd grade boy.

We never know what will happen next with our kids. The downside of being the offspring of Amanda and I.

I bet any shoe would not argue with these statements.

36 Days Remaining - Race For The Cure with Kids

Today I woke up the trio early to get them ready for the Race For The Cure. They have grown used to sleeping in a little bit longer than 6:45. Amanda is in Chicago for the weekend with her friends having some time away from the daily grind and I decided to register the kids and let them experience the race atmosphere.

Ava ready to run...

In some ways this was nice to share this with the kids. However, I won't lie and tell you that placing the bib on my shirt and the timing chip did not make me flip my competitive switch. I would have liked to give this race a go to see where I am at in terms of pushing the limits. But, I had a great time with the kids.

It was great seeing so many people out supporting those who have battle cancer especially breast cancer. As I stated on FB this morning when you stop to think about everyone affected by cancer it is scary and alarming. Right now there are a lot of people in my life both in family, friends, and teaching circles that are battling cancer themselves or have a child battling cancer. It makes me stop to appreciate my health and give these fighters much credit for not giving up hope and staying strong. When I am sore from a long bike ride I really should not complain when I stop to think about how lucky I am.

Ready to Race!

This morning it became hot fast. LIVE UNCOMMON had a great turnout and the new shirts were SWEET!

When we finally got there we had quite a walk to the LIVE UNCOMMON area. I think that was about half the race. We hung out for a bit and then made our way to the start. We were way in the back which I am not used to. It took forever for us to get to the starting line. Ava was in no mood for the stroller as she was tired of looking at butts and wanted me to carry her so she could people watch(like her mamma).










Here is the view from where we were

After we finished we ate some cookies, popsicles, and of course found the jumpers for the kids. We met many people and I even met someone who is looking to jump in a and train with us in the mornings. I love these crowds and these people who are all about making themselves better in whatever pursuits they have.

So far I have survived The Solo Adventures of Hanging with Dad. Below is a slide show of pictures from the weekend so far. I will continue to add to this throughout the weekend. I can assure you that the best is yet to come.

All in all I bet we walked close to 3 miles between walking to and from the car, the one mile race(Ava was in no mood for 2 more miles), and just walking around. Addy came home and crashed for a 3 hour power nap. Ava slept about 2 hours and during that time I sanded the deck. Aiden lost a tooth.

For lunch Ava decided to put ravioli in her hair(pictures coming soon to the album) and I am trying to pick up the house a little bit before Amanda comes home.







Here is the slide show of the weekend so far. More will be added throughout the weekend.



Trying to rest as much as possible the rest of the day. I have a 13 mile run to get in tomorrow night and then a recovery week in my half Ironman training leading up to the QC Tri and then things get crazy as I cram in a major week of training in four days before I leave to party and dance the night away with the Dave Matthews Band for three days. By the way, I have a ticket available if anyone is interested in one wild weekend where anything can happen. One ticket is open and one spot in the Tailgate Beast Van.

Alright, back to meeting the demands of my girls.......

Pictures from my crazy week so far

Here a few pics of my last few days. I just could not pass up the opportunity to share these!

First is a picture of my latest tri product. It makes me feel like I have a personal problem. However, I really struggle getting my wetsuit off my ankles and wrists. This will hopefully help. I also plan on using this on the back of my neck as my wetsuit destroyed my neck this past weekend. Last, it will be used in my shoes while running as I have a few spots that have just rubbed my feet raw. No socks and not enough build up of toughness yet. I sure hope this solves all these issues.

Yes, this is me in my interview gear. I don't know the last time I wore a shirt and tie. It was a great reminder of why I love my summers where I can wear nerdy t-shirts and shorts with Sanuks.




This was already shared online, but Ava woke up this morning with Rock Star Status hair. Love this girl. She is loud and in charge. She took her first step last night and I do believe we will have our hands full with this one! The hair is a perfect representation of her personality. Watch out world!




Next up is Addy. Hard to believe that she will be done with preschool. She looks like she could be in 1st grade, but 5 years sure have flown by with her. She is our sweetheart. She genuinely cares about people and will do anything to help someone feel better.  I look forward to watching her love school next year in kindergarten. She is also one to speak her mind so I can only imagine the stories that will develop next year.




I better not leave my big boy out of this post so here is a photo of him with his latest Lego build. It is a big old snake. He is wrapping up 1st grade this year. We are still working on finding what his interests are besides bugs and Legos, but this kid is an awesome brother and son. His mind is constantly at work thinking of new ideas and questions. We have plans for some nerdy projects this summer. It shall be interesting. Seems like yesterday we were at his preschool graduation.

Maurer Family Has Been Hooked on Geocaching

Last night I took my kids outside to try out Geocaching. Geocaching is simply using a GPS enabled device or a compass to locate hidden treasures and locations that others have created. I wanted to test out the Geocaching.com app as we are exploring geocaching with my 4th grade ELP group. While we wait for more GPS devices I wanted to make sure I knew what I was doing.

I tried to explain to Aiden what we were going to do. My explanation did not work out well as he was not the least bit interested. Aiden and I had to make errand run and while I was waiting for him I tested out our location to see if anything was nearby and lo and behold there was a spot about .3 of a mile away. I gave him my phone and told him to navigate me to the spot. We drove to the Family Museum and got out and began to use the app to track down the treasure. This treasure was called Leonardo from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This was one of several clues in the series. After wandering and wandering we finally made the discovery. Aiden was so excited. I knew by the look in his eyes that he was hooked. We took one of the treasures and replaced it with another treasure from my car,hid the contents, made sure nobody was looking, and took off home.

When we got home Aiden instantly went to work making his own little treasure to hide. In the meantime I found that there were two more pretty close to our house. I loaded Ava in the stroller and Addy got ready and we headed out exploring.

Aiden brought his treasure in case he found a good spot to hide it.

They were in heaven looking for the treasures. Over an hour later we had tracked down two more treasures and walked easily 1.5 miles if not more. It was awesome to see them so excited and getting exercise at the same time.

She was one proud girl tracking this one down.

Tonight we hope to hide his treasure and get it loaded up on the geocaching.com website. We are also going to explore Duck Creek for me treasures.

The nerds have found a new way to waste time together. Time to get ready to explore.

Here are some pictures from our travels. SPOILER ALERT! A few of these might give away certain hiding spots so if you are interested in finding these then don't look through the photos.

How Does This Happen?

This morning I was loading up the kids, getting things around, turning off lights, etc.(all the basic things that happen in a 7 minute window in the morning). I always keep Ava in her highchair so she does not wander off to mysterious places. While loading up my school gear in my car I came back to Ava looking like disaster. Not only disaster, but she somehow placed some of her breakfast with pure precision on her nose. I think it was placed so accurately she did not even notice.

Nothing special to this post, but just had to share as it cracked me up. Crazy hair(it never does anything but stand up all over the place), breakfast all over her outfit(not sure one bite made it to her mouth), and one piece stuck ever so perfectly on her nose.

To be young and carefree again! She was just content that someone was smiling and looking at her. It is the simple things in life.

Happy Morning To You Courtesy of Ava

Here is a picture of Ava that I snapped yesterday morning. She is one who smiles and just sets the tone for the day. Enjoy!

Halloween @ the Maurer Household

Here are some photos of our pumpkins and Halloween. Another good family moment.

World of Warcraft: Slowly Taking All My Free Time

Last night among all the chaos of living in the Maurer household, Aiden and I found some time to play WoW. This game has been around for a long time, but we just recently started playing with their new campaign of playing for free until Level 20 character. Aiden enjoys the game and I think he enjoys it even moreso for the fact that it is time for just the two of us. He loves talking strategy and having me read the quests. He has developed quite the thought process for figuring out our best approach to solving some of the early quests. We are not very good and have a lot to learn, but this game is a blast. I can see how this can take over your life.

Last night we were blown away by how the game adapted to the time of year. There were pumpkins all over, we were allowed to go trick or treating, and had to deal with the headless horseman. It was a blast. In just an hour of playing we flew some huge bird, put a pumpkin on our head, ate some candy, and figured out how to ride a horse. Great times for the nerd world.

If only I could incorporate this type of critical thinking and analysis into my classroom along with the excitement that Aiden has when playing this game, then education would be the place to be. 

How my new Neo, Star Wars light saber, PEZ induced Avatar connects to Project Based Learning

Is my new avatar not amazing? It contains elements that represent me in my current state of mind. The bald head(beautiful bald head :)), Neo outfit, and the two essential symbols in each hand. How does this fit with project based learning? Let me try to explain.


Bald head - if you look at the Lego head you will notice the open hole on top. The more I look at this I see this as my brain being filled with so many great new ideas, strategies, and thoughts. My brain has continued to spin around and around from the trip. I thought it would slow down, but so far my brain cells are buzzing around like bees in a hive. Perhaps it is the coffee, but more likely my excitement to move education in the direction that finally meets my teaching style.


The opening also allows me to release the bad thoughts, the negative vibes, and allow me to view all other viewpoints and thoughts as valid arguments. Nothing is perfect and for once I am looking at everything at face value. I will not get defensive, but listen and read about other perspectives and try to take something positive from these perspectives.


The Matrix type outfit i.e. Neo


Neo: I thought it wasn't real
Morpheus: Your mind makes it real
Neo: If you're killed in the matrix, you die here?
Morpheus: The body cannot live without the mind 


Morpheus: I'm trying to free your mind, Neo. But I can only show you the door. You're the one that has to walk through it. 


These are some quotes from The Matrix. Why did I choose them? Because they fit with my thoughts on project based learning and where we are going. This system of teaching is going to allow students to really push the envelope on their path to learning. They will be invested. They will develop skills necessary to succeed in the real world. No longer will they have to just rote memorize one word answers for a multiple choice test, waste time coloring a map, creating a product where they just vomit the same facts found in their textbook or Google. They will have to think.....on their own....without an answer floating in cyberspace.


Morpheus: Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself. 


You have to see project based learning to really grasp the power of the method. 


Morpheus: The Matrix is a system, Neo. That system is our enemy. But when you're inside, you look around, what do you see? Businessmen, teachers, lawyers, carpenters. The very minds of the people we are trying to save. But until we do, these people are still a part of that system and that makes them our enemy. You have to understand, most of these people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so inured, so hopelessly dependent on the system, that they will fight to protect it. 
[Neo's eyes suddenly wander towards a woman in a red dress] 
Morpheus: Were you listening to me, Neo? Or were you looking at the woman in the red dress? 
Neo: I was... 
Morpheus: [gestures with one hand] Look again. 
[the woman in the red dress is now Agent Smith, pointing a gun at Neo's head; Neo ducks] 
Morpheus: Freeze it. 
[Everybody and everything besides Neo and Morpheus freezes in time] 
Neo: This... this isn't the Matrix? 
Morpheus: No. It is another training program designed to teach you one thing: if you are not one of us, you are one of them. 


This one deals with teachers and administrators. We are our own worst enemy. Many of us are not happy with how education looks. Yet, we are not willing to do anything to change. We are quick to point the finger at the upper admins or political figures. I read somewhere on a blog the other day that we teachers are the agents of change. If we see the need for change, then we need to be the force that makes it happen. There are enough of us that our voices together will be heard. Project based learning is the first step in making the necessary changes. I know some teachers are not quite on board, but the question I ask is what are you doing to make change? Maybe stop complaining and try something. I always tell my own kids when they throw a fit and cry, "Is that getting you what you want?" They always answer NO! Why do we continue to whine and complain? It gets us nowhere. We do it because it is easy and makes it seem like we care. If we cared enough, then we would do something. I am going to be an agent of change. I am investing in Project Based Learning to start a new way of thinking and learning.


Mini Mr. Maurer PEZ dispenser


This is a replica of my former self. My passion has intensified. My ideas are growing. I am keeping my old self in my hand as a reminder of the good things I have done as a teacher. I don't have to throw everything to the wayside. I have kept the good, tossed the bad, and will keep this little PEZ as a reminder of how I continue to evolve as a teacher to stay current with new and future generation of students.


Lightsaber


The green light saber is seen as a symbol for focus. I am focused on the task at hand. I am excited. The light saber is my symbol for my focus to realizing that we need change. I am keeping one thought in mind - What is best for students? - and not what is best for teachers or the easiest approach. It is time to bring students back to the forefront. Teachers need to step out of the spotlight. Less focus on learning targets posted in the classrooms(however, agenda and goals of class are important) and inserting lesson plans into a system that will not help as projects should change yearly to keep things fresh. I will wield my light saber as my tool to transform who I am into a Jedi teacher who will work on making myself better to help make learning relevant and important to students. It is time to be one with the force. Mind over matter.


At the end of the day I stop and reflect on this thought and this thought alone cements my need to help push our building into change and project based learning.


My Thought: What will be most beneficial for my own children as they go through the progression of public school? What needs to be done to make learning exciting, relevant, and purposeful to during these 13 years that are designed to make them productive citizens?


Worksheets, coloring maps, rote memorization of spelling, and sitting in desks for long periods of time listening to a teacher are not the answers.