Get Out! Explore!

     Not too long ago, my wife and I went exploring on the island of Saipan.  The island separates the Philippine sea and the Pacific ocean.  This island along with its neighbor Tinian played a significant role in the history of the United States during World War II.
    I like many people from the mainland, knew very little about Saipan until my wife and I arrived here in August.  As my wife will tell you, I love history, and the island of Saipan doesn't disappoint.
      One of our first adventures on the island was to the German Bunker.  What I know about this structure can be summed up with two words, Not Much.  However, one of my fellow teachers, knows a great deal about the history of the island and shared with me a lot about this place. I might add it is fascinating. One of the great lessons in education is that people are drawn to what interest them.  It is no surprise that what I have found here to be fascinating to me. Though my wife humors me about some of our explorations of the island thus far, she is very much interested in the local beaches, and the vast amounts of fresh seafood that island life offers.
     As a teacher, I spend time teaching my students what they need to know, not just for the exams, and the class, but for what they need to know in life. I want all of my students to appreciate the opportunity they have to receive an education. Most importantly I want them the appreciate where they live and the rich history that makes up the community.

    In my last blog post, I wrote about the importance of teachers, and adults being part of the community and to find ways to give back to the community.  I encourage you to go and read that blog post.  Today, I want to encourage everyone to learn the local history of where they live. As the old saying goes, "Home is where you hang your hat."  It is important that you know about the history of the area you live.  I suspect this is why so many state legislatures mandate state history for high school students.  Rather than a mandate, maybe it is time that we adults take a moment, and to explore the history around us, and to create some excitement in our young people about the area they live in.  I cannot think of one place that I have spent the night, that did not have some interesting history. A history that helped tell a story of our nation and of the world.

    There are a number of options to learn about the local history.  Museums, parks, monuments, and books are a great way to dive into the local history.  One of the more fun ways to dive into the history is something that my wife enjoys, Festivals.  She loves most Festivals that we have attended, though she makes a point of demanding we stay clear of any festival that talks about Rattlesnakes. I of course comply with her demands on this point.
     One other way you can get out and start learning about history is to explore the ruins you find.  Having spent some time here on the island, my wife and did explore the ruins of the old German Bunker.   In fact the photos on this post are of the structure.  In many ways, the exploration of an area like this will help our children and teens make a personal connection to the history and to the area.  These memories will help to foster a understanding that the places they learn about in school, are real places, not so far away.  Much like the field trips of the elementary school days, these types of adventures can and do serve a great way to connect what is learned in the classroom with the world around us.

    If you have the opportunity to get and explore the local area, DO IT!  Many times, even if it is a tourist spot, we neglect to visit the areas, that are important to the local history.  I know for sure that many of the side trips that my wife and I have made, certainly had a great impact on us both.  The local people who are around, are also a great source for learning about what happened in the area.  They also tell the best stories, and are very willing to guide you in your efforts to explore. Get out and explore!

Outside of Work...

       The saying goes "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."  This is true for all kids.  We are reminded at report card time that grades are an important part of academics.  We encourage our kids to study more, and get good grades.  Which is great!  I say keep it up. Good grades are important. Grades and the classroom are not the only place where education happens.  In fact many times the important social education that we want our children to get happens on the playground and on the sports teams they participate in.  Sometimes though we forget about some outside organizations that also provide the much needed social education.  Here I am talking about groups like the Boy Scouts, Girls Scouts, or 4-H.

     For many people 4-H is seen as being for younger kids, while FFA is seen being for older kids.  This is not true.  4-H offers the same opportunities to all kids not just younger ones.  In many ways, the two programs will complement each other.  I will also tell you that as an adult leader, I helped our Extension educator with her other projects, such as the 7 mile Bicycle Ride through the Wichita Mountains in southwest Oklahoma.

      4-H is one of the organizations that I participated in during High School.  That led me to later be an adult leader. As my friends will tell you, I wasn't anti-social in high school, but I was socially awkward.  My mother insisted that I participate in something outside of school.  As I had an interest in marksmanship and hunting, I participated during high school in the 4-H Shooting Sports program.  In 4-H you learn by doing.  I simply did not learn from a class, or book.  I was expected to go out and participate with the group.  I was very fortunate to have a wonderful coach, Marie Ketchum, who taught me a number of things besides Trap & Skeet.  I learned how to interact with both adults and peers in a social environment.  I learned a great deal how to talk to people in many different ways.  I learned how to accept criticism without taking it personally.  I also learned how recover from failure without it ruining my entire day. Trust me if you only break one clay out of 25 you will have a lot of self doubt.  Most importantly, I learned that every person you meet can teach you something if you are willing to learn.


   For me Shooting Sports was how I participated in 4-H but it is not the only way to participate.  I encourage everyone to seek the local Agricultural Extension office and find out the 4-H program in your area.  If you are part of the military, Contact your local MWR office for the different 4-H opportunities that are available in your community.

     Organizations like 4-H are another way that teachers and parents can work together to build a community based on a shared interest. I encourage not only parents to get involved but also teachers.  I enjoyed working with other 4-H volunteers from around Oklahoma.  Our common interests in student enrichment made for a great time, and for a lot of learning all the way around.

     If you take nothing else from this article, take away that it is in everyone's interest to get involved.  There are lots of young people in your community will have interests in something that you have an interest in. If you nurture that interest in the young people of your community, you help the community improve.

Problems everywhere....

Saipan Sunset (C) Marie Camacho
http://mariesresourcediary.blogspot.com/

       Living here in the CNMI, offers many interesting and challenging experiences being a teacher. As you can see in the photo to the left, it can be very pretty.  This is also nice, considering Texas and Oklahoma are both suffering in sub zero temperatures.
   Many of the challenges of teaching on the mainland, we also experience here on the island. This may be surprising but many of the challenges on the island, we have in the mainland too.  Think about that for a moment.  Students are going to be the same the world over.  Young people are the same the world over. People in general are the same the world over.
     I am sometimes surprised at how some people here on island are surprised that people on the mainland can share many of the same challenges and successes that people on the island face.  More importantly these challenges and accomplishments may be more similar than many realize.  Many of our students struggle with the same learning difficulties that students in other locations face.  We have students who have learning disabilities students who suffer from different health impairments, families facing personal crises to name a few.  Even still I have many students who are from the lower economic levels of society, and suffer the effects of being poor. You may ask yourself, what can I do? Short answer is a bunch.
      One of the things that we as teachers can do to help our students, not just the ones with problems is to be a resource of information.  This starts with knowing what programs are offered in your area to help. Many people are aware of several of the education laws that teachers have to follow.  One law, that is not as well known by many people is the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. The Wright's Law website has a great primer for this law.  It can be found here. Educating Homeless Children - Wrightslaw Teachers, who are looking for information should see one of the guidance counselors.  Other resources include the schools clothing closet, or pantry.  Some schools have these and others do not.  Some times, clubs such as Kiwanis Key Club or Lions Club International Leo's Club sponsor or maintain these items as part of their civic service projects.
     One other way we as teachers can help our students is by interacting with them in Public.  I cannot tell you how many times, I have seen a student and interacted with them in public, and their whole attitude changed in the classroom.  If you are out an about in the community, acknowledge your students, and their parent.  If nothing more than saying hello.  Students and parents need to know that you are part of their community.
      A final thought about our students and how to help them.  Make a point everyday to talk to your student.  Address them by name, talk to them about something non-academic.  Show an interest in them. Make them part of your classroom community. At the end of every class, thank them for attending and tell them you are looking forward to seeing them the next class.

Twitter twitter tweet...

Just got done with tonights class on tech.  As someone who has sat on a help desk, and solved lots of network problems, I find that I am learning a great deal about technology in the classroom.  In fact while I knew about some of the programs out there I never used them much.

I have to admit that I have had a Twitter account for a while, but I never did much with it.  Now that I have been forced to interact with it, I can see why so many people like it.  Even on this blog, you can follow me, and I ask that you do. The link is on the right, and I have also created a place to see my tweets over there too.

So how do I use this new media?  That is something I am going to need ideas on.  I ask that you take to twitter and use the hashtag #TexhomaTeacher and give me your ideas.  I will be waiting for your ideas.  I will also blog about some of the ideas that I find interesting.

Web 3.0 Huh?

One of the most interesting outcomes of this computer age is how it evolves.  Back in 1993, I ran a BBS using a DOS computer then Windows and later OS/2.  When the internet first started to take off, navigation was much different than today.  In fact Google and Yahoo! were not really part of the world wide web.

Fast forward to today.  We are talking about Web 2.0, aka cloud based computing and starting to see Web 3.0, Dynamic search results.  This is all possible because people smarter than me have found this online platform, the internet to be a vast ocean ready to be taken advantage of.

Web 2.0 offers a exciting mix of tools, to accomplish tasks that just 5 ears ago required a suite of software costing over $1000.  Now with all the free or little cost choices, the world is our oyster. However these do not come without a price.  For nothing is free.  As one of my co-workers has stated, you give up your privacy for the access to the tech.  In many ways, that is a very high price to pay for the upgrades.  The problem is, what is privacy worth, and what are the large companies going to do with that data. Of course, the companies will be glad to sale you your privacy and many companies and government agencies will pay for access.  The data you provide is valuable but so is your privacy and that is the greatest Peril of Web 2.0.

With Web 3.0 we also have similar issues with respect to privacy, but also with what happens when we look for data.  In Web 3.0, we will find that the computer is picking and choosing what results we see instead of giving us a choice of what might be important. The danger with this is, that someone can manipulate the results and skew what someone will believe.  That in itself is a great power that had the very real possibility to shape the way people think, and remove the ability for someone to review all the relevant material.  As with anything, time will tell how this might shape the outcome of of events, and learning.

One other aspect of the web is the tools we use.  Now, we looked at live binder, and while I see a great deal of possibilities, I think one of the most powerful Web 2.0 tools is Pintrest.  I am a very visual person, and the ability to have a variety of boards with photos and links on it, is more valuable to me than the Live Binders.  I am able to scan right away a particular board and see what I am looking for because of the use photos and videos.  I am will be honest, Live Binder does have an appeal, but it lacks a lot of the sharing that Pintrest has.  I know that many of my friends have similar interest and I am able to go through an search their boards to get idea.  As a tool in the Web 2.0 arena, Pintrest is much more usable for me than Live Binder.

Moving Along....

      As educators we face number of challenges everyday. While no two challenges are the same, they can and many cases do share a number of similarities

         My wife and I, are approaching our first Christmas on the Island of Saipan.  This is the first Christmas for us both were we will not be close to any family members.  One of the nice things about being part of the profession of teaching is the close relationships we have formed with my co-workers, students and parents.  It is also helpful for us both that the internet does allow us to keep in close contact with our loved ones both on the US mainland and in the Philippines.

    As to the challenges, we have faced a number of challenges this past year.  They revolve around our decsion to leave our home in Oklahoma and move to the Commonwealth of Northern Marina Islands, or CNMI for short.  We packed four bags total, our bicycles, and said good-bye to our friends and family on the mainland.  In other words, we decided to start over so to speak.  The challenges of moving around the world, and what we would do different, would fill multiple blog posts.  The most important things I would suggest, are to have a well thought out plan.  Be prepared for when that plan doesn't work out exactly as you had planned.  Be flexible, with everyone including yourself.  When it comes to moving it is stressful.  It will take some time for you and your family to get into a new routine.  Once you have a routine set, then things start working out much better.

     One final thought. on moving.  Don't forget to be a tourist to your new home.  For us that means getting a lot of Vitamin SEA, and spending a great deal of time out doors.  Life is an adventure, make the most of it!