News From My World-Special Updates!

Hello all of my fellow BET’s!  It has been quite a while since my last post, so I wanted to update you on some cool things happening in my world.

As most of you know, from a previous post, I was named the Middle School and High School Cross Country coach at the beginning of this school year.  This was quite a challenge for me as I had never coached any sports, save a season of church youth basketball way back in the early eighties.  I really enjoyed coaching these amazing kids.  I also had an awesome assistant coach in Austin Conner, so I think the season was a huge success.  Next year, I think we will have even more kids running and it looks like we may be able to field a team large enough to compete in team meets.

This Spring, we are staging the musical Guys and Dolls at Culver Community Middle School/High School!  I am once again serving as assistant director to our amazing director Diane Derrow, who leads this wonderfully talented cast of kids!  We are so excited to have several returning players from last year, and a truly promising group of middle school kids that look like they will carry the torch with swagger for many years to come.  So be sure to save the first weekend in March to come see our production of Guys and Dolls!  I will post times and dates later in February.

I have also been asked to coach the Boys Golf Team this coming season.  It is still unofficial, since I need to be approved by the school board, but I feel fairly certain I will be given the green light.  This is the position I have wanted since I began teaching but thought it was hopeless due to the fact that we already had a great golf coach in Kyle Elliott.  The fact that he is younger than me also made me think it impossible in the foreseeable future.  But alas, he has decided to lighten his load a bit, and I fortunately am in the right place at the right time.  I just hope I can work as well with the kids and be as good a mentor as he has been for the past fourteen years.  Thanks so much for allowing me this opportunity Coach Elliott!

So, that is what is happening in my world.  Still really enjoying the kids and the awesome group of teachers and administrators I work with!  See you next time!

Remember, if you like what you are reading, don’t forget to follow me on Networked Blogs, or Google Plus, or subscribe on the top right, and recommend posts at the bottom of each post using Google Plus, Twitter and Facebook etc.  Thanks again for reading!

Balanced Calendar, Unbalanced Life!

Greetings BET’s!

Well, we are about eight weeks into the semester and I am ready for a break.  This “balanced” calendar thing really has me bamboozled.  It is September 22, and we are eight weeks in!  Are you kidding me????

Ahhhh!  Making me lose my hair!

Oh well, at least we are not alone.  Many of the schools in our area joined this effort to simplify schedules for various reasons.  I’m sure it does simplify some things.  One thing I am sure it does not, would be the lack of a summer respite.  Many of you I’m sure are saying, “Eight weeks off isn’t enough?”   Coming from the outside and now looking out from the inside, I understand your comment.  For the world of people out there who are not in the teaching profession, let me break down my summer for you.

So, school ended on June 3^rd for us, but we had to make a day so we came back in the next Monday.  Now, I get my grades in promptly, so I was pretty much done for the year at that point.  I spent a day or two getting my room cleaned up and organized, and then I left for “summer” break.  I spent a week or two enjoying my family and traveling a bit, not really anything too exciting.

Now before we left for break, I had new computers added to my classroom.  I would be teaching the same software, but a newer version…five years newer, so there were some rather big changes. So, around June 29^th, I was back in the classroom, working up about thirty projects that my students complete during a semester.  I have to create them using the new version of software, so I know that what I am asking of the students, can actually be done by the students.

I also picked up a new course that I would be teaching so I needed to get some ideas together for how that would look in the classroom.  That didn’t go too well, as I am on my third different text, eight weeks in.  But, nonetheless, I did spend the better part of two weeks of my summer break, creating new material and lessons.

I also am the leader of the Freshmen Orientation program that we have here, so I had been working on the scheduling of that for those first two weeks as well.  We had our first training day for Mentors on the 13^th of July.  After that, I was in and out of my classroom daily until August 1^st, when we started back.

Don’t get me wrong…I am not trying to be the patron saint of hard working teachers. I know we get the extra three day in the fall and the extra week of spring break.  Frankly, I found one week of spring break a good enough time to recharge and I really can’t afford to vacation for two weeks anyway.  I am just pointing out, that while this calendar may look balanced to some, I find it to be something that tends to make me lose my balance more often than not. 

Conceptually, it may look good.  But do we really need to keep the kids in the classroom from August 1^st to June 1^st?  And who says this is where it ends.  Soon we may find ourselves starting school in Mid-July and ending in mid-June.  Twenty years ago, who thought we would be looking at the schedule we are today?  Just my two cents.

Remember, if you like what you are reading, don’t forget to follow me on Networked Blogs, or Google Plus, or subscribe on the top right, and recommend posts at the bottom of each post using Google Plus, Twitter and Facebook etc.  Thanks again for reading!

Don't Be A Dummy! June 1-7 National CPR/AED Awareness Week!

Greeting to you all, my fellow BET’s!

Well, it’s that time of year again…or, at least it was back in June when I missed it.  Time to raise awareness of and renew your CPR/AED certification!  Funny how I don’t have this observance day memorized, yet I can tell you at the drop of a hat when National Pizza Day is…February 9^th, if you are wondering.

Now because I am an employee of a school system, I have to be certified by the American Red Cross in CPR/AED to continue my employment and to be licensed as an educator by the state. (Just renewed mine this month!) But even if you aren’t required to do so, it is a great idea.  According to the American Red Cross, approximately 92,000 are saved by CPR each year!  Why not be prepared if you are ever in a situation where you might be needed to perform this on a person in peril?

Training is offered by the American Red Cross and you can find classes in your area by visiting their website, http://www.redcross.org/.  The training can cost anywhere from nothing to around a hundred dollars.  Training is also offered by private individuals, so you might ask around the area where you live.  You might find a group of people of like mind that are willing to set up a training just for your small group, which might be more cost effective.

So, don’t be a dummy!  Get trained and spread the word.  Someone’s life may depend on it!

Remember, if you like what you are reading, don’t forget to follow me on Google Plus, or subscribe on the top right, and recommend posts at the bottom using Google Plus, Twitter and Facebook etc.  Thanks again for reading!

Teacher Appreciation Week, As Holidays Go; One of the BIG Three!

Greetings to you my fellow BETs!

Every year, we have a little thing called Teacher Appreciation Week.  I honestly don’t remember when this is exactly, but I know it is near the end of the school year.  At times, it feels like a made up holiday week to keep us going for the final push to get us to the end of school.  Saying that out loud, it may very well be.

Teacher Appreciation Week Lunch-Day One

Regardless, the sentiment is appreciated by all teachers, of that, I am sure.  The principals often have treats for us during the day and at least one lunch is provided during the week.  These are nice extras, but totally unnecessary at my school, I believe.  Let me share why I feel this way.

Our principal is an amazing man.  He juggles the many facets of his job and is still able to keep everything running smoothly.  In the midst of this, he is wonderful at letting his staff know that they are appreciated on a pretty consistent basis.  He is truly a great manager, and this is high praise, as I have worked for some really great ones! (One of whom I referred to frequently as a prophet!)

My students are also amazing.  They provide all the encouragement I need on a daily basis, just by being themselves.  Yes, it is nice that they are asked to write us little notes during Teacher Appreciation Week.  Yes, I like to read lines like, “I like Mr. Ringenberg because he is chill!”, or, “Thanks Mr. Ringenberg for being such an awesome teacher and letting us eat candy in your room.”  Although those sentiments don’t necessarily translate to “Thanks Mr. Ringenberg for imparting your knowledge all up in this place!”, they do remind me that I am appreciated by my students, and what more could I ask?

My point is, that my students and principals don’t need to set aside a specific week to let me know I am appreciated.  I know this by the 2 minute conversation I have with my boss that tells me he is aware of what I am trying to accomplish in my classroom, and he is there if I need his help.  I know this when one of my students comes up and says “Are you okay?” and asks me what’s on my mind.  I know this because, at my school, we are all in this together, and we have each others back…student, staff, and teacher.

So, in closing, thank you for the recognition, it is appreciated, but unnecessary.  And, feel free to continue to provide lunch and treats for us!  I will not be accused of looking any gift horses in the mouth!

Remember, if you like what you are reading, don’t forget to follow me on Networked Blogs, or Google Plus, or subscribe on the top right, and recommend posts at the bottom of each post using Google Plus, Twitter and Facebook etc.  Thanks again for reading!

The Impact of Being World Famous!

Greetings to you my fellow BETs!

Last week, the world lost a great one.  Bob Pickell, a music teacher here in Plymouth Indiana for 38 years, passed away unexpectedly, and to the great shock of his family and this community.  Bob was my friend, and although we were not close, I truly respected his talents and his connectedness with this community. He, along with his great impact on lives, will be greatly missed…This cannot be stressed enough.

Some may question my opening statement of “the world” losing a great one.  I challenge you to think it through for yourself.  I have preached for about twelve years now that people should “act as if you are World Famous.”  I’ve asked my students and several audiences over the years to imagine how they would act differently if they were indeed, World Famous.

The only caveat I add to this is that when I say world, I mean YOUR world.  Where is it you have a sphere of influence?  That is your world.  Be World Famous!  Bob was.

I had an awesome choir teacher in high school; Ed Eby.  He was an older teacher when I came into his class, but he was dynamic.  He made us work to become better singers, but also to make us better people.  I bet over the years, I have shared a story about Mr. Eby to at least a hundred people.  I bet you all have had a teacher like this as well.  Someone who reached you in a way that you needed to tell the world.

So, let’s do Bob’s numbers:

38 years teaching X 500 Students per year(Probably low)                            19000

Let’s say that half of those, 9500, talk about him at home at least once

add 3 people at home X 9500                                                                             28500

Let’s also say half go to college and tell just 25 friends about him, so

9500 X 25                                                                                                             237,500

And let’s say just 20% of those tell 10 more friends

47500 X 10                                                                                                          475,000

Total:                                                                                                                    760,000

Remember, that’s just his school connections.  What about all of the other organizations he was involved with?  What about friendships and family connections?  How many stories about crazy Uncle Bob have been shared?  I would submit that the number above represents a small portion of his impact on the world; yes, the world!

So, 760,000 lives positively impacted.  Not bad for a mild mannered choir teacher from a town of 10,000 located in the middle of a very large cornfield!  I’d call that World Famous!

Well done, Bob.

A Very Special Birthday

Greetings to you my fellow BETS!

I decided to change my opening greeting because I never know exactly when I am going to post, or when you all will get around to reading it.  So there we go.

Today is not my birthday, let's just get that  out of the way. A week or so ago, I made the comment that I have hundreds of stories about my kids at school that I want to share.  I believe I made the comment that they would be for “Another Day”.  Well, welcome to “Another Day”.  I won’t share all of them of course, just one for now.

Over the last two years, I have kind of kept myself at an arm’s length with my students as a whole.  Some kids of course, you connect with quickly, but for the most part I have tried to shield them from seeing the real me.  I’m not sure if this is for them, or if this is for me.  Maybe a bit of both.

This year, I discovered that I have a few “Birthday Buddies” here at school.  I’m not sure why, but this really got me excited.  I love the fact that I share my birthday with some of the kids!  So much fun to be had, now multiplied by the additional characters!

In learning this, I apparently made it clear as to when my birthday actually falls.  Now this could have been when I mentioned I had birthday buddies.  Or it may have been when a student asked me directly.  Or possibly it was when I would announce every day, two weeks prior to the date, how many shopping days were left until said event.  Anyway, it doesn’t really matter how they found out, but they did.

I was really touched when one of my students came to my room before her class with the bag of goodies you see in the picture.  If you can’t see it well, there is a chocolate bar wrapped in a Dementos wrapper, some truffles with wings added to resemble Golden Snitches, a bag with a Gryffindor tie on it, an awesome Prefect Badge, and a wonderful birthday card with Ron, Harry and Hermione on it.  Obviously she and I had shared our love for the Harry Potter series before this date.

What really got me though, was the time and thought that it took this student to put this together for me.  This was one very special moment for me this year.  A couple of other students also got me candy bars(my students know me), and I think I got a special Doughnut and Coffee in the morning as well.  I also got many, “It’s your birthday today, Mr. Ringenberg?  Happy Birthday!”, which of course was also cool.  But the Harry Potter Gift bag.  Did I ever do any of that for a teacher? No, of course not.  Heck I probably never even acknowledged my teachers’ birthdays.

My takeaway from this was that I need to be that thoughtful in preparing for my kids in the morning.  My lesson plans may not thrill them, and my homework won’t score points for me I am sure.  But maybe, if I plan on being truly present with all of my interactions with each of them, I can convey a measure of thoughtfulness, as my students do to me.  Let’s hope so, huh?

Remember, if you like what you are reading, don’t forget to follow me on Google Plus, subscribe on the top right, and recommend posts at the bottom of each post using Google Plus, Twitter and Facebook etc.  Thanks again for reading!

Experimental Education...ers! I Just Can't Help Myself

Good Afternoon BET’s!

Okay, so today I am addressing my regular readers…all seven of you.  If you are a friend of mine on Facebook, you are familiar with what I am about to share.

This fall, I am going to be trying some new educational techniques with my students.  These techniques are some that I have come across in my extensive research of leading education…ers…niner.  Okay, this is something that I came up with and has no data to support its effect on learning.  But, it is a cool idea, I think.

Here is the gist.  I want students to incorporate music, poetry, writing, drawing, painting or any other ways of expressing themselves, into the computer curriculum that I have put together.  I want them to feel empowered to express themselves in various ways, and allow that expression to be a part of the lessons that we will be working through daily.

To this end, I have asked my Facebook and Twitter followers for donations of any musical instruments (really, ANY) for use this fall in my classroom.  So far, I have received a guitar a drum set, and possibly a banjo!  So now I extend this invitation to my many readers!

(Most Important Paragraph)

I am also asking for your help with any ideas you all may have regarding how I might accomplish this.  If any of you have any great ideas or experience in this area, your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.  Although I have a general idea of how I want to proceed with this, I can use all the help I can get from your vast experiences.  Please comment below and give me all you’ve got.  There are no stupid suggestions!  Please, comment away!

So, I thank you in advance for all of your ideas and donations.  Remember, even a harmonica could have a great impact on the kids this fall.  So, dust off those cellos, bassoons and drumsticks and let me know how I can get a hold of them.  And yes, I would accept the chicken drumsticks as well…just not too spicy please.

And remember, if you like what you are reading, don’t forget to follow me on Google Plus, subscribe on the top right, and recommend posts at the bottom of each post using Google Plus, Twitter and Facebook etc.  Thanks again for your support!

Family Comes First

Good Evening/Morning Break Even Teachers!(depending on when you read it.)

Once again, I start with an apology for not writing more.  Time seems to fill up with so many things I want to do these days.  I guess once a year is not that bad. (He says, with a truly John Lennonesque tongue in cheek!)

Anyway, we are only into the summer a couple of weeks and it has already been a whirlwind.  Just to keep you up to speed, I just finished my second year at Culver Community Schools as the Business and Computers teacher.  When I started this journey two years ago, I really thought I would be back in Sales and Marketing field pretty quickly.  At first, it just wasn’t clicking for me.  So many nights of thinking, “What have I done?  I can’t do this!”  But this last year and a half or so has been truly amazing.  There are so many stories I want to share with you.  Maybe another day, hopefully not a year from now.

So, this summer, I was offered another teaching job in another school district.  It was for more money.  It was a bit closer, so the commute would be less. It would be teaching more Business and less Computers, which is what I had wanted originally.  It seemed to be a perfect fit.  But the more I thought about it, something just wasn’t right.

The more I thought about it, the more I felt as if I would be letting my family down.  Not my wife and sons, but my other family…my Culver Community Schools family.

Now I’m not one to use that terminology loosely, either.  When I first started here, the teachers in my wing talked that way.  “You’ll love it here…it’s like a family.” they would say.  Yeah, yeah, yeah.  Everybody says that about the place they work, right? After a few weeks with the kids, I felt like I wanted to be more of a foster family.  I just didn’t seem to be connecting with them.  Then, everything changed.  All it took was one student, (who shall remain nameless), that stood up for me to her classmates.  She jumped in there and had my back!  I couldn’t believe it!  It was great!  From then on I started to treat the students differently, and they started to treat me differently, as if we had some kind of connection.  This then, became a wonderful self-fulfilling prophecy, so to speak.  There WAS a connection!

I have wondered for two years what I would do if I were put in the position to make a move.  Now I have my answer.  These students and teachers and administrators and parents have all become a part of me.  I get excited when they get excited.  I mourn when they mourn.  I look at the kids every day and wonder how I can be of help to them today.  They have become my family, and I couldn’t be happier.

My First BET-What my Dad Taught Me

Good Morning BET's!

So, obviously there are many many lessons my dad taught me.  His legacy for me though, can be summed up in a few short examples.  He was not your traditional teacher in the sense that he didn't necessarily exhibit a true teaching technique.  He struggled with his patience with lessons like many of us do, especially with younger people.  But his true gift was the example he shared, just by the way he lived his life.

I think my favorite memory of my upbringing concerns an area which all teenagers covet, yet many parents fear, and struggle with greatly.  The drivers license and first car.  While my father was a very successful dentist and had the means to buy his kids a new car when they turned 16, he refrained from this.  Having seven kids, I think this was just good policy.

What was great though, was that while he didn't buy us a new car, he provided a "stable", if you will, of used cars for us to drive.  Being the youngest, when my closest brother left for college, I had my pick of the litter.  Here is that litter:

1.  1978 Chevy Citation
2.  1977 Datsun Pickup
3.  1971 Ford F150
4.  Tractor
5.  Horse

Of these, I chose the 1977 Datsun Pickup.  Many of my friends from high school will remember me driving this Canary Yellow,  yes, Canary Yellow, pickup for my entire high school career.  It also got great gas mileage and after touting this to a friend too many times as a rationalization for driving it, he said,  "Wow!  This car MAKES gas!", which I still find funny today.  What was great about this vehicle was that when it started rusting, dad decided to have it painted.  I was very excited at the prospect.  I thought a candy apple red would be nice, or a British racing green.  So one chilly fall Saturday in 1981,  my dad and I headed of  to start the process.  I assumed we were taking the truck to a body shop to have this done.  Instead, we went to Target, bought a Wagner spray painter and a couple gallons of canary yellow house paint.  The fear in me began to grow.

We headed back to the farm and my dad proceeded to tape off the truck so we would have a clean application.  I questioned this fiercely, or as fiercely as I questioned my dad ever.(read: never out loud).  Three hours later, the truck was finished.  A brighter yellow finish than the original, with the texture of semi-course sandpaper.  I didn't complain and actually congratulated my dad on what a great job he did.

I drove that truck for another three or so years until I left home for good.  I wasn't proud to be driving it, but I was grateful to have a car to drive at all.  The lesson here was that, at sixteen, a car is all about utility.  Getting from A to B.  This vehicle was reliable and it served me well.  Would I have preferred a Corvette or a Mustang...sure.  Would I be alive today had I gotten that wish...maybe not.

My dad provided me with exactly what I needed, not necessarily what I wanted.  So when my son Garrison got his license, while the temptation to buy him his own car was there, I looked back on that lesson and made the right choice.  He drove a 1995 Honda Odyssey minivan.  Funny thing though, Garrison actually thought it was okay.  He actually appreciated having something to drive at all.

So the lesson I learned was transferred to my son.  Be grateful for what you have and contentment will will be compulsory.  Thanks dad!

What's wrong with America

Happy Easter BET's!

You will notice that my title doesn't have a question mark at the end of the sentence.  That is because I am not asking the question as much as I am stating one of the myriad of possible answers.  Granted, there are many things that are right about America.  We are blessed in so many ways.  We have many comforts that we take for granted that much of the rest of the world does without...but that doesn't mean we are better or on the right track for any long term success as a country.

One of the areas in which I believe we need work is in our view of what is important and what is not.  My "for instance" today will concern the world of fast food workers.

Over the years, our "better than you" or "I am too good for this" attitude has created a huge problem in my eyes.  As a society, we have created an environment in which we see the work of fast food employees as less than important or essential.  We complain about how the service is lacking or how the quality is low.  My belief is that we have created this attitude over the years by devaluing the role of the minimum wage employee.

If I went to work everyday to a job in which society has led me to believe is below other professions, I don't know if I would have a great fervor for the quality of my output either.  Thirty years ago, people worked in these jobs as a profession.  There was no shame in it.  You went to work and did the best you could because you believed you were providing something of value.  Today, we look at these positions as only a means to an end, or a job anyone can do.  This is not necessarily the case...at least not in my mind.

I hope that somehow, we, as a country, can value these positions again and bring pride back into the mix.  I hope that we can look at these jobs as an opportunity to provide great service and value, and to make this industry blossom again.

I know a lot of you are probably saying, "But wait.  Would you give it your all for minimum wage?"  I get that.  But maybe if we start by looking at the positions as more important and vital to our economy, we will instill some more pride in the people who thanklessly fill these slots.  They are of vital importance to us economically.  If we can do this, maybe we can take that success and take the next step by paying these workers a more livable wage.  I would love to see us become a country again that thrives on quality and rewards those that make that happen.

If this strikes a chord with you, please share this post.  I would love to get a productive dialog going.  But alas, I must head to McDonalds for my $1 Coke Zero.