Iowa Teacher Evaluations Tied To State Tests? My Beef With This and Why

Sunday morning I started my day with a cup of coffee and the Sunday edition of the QC Times. It was not long before I came to an article that really fired me up. 

Battle over teacher evaluations helps stall Iowa education reform

I shared some of my frustrations with this article on FB and Twitter and I need to go into more detail over my issues.

This article talked about how government is stuck making any further decisions until teacher evaluations are tied to test scores. I have real issues with this idea. The Republicans are ones that are not allowing things to move until test scores are tied to teacher evaluations. I could care less about politics and whether it is Republicans or Democrats, but I do care about this new wave of people making decisions about education that have little experience about what happens in the classroom. When was the last time these policy makers walked the halls and taught students day in and day out?

In the article, Democrats are claiming that schools need time to digest all the new changes that were made last year before adding another thing on the plates of teachers and schools. I could not agree more. Teachers are burning out faster than ever before. Every year we are stacking more and more on the shoulders of teachers and schools, but yet the tasks from the year prior have not been resolved. What typically happens is that same old system when an agenda starts and slowly just falls apart because all these new ideas are forced upon us and those ideas are eventually left to the wayside. How many times have started down one path to only find the path no longer available the next year? Why even invest or work towards these agendas when experience has shown us that 2-3 years later it is dropped?

A perfect case of a poor way of thinking by our leaders in this nation and state is when Tom Narak, and lobbyist for School Administrators of Iowa, states "It's the way (evaluations)going now." 

Really? Just because it is the way means we all need to do it? I mean is that really the message we want? We see this poor mindset with standardized tests. We keep using this over and over and yet it does not help us really see how our classroom affects learning. How does filling in bubbles show high level learning? It doesn't and just because other states are using state test scores for teacher evals doesn't mean it works. Has anybody not looked at the issues in other states with cheating, scandal, stress, and frustrations?

Paying teachers for test scores? Has anyone not studied history to know that this idea fails miserably over and over again. Hello....The Cobra Effect? Perhaps these people should listen to Freakonomics podcast on this whole paying rewards and the failing consequences that ensue.

We already have schools in trouble for cheating and they are not even tied to test scores yet.

I think Herman Qurmbach raises a valid point in this article when he states

“We haven’t fully implemented the Iowa Core, which is also the Common Core. We don’t have our (student) tests aligned to that, there are at least three testing systems out there, and none of them are finished,” Quirmbach said. “Those are the standards we’re supposed to test students on, and they’re not done yet. You’re telling me that we should tie teacher evaluations to an incomplete system? I don’t think so.”

We need to finish the current work we have that is incomplete. The state tests are not set in stone, Common Core is still being worked out, and schools are trying to adjust to both. 

What bothers me is this "punish the whole system method" employed in the education world. I agree that teachers need to be held accountable. However, I know that state test scores do not show what I teach. What happens in schools is that we never address the specific issues at hand. If a teacher is not doing their job, then call them out. Tell them, show them how they are messing up, and then give them a plan to improve. Help them with necessary skills. If they choose not to improve or they simply don't improve, then you let them go. No more of this keeping teachers for 30 years and for 30 years they have been bad. That affects too many children that need good quality teachers. Hold us accountable like we should be holding our students accountable.

Instead what schools do is they punish the whole staff. They implement a major plan that does nothing but burn the wrong teachers. The teachers that need help don't realize the plan is because of them. What happens is the quality teachers take the plan to heart. It is just like a classroom. A classroom punishment does nothing but upset the good kids while the kids who created the problem are oblivious or don't care. This approach to issues does nothing more than frustrate the teachers who are doing their job. This leads to staff morale issues which is becoming an issue all over the place.

As a gifted education teacher I don't know that anything I teach is measured on state tests. I work on real world problem solving skills, 21st century skills, collaboration techniques, problem solving, and high level thinking. How does a multiple choice math test or reading paragraphs showcase these skills? It doesn't and therefore is invalid to evaluate me.

If you want to create a quality teacher evaluation system talk to the people most impacted. Go to the source. Parents and students. The community can tell you who the quality teachers are as well as the mediocre and poor teachers. Work with the community members to create an effective system. Let the people most directly impacted have a say. Why not tap into this powerful resource? They are not the enemy. Students are the most perceptive people on the planet. 

The positive to all of this is that everyone is working hard to do what is right. I don't agree with the teacher evaluation system, but I understand their reasons for it. I just don't think it will work. But I know their intentions are good. At least Jason Glass is proposing a three year system to implement so it is not rushed and done right, but I don't know that now is the time. I don't know that the answer is to do this because other states are doing it. If you talk to teachers in other states you can feel frustration. They don't have a voice. They don't have a say and that is not right.

If you want to do it right, talk to the people that are most affected. Education is not a business, it is a public good. 

I would love to hear other opinions and thoughts.

A moment at home in regards to my Tech Savvy Students

Tonight my son was playing on an app on my iPad when he shouts from the other room, "Dad, you have a message from Facebook."

I asked him how he knew it was Facebook. He responded, "Because I saw the little "f" with blue."

Scary to think my 6 year old can identify Facebook.

Not sure if it changes my thought on the tech savviness of students, but it sure makes me ponder the difference between being Tech Savvy and Tech Awareness.

Thoughts?

**This is continuation of my post from earlier today:

Are Students Really Tech Savvy? I don't think so because....

Are Students Really Tech Savvy? I don't think so because....

I see time and time again expamples in my classroom where students are not able to perform very simple functions with technology(yes, I take the time to stop and teach what I assumed they knew how to do - I don't ignore it and become the problem that I complain about).

I think there is this mystique with kids that we think they can do everything with technology. I won't argue that they know how to text, watch YouTube(perhaps make YouTube videos), and anything related to viewing media.

However, they cannot

• *type
• *understand statements like "Copy and Paste"
• *web address vs. search box
• *how to search properly
• *Google and Google Images is not a valid link for citingn information
• *using email and other forms of communication outside of Facebook
• *use database for accurate information OR
• sift through the millions of websites to determine what is valid and invalid

I should back up and state that this is not the case for every single student. However, the more I push technology, web 2.0 tools, wiki, etc. into my class to help flatten the education atmosphere the more I realize that they are clueless.

They need to be taught.

Teachers need to understand the components first. Then we need to teach. Now we barely have enough time in our classroom now to get through the required professional developments and teaching necessities to add technology teaching in our classes.

I think schools need to figure out how to incorporate the foundations of technology use(not device specific, but general skills) so when they reach the higher levels we can dive into more specific tricks of the trade.

I don't know, maybe I am wrong here, but I am just not seeing the basic technology skills in students. Districts are pushing technolgoy more than ever, but we are forgetting one key component - teaching parents, students, and teachers how to use them effectively.

My nerd rant is over. Back to the nerd cave to create more nerdy things.

Blog Transition Day - More For Your Pleasure

This is my, "Oh crap, I have school today face!"

Today starts my first day back to school for teacher in service. This is going to prove to be a challenging year by the vibes already received. I am not going to go into much of a rant or details now as I have a limited amount of time to get ready for school upon returning from my run, but I just wanted to let everyone know who follows and reads this blog that as school begins my blog will slowly be including more post topics about education, life, projects for students, nerdy things, etc.

The blog has been extremely focused on my training lately as one of the things I have worked during the summer and testing out for my book I am writing is having one goal at a time. This has proved to be quite effective and in the process I shut out all things school during the summer. It was a nice breath of fresh air, but the time has come to begin talking about the important topics that come with teaching.

Just wanted to give you all a heads up because I am sure the thoughts and ideas will start flowing today after a day of in service.

A Story About How An Email From Borders and Amazon Lead Me To Thinking About Education

The other day I received the email that I am sure many of you also received from Borders about them closing up for good and thanking us for being customers over the years. Reading this letter really bummed me out as it made it a reality that one of my favorite places to go to get away will no longer be around. I can get lost in a bookstore for hours if you let me. Let me buy a coffee in the winter and let me escape to the rows and rows of books wishing I was loaded with money to buy them all.

As I finished reading that email my next email was from Amazon talking about their latest Kindle book sale where there are over 900 titles up for sale for the Big Deal sale. It was just a few weeks ago when they had the Sunshine Deal where I purchased a ton of books for $3 or less. Here was another batch of books up for sale very cheap.

Talk about contrasting business ideas. One type of business can no longer sustain while the other is thriving. How does a store compete when a major business can sell the same merchandise for much cheaper? We are in a pivotal moment in history as we change from one technological age to another. We are seeing, living, and breathing firsthand the effects of the world changing due to technology. Just as people had to transition in life from Copper to Bronze to Iron. You either adapted and upgraded or you were lost in the shuffle. This is happening now. In some ways scary because for the first time I actually feel part of a major historical movement and in some ways cool to see how things evolve. The effects are also in the economy as we are all well aware of as many jobs that sustained families are no longer needed.

I think back to my job as an educator. We are in a more pivotal moment of teaching than ever before. Prior to us teachers knew the job market. You farmed, worked factory, went on to accounting, etc. Today we are prepping students for a job market that nobody knows what is needed or what the job market is going to be. To make matters worse, we have people running education forcing us to teach the same and incorporating methods of assessment to gauge the learning that don't work. They are forcing us to be robots and uniform when that system is no longer needed. The future depends on people creating new jobs, new ideas, new ways to problem solve. No longer is filling in bubbles and memorizing a few facts needed. Why even memorize facts when I have Google at my fingertips at all times in my life?

The point of this post is this - the time is before us where we need to change. We cannot teach the same way in which we were taught(unless we had an unbelievable teacher). We cannot teach the same uniform way because the world is far from uniform. We can no longer rely on things always being there for us(Borders how I miss you already) because it can serve no purpose from one day to the next.

We must teach our students to be advocates for themselves. We must teach the value to constantly educate themselves to stay on the frontier/cutting edge. We must teach them to be problem solvers(even when they have no clue about something they must acquire the skills to engage and learn).

There is the Hebrew Proverb that reads, "Do not confine your children to your own learning, for they were born in another time." This sums up our current state of life and education. Teachers must be innovative and think of new ways to teach. We must force ourselves to think differently and approach education in new ways.

Dr. Medina presented at a conference this year and he made the following statement(found this on David Warlick blog)

“The human brain is designed to solve problems related to surviving in an unstable outdoor environment and to do so in nearly constant motion.”


Then he said something to the effect of, “If you wanted to design a learning environment that was directly opposed to the way that the brain works, you would design a classroom.”

Here I finish typing my little rant staring at the massive pile of books and magazines I purchased at Borders before they closed to hang on to my lasting memories of a great bookstore. I look back through my post and realize that another school year is approaching. This will be my chance to help several hundred students work to acquire the necessary skills for a future yet undetermined. To think that this all stemmed from two emails from two companies.

How are you going to approach your classsroom this year? What will you do to engage students and help them be successful in their lives?

Plugged back in and time to refocus

First time on the computer since Thursday. Playing single dad(wife had a weekend with the girls in Chicago) really makes one appreciate the few moments you get to yourself when you have someone else to help with the kids. Honestly, this is the first time since Friday at noon where I have had 10 minutes to actually sit down and look at a computer or book.

I have a major blog post or two to type in today. So many thoughts to share.

Plus I had a complete eating like a slob breakdown the last two days and must talk about minor setbacks to achieving our goals.

Happy Father's Day and hope everyone enjoys their day with family.

And at this point I must attend to a crying baby and two other children with a list of demands.

Look for posts later about Getting It Done and training for a marathon.

Summertime = Not Caring

I love summer because I no longer care about time, deadlines, stress, and all the above.

Yes, I have so many things I want to get done, but just don't have the drive to start.

And I am okay with that.

I believe it is part of the process of recharging my batteries to prepare for the onslaught of projects that I will try to conquer in the near future.

Here is to the days of summer when we can just drink coffee and tea all day on the deck, play with my kids, and read books.

Today is the Last Day of School

We did it. We survived yet another year.

I had some great things happen this year.

My students accomplished some amazing things both in my classroom and outside the classroom.

I am ready for a break. My brain is fried. I have used up all my patience and it is time to step back and recharge my batteries for another year.

I already have 3 big new ideas that I am ready to unveil next year. I cannot wait to get started, but first I need to refuel before embarking on another great year of teaching next year.

As I type this I cannot help but think how important it is for us to sometimes take step back and just recharge ourselves. Whether it is to step back from our hobbies, our passions, sports, job, etc.

I know right now I am trying to read some great books, but it feels like work. I am trying to set up some new projects on my blog and it feels like work. All this "work" and things are not enjoyable anymore.

I will step back. I will hang with my family. I will sit on my deck and relax. I will train for my races. I will get back to a place where nothing seems like "work" anymore, but rather it will all be fun.

Life is too short to "work". Life is perfect to pursue our passions and interests.

Live on and let summer begin.

Story from Paulo Coelho blog and my reflections

http://paulocoelhoblog.com/2011/04/26/20-sec-reading-the-asylum/

A story by Kahlil Gibran

I was strolling in the gardens of an insane asylum when I met a young man who was reading a philosophy book.

His behavior and his evident good health made him stand out from the other inmates.

I sat down beside him and asked:

‘What are you doing here?’

He looked at me, surprised. But seeing that I was not one of the doctors, he replied:

‘It’s very simple. My father, a brilliant lawyer, wanted me to be like him.
“My uncle, who owns a large emporium, hoped I would follow his example.
“My mother wanted me to be the image of her beloved father.
“My sister always set her husband before me as an example of the successful man.
“My brother tried to train me up to be a fine athlete like himself.

“And the same thing happened at school, with the piano teacher and the English teacher – they were all convinced and determined that they were the best possible example to follow.
“None of them looked at me as one should look at a man, but as if they were looking in a mirror.

“So I decided to enter this asylum. At least here I can be myself.’

This story just strikes a chord with me. It almost haunts me. How much truth is in this? As parents it takes a lot of willpower to not force your kids to be like you. Do you know how much it kills me to see my son have zero interest in sports? Yes, I could force him into everything, but why would I do this. He is such a cool kid with a passion for the outdoors, bugs, animals, and just building things.

As a teacher, we have to try our hardest to keep students engaged. We must not try to convey that we are the best, but simply one more element in their lives to make them find themselves.

As a teacher I realize how easy it is to think that what we are teaching is the most important. However, when we take a step back we are not the most important. As a whole institution we are  important, but not independently and as a sole individual.

Think about all the ways in which we are pulled as adults. Multiply that by about 10 and we are back in middle school and high school. I think what is most important for us to do is not pull, but rather offer structure to help the youth find their way without losing their vision of themselves. The ones that lose their vision of where they want to be are the ones that find themselves in a whirlwind.

Offer guidance, but not by grabbing shirtsleeves and feeling that we are the most important. We are just one pebble in the river my good friends.

Why We Need to Raise The Expectations in the Classroom

Some basic brain research to support what I keep preaching in class about your Google Presentations.

This research comes from John Medina in his book, Brain Rules

Rule #4: We don’t pay attention to boring things

• Slides with lots of words are BORING! You know this so why do you continue to make these slides?

Rule #10: Vision trumps all other senses

• Hear a piece of information and three days later you remember 10%

• Add a picture and you will remember 65%


Key Points

• Structure presentation around meaning and the big picture

• Don’t start with the details. Start with the key ideas

• Clean up your presentation. Too many words

o Slide are boring

o Nobody wants to read a bunch of words on the screen

*As I shared on all presentations, how would your presentation look if I deleted sentences and slides with too much info? Could you pull off your presentation in a persuasive manner?


I provided this feedback to all my groups in my latest project in my class.

Why is it that even though the students hate boring presentations with lots of words and a monotonous speaking voice they turn around and do the same thing?

Can anyone explain this to me? Is it because it has been what they have always done? Can they not think on their own two feet anymore?

It drives me nuts. Hence the reason I have now banned PowerPoint from any class activities and projects.

Students need to learn how to deliver the goods. Be persuasive, be passionate about their work, be organized and prepared.

Students need to learn to begin to think in new ways. We as teachers need to quit doing the same things over and over because it is not fresh. This is hard to do when we are being forced to be robots and teach the same way at the same time, but we must fight this.

Be original. Be creative. It is the way of the future people. If you don't know how to ask the right questions, problem solve, and be creative, then the future is not looking good for you.

Students it is time to step up to the plate and begin to realize your potential.

Teachers it is time for us to change the way we teach and how we teach to provide students a chance to realize their potential.

What the blogger?

Blogger is finally back up and running. Not sure what happened and why things were offline as I have not had time to figure things out, but thank the Lord it is back up and running.

I have lots to say. It was killing me not getting caught up in my blog posts.

So, this is my blog post to be prepared for an infiltration of Coffeechug thoughts, book reviews, game reviews, and all the other nerdy things floating around.

While sitting in the hospital holding my new daughter, Ava, I realized that it felt great to not be plugged in to the internet almost 24/7 like I typically live my life. It felt good to be off the grid. Being off the grid opened my eyes to something that is not a brilliant idea by any means, but an important breakthrough for myself.

It is time to be more creative. It is time to find my own niche. It is time to bring Coffeechug Concepts brand to the forefront of nerdiness in this world. Looking back at some of my posts I started to see a trend of me not being very original.

It is time to be original. What will that look like?

I

HAVE

NO

IDEA

However, I am back. Ready to share my insights. Ready to post my thoughts and reviews.

It feels good to be back. This time with another native to the tribe.

Off to go pick up my son from school and mowing the yard. This my friend is not original, but will will be coming down the pipeline will be.

And yes, I am claiming the phrase, "What the blogger?" as my new catchphrase. Maybe it has been used, but for me it is the start of Coffeechug Concepts moving forward.

So, carry on with your bad self.

Learning & Inspiration from Ironman and Preparing for Baby #3

Yesterday, the Ironman at St. George in Utah happened. I did not compete in this as I am far from being tough enough or in shape enough to even comprehend this event. However, a fellow friend of mine competed. He has an amazing blog where he shares his training and process for the Ironman.

The event was broadcast live online yesterday so I was able to watch the race while cleaning the house preparing for our new baby. Jeff started out good with a swim time of 1 hour 4 minutes on the 2.4 mile swim.

I was cheering for Jeff because I knew that he would tear it up on the bike and run because his training schedule is relentless and he is so mentally tough. He is a great example for all of us to learn from.

Well, things did not go as planned for him. His bike had all sorts of problems having to stop 4 times before he crashed and was rushed to the med tent.

He is okay and did not have any major injuries.

I have not been able to stop thinking about him all day and this morning. Here is someone who has prepared hours and hours everyday for this event. He was hoping for a top finish(he has his pro card) and due to things out of his control he was not able to finish. It almost makes me angry because why did this happen to him?

We can all learn from this. We can put all the energy, focus, and preparation into a project that we want and it might still not be enough. There are forces out of our control. In the case of Jeff, I know he was prepared. There was nothing that he was not ready for. He has to be able to hang his hat on that.

He also can hang his hat that he is inspiration for so many of us. He has provided the motivation to push when I don't want to. He helps by leading with this actions that I am capable of doing things I never thought I could do(half marathon last year). He is a teacher and can you just imagine how much of an influence he has on his students?

As I type this I am not running in a half marathon this morning that I wanted to run. I fell apart mentally. I ran the practice course/run a few weeks back and cut a huge amount of time off my PR. My foot started causing me problems. I took a week off and during that time lost all motivation. Following Jeff yesterday made me realize that I need to suck it up and get back at it. My good friends Chad and Brian are running today. I wish them the best. I am mad at myself for not staying mentally strong.

Thanks Jeff for reminding me that I need to push harder and see where it takes me. I had something out of my control(foot) that caused me to lose momentum. If I was tough like Jeff I would have bounced back.

I am putting together a new plan. A plan to be successful all summer and fall. A plan to learn to stay tough. A plan to fight through the obstacles we cannot control.

Tomorrow we bring a new baby into the world. I cannot wait for the new arrival of our daughter. I pray for all good things to happen and hope that all the things I have no control over go smoothly. I have been thinking about what type of father I want to be for my kids. It is time to change some habits and become the example I strive to be.

I am not sure how to wrap this post up. Stay tough. Stay strong. Happy Mother's Day to my wife, mom and all the wonderful mothers out there. Thanks Jeff for your inspiration to showcase how to be a competitor. You are such an inspiration. Despite the events of yesterday you are still a champion to so many. Lastly, be ready world for another addition to the Maurer clan.

Blog posting might be slow this upcoming week as I will be at the hospital.

That is all for now.

My Eureka Idea: Teaching Social Studies and History BACKWARDS!

I had an amazing idea today. Seriously, I think this is big. Maybe it has been thought of before. Maybe it is currently being taught and I just don't know it, but I think I am on to something BIG!

After the latest events in the world with Bin Laden I realized something.

Something sad.

Something depressing

My middle school students came to class cheering that Bin Laden was killed. This is not sad. What follows is.....

I asked them, "Why are you cheering? Who is he? What did he do?"

They had no replies. They have no idea who he is. My top level students who I am currently teaching actually did not even know what he looked like. They have no connection to 9/11 and did not even realized he was connected and some did not even know what 9/11 was!


Are they dumb? No. They were too young to remember 9/11(which is a sign I am getting old). It is not relevant to them just as world events were not relevant to me growing up.

But, and I mean BUT, students should know these things. With the saturation of media they should know. Why celebrate the death of someone who you have no idea why he was even killed?

This bothered me. It bothered me that they are not aware of world events. So I started thinking(which can be scary) and it hit me.

I know how to teach them. It requires a complete shift in our social studies classrooms.

Teach backwards. Think about it. It makes complete sense.

Start with the question, "Why did we kill Bin Laden?" We begin our research and teaching and lessons starting from this day to discovering why. Most likely at this age we would lead back to 9/11.

So, I would assume then that curiosity would pick up and questions would spawn

• Why did he blow up the towers?
• Who was hurt?
• How did we respond?

These questions would then lead us to move in two directions. Moving forward in time to connect the events of today and moving backwards to find out why 9/11 happened.

Catching my drift?

This would then lead us back to Persian Gulf War, Desert Storm........

I see kids asking more questions than we have time to answer. Along the way they are learning not only history, but politics, how connected the world is, how globally each decision really is, why things are happening today..........

No more listening to "Why are we learning about this?" and responding "Well, in another quarter of lessons you will see that in 300 years time this was important."

This new approach would have students scanning headlines(creating CMP and PLN), making connections each day and connecting the past with today.

What do you think about this idea? I love it!(I should I thought of it) I want to teach social studies again and go against the grain and try this.

I welcome feedback.

At Home On Friday - my sporadic mindset is now reflected in my household

Right now as I type this here is what is happening:

1. My daughter is blaring "Party in the USA" for the 35th time all upset that her hair "not down". Whatever that means. She is running and singing very loud in my basement.

2. My son is drawing a strategy plan for Starcraft. Yes, too young to see the game, but one level is safe enough(he cannot hear the bad words due to Miley Cyrus in bouncing our brain around in our brain). He is  like a military general. He has more thought into a strategy than I thought possible. The sad thing is that I think his plan is actually the answer to beating the mission. How stupid I feel?

3. I stopped by the library yesterday after finding a book my daughter hid from us. The book was a Cailloo book. I hate this cartoon character. I despise him. I despise him even more after paying a fine for my daughter keeping this book hidden. I should not hate a cartoon character and seems immature, but I do. Maybe I will post my reasons later.

4. I am adding more and more content to my Diigo group. I think it is really helping me keep my one email inbox down to 4 emails. See my Bit Literacy Experiment posts from earlier in the week to get caught up in case you missed them. Feel free to join and share information.

5. I am making a long list of things to get done this three day weekend. So much to do.

6. Can you believe that we are adding another native to the tribe in about two weeks. How our world will be turned upside down, but for all good reasons(except the poopy diapers).

7. Time to figure out what book to read next. I had 20 books on hold at the library and they all came in at once.

Here are the ones I am considering right now.

• Howard Gardner - Five Minds for the Future
• Waiting For Superman companion book to movie
• The Element by Ken Robinson
• Beef Eater by Richard Whitmore

8. Who knows what is about to unfold after I drink this pretend hot tea from my daughter. 

What are some other things I should check out on this great day of hanging out at home with the family?

Time for some real coffee, clean the house, and continue my pursuit of being Bit Literate by "attempting" to clear out my school email and my Gmail.

My Problem With Earth Day

Why is it that the people who support Earth Day more than the others waste so much paper promoting the day?

Does it not go against what the day is intended for?

I look around my school and community and see posters, papers, flyers, etc. and to what avail? Do these things really help promote the day? In my mind they are wasting materials to promote an event where most will not do anything to help Earth.

Instead of printing posters and pictures, why don't we take the kids outside and plant a tree, do some cleaning up, make them appreciate what we have.

I don't know. Maybe it has been a long week, but for some reason this just bothered me all week.

Happy Earth Day tomorrow.

Make the world better, but don't waste paper promoting it.

Friday Morning Reflections and Thoughts

This morning I forced my way out of bed despite how comfortable my blankets felt. You ever those mornings where you wake up and your bed feels like it has been changed into a cloud of heaven where you are afraid to move because if you do you might not ever be that comfortable again. I was in that moment this morning.

I went to the gym to workout where nobody was there. There was probably a total of 10 people. For some reaosn my mind flipped a switch and I got to work. Knocked out some good excercies and also did my Initial Test for my new program goal - 100 Push-Ups. My training guide for this came in and therefore I tested to see where I currently am.

I completed 40 successful push-ups with proper form. For my age group(30-39) that places me in the Very Good category(37-46). Now I will follow this 7 week program to move towards 100 push-ups. A new little challenge to help me stay motivated.

I also ran a mile to test the foot again. Ran an 8 minute mile and felt great. I think the foot is back where it needs to be. Now I need new shoes and a new focus mentally and it is on.

I would also like to give a big THANKS to EA (Electronic Arts) for their brilliant app sale approach. Not only did I previously not own any of their apps, but due to their sale I now own 5 apps and probably another 5 or so more before this sale ends. AGGHHH! Apps are taking over my life just like I talked about with students.

I made this comment the other day. It is not that kids are necessarily lazy. The problem lies with the fact that they live in a world where everything is instant. They know longer need to know unnecessary facts because all of those things are in the palm of their hand(literally). They need the skill sets to learn how to sort, organize, analyze, study, etc. the data. They need the skill set to be able to problem solve. They need the skill set to know what to do when they don't know an answer.

As teachers and schools we are so far behind. Frustration sets in because we are asking them to do things with technology and methods that are outdated. A computer is fine and fast. Buy why type in a long web address when they can push a touchscreen app button and there it is? We are behind times.

Not sure where I am going with this point as I became sidetracked talking about EA apps. Back to the games. If you don't own Pictureka! give that one a whirl. Amazing how a 60 second timer can prevent you from finding three fruits. The insanity!

Well, I am stopping here as I have officially lost my mind. My brain has been drained from any more thoughts or ideas. I started losing my mind last night and I am in need of a break to refuel my thinking cap. Have a great weekend. I must tend to reading for both the Cybils and my very own book tournament. Of course, playing more apps on my ipad and drinking coffee and listening to X-Mas music and...............

Oh boy, I have to do what?

As I sit here this Sunday morning I feel a bit stressed(maybe stress is too strong of a word) with everything going on right now. I have myself all over and many of the things I am working on or want to get finished up are of my own accord. I have tried for the last two weeks to get myself to a point where I could feel good about moving on on some new projects and ideas, but just have not seemed to get to a place where I feel confident about things. So, I have decided to post my to do list here on my blog because putting out here in the cyberspace arena seemed to work when I was training. Here is my list of what I plan to get done this week.

1. I have a stack of about 20 magazines that I need to read through and either discard or keep based on content(yes, I have a massive pile of magazine that I feel contain too much good stuff to toss. I know bizarre, but it fits in well with the thousands of book in my house). In order to forced myself to actually get through these magazines I am going to be making posts about what I feel was valuable reading.

2. I need to get my reading count to at least 40 by next Sunday for the Cybils. I have some serious reading to get done prior our online discussion about our shortlist of best books.

3. I need to finalize some project ideas for second semester. As I finish these projects up I will probably post on my Twitter feed for feedback and maybe even here.

4. I have not made a Nerd Factory video for quite some time. I need to make one because I have so much to share. If you only knew what my parents purchased me for my birthday you would be begging to see the video footage.

Those are my four big things to get done on top of the daily living of teaching, Lego Robotics, coaching basketball, getting back into training (I finally get to run this week), reading my Twitter account(so, so addicted), and my family.

If I get these things off my plate, then that will allow me to enjoy my future projects

1. Coffee For The Brain Book Tournament kicks off in January. Judge meeting on Tuesday, but this tournament is a major time consumer. There is a lot more to running this than I imagined, but I am so excited to see how it unravels.

2. International Pen Pal Morning Club where I am going to expand the global connections of my elementary ELP students and open things up to any BMS student who wants to correspond with students from around the world. The first meeting is this Thursday at 7:35. This will also be another time consumer.

3. I begin coaching basketball with my 8th grade squad starting in January. Enough said there.

4. Lego Robotic team state is in January. Time to redesign robot.

5. Most important to my heart is getting ready for some races in the spring. I need to get back in shape, cut weight, get stronger(physically and mentally) and knock out a race or two before May when Little Hoosier #3 arrives.

6.  Get the Coffee For the Brain T-Shirts order forms out and about to donate the money to charity. The votes have been in for a few weeks and time to get this ball rolling.

7.Enjoy life and what is the point of doing all of this if you don't enjoy it.

I feel better already about posting this and the checklist begins now as soon as I pay bills, get groceries, help clean the house, and prepare for a Skype conference call on Tuesday.

Time to move. Stay tuned and keep me posted with anything going on Coffeechugians

Twitter Predictions: Sure makes me feel like crap

This always makes you feel good about yourself. I finally got over the 50 follower mark and boom, this twittercounter shoots my confidence down. Please don't unfollow me so I can prove this think tank wrong.

Spike The Elf Has Returned

Last night the tradition of "Elf on the Shelf" book and activities were in full swing. The kids realized that the Elf was hidden somewhere in the house. I have never seen my son be so happy and he could barely contain his excitment. I had the Elf who my children have named Spike Elfy Elf in a Spiderman Ball Blaster toy he received for his birthday early from my parents(he was born on New Years Eve)

It took all of about 30 seconds for Aiden to track him down once he realized that he was out hiding. He went crazy, his eyes grew large and I honestly thought he was going to explode with excitement. I thought to myself "Alright, at least they are happy about the Elf and this will be okay to hide it everyday until Christmas". Well, Aiden and Addy turned up the Elf duties a notch.

They were down there working away and since they were not fighting we just let it be. To my surprise they had a conversation with the Elf in which he told them everything we told the kids about the Elf such as having magic powers to get out of the box to hide, watching every movement, etc. Aiden and Addy felt the need to go ahead and feed him to make sure he was not hungry from all of his flying. Note to Self: Don't forget to eat and remove the food at night!


**You can see the food scraps at the bottom of the picture.**

Well, not only did they decided to feed him, but they went ahead and set out the book that comes with the Elf. Aiden told me that he can read or else he would not know what to tell Santa! Then he told me that since he can write he should be able to write. So, my son created a writing assignment for Elf to see if he was real. He created a form where Elf had to write the word parrot under the parrot picture and snowman under the snowman picture. Note to Self: Don't forget to complete writing homework and make sure it is not your own handwriting.

Finally, I had to come up with a new spot. I went obvious and just moved him around the corner to their little kitchen play set. As I write this I had to stop because they came down and Aiden just about wet his pants that Spike Elfy Elf read the book, did the writing, and ate his food. If only we had an Elf year round. 

TBR Pile Increasing in Size and Other Obvious Observations

As I am scrambling to stay caught up with the reading(I thought I was doing good within my group until everyone updated their reads and now  I am way behind) more and more books keep coming in the mail. Here was the picture I posted earlier in the week.









Here is an updated view of the books I have left to read now. It is close to reaching my ceiling. What a fun opportunity. I just wish my weekends were not jam packed with things going on so I could devote a day or two to just reading. Ah well, keep on trucking when I can









This weekend we had the first snow. What joy! My kids love it as they were up at 6:30 both mornings ready to go outside and play. I just need snow on Christmas Eve and Day and then it can go away. I had to coach a basketball game in Clinton and that was nice 90 minute drive both ways Friday night.Why is that people become so stupid when snow hits? Hello! We have lived here in the Midwest forever and at one point do people stop acting like they were so surprised to see snow. While driving in snow one does not need to drive 100 mph nor do you need to drive 15 on the interstate either. Stick to the happy medium and you will be fine unless some semi decides to drive you off the road. I'm just saying.

Postcards were delivered to our partners in in our Christmas Card Exchange. I cannot believe that sending out one little piece of paper to countries around the world costs 98 cents while anywhere in the US is only 28. I know that in the big picture of things this is not a whole lot of money, but really a 70 cent difference? It is not like I am mailing out a box with bricks in it. Check out our Coffeechug and his Little Lattes Global Center by clicking here www.coffeechug.wikispaces.com

 I purchased the new Apple TV for my birthday(yes, I turn the lovely age of 30 this Friday!). This little device is so cool for a gadget geek like myself. My favorite feature is that my daughter can watch Dora and if nothing is on TV she can push one button and the cartoon automatically shifts from the iPad directly to my TV in seconds. That blows my mind. I don't know how it works, but it simply amazes me. Not to mention all my music can now be streamed anywhere in my house where my Apple TV resides. How the littlest things just make my day.