Break Even Teacher's Come In All Shapes and Sizes

Hi again BET's.  This has been on my mind for some time and I wanted to share it with you.  When I say someone is a BET, I don't necessarily mean in strictly a classroom sense.  You may be an engineer or a crossing guard.  You may be traffic cop or an avid bowler.  A BET to me is anyone with a passion for their subject that takes the time to be there for a student of the same. 

To illustrate I offer the video below.  This is Tommy Emmanuel.  He is one of my favorite artists and a world class guitarist.  He is a multimillionaire and doesn't need to sell more records.  At almost all of his concerts, he takes the time while he is in town to greet his many fans.  He not only greets them, more often than not, he takes the time to encourage them and listen to them.  Watch the video below, but don't focus on the guitar playing.  Watch closely what he makes important to him in this exchange.  "What are you working on?"  "Can I take a closer look?"  His stance is not so much what he can show them, but more about what he can do to show them how special they are.  I hope you enjoy this.  He is a true inspiration to me.

My Life as an Unpublished Author

Hello out there all you BET's!  So, it has once again be awhile since my last post.  In that time, I have finally finished my first children's book.  I have submitted it to the publishing agent I really want, and now it is all about waiting...and contentment...and counting my blessings...and all of the other stuff I say to myself to keep from thinking about being unpublished.

Before

After

This book has been a labor of love for over seven years.  Garrett The Wandering Goose(working title) was started about two years before Garrison passed, and then I took a five year hiatus to grieve and blame myself.  Not the best use of a hiatus, but I am finally back in a good place, hence the completion of the book.(I love it when I can find a use for the word 'Hence')

Anyway, for those of you who know me, you know that a seven year timeline on the book is not so outrageous.  After all, it took me eleven years to get my Bachelors degree.  And I think I am the first recipient of the 17 year Masters at IU.  So seven years is nothing in Mark World.  I am just glad I am not a dog or these numbers would be ridiculous...er.

So, my story is about a goose who is too cool for the gaggle or skein, depending on their flight status, and decides to go out and seek his fortune elsewhere.  He has numerous adventures and comes to the conclusion that a gooses life as a loner goes much slower and is much harder, especially in flight.  So he learns to be a good friend and helps himself, and the other geese learn about forgiveness, fortitude, and proper flight.

About six years ago, upon reading the first draft, Brenda said, "You realize this is your own story, right?"  I totally denied it and pointed out that my life doesn't rhyme nearly that much.  But after much reading and shouts from my office of, "No Way!  That is me!", I came to the conclusion that she was right.  I also came to the conclusion that most children's books and fiction books in general, are someones story.  Even the Grinch rings true for many of us.  And don't get me started on how many of my friends are the Lorax...and Wilford Brimley of course.

There is great freedom in being unpublished.  I know how great my story is and I can just live with the greatness of the text in my head.  No outsiders input to tell me what mistakes I made or that geese don't really behave the way I have depicted them.  So now that the writing is finally out of the way, I can move on.  I am currently starting Garrett's next adventure, just to make sure I don't lose my unpublished writer's touch.  Ahh, freedom.

The School Of Life

Hello BET's everywhere!  It has been a long while since I have posted, I know.  The last six months have been a crazy time for me.  Too much to go into, but always a learning experience.

Today I wanted to share a movie that I just saw for the first time.  Not a new film, and not overly popular to the masses, I'm sure.  But this film touched me in a way that only a handful of films have in my entire life.  The film is called The School Of Life and stars Ryan Reynolds and David Paymer, two of my favorite actors, which is one reason why this was such a treat for me.  I can't believe I had never heard of this before!

Now I won't go into the plot at all, because I really encourage you all to take the time to watch it.  I will warn you that there are parts of the film that you will find campy and simple, but see it through. The one thing I will tell you, is that it speaks to the meaning of why you all do what you do.  You may not approach it the way the characters do, or you very well may.  But I encourage you to look at the real message of the film, which I believe to be this.  We all teach for different reasons and from different perspectives, but regardless, what you give the students is much more than what they will show you through test scores or academic prowess.  What you give is yourselves, and that, will remain with them for their lifetimes.

I hope you enjoy this film as much as I have, and by all means, let me know what you think.  Until next time, keep doing what you do, and offering your students a part of you.

Blessings in a Backpack Update!

Went to a great meeting last night with the people working with Blessings in a Backpack.  Last year they were able to serve 25 students, providing weekend meals for the entire school year.  In less than 9 months, they have increased their goal to serve 100 students!  This is where all of us step in. 

At the meeting last night, we were able to secure commitments from four people who will serve as coordinators at the school level in the Plymouth school district..  These people will pack the backpacks and work with the kids, making sure that the backpacks are returned each week so that they can be filled for the following weekend.  We are still in need of many volunteers, so contact Chris Garner or Ellen Stillson and let them know of your interest in serving this incredible organization locally.

To meet this aggressive goal, we need to continually tell people about this great program.  Once people see the great need this organization meets, people seem to want to help.  You can go directly to Blessingsinabackpack.org, or read my previous blog about the organization on this website.  The great thing, once again, about Blessings, is that ALL of the money raised goes to buying food for the kids.  The backpacks are supplied by the parent organization, so all of your money goes directly to feeding truly hungry kids.  This can mean the difference between a successful elementary school experience, and a very sad story later in life.  Let's go for the successful school experience, huh?

Some of us will be at the annual Plymouth Indiana Blueberry Festival this weekend, collecting donations and spreading the word.  Come by and see us at Jefferson Elementary on Saturday.  Put the word out and let's make that goal of 100 kids a reality by this weekend!

2012 Praxis II Business Education Examination Results

As I stated in my last post, the majority of planned activity time for me this summer has been spent studying for the Praxis II exam. Be it known, that on July 21, 2012 at 2:30am Greenwich Mean Time, I sat for the Praxis II Business Education Content test at Concord High School in Elkhart Indiana. After three agonizingly long weeks of awaiting the results, I am happy to tell you… I passed! Can you even believe it! I am so excited I can’t see straight! So after I jump through a few more hoops for the government, I will be licensed to teach High School Business in Indiana. Remember to keep that in mind, all of you who may be in a position in the near future to hire such a person! If you have a position open out of state, I assume I could jump through some hoops in that state and be licensed there as well. Although I have heard that can be a difficult thing sometimes. But if I can do it in Indiana, the world is my oyster! That is all for today, so I will leave you in peace, feeling as excited as a hungry dog in a beef jerky factory. I will remain at my computer, sitting with a smile ear to ear, and hoping beyond all hope, that one of the business teachers in one of the area school systems wins the lottery, moves to Europe, and recommends me to fill their vacant teaching position.

Olympians Were Once In Elementary School...Any Stories?

Growing up, I can remember idolizing a certain speed skater named Eric Heiden.  He was the fastest skater I had ever seen and only lived two states away, so he was very real to me.  I watched the "Up Close and Personal" segment with Jim McKay and got to see all of the inside secrets as to how he trained.  Then I went out to the barn and tried to recreate the sliding panel he had on his workout room floor in Wisconsin.  Then, in the sub zero Indiana winter, I took my shoes off and struggled to imitate what I had seen my idol do, so effortlessly, on TV.  To say it was a mess would be an incredible understatement!  I can tell you it was much less painful than trying to learn the "Fosbury Flop" in my  homage to Bruce Jenner in the summer of '76!  But Olympians do that to us as kids...and sometimes as adults too.

Here in Plymouth Indiana, we have an Olympian, I believe, for the first time.  Her name is Morgan Uceny, and I can bet there will be girls all over the country watching the Olympics that will try to train just like her, and be just like her. 

I've never lived in a town that had an Olympian and I can tell you it is really exciting.  Seeing people wearing the wrist bands in support of her and her family makes me feel good about the community in which I live.  I can't wait to sit around the TV with friends and watch her run.  It doesn't matter if she wins or not, at least not to us.  She is an Olympian no matter what happens now, and no one can take that away from her.  An incredible accomplishment to say the least.

So what stories do you have?  Did you train like a champion after seeing your first Olympics?  Did you have an Olympian in class at some point?  Was Morgan your student?  This is your chance to tell the world your story and share your experience with friends. Nothing inspires us as Americans like these stories, and nothing brings us closer together as humans than these two weeks, every two years.

Image:  Courtesy Patrick Hoesly via Flickr

Back to School Shopping-A Random Act of Kindness

Good Afternoon Everyone!

The other day I went on a huge journey to the civilization located a mere 25 miles-ish north of my home...a land we call Mishawaka!  They have a Super Target.  We don't have a Super Target.  We have a Super Wal-Mart, which puts us slightly lower on the food chain in terms of shopping I think.

As I was strolling through the aisles, salivating over the selection, that just a "normal" Target doesn't have, a thought occurred to me.  Why not put a little "care package" of school supplies together for my favorite teacher's classroom?  This would only cost me maybe another fifteen bucks, and it might put a smile on the face of some student who didn't get to do their BTS shopping at a Super Target. 

Then I had another thought.  What if something like this is already in place?  What if the PTA or another organization already organizes something like this to help the students?  After a two minute search on the web, I found that this is a very common practice.  Communities and school systems are doing this all over the country!  This is great!

Alas, another thought came to mind.  I had a lot of thoughts in that Super Target.  SO What!  What if it's not being done in my town?  Then the kids will suffer!  So I decided to do it.  And I encourage all of you to do it as well.  You don't have to spend a ton, just get a list of the required school supplies for a child in a specific class and make it happen!  If you can afford to, make it happen multiple times!

Folks, with unemployment and underemployment and the economy and all of these factors going against us, we can only count on one another.  Do this small act if you can and I know you will make a huge difference in the life of a child on the first day of school!

Thanks for reading, and acting, and Peace to you all! And 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!

Volunteers! Come One, Come All!

One of our readers from yesterday brought up a good point in her post to me.  What about all of the people who volunteer at our schools to help carry the load.  Absolutely!

We have several volunteers at our Elementary school.  Some, you know very well, because it seems they are there as much as all of the rest of us.  Some, you don't know quite as well, maybe a familiar face in the hallway or at recess.  And some, you would have no idea that they make a great contribution on a regular basis, just because they work behind the scenes.

We have one parent who comes in to volunteer, I would say, three days a week, on average.  When I first started working there, I really wondered about this woman.  "Do you really have nothing better to do than hang around a bunch of Kindergartners?", I thought.  But then, I got it.  She had better things to do, sure, but she was hooked.  The kids gave her energy and enthusiasm.  They gave her as much as she was giving to them.

Another parent I see weekly is one of those, "Do I know you?" volunteers.  She is seen in the halls occasionally, but most of the time she is working with the front office or in the lunchroom during off peak eating time.  I don't see exactly what she does, but I see the results of it in the school.  I see the people she has been helping feeling a bit less burdened by their day.

Of course you don't have to be a parent to volunteer.  My ideal volunteer would be a ten foot tall person with sticky hands.  This would come in mighty handy getting the balls off the roof during recess.  Yes, you can even volunteer for recess duty!  We have one regular recess volunteer that is in great shape and he runs the kids until they are exhausted!  I love that.  I tried to run with him once and gave up before the first muscle on my leg had moved.  He makes me tired just watching him.  But man, does he help me with the kids.  His presence allows me to really watch the kids and be a better recess aide.

So, how do YOU get involved?  It is very simple.  Come to the school of your choice and ask!  If they tell you they have plenty of help, they aren't looking hard enough.  There may be a bit of paperwork or maybe a short background check, but it will be worth it, trust me.  These kids will pay you in hugs and smiles more abundantly than you will be able to handle at first, so be prepared!

Now, go volunteer!

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