Well, It Started Out as a Quick Note, But...You Know Me... (04/15/2010)
My apologies for such a long hiatus from the blog! I've been exceedinglybusy on the home front, and, in fact, only this morning was I able to check my Gmail for the first time since 27 March...
The Trip to Massachusetts and New Hampshire (02/12/2010)
I was privileged to travel with the GHCA teachers and administration for the purposes of professional development to Concord, New Hampshire on 3-5 February 2010. It was a wonderful opportunity, and I believe we all gained a great deal through the experience. To our school board and school family, thank you for the opportunity; it was very much worthwhile. I thank Alice Pinard, the head of Concord Christian Academy, for inviting us to observe the school. I also thank Marilyn D. Sjoberg and Pat Foster for "standing in the gap" for me, visiting my mother in the hospital and working on her physical therapy with her in my absence. Blessings to all of you. Here are a few highlights of the experience--I remember and use more of them every day.
- On the way to Concord, the short side trip that four of us took to Teachers' Pet in
Methuen, MA was outstanding! This enormous teachers' store was so
jam-packed with materials for teachers and parents, it was impossible to
see everything. I was delighted to be able to buy such items as room decorations; educational posters, which I have been using already; incentive prizes; items for Discipleship, including little gifts I presented to my ten Discipleship ladies today; and other room necessities. Since it's difficult to find regular--not sidewalk--chalk and blackboard erasers anywhere in Houlton, for example, I
was thrilled to find these items there. The store has a website with many more items,20
and it offers free shipping for orders over a certain amount.
- The trip offered all of us opportunities to get to know our own
staff better. Riding with three other teachers enabled me to discover
much about the others that I didn't know. In fact, I really knew very
little about my fellow teachers before I left. This close proximity
also allowed us to cement the newly-observed material more securely in
our heads, since we discussed our observations, both from the school and
the conference. Traveling together gave us a good chance to analyze and synthesize these discoveries.
- It was good to observe Concord Christian Academy, since it's roughly the same size as GHCA. I appreciated seeing how teachers teach, how they work with students, what materials the teachers use, and how they elicit higher-order thinking. I came away with a real shift in my own thinking.
- Seeing the English as a Second Language class at CCA was noteworthy. I liked seeing how the
teacher combined "high tech" with "low tech" techniques. The teacher
typed student work onto her laptop and with s-video, I think, projected it onto a
white board for student correction (with a regular white board
marker). I would do that if I had a projector.
- The Granite State Educator Conference in Epsom, NH, was good, too, especially Dr. Timothy Heaton, the keynote speaker. His presentations were full of practical, immediately-useful material. In fact, I started using the "Entrance Slip" and the "Exit Slip" in all of my classes on Monday. These slips are designed to help the students and teacher see what has been retained from the previous class, as well as to find out what the students have learned that day. These slips do work. I've already learned what the students learned and didn't learn; some of them have taken the opportunity to ask questions about things that were still foggy for them.
- It was good to see a variety of conference presentations. A common topic was differentiated learning, which was a familiar one for GHCA personnel. I was able to glean information from every session.20 The last presentation I attended was superb: it modeled excellent,20 dynamic teaching and was especially inspiring.
Laptops (01/29/2010)
Here's a quick reminder to students: you do not need to bring your laptops to English classes on Monday or Tuesday (1-2 February 2010). If you want to bring them, that's fine, but they're not required for those particular classes. We can always find good classroom uses for laptops or iTouches, of course... Maybe even iPads will be appearing soon?
January Classroom Needs (01/20/2010)
We're trying to keep germs at bay in our classroom. Since we're nearly out of disinfecting wipes and boxes of tissues, it would be a blessing if we could have some donated. We could also use paper plates, napkins, and sturdy paper hot drink cups. Thank you very much!
Just Checking? (01/07/2010)
We'll see if the blogs are working and if this entry gets online in time... Do you remember the Thought for the Day today? Fill in the blank: "Everything comes to him who _ _ _ _ _ _ _ while he waits." The reference is Hebrews 6:12, if that helps. The word has seven letters, incidentally. If you print that missing word at the top of your quiz tomorrow, it's worth a bonus point. Keep this opportunity under your hat...
Christmas Cheer (12/21/2009)
I was sorry not to have been able to see the County Road Baptist Church's outstanding presentation of A Christmas Carol this past weekend. As you may know, my mother is recovering from surgery on a broken hip, and I chose to visit with her. Both of us would have enjoyed it, I'm sure, since the Dickens classic is timeless in its message.
Just after the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come silently points to the name on a headstone in a deserted cemetery, Ebenezer Scrooge realizes that the name is his own and, with that realization, undergoes a powerful transformation. He chooses to change his embittered nature to one that joyfully accepts the lessons of the past, present, and future. Scrooge gasps, "I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year." (Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol [1843], stave 4) From that moment, his life and the lives of others are changed for the better.
I pray that we, too, will honor Christmas in our hearts. I pray that we will, with the help of the Holy Spirit, honor the One whose birth, death, and resurrection we remember. And, as Tiny Tim observes, "God bless us every one!"
Beauty and the Beast Field Trip (12/08/2009)
IMPORTANT UPDATE: Due to the current winter storm warnings for Wednesday, 9 December, tomorrow's field trip to Bangor has been cancelled. We need to be prudent and responsible, and driving in a full-blown storm--with six to eight inches of snow and sleet forecast--would be neither. I know that's disappointing. It also seems to be a pretty clear message that we should be off the roads during that time.
HOWEVER, HOPE FOR RESCHEDULING REMAINS! We have been invited to the Saturday matinee at Bangor High School instead. Saturday should offer much better weather. I am working on new logistics: vehicles, drivers, and schedule for 12 December 2009. I have been planning and contacting the drivers and each of you seventeen students for about six hours now, and I have talked with someone at each of your homes. (Yes, I know... Facebook would be handy...) I wanted to make sure that no one showed up at GHCA bright and early, ready to leave at 7:15 a.m. tomorrow. Right now, three people can come on Saturday; six people have other commitments for Saturday; and eight people will let me know definitively tomorrow. Thanks for all your help.
Bonus Point Answer (12/04/2009)
If you wrote Henry Alford on your quiz today, you are right! Today's quiz grades will be entered on Monday.
Do you have questions or comments about this blog? Email Mr. Doe at agooding@ghca.com!
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