Courage: Try Something New and Surprise Yourself

I am back at it.

I have been courageous in my classroom trying new projects and ideas.

This courage and experiments have lead to so many great(possibly) ideas to try next year I am so glad I was not chicken.

Don't be afraid to try something new. If you are worried about the result or how people/students will respond, then tell them upfront what is going to be happening.

I am moving the courage into my regular life as well. This last Monday was the start to a new life. A new life with my new daughter Ava and trying to find the balance to give individual attention to my three kids and wife.

I also need to give attention to myself. This is where courage comes in.

Courage to get up each and every morning to begin my training that I left on the side of the curb about four weeks ago.

Courage to push through the pain and suffering of training to become better in running.

Courage to eat healthy(not eat 8 cookies in teacher lounge because they are calling my name).

Courage to fight through the wonderful night of sleep with a newborn.(note of sarcasm)

Courage to push myself past my own expectations. Like most of you(just a guess) I have that fear of what I am capable of actually achieving if I would just push past that mental barrier.

Just remember the story of Chuck Norris

When Chuck was in middle school, his English teacher assigned an essay: "What is courage?" Chuck received an A+ for turning in a blank page with only his name at the top.

That will be my essay once I push through my 5 races this summer/fall.

Where is your courage?

2 VERY Important Things for you to do TODAY!!

Two quick reminders that you need to take care of today or tomorrow or else you are going to lose out on something special. Super special.

And don't we all want to be special?

1. Cast your votes for the Coffee For The Brain Book Tournament. We need more votes and this week will wrap up the Final Four and lead us into the Championship Round.

Will you choose Compound or Maze Runner?

Will you choose Matched or Red Kayak?

The form is over to the right so got there now and VOTE. RIGHT NOW. I demand you because I have so much power over you from behind my computer screen.

Feel free to go back and watch the video about voting. http://coffeeforthebrain.blogspot.com/2011/03/coffee-for-brain-book-tournament-your.html

2. Go back and read this post about me sorting my books over Spring Break. Get your requests in today http://coffeeforthebrain.blogspot.com/2011/03/spring-break-goals.html

3. I guess I lied because I need three things from you and not two. What are your current favorite apps? Aiden(my son) and I are always looking for something new to try out. We are currently addicted to Angry Birds Rio and Lanesplitter.

Question to Ponder: What is the best thing in the world?

I am reading the massive novel Shantaram right now(1000 pages) and I am just in the beginning, but the a question was being discussed in the novel that I thought warranted an opportunity for me to stop and ask it here on the blog to see what you think.

What is the best thing in the world?

The characters are discussing either

• power
• money
• love

What do you think? Leave a comment.

I am off to enjoy my Spring Break and when I return be ready for some major book reviews, project, videos, and book giveaways.



Time to help with Brainstorming Session

My 5th grade students want to prepare a presentation on Iowa and then provide a lesson via Skype to students all over the world and US. 


What would you like to know about Iowa?


Leave a comment with some suggestions and ideas. We are collecting as many thoughts as we can. Thanks for helping us out.


Here are some ideas so far:
-sending out a can of Coke to compare taste of pop around the world(not sure if we can mail pop or not yet)
-Sharing about the artist Grant Wood and gather info at our art museum
-Sharing info about John Deere and gather info at the factory/business here in Quad Cities
-Sharing about the Mississippi River
-Wildlife of Iowa
-Sharing interesting facts about the area like we have an Egyptian mummy in our city!


Please help us put together a great presentation. 


If you live in Iowa, what else could we focus on?


If you live outside of Iowa, what would you like to know about the state?

Classroom Debate Topic Spurs Heated Discussion and Your Expertise is Needed to Settle

Here is the question that we are discussing in class while studying Andrew Jackson:

Is it grammatically correct to state the following: "Bob has an impact on Joe."

We were reading through the text when this word was being used on a chart. A student argued that this was not correct usage and suffice to say we went off track to debate the grammatically correct usage of this word.

One side of the argument is stating that this is not grammatically correct. It is common usage, but not correct as the word "impact" is defined as a forceful contact, collision, i.e.

The other side of the arguement is stating this is correct because it means that having an impact on someone is having an effect.

We need someone with a true understanding of the English language. Is using the word "impact" in this way grammatically correct?

You have to love working with 8th graders. Who would have imagined a 10 minute heated debate would ensue on the word "impact" from an Andrew Jackson study.

Please help us settle this score.

Another Random Question Thrown In Your Face!

Alright, so I am reading a new book that is going to be released March 1st in Australia and even though I just started the book I have already laughed several times within the first 20 pages.

The book got me thinking about something that made me stop and post here on this blog.

What are some sayings that people say that we all accept, yet we really have no idea what it means?

Huh? What are you asking bald guy?

Example, in the story her mother states the following which I have heard at least a thousand times in my life growing up. "Dead as a doornail."

Yes, we all get the concept in the phrase. You are either
1. No longer breathing
2. In some serious doo-doo and about to get grounded or in serious trouble

Yet, how many of actually know what a doornail is and someone would say "dead as a doornail"?

I had no clue myself so I did a little Google search and found the following info over at http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-dea1.htm

I was going to post the info here on the blog, but the author has it all copyrighted so I will let it be. Just go the link and read and then come back here and post something interesting for the rest of us to read.

However, who would have thought it would have dated back to the times of medieval doors?

What Are You Currently Reading?

I pose this question all the time on Twitter and thought I would post it here.

What are you currently reading?

OR

What have you read recently that everyone should read?

Despite the fact that I have a massive TBR pile sitting at home and a few books to read for the tournament, I am always looking out for the next great book to read.

Leave a comment with your book suggestions

Here are my top 3 suggestions for books to read so far this year:

1. Across the Universe
2. Anna and the French Kiss
3. I Am Number Four

Question to Ponder

With Thanksgiving right around the corner and only three days in school this week I have to ask the obvious, but oh so important question.

What are you thankful for?

For me I am thankful for those small moments in life when you can just forget everything and be yourself. These pics above showcase the little moments I tend to have all the time when with my kids. What will I do when they no longer find these times amusing?

Please discuss this with me before I lose my mind

As I have been doing a lot of reading for the Cybils(well, I am way behind the rest of my judging panel, but I feel like I am reading whenever I can) I cannot help but think of the following question as I try to evaluate the book:

How much does "interest to target audience" count when we are contemplating books?

In the end, I mean do we really care who really reads the books as long as they are being read? I read the books and can't help but think of the book only in my terms instead of whether or not an 8-12 year old age child would like the book. Really, if a book is well written it does not matter if you are 8, 37, or 86 because a good story is a good story. Am I right? Leave your thoughts.

Questions to Ponder: Question from Borders on Facebook

If you could be a character in any book or movie, which would you choose and why?

What would be the title of your autobiography?

 

Leave a Comment About Something Useful

That is all I ask for this post. What is something useful that myself and others could find useful or helpful? Leave it in the comments. I have not had a comment in a while a feel a little lonely. Time for us to share some good ideas.

What have I found useful today? The amazing ingenious of 8th grade minds(and sometimes scary). Post coming later.

What have I found interesting today? I have more adults signed up for the book tournament than students! I figured it would be the opposite.

Time for you to share.

Question to Ponder

I came across this image on the internet and just had to post it. Go ahead and answer it.

For me, I already have my next goal(s) for next year. Working over the winter on training and my fears.
1. Triathlon
2. Possibly a marathon (must get over fear of running this long)

Besides these two thoughts above, I don't really have any other fears of things to try. I actually enjoy trying new things to see how things pan out. Would love to find a way to get noticed to be asked by Google, Microsoft, Apple technology and teaching summits and conferences. I think to be part of the a cutting edge team would be sweet. Fear in this case is the unknown and trying to find and create something that would draw their attention.

Question to Ponder

Do you judge a book by its cover?

I do, I will not lie. If a book does not sell me with what I see on the cover, then it is possible that I might not  ever read a great story. The visual piece of a cover is so important to me even though I tell myself not to judge a book by its cover. I cannot help it. My brain instantly forms an opinion. What about you?

Question To Ponder

If you were to write a story, what would the first line be? What would the last line be?

Question to Ponder on a Monday Morning

What was the best old-school TGIF show? (Boy Meets World, Family Matters, Step By Step, etc.)

Here is a link in case you forgot about this wonderful two hour time slow of television back in the day.

Question to Ponder

So we're a little over halfway through 2010! What is one thing you could change, starting today, that would put you in a better place for 2011? Whatever it is, why not start? Six months from now, you'll either be glad you did, or wish you had. Go for it!!

Book Question

Anyone read The Shack? I am 50 pages in and it has not really grabbed me yet. Should I stick it out or move on?

Question to Ponder?

Still on the music scene for my questions to ponder. I was talking with Amanda the other night and we were discussing all the concerts I have been to. I have been to way too many too count. The question came up about who the best live entertainers were that I have watched. Here is my top 5. What about you? Now keep in mind we are not talking about your favorite band or artist - we are listing top performers. If you view my list you will see that Dave Matthews is not number #1 even though I am obsessed with the music and have seen him perform 14 times. Is he my favorite artist/group? Yes. Is he my favorite songwriter? Yes. Is he the best live performer? No. There is a difference. Okay, here is my list.

1. Kid Rock
2. Dave Matthews Band
3. Counting Crows
4. Darius Rucker
5. Metallica

Other close contenders were Eric Clapton, Elton John, and Motley Crue. I will make a list of all concerts I have attended. I will have to search for my ticket stubs. I am now curious to see how much music I have seen live. Go ahead and submit your top performers.

P.S. My wife just told me that her favorite live act of all time is New Kids On The Block. Good stuff right there.

Question to Ponder?

Last night I attended the Brad Paisley concert with my wife and we had a great time in row 11. Brad put on a great show, but I am telling you what Darius Rucker is a tough act to follow. I am calling it right now that he will be headlining his own tour this winter or next summer once his next album drops. He can flat out entertain. There was some great music as there were 6 artists out playing. Anyways, here is my question for you. Last night Darius performed a version of Let Her Cry from his Hootie and the Blowfish days. He really winds it out and at one point I was in a trance where I really felt the pain of the woman he was singing about. In reality, I know that he has performed that song thousands of times, but it is not too often when an artist can have you singing and smiling and the next feeling sad and depressed(not to add that the song "It Won't Be Like This For Long" chokes me up to think my little Addy will move on one day) . The only person who has been able to pull that off and I still refuse to believe anyone could do it better is Adam Duritz of Counting Crows. So the question that I have for you is twofold:

1. Which song do you think is better at grabbing your emotions the live version of Let Her Cry(a video of live performance below) or Counting Crows A Long December?

AND

Do you have another song/artist that you think is just as good at grabbing your emotions and jerking them around? Please post a link in the comments.

Question to the Masses

As I continue to read For the Win by Cory Doctorow (check my Twitter book club feed for my thoughts while I read - over in the sidebar) I want to know what you are currently reading or what you have read this summer that you really enjoyed? Please share and continue to enjoy your summer?