Kristi's Korner
January 18, 2016
Quote of the Week
--Jackson Pollock
Ramblings
Eric and I approach parenting in a similar way. We throw a lot of paint at Atticus to see what sticks. We make sure he has opportunities to try it all....violin, hip hop dancing, chess, soccer, painting with pudding, new foods, new people, and on and on. Some things he takes to and some he doesn't. We have decided that we don't want to limit him because of our limitations. This should be especially fun to watch as Eric and he work to create a car for the Pinewood Derby. (For those of you who don't know Eric, next to the word antithesis of Boy Scout is a picture of my husband....go ahead look it up.)
I read a blog this week by a person who did a goal setting activity with their classroom. (Don't worry I won't go off on a tangent here on goal setting however tempting it may be.) It hadn't gone well over all but seemed to hit the mark with four or five students. As I read this I thought, the paint stuck. You won't hit the mark with every student, every day. Your hope is to pick high yield strategies that hit the mark with more students than not .
Your paint throwing time is limited each day so you must pick what paint to throw. Will you show the importance of working as a team through continued use of cooperative learning? Will you show the importance of humor through your interactions each day? What mark do you want to leave? So maybe this is about goal setting. However, it is also about making you realize that all your paint may not stick every day, but it is sticking with someone. Stay strong as Lance would say.
News and Notes
Buddy Day is January 25th. The theme is Martin Luther King Jr. or any variation off of that such as equal rights, treating ALL people with respect, honoring differences, etc.....
Monday Meeting is on Tuesday this week.
PD on the Couch
You Know You Have Been Missing My Stepping Up on My Homework Soapbox: http://mysocalledliteracylife.com/2015/12/31/four-stories-that-homework-tells-children-about-school-learning-life/
Such a Powerful Strategy to Not Leave Behind: http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar11/vol68/num06/Knowing-Your-Learning-Target.aspx
Smile of the Week
(If I shared this with you before, I apologize, but it is fun. Also, I have a new and improved system so I shouldn't be sharing repeats.)