tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81836518908621403912024-03-09T18:46:01.129-08:00Teacher With TubaJim Windischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12768292429654933591noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183651890862140391.post-47678840626047452332024-02-19T22:43:00.000-08:002024-02-20T08:19:47.774-08:00Presidents Day 2024<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhleJGIS0SBUzmwneX2bcKPurnZveXfSsHX4G8N5FmXicWLWLLevduNlwm_kWeIyujBPcgblcgHsgsUO1wHvA4tHDzYibE5Etl3TpjtFAI65fcaUeZxpMqaov_0fgRQuUrflbpydLNiEIr14Dsvey7hjifAXnToXzvcBEBSb_6PQpdcanjXhqPY0lxS758J/s684/Benjamin%20Harrison%202024%20(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="684" data-original-width="515" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhleJGIS0SBUzmwneX2bcKPurnZveXfSsHX4G8N5FmXicWLWLLevduNlwm_kWeIyujBPcgblcgHsgsUO1wHvA4tHDzYibE5Etl3TpjtFAI65fcaUeZxpMqaov_0fgRQuUrflbpydLNiEIr14Dsvey7hjifAXnToXzvcBEBSb_6PQpdcanjXhqPY0lxS758J/w301-h400/Benjamin%20Harrison%202024%20(2).jpg" width="301" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Benjamin Harrison, our nation's 23rd president, (and grandson of the ninth president) served from 1889-1893. He admitted Idaho and five other states into the union, created the national forests, and oversaw a great deal of economic legislation, including the first billion dollar budget for the United States. He was called Little Ben because of his 5' 6" height and being the grandson of a former president. He is also known as the Centennial President for being inaugurated 100 years after George Washington. </div></span></div><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3KOrkxKgo_SOtr_GOpKAx3G8PRS4M6IE7Hz5q8Xy1UF-OD-mJ2SxNXNGR7ZQJ5VPyhsxF1cjFYvvWx5qr6XpvjkFsdmFT4YEoJMPMhjFBSjUCmedzDhn2jsn0-lqt7Ncdt4i_-xzdPM_UhjqzDdsQkYVoCYlb9AjWS9scLZA64iCiOi4t0NtXw12yCTvw/s1024/benjamin%20harrison%20inspiration.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="759" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3KOrkxKgo_SOtr_GOpKAx3G8PRS4M6IE7Hz5q8Xy1UF-OD-mJ2SxNXNGR7ZQJ5VPyhsxF1cjFYvvWx5qr6XpvjkFsdmFT4YEoJMPMhjFBSjUCmedzDhn2jsn0-lqt7Ncdt4i_-xzdPM_UhjqzDdsQkYVoCYlb9AjWS9scLZA64iCiOi4t0NtXw12yCTvw/w296-h400/benjamin%20harrison%20inspiration.jpg" width="296" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by C.M. Bell<br />held by the <a href="https://www.loc.gov/item/2016711953/">Library of Congress</a></td></tr></tbody></table>I was not filled with my usual anticipation and joy in the days leading up to this year's presidential portrait. The news of the presidential election coming up this November has already given me my fill of presidential politics. In 1892, Benjamin Harrison faced the same opponent he had beaten four years earlier, <a href="https://blog.jimwindisch.com/2017/02/presidents-day-2017.html">Grover Cleveland</a>. However, that seems to be where the comparison ends. Harrison had been known as a front-porch campaigner in 1889, giving speeches from his home in Indiana rather than travelling the country and making headlines. In 1892, his wife was ill and both candidates agreed not to personally campaign and keep things low key and quiet leading up to the election. It's nearly impossible to imagine such a thing with today's barrage of news and sound bites. I, for one, would welcome giving it a try this year!<p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-size: medium;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="color: #4c1130; font-size: medium;">“I have traversed this broad land of ours, and out of all this journeying, out of all this mingling with our people, I have come to be a prouder and, I hope, a better American.”</span></blockquote><p></p></blockquote><p>For having only four years in office, Benjamin Harrison accomplished many things that we can still see today. He modernized the U.S. Navy, annexed Hawaii, and signed the Sherman Antitrust Act into law. He was also the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Benjamin_Harrison_voice.ogg">first president to have his voice recorded</a> and to have electric light in the White House (although he often slept with the lights on because he was afraid of being electrocuted by touching the switches). For being a lesser-known president, he made some incredibly quotable statements. I included one on the photo, but had to add a few more between my paragraphs.</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span style="color: #4c1130; font-size: medium;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="color: #4c1130; font-size: medium;">“I pity the man who wants a coat so cheap that the man or woman who produces the cloth will starve in the process.”</span></blockquote><p></p></blockquote><p>Admitting Idaho to the Union has made Harrison a background fixture of my entire life. Growing up on Lake Coeur d'Alene, I always enjoyed a trip across the lake to visit the town of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrison,_Idaho">Harrison</a>. As a teacher, most of my career has been spent at Bryan Elementary on Harrison Street. Interestingly enough, if Harrison had won a second term it is likely my school's namesake, William Jennings Bryan, would have been the president to follow him in 1897.</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-size: medium;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="color: #4c1130; font-size: medium;">"Great lives do not go out, they go on."</span></blockquote><p></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">If you care to see my interpretations of some of our great (and not so great) presidents of the past</span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><a href="https://blog.jimwindisch.com/2023/02/presidents-day-2023.html" style="color: #249fa3; text-decoration-line: none;">2023 John F. Kennedy</a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><a href="https://blog.jimwindisch.com/2022/02/presidents-day-2022.html" style="color: #249fa3; text-decoration-line: none;">2022 Zachary Taylor</a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><a href="https://blog.jimwindisch.com/2021/02/presidents-day-2021.html" style="color: #249fa3; font-size: 13.2px; text-decoration-line: none;">2021 Gerald Ford<br /></a><a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2020/02/presidents-day-2020.html" style="color: #249fa3; font-size: 13.2px; text-decoration-line: none;">2020 Calvin Coolidge</a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><div><a href="https://blog.jimwindisch.com/2019/02/presidents-day-2019.html" style="color: #249fa3; text-decoration-line: none;">2019 George H.W. Bush</a></div><div><a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2018/02/presidents-day-2018.html" style="color: #249fa3; text-decoration-line: none;">2018 Richard Nixon</a></div><div><a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2017/02/presidents-day-2017.html" style="color: #249fa3; text-decoration-line: none;">2017 Grover Cleveland</a></div><div><a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2016/02/presidents-day-2016.html" style="color: #249fa3; text-decoration-line: none;">2016 Ulysses S. Grant</a></div><div><a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2015/02/happy-presidents-day.html" style="color: #249fa3; text-decoration-line: none;">2012 - 2015 Lincoln, Arthur, Hayes, Taft, Garfield, and Theodore Roosevelt</a></div></div>Jim Windischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12768292429654933591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183651890862140391.post-58145027600437551232023-02-20T16:00:00.002-08:002023-02-20T16:00:49.717-08:00Presidents Day 2023<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjJcGRe2uZlZiZFpQ-CoefDOtGHWkG5IoqMNvWtvtYxg4E-vZFYTi2oBmR7al5TkjpB5baB_ETNmZpt-MTncGtErdzud49LoODY6s9ZG6QAxBnDO8oVAKHxQa8Nmtu0amPn_xJ_8T2feT_DP4EGomT-Sx1jWJqvR0aMAx4qsPOecSEolYbGbQcESfU0A/s688/Kennedy%20Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="688" data-original-width="518" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjJcGRe2uZlZiZFpQ-CoefDOtGHWkG5IoqMNvWtvtYxg4E-vZFYTi2oBmR7al5TkjpB5baB_ETNmZpt-MTncGtErdzud49LoODY6s9ZG6QAxBnDO8oVAKHxQa8Nmtu0amPn_xJ_8T2feT_DP4EGomT-Sx1jWJqvR0aMAx4qsPOecSEolYbGbQcESfU0A/w301-h400/Kennedy%20Photo.jpg" width="301" /></a></div><br />John Fitzgerald Kennedy was our nation's 35th president, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. His presidency is remembered for conflict with the Soviet Union and Cuba, progress in spaceflight, and the beginnings of civil rights legislation. He is also remembered as a charismatic speaker.<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4qxqpqI0aoSaHRsbo-BKccXkobAezbhUH4pLANrwxTIB5UauLklR5Fb48MLhugJxvjwM32lyU_0jsOTmPcWFXJtE5B6J3HAZCLf2MNWsPOZBlBAkLcpOjaGRlV_--VNFQNJF_OBER6I7ZqToRnJIcbc_tF6_Nqz35nsenq1rZfooV_Kb5Ps2B_ju_Q/s1025/700x0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4qxqpqI0aoSaHRsbo-BKccXkobAezbhUH4pLANrwxTIB5UauLklR5Fb48MLhugJxvjwM32lyU_0jsOTmPcWFXJtE5B6J3HAZCLf2MNWsPOZBlBAkLcpOjaGRlV_--VNFQNJF_OBER6I7ZqToRnJIcbc_tF6_Nqz35nsenq1rZfooV_Kb5Ps2B_ju_Q/s320/700x0.jpg" width="219" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Rapoport/Getty</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Kennedy has been on my mind since attending a recent teaching workshop on Document Based Inquiry. In one of the sessions, we read speeches by Kennedy and Soviet President Nikita Khrushchev following the Cuban Missile Crisis and endeavored to view those words as ourselves, an American citizen in 1962, and a Russian citizen of that time. It was a good reminder that history is both complex and cyclical. Some of the things said by Kennedy and Khrushchev are not too far from what we are hearing from Biden and Putin regarding Ukraine.</p><p>I knew that this year's picture would honor Kennedy when I ran across this <a href="https://www.bartleby.com/73/132.html">quote from his response to a <i>Saturday Review</i> presidential candidate questionnaire</a> in the final days of his 1960 campaign for the presidency.</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #000020;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">If this nation is to be wise as well as strong, if we are to achieve our destiny, then we need more new ideas for more wise men reading more good books in more public libraries. These libraries should be open to all—except the censor. We must know all the facts and hear all the alternatives and listen to all the criticisms. Let us welcome controversial books and controversial authors. For the Bill of Rights is the guardian of our security as well as our liberty.</span></span></p></blockquote><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFSZAtGA0pRyyNpOBDsduwdilm553YIlaoGPVqm3DjqnXkcTx3qUts8SGZa0nehWdgpVUqNcwZ6u9IiknUbUCKuA4gXhEHmiTsa9pqboNrAzmbkVGi180-m6kqWhc4b39Auxj3Vu_YbPW-3v6_64qounMhzAFeoY6CoElVnj9jbWvyHMB1caOHH7EuZw/s2048/BxCexzfCcAAPmix.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1561" data-original-width="2048" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFSZAtGA0pRyyNpOBDsduwdilm553YIlaoGPVqm3DjqnXkcTx3qUts8SGZa0nehWdgpVUqNcwZ6u9IiknUbUCKuA4gXhEHmiTsa9pqboNrAzmbkVGi180-m6kqWhc4b39Auxj3Vu_YbPW-3v6_64qounMhzAFeoY6CoElVnj9jbWvyHMB1caOHH7EuZw/s320/BxCexzfCcAAPmix.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kennedy was a voracious reader<br />Photo from JFK Library collection</td></tr></tbody></table><br />When I was younger, I aspired to be the President of the United States. In fact, the long term goals in my high school day planner included a run for the presidency in 2028. With less than a decade to go, I haven't yet created relationships in a political party or run for any public office. I hereby declare I will NOT be running for president in 2028.</p><p>However, I was appointed to the <a href="https://cdalibrary.org/about/board-of-trustees/">Coeur d'Alene Public Library Board of Trustees</a> in 2020 and was just elected as chair of that board. Although that position does not require me to bear anywhere near the responsibility required of the President of the United States, the decisions I am making there often require careful deliberation and can weigh heavily on my mind. Much of our work is updating <a href="https://cdalibrary.org/about/policy-manual/">library policy</a>. Making sure that our accessibility policy included miniature horses as service animals and that other policies are updated to reflect current technology are easy decisions. Other work, such as selecting a new library director, approving COVID safety policies, and figuring out what should be included in a trustee code of ethics have been more difficult.</p><p>For the last year and a half on the board, most of our meetings have included public comment concerned about the books that are in the library. As trustees, we have the responsibility to approve a book selection policy, but the actual collection is chosen and maintained by the library staff. The board is also the last stop for any book that is formally challenged by a community member. </p><p>It is my belief that the library should, as Kennedy said, include controversial books and controversial authors. It is up to an individual to choose which of those books come into their home to be read. There may be a question as to where they should be shelved in the library, but there is room in the library (and its book purchasing budget) for books that reflect and books that challenge the values and experiences of everyone in our community. "...We need more new ideas for more wise [people] reading more good books in more public libraries."</p><p>Happy Presidents Day! </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Should you seek to fix the blame for my past portraits:</span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><a href="https://blog.jimwindisch.com/2022/02/presidents-day-2022.html">2022 Zachary Taylor</a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><a href="https://blog.jimwindisch.com/2021/02/presidents-day-2021.html" style="color: #249fa3; font-size: 13.2px; text-decoration-line: none;">2021 Gerald Ford<br /></a><a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2020/02/presidents-day-2020.html" style="color: #249fa3; font-size: 13.2px; text-decoration-line: none;">2020 Calvin Coolidge</a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><div><a href="https://blog.jimwindisch.com/2019/02/presidents-day-2019.html" style="color: #249fa3; text-decoration-line: none;">2019 George H.W. Bush</a></div><div><a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2018/02/presidents-day-2018.html" style="color: #249fa3; text-decoration-line: none;">2018 Richard Nixon</a></div><div><a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2017/02/presidents-day-2017.html" style="color: #249fa3; text-decoration-line: none;">2017 Grover Cleveland</a></div><div><a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2016/02/presidents-day-2016.html" style="color: #249fa3; text-decoration-line: none;">2016 Ulysses S. Grant</a></div><div><a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2015/02/happy-presidents-day.html" style="color: #249fa3; text-decoration-line: none;">2012 - 2015 Lincoln, Arthur, Hayes, Taft, Garfield, and Theodore Roosevelt</a></div></div>Jim Windischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12768292429654933591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183651890862140391.post-49732503732149924932022-02-21T17:12:00.003-08:002022-02-21T17:19:23.300-08:00Presidents' Day 2022<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgByB4ZOLb_jPmYGTtFJyFtZYtbO7b54jXHHbcKi8H1DjgT354JCYN8OTmEs2jYWvchsehLP34YuVvr2pmotKV4u4GWWqCLaBNV7MXnvwQMUEW-gkQuNIUd8mpIHf7BqdYuVlQnhwt1HggJiY-sF1Hrx4zKNnnqw5iafLmXLR_MH6GuI8EEI9AS2XdhSg=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgByB4ZOLb_jPmYGTtFJyFtZYtbO7b54jXHHbcKi8H1DjgT354JCYN8OTmEs2jYWvchsehLP34YuVvr2pmotKV4u4GWWqCLaBNV7MXnvwQMUEW-gkQuNIUd8mpIHf7BqdYuVlQnhwt1HggJiY-sF1Hrx4zKNnnqw5iafLmXLR_MH6GuI8EEI9AS2XdhSg=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Zachary Taylor, our nation's twelfth president, only held that position for less than a year and a half. As such, his presidency ended up being of little consequence.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiRbS5F2qRf2vtFTzSLx09hSwmqnfhvKhikwMnFoKYfxhQer1EEiE9B1fu5_Ew2ISzUW7ENoSdGfjTiOGJ-FUpN6C9cRVAGp8xeOchTr1KzM2ux4eh-8Scj1w21ZpZv-JyyZxaY5vQJdUpy9FLBaTV5OEDgbJJxy8Uh2AK4xoJvoRTorKPPqPi0CDwGvw=s415" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="415" data-original-width="340" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiRbS5F2qRf2vtFTzSLx09hSwmqnfhvKhikwMnFoKYfxhQer1EEiE9B1fu5_Ew2ISzUW7ENoSdGfjTiOGJ-FUpN6C9cRVAGp8xeOchTr1KzM2ux4eh-8Scj1w21ZpZv-JyyZxaY5vQJdUpy9FLBaTV5OEDgbJJxy8Uh2AK4xoJvoRTorKPPqPi0CDwGvw=s320" width="262" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: Library of Congress via <a href="https://www.nps.gov/people/zachary-taylor.htm">National Park Service</a><br />(public domain)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>Cherries have often been a symbol of Presidents' Day due to the story of George Washington and the Cherry Tree that first appeared in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mason_Locke_Weems">Parson Weems'</a> <i>A History of the Life and Death, Virtues and Exploits of General George Washington. </i>The book, filled largely with falsehoods, was one of the most influential books of United States history through the first half of the 19th century. In fact, Historian Charles M. McPherson has said that it is likely the only U.S. History Abraham Lincoln studied as a young man. The fabricated cherry tree story was shared with generations of students through its later publication in the<i> McGuffey Reader. </i>It goes as follows:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><i>The following anecdote is a case in point. It is too valuable to be lost, and too true to be doubted; for it was communicated to me by the same excellent lady to whom I am indebted for the last. "When George," said she, "was about six years old, he was made the wealthy master of a hatchet! Of which, like most little boys, he was immoderately fond, and was constantly going about chopping everything that came in his way. One day, in the garden, where he often amused himself hacking his mother's pea-sticks, he unluckily tried the edge of his hatchet on the body of a beautiful young English cherry-tree, which he barked so terribly, that I don't believe the tree ever got the better of it. The next morning the old gentleman, finding out what had befallen his tree, which, by the by, was a great favourite, came into the house; and with much warmth asked for the mischievous author, declaring at the same time, that he would not have taken five guineas for his tree. Nobody could tell him anything about it. Presently George and his hatchet made their appearance. "George," said his father, "do you know who killed that beautiful little cherry tree yonder in the garden?" This was a tough question; and George staggered under it for a moment; but quickly recovered himself: and looking at his father, with the sweet face of youth brightened with the inexpressible charm of all-conquering truth, he bravely cried out, "I can't tell a lie, Pa; you know I can't tell a lie. I did cut it with my hatchet." "Run to my arms, you dearest boy," cried his father in transports, "run to my arms; glad am I, George, that you killed my tree; for you have paid me for it a thousand fold. Such an act of heroism in my son is more worth than a thousand trees, though blossomed with silver, and their fruits of purest gold."</i></p></blockquote><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh4yaizZG08LCMSDhHePibp9uBRLMxN4cdpPgnwt_Wgo22ob1dowg1nzxEFU0t7cK94MZ93qdgLNZKPe1qYLGc9Fk2n-Ejm2CfiR_5CmGFsU7ujn1TLD8A2oG3_M4SJtSsWKHZhJ-9GAbwKo85D4kVqtZV_jPRvox2qf77GJYBca8-dv8_XfWSrCytN5g=s785" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="785" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh4yaizZG08LCMSDhHePibp9uBRLMxN4cdpPgnwt_Wgo22ob1dowg1nzxEFU0t7cK94MZ93qdgLNZKPe1qYLGc9Fk2n-Ejm2CfiR_5CmGFsU7ujn1TLD8A2oG3_M4SJtSsWKHZhJ-9GAbwKo85D4kVqtZV_jPRvox2qf77GJYBca8-dv8_XfWSrCytN5g=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Parson Weems' Fable</i> by Grant Wood, 1939<br />(Public Domain)</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Although it is a charming story, there is no evidence to support it. Yet it was taught for years in school. I even think I read a version in contemporary language when I was in elementary school. That sort of myth-making definitely makes for a feel-good lesson, but real history is so much more interesting. As a teacher, I strive to give my students the truth as we can best understand it after the passage of time. It is important to draw the line between history and historical fiction if we are to prepare students to think critically and make up their own minds about our societal past, present, and future.<p></p><p>Why do I spend half of a blog post about Zachary Taylor talking about Parson Weems' made up story about George Washington's honesty? It is only prelude to the superior <b>Presidents' Day story of cherries, the Washington Monument, and Zachary Taylor (no hatchets required.)</b></p><p>On July 4, 1850, President Zachary Taylor, sometimes referred to as "Old Rough and Ready" for his exploits in the Mexican-American War and his long career in the U.S. Army spoke at the site where the Washington Monument would soon be constructed. To beat the scorching heat of the day, he ate a large amount of raw cherries along with iced milk. Upon returning to the White House, he drank multiple glasses of water. Either bacteria present in one of the foods or the combination of acidic cherries with the milk caused severe stomach pains. Five days later, he died. <a href="https://libwww.freelibrary.org/explore/guide/presidential-last-words">His last words are reported</a> as “I am about to die. I expect the summons very soon. I have tried to discharge all my duties faithfully. I regret nothing, but I am sorry that I am about to leave my friends.” Although he didn't say it, I bet he regretted his Fourth of July dining choices as well.</p><p>Taylor had opposed expanding slavery into the territories added to the United States following the Mexican-American War. For many years after his death, rumors grew that Southern proponents of slavery had poisoned the president. Nearly 150 years later in 1991, <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2011/06/zachary-taylors-body-exhumed-june-17-1991-057126">Zachary Taylor's body was exhumed</a> to investigate the cause of death. Although trace amounts of arsenic were found, Tenessee coroner George Nicols concluded Taylor's death was caused by any of “a myriad of natural diseases which could have produced the symptoms of gastroenteritis.”</p><p>Although this story does not have a simple lesson about a virtue such as honesty, it is a good reminder to watch what you eat and drink, especially in areas where cholera is often present in the water (Washington, D.C. had terrible sewage problems at the time).</p><p>In addition to the fascinating story, the exhumation of Zachary Taylor makes his the only presidential skull viewable in a photo. If you want to see it, visit the site for the <a href="https://fgcu.digital.flvc.org/islandora/object/fgcu%3A27893">William M. Maples collection at Florida Gulf Coast University</a>. That is not a presidential photo I plan to emulate.</p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">If you need all the gory details of my long-standing Presidential portrait series:</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blog.jimwindisch.com/2021/02/presidents-day-2021.html" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">2021 Gerald Ford<br /></a><a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2020/02/presidents-day-2020.html" style="color: #249fa3; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-decoration-line: none;">2020 Calvin Coolidge</a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: left;"><div><a href="https://blog.jimwindisch.com/2019/02/presidents-day-2019.html" style="color: #249fa3; text-decoration-line: none;">2019 George H.W. Bush</a></div><div><a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2018/02/presidents-day-2018.html" style="color: #249fa3; text-decoration-line: none;">2018 Richard Nixon</a></div><div><a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2017/02/presidents-day-2017.html" style="color: #249fa3; text-decoration-line: none;">2017 Grover Cleveland</a></div><div><a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2016/02/presidents-day-2016.html" style="color: #249fa3; text-decoration-line: none;">2016 Ulysses S. Grant</a></div><div><a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2015/02/happy-presidents-day.html" style="color: #249fa3; text-decoration-line: none;">2012 - 2015 Lincoln, Arthur, Hayes, Taft, Garfield, and Theodore Roosevelt</a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: left;">This year, as always, Sarah Windisch deserves thanks for her photography and editing. Notice the digital wallpaper behind my portrait. That hand-made, cherry damask: all Sarah's work and talent!</div>Jim Windischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12768292429654933591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183651890862140391.post-2917760984501057902021-02-15T16:32:00.001-08:002021-02-15T17:37:12.742-08:00Presidents Day 2021<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6vP0TSp-Ew3hHQyvV44aJk1HLfoDXJuvqE2uR93SUXJiw4-I_pFZGIqgVGTxzmSa8ZxhiNEw4mDAvvtnHS_wlA5VvUa5Ws_eFo0EeFMTyvOxo-IealrfEWnyq7fkJqwx1WVSUkCovryyd/s687/Greald+Ford+editable.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="686" data-original-width="687" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6vP0TSp-Ew3hHQyvV44aJk1HLfoDXJuvqE2uR93SUXJiw4-I_pFZGIqgVGTxzmSa8ZxhiNEw4mDAvvtnHS_wlA5VvUa5Ws_eFo0EeFMTyvOxo-IealrfEWnyq7fkJqwx1WVSUkCovryyd/s320/Greald+Ford+editable.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Our 38th President, Gerald Ford, happens to be our only president who was never elected to either the position of President and Vice President. That isn't the only thing that makes him, and the photo I emulated this year, complicated. </p><p>One of Gerald Ford's first actions as president was pardoning his successor, Richard Nixon. Ford became president upon <a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2018/02/presidents-day-2018.html">Richard Nixon</a>'s resignation. The country was deeply divided with many wanting to see Nixon punished for his role in the Watergate break-in. Announcing the pardon, Ford said, "[The Nixon Family's situation] is an American tragedy in which we all have played a part. It could go on and on and on, or someone must write the end to it. I have concluded that only I can do that, and if I can, I must." Today it is impossible to know whether his decision allowed our country to move on or if it sowed seeds that contributed to the great division we feel today.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwUARVbmPP1tFOmaS8Gdu_H45P11BgWec9NOJIQpMGZp4Vloji5zPj74401hCckW4Xp84NRdougPdiwIrT1ufH__PiMCq4EyiAmjlptM0OpFpsRMYL2IOA3uT6Dy9gdQa0Kvw5f4QWF2VO/s539/Ford+inspiration+cropped.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="539" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwUARVbmPP1tFOmaS8Gdu_H45P11BgWec9NOJIQpMGZp4Vloji5zPj74401hCckW4Xp84NRdougPdiwIrT1ufH__PiMCq4EyiAmjlptM0OpFpsRMYL2IOA3uT6Dy9gdQa0Kvw5f4QWF2VO/s320/Ford+inspiration+cropped.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>When I first saw this photo of Gerald Ford receiving the swine flu vaccine on October 14,1976, I knew it was the only photo I could do when Presidents' Day 2021 fell on the day of my vaccine appointment for COVID-19. However, the story behind this photo is not one of medical triumph. After a young soldier at Fort Dix died of swine flu in February, Ford called for a national swine flu immunization program. The rush to deliver a vaccine resulted in some vaccine doses containing the wrong viral strain. The feared pandemic never materialized and many people feared the vaccine was responsible for dozens vaccine recipients contracting Guillain-Barré syndrome. The vaccine program ended after nearly a quarter of the U.S. population (including President Ford) received the shot. However, the damage to the credibility of vaccines was long lasting, and still affects us.</p><p><a href="https://www.history.com/news/swine-flu-rush-vaccine-election-year-1976">"When the U.S. Government Tried to Fast-Track a Flu Vaccine"</a> by Christopher Klein is a worthwhile read if you want to learn more.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIqme9IU-CWt61xjV6CUOEFDe_LgXbmoYLc09TgBWCBezs_nDuSkm6inhmGqaNZ9XE-fqq1GCfm0elFxggMXgmpi0HrG_q1Td3VCNvgmmY1vs9nfcbnjLWAehL2jlIhxVctR1zvYhgepOt/s1219/Gerald-Ford.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1219" data-original-width="1040" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIqme9IU-CWt61xjV6CUOEFDe_LgXbmoYLc09TgBWCBezs_nDuSkm6inhmGqaNZ9XE-fqq1GCfm0elFxggMXgmpi0HrG_q1Td3VCNvgmmY1vs9nfcbnjLWAehL2jlIhxVctR1zvYhgepOt/s320/Gerald-Ford.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ford's official White House portrait</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Although he is often remembered as the "accidental president" since he never publicly aspired to that office, he is also remembered as a man of integrity. After leaving the White House, he put aside his differences with Jimmy Carter, who beat him in the 1976 election, and the two eventually became close friends. </div><div><br /></div><div>In learning about Gerald Ford this year, I was struck by the parallels between some of the challenges of his presidency and the problems we face today. It is those connections that have made history endlessly fascinating to me. I hope that you will work to find the connections between history and the present as well. When it comes to President Ford, a good start is his address to the nation upon pardoning former President Nixon.</div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ladies and gentlemen:</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">I have come to a decision which I felt I should tell you and all of my fellow American citizens, as soon as I was certain in my own mind and in my own conscience that it is the right thing to do.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">I have learned already in this office that the difficult decisions always come to this desk. I must admit that many of them do not look at all the same as the hypothetical questions that I have answered freely and perhaps too fast on previous occasions.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">My customary policy is to try and get all the facts and to consider the opinions of my countrymen and to take counsel with my most valued friends. But these seldom agree, and in the end, the decision is mine. To procrastinate, to agonize, and to wait for a more favorable turn of events that may never come or more compelling external pressures that may as well be wrong as right, is itself a decision of sorts and a weak and potentially dangerous course for a President to follow.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">I have promised to uphold the Constitution, to do what is right as God gives me to see the right, and to do the very best that I can for America.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">I have asked your help and your prayers, not only when I became President but many times since. The Constitution is the supreme law of our land and it governs our actions as citizens. Only the laws of God, which govern our consciences, are superior to it.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">As we are a nation under God, so I am sworn to uphold our laws with the help of God. And I have sought such guidance and searched my own conscience with special diligence to determine the right thing for me to do with respect to my predecessor in this place, Richard Nixon, and his loyal wife and family.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Theirs is an American tragedy in which we all have played a part. It could go on and on and on, or someone must write the end to it. I have concluded that only I can do that, and if I can, I must.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">There are no historic or legal precedents to which I can turn in this matter, none that precisely fit the circumstances of a private citizen who has resigned the Presidency of the United States. But it is common knowledge that serious allegations and accusations hang like a sword over our former President's head, threatening his health as he tries to reshape his life, a great part of which was spent in the service of this country and by the mandate of its people.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">After years of bitter controversy and divisive national debate, I have been advised, and I am compelled to conclude that many months and perhaps more years will have to pass before Richard Nixon could obtain a fair trial by jury in any jurisdiction of the United States under governing decisions of the Supreme Court.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">I deeply believe in equal justice for all Americans, whatever their station or former station. The law, whether human or divine, is no respecter of persons; but the law is a respecter of reality.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">The facts, as I see them, are that a former President of the United States, instead of enjoying equal treatment with any other citizen accused of violating the law, would be cruelly and excessively penalized either in preserving the presumption of his innocence or in obtaining a speedy determination of his guilt in order to repay a legal debt to society.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">During this long period of delay and potential litigation, ugly passions would again be aroused. And our people would again be polarized in their opinions. And the credibility of our free institutions of government would again be challenged at home and abroad.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">In the end, the courts might well hold that Richard Nixon had been denied due process, and the verdict of history would even be more inconclusive with respect to those charges arising out of the period of his Presidency, of which I am presently aware.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">But it is not the ultimate fate of Richard Nixon that most concerns me, though surely it deeply troubles every decent and every compassionate person. My concern is the immediate future of this great country.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">In this, I dare not depend upon my personal sympathy as a longtime friend of the former President, nor my professional judgment as a lawyer, and I do not.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">As President, my primary concern must always be the greatest good of all the people of the United States whose servant I am. As a man, my first consideration is to be true to my own convictions and my own conscience.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">My conscience tells me clearly and certainly that I cannot prolong the bad dreams that continue to reopen a chapter that is closed. My conscience tells me that only I, as President, have the constitutional power to firmly shut and seal this book. My conscience tells me it is my duty, not merely to proclaim domestic tranquility but to use every means that I have to insure it. I do believe that the buck stops here, that I cannot rely upon public opinion polls to tell me what is right. I do believe that right makes might and that if I am wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference. I do believe, with all my heart and mind and spirit, that I, not as President but as a humble servant of God, will receive justice without mercy if I fail to show mercy.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Finally, I feel that Richard Nixon and his loved ones have suffered enough and will continue to suffer, no matter what I do, no matter what we, as a great and good nation, can do together to make his goal of peace come true.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Now, therefore, I, Gerald R. Ford, President of the United States, pursuant to the pardon power conferred upon me by Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution, have granted and by these presents do grant a full, free, and absolute pardon unto Richard Nixon for all offenses against the United States which he, Richard Nixon, has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from July (January) 20, 1969, through August 9, 1974.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this eighth day of September, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and seventy-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and ninety-ninth.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">President Gerald R. Ford - September 8, 1974</span></div></div></blockquote><p></p><div>Of course you could always learn the history of my strange Presidents' Day tradition as well.</div><div><a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2020/02/presidents-day-2020.html">2020 Calvin Coolidge</a></div><div><div><a href="https://blog.jimwindisch.com/2019/02/presidents-day-2019.html">2019 George H.W. Bush</a></div><div><a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2018/02/presidents-day-2018.html">2018 Richard Nixon</a></div><div><a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2017/02/presidents-day-2017.html">2017 Grover Cleveland</a></div><div><a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2016/02/presidents-day-2016.html">2016 Ulysses S. Grant</a></div><div><a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2015/02/happy-presidents-day.html">2012 - 2015 Lincoln, Arthur, Hayes, Taft, Garfield, and Theodore Roosevelt</a></div></div><div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>Jim Windischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12768292429654933591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183651890862140391.post-50404388534718027502020-02-17T15:26:00.002-08:002020-02-17T15:26:59.584-08:00Presidents Day 2020<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkkQcVSj1brlnLkn1gx1_JSlgE3GfBV5eY47U-Rk18BK9L8a8FIGmirCctUZiXUaxgaKswuJGNCJkqRqe-pJ4f9Hi__MuAmIZSj9DIvDd9LPm2m716qkCNkxZrasanVfm90fM7wRDMLGzq/s1600/project_20200217_121440.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="481" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkkQcVSj1brlnLkn1gx1_JSlgE3GfBV5eY47U-Rk18BK9L8a8FIGmirCctUZiXUaxgaKswuJGNCJkqRqe-pJ4f9Hi__MuAmIZSj9DIvDd9LPm2m716qkCNkxZrasanVfm90fM7wRDMLGzq/s400/project_20200217_121440.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Calvin Coolidge A.K.A. The Sphinx of the Potomac or Silent Cal, became president upon the death of Warren G. Harding*. He is known for restoring trust in the presidency as the many scandals caused by the unethical dealings of Harding and his inner circle came to light. Although his reputation as a man of few words comes from the numerous parties he had to attend as vice president, he is quoted as saying "The words of a president have enormous weight, and ought not to be used indiscriminately."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZjNVFYB14mK_g9f8o3OW1tye3xCgrGQvFY7jvXtOylu4ej_sA9rkYT6WNya2DNd6c2pnPKhSmC0B9lIP-gwCzneIE1gXuN1MI0513-gouHrTtAFVVXxndHU8Rye7pPX0IozbfnmpsWj3J/s1600/Coolidge_after_signing_indian_treaty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1431" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZjNVFYB14mK_g9f8o3OW1tye3xCgrGQvFY7jvXtOylu4ej_sA9rkYT6WNya2DNd6c2pnPKhSmC0B9lIP-gwCzneIE1gXuN1MI0513-gouHrTtAFVVXxndHU8Rye7pPX0IozbfnmpsWj3J/s320/Coolidge_after_signing_indian_treaty.jpg" width="286" /></a></div>
President Coolidge was a snappy dresser, as well. He preferred big hats and double-breasted suits. Taking this year's photo was a good chance to take advantage of a boldly-printed vintage tie and a rarely-used chapeau. This year I also enlisted my <a href="http://www.bowtiebarbershoppe.com/">barber</a>'s help in achieving the Calvin Coolidge look. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_z_M_IyO_Ms_eVpsYqG0OuHAeWBr5WktvgARxzgjbuVQE62zy6Sq4WbCPaS4xtWt3BSfF1s3du5eiANlXc2173CSlr49b_SdibrFE6BNG8duxuMZsqsQV-XSfgLY3hMSrAuDY-I6rj4vM/s1600/5914d90b12eab.image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="511" data-original-width="941" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_z_M_IyO_Ms_eVpsYqG0OuHAeWBr5WktvgARxzgjbuVQE62zy6Sq4WbCPaS4xtWt3BSfF1s3du5eiANlXc2173CSlr49b_SdibrFE6BNG8duxuMZsqsQV-XSfgLY3hMSrAuDY-I6rj4vM/s400/5914d90b12eab.image.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a presidential look I can only dream of pulling off.</td></tr>
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In learning more about our 30th president, I came across a number of interesting facts and amusing photos. Some of the best are collected in the <a href="https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/calvin-coolidge-best-president-ever">Thrillist article "Calvin Coolidge: Best President Ever"</a><br />
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If you're new to my Presidents' Day tradition (or just can't get enough of it), check out photos from past years.<br />
<a href="https://blog.jimwindisch.com/2019/02/presidents-day-2019.html">2019 George H.W. Bush</a><br />
<a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2018/02/presidents-day-2018.html">2018 Richard Nixon</a><br />
<a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2017/02/presidents-day-2017.html">2017 Grover Cleveland</a><br />
<a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2016/02/presidents-day-2016.html">2016 Ulysses S. Grant</a><br />
<a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2015/02/happy-presidents-day.html">2012 - 2015 Lincoln, Arthur, Hayes, Taft, Garfield, and Theodore Roosevelt</a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">*My Warren G. Harding photo will require a live elephant. If you have access to one, please contact me immediately.</span>Jim Windischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12768292429654933591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183651890862140391.post-34138866594258831502019-02-18T13:07:00.003-08:002020-02-17T15:36:50.533-08:00Presidents Day 2019<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioVcnYHiEEDMLCPJBhz_VTcg6QNirld51dQs64_0BagSiDKFV1k6TqOjnAUnnx4nWqm-RLRk23ITYDtbSk8uvO4wJRqsnxb9p5tQ5BY5db4ZMS09hv92Z1pjSPXTA-S7adZe7-JfJ3U0WN/s1600/President%2527s+Day+19.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioVcnYHiEEDMLCPJBhz_VTcg6QNirld51dQs64_0BagSiDKFV1k6TqOjnAUnnx4nWqm-RLRk23ITYDtbSk8uvO4wJRqsnxb9p5tQ5BY5db4ZMS09hv92Z1pjSPXTA-S7adZe7-JfJ3U0WN/s400/President%2527s+Day+19.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
When George H.W. Bush passed away at the end of November, I saw this picture for the first time. It was such a joyful president photo I immediately knew that I would need to recreate this one when we had a particularly snowy February. This year delivered: we just came out of our area's longest stretch of days with measurable snow in over 80 years.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuQF8u-Uhu2M-Xj6d75GLLziFvkwjEaohCfW-Br03-OioXtgiqYt7EgFS0bm7rgfo5ZrVAibxtxMwv4Qrt_xoHl0NmHc2oLHr81gx_2G6CQAFvp98z3jrzLHLCskJvCbo_8ozKHfcCsvBO/s1600/Bush+and+Arnold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="658" data-original-width="960" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuQF8u-Uhu2M-Xj6d75GLLziFvkwjEaohCfW-Br03-OioXtgiqYt7EgFS0bm7rgfo5ZrVAibxtxMwv4Qrt_xoHl0NmHc2oLHr81gx_2G6CQAFvp98z3jrzLHLCskJvCbo_8ozKHfcCsvBO/s320/Bush+and+Arnold.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://aboutcampdavid.blogspot.com/2011/01/sledding.html">Camp David has a rich sledding tradition</a> beyond<br />
the 1991 outing that inspired my picture. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
George H.W. Bush's presidency coincided with my middle school years when I really developed an interest in politics. After purchasing a President Bush mask (with moving mouth!) and watching Dana Carvey's impersonation on Saturday Night Live again and again, I begin making appearances as President Bush. I even tried out for the talent show my freshman year of high school taking an old George Burns and Gracie Allen routine and adapting it for President Bush and Vice-President Quayle impersonations. For some reason, it wasn't the type of act they were looking for.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIWOt4GAojbQwJ96aPAN78A6bGXCjkrSku-lCZI12C4D4XJ7bA45Anhu_hy0bBj3f86ZpgyaqnrMvmumvGhM0fs2KUOUoS9U8hQM2leWlMzeawmDf1zQ7Dr4yebV-7Otho4DTIGuzxbp4-/s1600/download.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIWOt4GAojbQwJ96aPAN78A6bGXCjkrSku-lCZI12C4D4XJ7bA45Anhu_hy0bBj3f86ZpgyaqnrMvmumvGhM0fs2KUOUoS9U8hQM2leWlMzeawmDf1zQ7Dr4yebV-7Otho4DTIGuzxbp4-/s1600/download.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Someday I'll share a George Bush picture<br />
from my middle school yearbook.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
This picture represents a few firsts for the series. This is the first picture I've done of a president from my lifetime. It's my first color photo. It's also the first time I've had to seek help outside my family to get the picture. A friend from community band loaned me the army cap, and I met a number of families from my school at the local sledding hill where parents of my students graciously provided the toboggan, served as Arnold Schwarzenegger's body double, and took the photo. This photo also represents my most significant photo editing. Arnold's children do not attend my school, so <a href="https://twitter.com/slwindisch?lang=en">Sarah</a> did some face swapping. The only previous photo trickery involved stretching <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx4s8tmx8WzBLpTi0L3sn8Gk4ZBfWDJVWwCHVE4wuubLyOiRpZWKWoDyoZjByOMtN1pbOXINRCJ1L0p8YoGi5m1s8pBv9Q4n_ZUL8u1LMjEXByNwgA31PMdAbAG25DylnAxMLYIxfAMXbz/s1600/BgtAkQmCAAABXQL.jpg">Rutherford B. Hayes's </a>beard. Who knows what firsts (if any) next year's photo will bring?<br />
<br />
Stay out of the cold and enjoy the rest of the series:<br />
<a href="https://blog.jimwindisch.com/2020/02/presidents-day-2020.html">2020 Calvin Coolidge</a><br />
<a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2018/02/presidents-day-2018.html">2018 Richard Nixon</a><br />
<a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2017/02/presidents-day-2017.html">2017 Grover Cleveland</a><br />
<a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2016/02/presidents-day-2016.html">2016 Ulysses S. Grant</a><br />
<a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2015/02/happy-presidents-day.html">2012 - 2015 Lincoln, Arthur, Hayes, Taft, Garfield, and Theodore Roosevelt</a>Jim Windischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12768292429654933591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183651890862140391.post-83241209251908423372018-11-23T16:11:00.002-08:002018-11-23T16:11:57.481-08:00Book Review - The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ_QYZSMPi8o7TjCFxr_MrPo7Wn0UGnY3awqaV0cfurpNZ31XInxJaQoj1br5Hd02iLYq4gu13w5UgytiKEWViQFmzcp-baPFe-W6gxOeE3zaf92hUtuV_G-AnpMCL5DNThvEGFac6Qyq4/s1600/IMG_20181123_160600174.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ_QYZSMPi8o7TjCFxr_MrPo7Wn0UGnY3awqaV0cfurpNZ31XInxJaQoj1br5Hd02iLYq4gu13w5UgytiKEWViQFmzcp-baPFe-W6gxOeE3zaf92hUtuV_G-AnpMCL5DNThvEGFac6Qyq4/s400/IMG_20181123_160600174.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<i>The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp</i><br />
by Kathi Appelt<br />
Atheneum Books for Young Readers<br />
Paperback - May 20, 2014<br />
<br />
Deep in the Sugar Man Swamp, Audie Brayburn's rusted 1949 Chrysler DeSoto has become home to raccoon brothers Bingo and J'miah. As brand new swamp scouts, their job is to monitor the swamp and wake up the mysterious Sugar Man in the event of an emergency. Their first five days on the job coincide with an ominous rumbling created by an animal threat drawing near.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile Audie Brayburn's grandson, Chap, is learning what it means to be the man of the house following his grandfather's death. His family's way of life is in danger as their home and bakery at the edge of the swamp stands in the way of a proposed Gator Wrestling Arena and Theme Park. He needs a boatload of cash or a visit from the Sugar Man to stop this human threat.<br />
<br />
From beginning to end, this was a fun book to read. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters. J'miah's nervousness at Bingo's death-defying tree climbs, Gertrude the giant rattlesnake's itchiness, and Coyoteman Jim's late-night thoughts at the local radio station made the characters feel real. Chap was the star of the story, though, as he longed for a message from his grandpa that would help him save the Paradise Pies Cafe. I was moved by the mixture of hope and longing as he revisited Audie's birding sketchbooks to search for ideas and advice.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifC6EAl8MN90uK9WYFxKWAe199ulVUyz76a4UQwIlPPJzANppPywt6vSeOT2EZAIcRMAYKdzTWMzswtamJzRtNE9KbU21LdJw36__ekv4sya8By2k2ZTe1hAnDa2995A8FS82XA9MPh2Sw/s1600/IMG_-e45il6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="783" data-original-width="1024" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifC6EAl8MN90uK9WYFxKWAe199ulVUyz76a4UQwIlPPJzANppPywt6vSeOT2EZAIcRMAYKdzTWMzswtamJzRtNE9KbU21LdJw36__ekv4sya8By2k2ZTe1hAnDa2995A8FS82XA9MPh2Sw/s320/IMG_-e45il6.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When a book knows it's using terrific vocabulary!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As great as the characters were, the author's voice is what really makes this a special book. The frequent perspective changes between the human and animal world are often separated by chapters full of facts about topics ranging from the history of the Polaroid camera to the behavior of alligators that quickly tie in to the story's big picture. In addition, the book often draws attention to its own beautiful vocabulary. After one character proposes that the Sugar Man is no longer extant the author places the message "Extant. What a great word that is" in parentheses. It's one of many times that the narration pops off the page.<br />
<br />
This was one of the 2019 Idaho Kids Vote Book Award nominees I had not read before this year's program began. When I started reading, I thought the Deep South setting was an unusual choice for our state book award. Wouldn't Idaho kids relate to a book about life in the mountains better? Even though we don't have bayous, our wilderness faces threats, too. I think the unfamiliar setting gives readers in Idaho just enough distance to consider the message of finding harmony with nature. Not only will that message stick with me, I think the laugh out loud moments and touching relationships in the book will have me remembering the residents of the Sugar Man Swamp for years to come.Jim Windischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12768292429654933591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183651890862140391.post-19322697374278680272018-11-04T10:14:00.000-08:002018-11-04T10:14:37.733-08:00Book Review - Mac B. Kid Spy: Mac Undercover<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA-r-hFey2pIJ7DZjAQaoMp8oGbfZ1Ye88OKXX-53bV3jZ_pdSTR0NMXbHyByOPq2QGxchlCumQtHjzfGMyirgNsM-U67Nj4Hs3wBeJxgwa43JGxJboR_mfvSKnVrEg96uvfGowtP6ILY4/s1600/IMG_20181103_150134053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA-r-hFey2pIJ7DZjAQaoMp8oGbfZ1Ye88OKXX-53bV3jZ_pdSTR0NMXbHyByOPq2QGxchlCumQtHjzfGMyirgNsM-U67Nj4Hs3wBeJxgwa43JGxJboR_mfvSKnVrEg96uvfGowtP6ILY4/s320/IMG_20181103_150134053.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Mac B. Kid Spy: Mac Undercover<br />
by Mac Barnett<br />
Illustrated by Mike Lowery<br />
Orchard Books<br />
September 11, 2018<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">I received a free copy of this book through the Scholastic Insider program, but the opinions in this review are my own</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
What happens when a kid growing up in late 80s California gets a call from the Queen of England asking for help? He becomes Mac B. Kid Spy!<br />
<br />
Mac is tasked with retrieving an interesting item stolen from the Crown Jewels. The Queen believes that the President of France has taken it, but Mac discovers the truth is much more complicated. He travels through Europe in order to find the Queen's missing item as well as some other items that have disappeared along the way.<br />
<br />
This was a fun book and I loved the humor throughout it. As a kid who grew up in the 80s, I loved the references to the disappointing graphics of the Game Boy and comments like "Phones had cords. You can look that up." Those bits might lead to some fun conversations between parents and kids as they read. Mac's situations throughout the book definitely led to a few laughs, and I hope I'm not the only reader to suspect that he has a karate battle with a future world leader.<br />
<br />
Although it was fun to read, it was a very simple book. The plot was straightforward and the vocabulary was basic. I think this would be a great choice for kids who are just entering the world of chapter books. More advanced readers may have a good time with this book, but it is not one that will give them a lot to think about. That being said, I gave this to my son as soon as I finished it. He was over halfway through less than a half hour after picking it up and I heard him laugh out loud as he read. It's not one that I will be recommending to the grade 3-5 students in my advanced learning program, but I do think it's one that many will enjoy finding in our school's library!Jim Windischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12768292429654933591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183651890862140391.post-20299501304015241192018-07-03T07:25:00.002-07:002023-02-20T19:24:11.828-08:00Innovation vs. ExpectationsMy podcast diet typically consists of the fun kids' science podcasts my kid can't get enough of, like <a href="https://tinkercast.com/shows/wow-in-the-world/">Wow in the World</a> and <a href="https://www.brainson.org/">Brains On</a>. On a rare solo drive this week, I listened to <a href="https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510324/rough-translation">Rough Translation</a>, a more mature offering, and it has filled me with questions. I strongly recommend listening to it (or reading the <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2018/06/19/613655788/when-it-comes-to-preschool-does-father-really-know-best">transcript)</a> before you read the rest of this post.<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="220" scrolling="no" src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/620313693/621656629" title="NPR embedded audio player" width="100%">
</iframe>What does this mean for all of the changes and innovations that are necessary to keep improving my practice as an educator? When I know that I am making improvements for my students, I need to have the courage to stick with it. I can't let the questions and scrutiny that comes with change cause me to roll back into the old way of doing things.<br />
<br />
A few years back, I ran across a <a href="https://www.briantracy.com/blog/personal-success/one-hour-makes-all-the-difference/">quote from Brian Tracy</a> that basically said one hour of professional development reading per day could make someone an expert in their field within seven years. Most Americans spent seven hours a day going to school for at least 13 years. After all that time, they feel like experts in schooling and have definite expectations of what education should look like.<br />
<br />
Innovation, by definition, doesn't conform to expectations. Education stakeholders are going to ask questions and have conversations about the innovations that don't conform to their expectations. Even if it isn't the intention, this scrutiny can lead teachers to have cold feet with their new ideas. In the case of Ghana's preschools, teachers continued to put up colorful posters and move out of the traditional rows of seats, but they stopped asking students the important questions that led to the gains in personal expression.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmjBBmZO6MccYyOlAyJmZCxGPiQY-t7Z5dxRlooMWxJykNPZzpQVxVttJj-YpufgxeO_1h-VCfcEkrbEEQMLv9kJbVubGjAMMdArCzMSAqplkN6NCHzZ3sofA1t5GD4DWSB3EoxezD7XUF/s1600/IMG_0270.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1196" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmjBBmZO6MccYyOlAyJmZCxGPiQY-t7Z5dxRlooMWxJykNPZzpQVxVttJj-YpufgxeO_1h-VCfcEkrbEEQMLv9kJbVubGjAMMdArCzMSAqplkN6NCHzZ3sofA1t5GD4DWSB3EoxezD7XUF/s200/IMG_0270.JPG" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Students investigate<br />
the concept of area</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I've seen it in my community, too. All Idaho teachers are required to take a mathematical thinking course. Although teachers have been taking the course for around a decade, there hasn't been a big shift to the type of mathematical learning that the course advocated. I think a lot of this is due to subtle pressure from parents and the community to teach kids math in a familiar way.<br />
<br />
Educating parents is difficult. My school hosted a math night last fall where I gave an opening talk to the families that attended. The big messages of <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1HuSEEZJmiKvXt-OfAoqRt0NCcUWQI1HKamD8c1Mn750/edit?usp=sharing">my presentation</a> were that anyone can learn math, counting on fingers is positive and helpful, and it is good to make mistakes. As soon as I was done talking, I sent the parents off to their children's classrooms. I now wonder what type of conversations happened in those classrooms as a result. It leaves me wondering how to best involve parents without creating anxiety about new approaches.<br />
<br />
How can we engage all of our stakeholders in a way that allows innovation to thrive? Communicating with parents is an important part of the job, but all of the change and innovation over the last few years makes their expertise and expectations from their time as a student obsolete. I think this dichotomy between outdated expectations and moving forward quashes a lot of innovation in our schools. What is the balance between expectations and innovation? How can we honor all of our stakeholders while trying new and unproven ideas?<br />
<br />
If you have thoughts and answers, I would love to hear them. I will continue to experiment and refine as I seek answers to my questions.<br />
<br />
<br />Jim Windischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12768292429654933591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183651890862140391.post-42160881430623074872018-02-19T18:07:00.002-08:002020-02-17T15:37:14.220-08:00Presidents Day 2018<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZyUY29MdgoFB9Tq1oyW22MJnzTlgIp_RYC_BXQhwRz68JUSKl7VI_blkl1FOpUmVcqcMcmi4ts0GeKIVmmhGxnPD6Io7pu0cQXGKtpbACBxtHY3mv5UK2MlF47qLAy2Sh0QiSHUoIeQGy/s1600/Nixon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="693" data-original-width="524" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZyUY29MdgoFB9Tq1oyW22MJnzTlgIp_RYC_BXQhwRz68JUSKl7VI_blkl1FOpUmVcqcMcmi4ts0GeKIVmmhGxnPD6Io7pu0cQXGKtpbACBxtHY3mv5UK2MlF47qLAy2Sh0QiSHUoIeQGy/s400/Nixon.jpg" width="301" /></a></div>
<br />
President Nixon has always held a fascination for me. I grew up in the era where he was something of an elder statesman who would make appearances on the Sunday morning talk shows my grandpa watched, but he was still the butt of many jokes. In fact, I remember proudly wearing a "Nixon in '92" T-shirt while my middle school history classes discussed the debates between George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. That long-standing interest (plus Nixon's instantly-recognizable "V for victory"), made our 37th president my first beardless president portrait. Happy Presidents Day!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFBgy-hsAopqIRTq3ak1lY7BVF1cmrvTgeFD8PS4iSiXnFFJfqpXL3YgBdLk8HY7Jz8KEpAhqsD1BsiLREQr_aX8yIl5dr_IL4FY2pslXNYL2j8e5BT4hkUsKkgQy7eR9Kbce_3y-2uhtJ/s1600/Public+domain+via+Wikimedia+commons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="291" data-original-width="348" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFBgy-hsAopqIRTq3ak1lY7BVF1cmrvTgeFD8PS4iSiXnFFJfqpXL3YgBdLk8HY7Jz8KEpAhqsD1BsiLREQr_aX8yIl5dr_IL4FY2pslXNYL2j8e5BT4hkUsKkgQy7eR9Kbce_3y-2uhtJ/s320/Public+domain+via+Wikimedia+commons.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Public domain via <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Richard_Nixon_victory_wave.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
If you like this, see the other ones:<br />
<a href="https://blog.jimwindisch.com/2020/02/presidents-day-2020.html">2020 Calvin Coolidge</a><br />
<a href="https://blog.jimwindisch.com/2019/02/presidents-day-2019.html">2019 George H.W. Bush</a><br />
<a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2017/02/presidents-day-2017.html">2017 Grover Cleveland</a><br />
<a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2016/02/presidents-day-2016.html">2016 Ulysses S. Grant</a><br />
<a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2015/02/happy-presidents-day.html">2012 - 2015 Lincoln, Arthur, Hayes, Taft, Garfield, and T.R. plus an explanation of the whole crazy thing</a><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Bonus: Behind the scenes!</span></h4>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13.2px;">Today's high temperature was 20 degrees Fahrenheit, and <a href="http://slwindisch.blogspot.com/">Sarah</a> has a terrible case of bronchitis. I wore my suit with snow boots and stood on a step stool for this year's picture. We would go outside, take a few pictures, run back inside to get warm and check our work against the source photo, then go outside to snap a few more. <a href="http://slwindisch.blogspot.com/">Sarah</a> was patient as I tried to get it just right. No matter how we arranged the shot, all of the North Idaho greenery kept us from getting as plain of a background as Richard Milhous Nixon had on that campaign stop.</span></span></span><br />
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Jim Windischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12768292429654933591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183651890862140391.post-91765066260875701352017-08-16T11:47:00.000-07:002017-08-16T11:47:27.082-07:00Hate is poison. Education is the antidote.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's easy to say that white supremacists of all types are wrong and I do not support their ideology one bit, but it's hard to figure out what I can do about it. When I couldn't sleep last night, I looked to my past experiences and my community's history for answers.<div>
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I have lived in or around Coeur d'Alene, Idaho for my entire life. For most of that time, a white supremacist compound in nearby Hayden Lake cast a shadow over our town. I became aware of the aryan nations group when a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1986/10/07/us/man-tied-to-white-supremacists-faces-charges-in-idaho-bombings.html">bomb exploded less than 500 feet from my first grade classroom</a>. A nearby business owned by a Jewish family was targeted when some members of the group used explosions to distract from their plans to rob a bank.</div>
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As I grew older, I remember occasionally seeing a swastika patch on someone's jacket in the grocery store. My response was always to move to another aisle as quickly as possible. There were times that their hatred became more visible. One day, the neighborhoods around my high school were leafleted with racist propaganda and some of my friends brought the papers to school. Some were laughing at the inappropriate jokes inside, but most were shaking their heads with disbelief. I was concerned about my friends who found it funny and remember telling them that the neo-nazis wanted to turn their laughter into hate.</div>
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Looking back, it wasn't hard to be honest with my friends about hate. My parents did a good job giving me the confidence to stand up for what was right, but my education deserves credit, too. To counteract the hate in our community, educators made an effort to teach love and acceptance for all, especially those who were different. My fifth grade class was one of the first to attend the long-running human rights celebration that we still hold today. Books like <i>Number the Stars</i> were part of the curriculum, and reading them led to discussions of the toll that hate takes. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The final hate group march in Coeur d'Alene, 2004<br />Photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/holotone/66285868/in/album-72157606035561711/">Cole via Flickr</a></td></tr>
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Our community did its best to avoid adding fuel to the fire. When hate groups marched downtown, movie theaters, the roller skating rink, and other businesses across town offered free alternatives in the hopes that no one would be on the sidewalks to see the brownshirts and klansmen pass by. Most people understood that the white supremacists craved conflict. It was better to turn our backs to them until we were able to drive them from our community.</div>
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That day came when they shot at a former elementary school classmate of mine and his mother. I was in college about 100 miles to the south, but I followed the story of how the aryan nations were forced to turn over their property after losing in court. The story is worth reading. <a href="https://timeline.com/white-supremacist-rural-paradise-fb62b74b29e0">"Welcome to Hayden Lake, where white supremacists tried to build their homeland"</a> by Meagan Day is a good overview, and <a href="http://www.spokesman.com/topics/aryan-nations/?page=1">the Spokesman-Review has a number of articles</a> if you're interested in digging deeper.</div>
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Of course, closing the aryan nations compound didn't remove hate or all white supremacists from our community. During my first round of conferences as a teacher, I found myself shaking hands with a man wearing a black jacket with the aryan nations symbol on one sleeve and two jagged images of the letter 'S' on the other. Sometimes I catch a student using hateful language or humor, and I find myself pulling him or her aside to talk about it. No matter what happens outside of school, hate is not welcome in my classroom.</div>
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I've come to the conclusion that the best way I can combat hate is with the way I teach. First, my classroom is a safe space for all. We work on how to listen to one another and solve problems together. Second, we get to know our fellow humans. As I build my classroom library, I strive to include books with characters that each of my students will identify with. I also intentionally pick books that will allow my kids to get in the heads of people who are very different from themselves. Good, diverse literature helps kids understand others without seeing them as "the other." We also reach out to the world through the <a href="https://theglobalreadaloud.com/">Global Read Aloud</a>, mystery location calls, and connections with our class blog. These actions have gone a long way toward inoculating my students from hate by increasing their empathy and understanding of others.</div>
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In addition, I plan to address hate when we encounter it in literature and current events. We need to have frank discussions about the hate that exists and how we can keep ourselves and our friends from allowing it to spread. My students need the courage to stand up to their friends when they notice hateful words or actions. I can't stop the white supremacists that take to the street, but I can make sure my students know better than to stand for it.</div>
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Note: excuse my lack of capitalization, but hate groups don't deserve to be proper nouns.</div>
Jim Windischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12768292429654933591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183651890862140391.post-54328186437077269402017-07-01T07:51:00.000-07:002017-07-01T11:08:27.364-07:00Idaho Kids Vote Book Award year two<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt0cxwSGuqB6YPgeB-JNyfXs3_nmAGiH4WrrHhzrEksNQ-_ow0pSCvOEe8Av0UqWCNIho9OMXUbS3xBLVYIqRORGXKskfjVb3Ug4_APPXiC4-evLbIhJPpisKKcpSsqLZTJtQ0irAAhMR5/s1600/Kids+Vote+logo+-+transparent+bkgrnd.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1054" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt0cxwSGuqB6YPgeB-JNyfXs3_nmAGiH4WrrHhzrEksNQ-_ow0pSCvOEe8Av0UqWCNIho9OMXUbS3xBLVYIqRORGXKskfjVb3Ug4_APPXiC4-evLbIhJPpisKKcpSsqLZTJtQ0irAAhMR5/s320/Kids+Vote+logo+-+transparent+bkgrnd.png" width="210" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">One of my students, Hattie, created the logo</span></td></tr>
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Last summer at this time, <a href="http://kidsvoteaward.com/">KidsVoteAward.com</a> was still a week away from becoming a registered domain name. I wanted to get my kids talking and sharing about the books they read and reading more complex books. The idea of having a statewide book award had been bouncing around in my head since I saw displays for <a href="http://www.oregonbattleofthebooks.org/">Oregon Battle of the Books</a> and <a href="http://www.olaweb.org/orca">ORCA (Oregon Reader's Choice Awards)</a> at <a href="http://www.powells.com/">Powell's books</a> in Portland. That led to a flurry of activity for me that started in early July as I built the aforementioned website and began reaching out to others to make the Idaho Kids Vote Book Award a reality.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the inspiring displays</td></tr>
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The premise of the award was simple. Teachers would nominate outstanding middle grade books that had been published in the last few years. They would then make these books available in their classrooms and encourage students to read about them. Kids would naturally talk about the books, but teachers could set up blogs and arrange connections with other participating classrooms to get the conversations flowing beyond classroom walls. Finally, in April, kids who read two or more of the books would vote to choose a winner.<br />
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With one year of the award completed, it's time to reflect and start thinking about the next one. Things went well in my classroom. Using my classroom budget and donations, I was able to get three copies of most of the books. There was buzz around them throughout the school year (especially the winning book). Although students talked about the books, not many chose to write about them when they created blog posts.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">My students contributed one-sentence review blurbs to this bulletin board.</span></td></tr>
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From the feedback I received, things did not go quite as well in <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?hl=en&authuser=0&mid=1QYSiV4ojjtwqAn8qZKMxAalu_CY&ll=45.38556044052451%2C-114.16305545&z=6">the other 21 classes that signed up to participate</a>. Few teachers were able to devote funds to buy all eight books. Others said their administration and district policies were roadblocks to connecting with other classrooms outside their district. Still, four classes contributed votes for the winner and suggestions for this year's award.<br />
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In the next few weeks I'll be ramping up for the second year of the Idaho Kids Vote Book Award. I'm presenting about it (and classroom connection strategies) at the <a href="http://www.csi.edu/p20/">P20 Conference at College of Southern Idaho</a>. I'm also reading possible nominees for the award and hope to publish some book reviews here. Of course, there are some questions I still need to answer: How can we get nominated books into classrooms? What could remove some of the barriers to connecting classrooms? Is there a better way to make this accessible to students?<br />
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That's a lot to think about while I also catch up on household projects, work at my summer job, and take advantage of some extra family time I don't get during the school year. If you have ideas to help this succeed, please share. And I'll keep you updated as I continue to experiment and refine...Jim Windischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12768292429654933591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183651890862140391.post-85377928809721907992017-04-07T07:22:00.001-07:002017-04-08T10:27:16.862-07:00Compliance: #IMMOOC inspired post<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtBWObg8IB534ekwLTd4QaSwBG_ueq-k04wwDc4Eorf_dcq1gH4X1wrTZvfXZi3Q50A1VbIb0hMgECtj5VRNutcZPFhjzvdTAeYoqxGYvTjDtrFmknIjdOr5STRd8mVHXhIlkl0BNC_N9E/s1600/compliance-does-not-foster-innovation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtBWObg8IB534ekwLTd4QaSwBG_ueq-k04wwDc4Eorf_dcq1gH4X1wrTZvfXZi3Q50A1VbIb0hMgECtj5VRNutcZPFhjzvdTAeYoqxGYvTjDtrFmknIjdOr5STRd8mVHXhIlkl0BNC_N9E/s400/compliance-does-not-foster-innovation.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy <a href="http://immooc.org/">immooc.org</a></td></tr>
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Compliance: I often think of it as a bad word in education. Just like the quote above, I believe that it often leads to conformity and squashes student voice.<br />
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Compliance has been heavy on my mind for the last few months. Where is the line between a high-quality learning environment and compliance for compliance sake? I want my students to be comfortable. I want them to have the freedom to be themselves in my class. I want them to move when they need to. Lately it seems like those wants are clashing with the learning needs in my classroom.<br />
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Let me start by explaining a little bit about my classes. I teach reading and math enrichment groups in a traditional elementary school. My classes are similar to 45 minute middle or high school class periods, although there isn't a passing period. Students often trickle in for the first five minutes as they make their way from their main classrooms. We start class at assigned tables (it helps me take mental attendance and gives students a built-in discussion group) and begin with mental math or an estimation that requires students to share their thinking. It doesn't matter to me if students sit or stand (or even wiggle and dance) at their tables as long as they participate in their discussions and respect everyone's space. This year I have a few students who aren't staying at their table or withdrawing from table talk when a best friend is at a different table. I want students to work with everyone, not just their friends and homeroom classmates. I'm left questioning if these procedures that support my goals are worth the frequent power struggles.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of <a href="http://immooc.org/">immooc.org</a></td></tr>
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I have to admit that the old saw "give them an inch and they'll take a mile" has crossed my mind a few times this year. However, reading <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Innovators-Mindset-Empower-Learning-Creativity/dp/0986155497/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1491574679&sr=8-1&keywords=innovator%27s+mindset&linkCode=ll1&tag=teacwithtuba-20&linkId=8ad15d800cced8d4ce9c82c18a736457">The Innovator's Mindset</a></i> strengthened my resolve to give my students the inches, feet, and miles they need to be independent learners and innovators I know they can be. In these last couple months of school, I plan to increase my efforts to build relationships with these students and give them opportunities to use their strengths. Hopefully we will get to a point where these students trust me enough that they will buy in to balancing their personal freedom with their responsibilities to the whole classroom community.<br />
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Although I am going forward with my plan, I still question rather it is the right path. Next year is a new opportunity to structure a classroom where my students can become innovators. All of the professional development I have done this year, including my school's book study on <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/That-Workshop-Book-Structures-Classrooms/dp/0325011923/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1491574729&sr=8-1&keywords=that+workshop+book&linkCode=ll1&tag=teacwithtuba-20&linkId=0a2cb437173b7ca2ecf4ed9785ad129e">That Workshop Book</a></i>, a visit to a classroom with a successful reading workshop, my own reading of <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Mindsets-Unleashing-Potential-Innovative/dp/0470894520/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1491574778&sr=8-1&keywords=mathematical+mindsets&linkCode=ll1&tag=teacwithtuba-20&linkId=f4395b160ff6678c722963263f9a1ad2">Mathematical Mindsets</a></i> and <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Classroom-Wall-Passionate-Education/dp/0996989501/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1491574818&sr=8-1&keywords=the+writing+on+the+classroom+wall&linkCode=ll1&tag=teacwithtuba-20&linkId=6aff3c5b8018e04f85fc84997dd17176">The Writing on the Classroom Wall</a></i>, numerous Twitter conversations, and <a href="http://immooc.org/">#IMMOOC</a> are bouncing around in my head. It's time to make some changes, and "change is an opportunity to do something amazing"!<br />
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<br />Jim Windischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12768292429654933591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183651890862140391.post-48377171004763394762017-03-18T22:05:00.000-07:002017-03-18T22:05:08.607-07:00Working toward empowerment: #IMMOOC Week 3, Post 3<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I pride myself on having engaging classes. My room is a place for <a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2015/05/my-students-actually-printed-in-3d.html">exciting projects</a>, <a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2015/02/happy-presidents-day.html">highly anticipated annual events</a>, and connecting with other places via Twitter and blogging. Engagement hasn’t been my goal, though. I want my students to clamor for knowledge and understand how to drive their own education in my class and beyond. Chapter 6 of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=as_li_ss_tl?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=the+innovator%27s+mindset&linkCode=ll2&tag=teacwithtuba-20&linkId=0a8170fca9f66b5868a383954e01b32e">The Innovator’s Mindset</a> has me wondering if I empower my students to reach that goal.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Q2: 1 of the concepts I talk about is "Engagement vs Empowerment". Thoughts on this pic via <a href="https://twitter.com/plugusin">@plugusin</a>? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/edubkcl?src=hash">#edubkcl</a> <a href="https://t.co/yxf7Fyx6vT">pic.twitter.com/yxf7Fyx6vT</a></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444;">— George Couros (@gcouros) <a href="https://twitter.com/gcouros/status/689980590435745793">January 21, 2016</a></span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #444444; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Right now, my 5th grade reading students are in the middle of creating curiosity projects. This is the fourth year I have attempted something inspired by <a href="http://www.geniushour.com/">Genius Hour</a>. Some kids blow me away with their enthusiasm and deep learning as they take school time to write a short story or do research on one of their passions. Other kids seem to amass a folder full of gifs and memes related to their chosen topic, but show little evidence of new learning.</span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-0affa942-e4d5-7a6a-77e5-9a685abb5b01"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This taste of empowerment isn’t enough. My kids need more chances to take control of their learning so they can all use that freedom to do amazing things. I’m not quite sure what it will look like, but I can’t wait to get there!</span></span>Jim Windischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12768292429654933591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183651890862140391.post-21526813796904404622017-03-18T12:18:00.001-07:002017-03-18T12:31:14.513-07:00Connecting and learning: #IMMOOC Week 3, Post 2"What if we focused on connecting and learning, both globally and locally?" -George Couros, <i>The Innovator's Mindset</i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quote by <a href="https://twitter.com/BillNye">Bill Nye</a><br />
Image from <a href="https://goodmenproject.com/bits-and-pieces/great-quotes-from-bill-nye-the-science-guy/">The Good Men Project</a></td></tr>
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Learning is a social pursuit. Every conversation, every book read, every YouTube video watched is an opportunity for learning from someone else. Occasionally we make an absolutely brand-new discovery, but the value of those discoveries increases once they are shared with others. This has been on my mind near-constantly since <a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2014/07/twitter-rescued-me.html">joining Twitter</a> and making a point to s<a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2014/05/the-exhilaration-of-sharing.html">hare my learning online</a>.<br />
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I encourage my students to learn from each other by sharing their thinking, engaging in <a href="http://psolarz.weebly.com/mr-solarz-eportfolio/using-peer-feedback-to-improve-the-quality-of-passion-projects">Quality Boosters</a> to improve their work, and looking to each other for help. There is a lot of connecting and learning that can happen within our own classroom.<br />
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If we can learn so much from the people within our classroom, think how much we can learn when we look for ways to connect beyond our classroom walls. We've connected with other classes to play <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/mysterylocationcalls/">mystery location</a> games, share our thoughts about The <a href="https://theglobalreadaloud.com/">Global Read Aloud</a> Books, and learn from experts working in other places. We've also read and commented on blog posts while sharing ours with a larger audience. This is a good start, but how can I truly make connecting and learning a focus for my students?<br />
<br />Jim Windischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12768292429654933591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183651890862140391.post-24851888631425072302017-03-13T06:59:00.000-07:002017-03-13T07:02:47.352-07:00Everyone learns, everyone teaches: #IMMOOC Week 3, Post 1 <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIywfAQs7XOrRCwuHZfUe7Z9Tid1m4Bm62iB9UhLAjjHEbS17jDgLsyhpiyKfoP-fUL_W0W-DqZ5423hrhZpQ3MGBiuL4sm44gT6cdzms7TBwrAQ2cyFF-cz4aEJLfLAzx-N0VvKf_on5O/s1600/Screen-Shot-2014-12-29-at-4.44.10-PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIywfAQs7XOrRCwuHZfUe7Z9Tid1m4Bm62iB9UhLAjjHEbS17jDgLsyhpiyKfoP-fUL_W0W-DqZ5423hrhZpQ3MGBiuL4sm44gT6cdzms7TBwrAQ2cyFF-cz4aEJLfLAzx-N0VvKf_on5O/s400/Screen-Shot-2014-12-29-at-4.44.10-PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy <a href="http://immooc.org/">immooc.org</a></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Why is there a divide between school and learning? How can we bring them closer together? A good place to start is recognizing everyone in the classroom as both teacher and a learner. I am proud to be a learner. When I try something new, I tell students. where I learned about it and that I am still figuring things out. My students know I learn in and out of school.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My students teach me and each other by sharing their thinking. Math classes begin with number talks or </span><a href="http://www.estimation180.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Estimation 180</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> challenges. These always put student thinking front and center. We learn from each other as we listen and consider different approaches. Throughout my classes, students share.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As I think about what I’m doing, I wonder how I can make it better. Do my students see themselves as teachers? I honestly don’t know. Even though they share their thinking, they look to me to bring it all together and make sense of it. How can we better share the responsibility of making connections and drawing conclusions from what happens in class? I guess I have a lot to learn as I head back to school this week...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">This post is part of the <a href="http://imooc.org/">Innovator's Mindset MOOC</a> blogging challenge. You can find my other posts related to #IMMOOC <a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/search?q=%23IMMOOC">here</a>.</span></span>Jim Windischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12768292429654933591noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183651890862140391.post-57509847388391749692017-03-08T20:29:00.002-08:002017-03-08T20:33:52.753-08:00What is the Innovator's Mindset? #IMMOOC week 2<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdi16arcDInOJpSOUEdFHbPMkI8Omoi29LFk4eHyTPIii95_GBYAJeEpV2SOmUYZ1ThtxbgrR9nJQRdpNmTVeelfkvVtJPLVJ6HleoBiM_3mfe1hUTE0Fe9E_DFis5lfudi-bC8bNNmu1F/s1600/8-Characteristics-of-the-Innovators-Mindset.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdi16arcDInOJpSOUEdFHbPMkI8Omoi29LFk4eHyTPIii95_GBYAJeEpV2SOmUYZ1ThtxbgrR9nJQRdpNmTVeelfkvVtJPLVJ6HleoBiM_3mfe1hUTE0Fe9E_DFis5lfudi-bC8bNNmu1F/s400/8-Characteristics-of-the-Innovators-Mindset.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of <a href="http://immooc.org/">immooc.org</a></td></tr>
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Two weeks in, and The <a href="http://immooc.org/">Innovator's Mindset MOOC</a> is one of the best things I've done since deciding to take control of my own professional development three years ago. One of this week's blogging prompts was to choose one of the characteristics of the Innovator's Mindset and reflect on what that means for you. As soon as I looked at the sketchnote, I knew I couldn't limit my reflection to just one.<br />
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1. Empathetic</h4>
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Trying to look at school (and especially your own class) with students' eyes can be scary. Does it seem like a safe place? Are the things we do motivating and inspiring? Is there value in what we are doing? I start doing this by picturing myself as a student, but I also ask students for feedback. My goal in this area is to offer more opportunities for truly anonymous feedback so I can better understand how my students feel about my classes.</div>
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2. Problem Finders</h4>
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This is how I approach life. Question starts with quest because I am always setting off to find answers or solutions. Helping my students see questions has been a focus of my classes for awhile. My biggest success here has been with <a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2014/10/big-things-in-math.html">three act tasks</a>. Having my students generate questions in math has been a game changer. My attempts at curiosity projects (I've also called it 20% time and passion projects) have always started with student questions as well. </div>
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Speaking of curiosity projects, that is an area where I have lingering questions and answers to seek. It never works out as well as I want it to. That should be a topic for another blog post.</div>
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3. Risk Takers</h4>
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"How you ever gonna know, if you never take the chance?" That line from one of my favorite Garth Brooks songs sums it all up. Ideas are great, but you need to act on them to really make a difference. I'm comfortable telling my students that I'm trying something new and I'm not sure if it will work. We frequently talk about the value of mistakes in my class, and I strive for an environment where no one feels their pride or dignity is at stake when they take a risk. Hopefully the only thing lost in failure is time and pencil lead, but the lessons learned will more than make up for that.</div>
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4. Networked</h4>
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<a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2014/07/twitter-rescued-me.html">Joining Twitter was the best thing I ever did for my teaching career</a>. Being in constant communication with other teachers inspires me to do better and gives me a sounding board for all of my ideas. </div>
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5. Observant</h4>
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As a teacher, my best information comes from watching my students. I'm not sure my students are great observers, though. I need to take the power of asking "What did you notice?" to more of my lessons.</div>
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6. Creators</h4>
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This goes along with risk taking. You just need to go for it and put your idea in action. The I<a href="http://kidsvoteaward.org/">daho Kids Vote Book Award</a> is probably my most pressing example of using hard work to drive an idea and action to fruition. It's rewarding to see something come of your idea. Again, this is an area where I need to give my students more opportunities. There are many things created in my class, but more of them need to come from student ideas.</div>
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7. Resilient</h4>
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Without resiliency, all seven of the other characteristics would fall flat. When things don't work out like you want, you have to be ready to pick yourself up and move forward. Maybe it's time to reflect and create another iteration. Maybe it's time to consider it a lesson learned and try something else entirely. Whatever the next step is, you can't wallow in failure. </div>
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Things move fast in my classroom, and I think some measure of resiliency comes from not having the time to bog down and lament. Still, this can be a tough one, especially in my advanced learning program. Many of my students are used to doing well at everything they try in school. My classes challenge them and it can be uncomfortable. When I see a student reaching the frustration point where they just can't be resilient, it's time to step in and help with strategies like taking a break or taking stock of the places where they were successful. Hopefully those lessons continue with my students to other areas of their life.</div>
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8. Reflective</h4>
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I'm writing this, aren't I? My moments of reflection come after every class, and sometimes I manage to get them written down here. For some reason, I have been stuck on the idea that reflection only counts when it is written down. As a result, my students' reflection often gets lost in the mechanics of putting words on a page. I'm trying to make more frequent, shorter reflection a priority. I was able to visit a classroom last week where students rated their learning and performance on a four-point scale throughout the day and had to think about what had to happen for them to move to the next level. That quick reflection was a powerful tool I plan to implement.</div>
Jim Windischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12768292429654933591noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183651890862140391.post-78556888472203200922017-03-04T17:48:00.003-08:002017-03-04T18:21:19.503-08:00Innovation is essential: #IMMOOC week 1This is the first in a series of posts for the <a href="http://immooc.org/">Innovator's Mindset MOOC</a>. I looked like a bobblehead as I read the introduction to <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Innovators-Mindset-Empower-Learning-Creativity/dp/0986155497/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1488552651&sr=8-1&keywords=the+innovator%27s+mindset&linkCode=ll1&tag=teacwithtuba-20&linkId=8d1d116f35057593cae5fe568f91a2f2">The Innovator's Mindset</a></i> because I was nodding appreciatively to nearly every sentence. It looks like it will be a great book, and there is still time to join the f<a href="http://immooc.org/">ree MOOC</a> if you are interested.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of <a href="http://immooc.org/">immooc.org</a></td></tr>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-b8b55225-94a7-fd66-7050-d0dedc51ee88"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The purpose of education is to build kids into learners and intelligent consumers of information that can adapt to any situation. Our world is constantly changing. Many of the kids I teach will end up working in careers that don’t exist today. When we work to inspire a zeal for learning and help our students develop the tools to evaluate information, connect it to things they already know, and use mistakes to further their learning, we prepare them for whatever their future holds.</span></span></blockquote>
This was the last thing I wrote before picking up <i>The Innovator's Mindset</i>. Even though it doesn't contain the word innovation, it goes hand in hand with our purpose as educators. When the world changes, schools cannot be stagnant, nor can we expect them to be the sole source of our children's education. Giving students the tools to go on and self-educate requires us to be flexible. We need to adapt to our students' needs like we have always done, but we also have to take into account how our kids can use all of the resources available to meet their needs when they aren't in our classrooms. George Couros makes a great point about how we approach new tools in school in the Introduction to <i>The Innovator's Mindset</i>.<br />
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Think about it: we have the world at our fingertips. the ability to connect and create with people around the globe through so many different mediums. Yet what do most schools focus on when talking about technology? "Cyberbullying" and "digital safety." Yes, these are important concepts that should be discussed, but we need to go way beyond that. We are spending so much time telling our students about what they <i>can't</i> <i>do </i> that we have lost focus on what we <i>can do. </i>(pg. 6-7)</blockquote>
Innovation is all about finding out what you and your students can do. There is absolutely a need to set boundaries, but we can't let them get in the way of the learning our students can do. One of my favorite lessons each year is figuring out the total number of gifts in "The Twelve Days of Christmas." I give my students just enough information to get started and then I get out of their way. They always impress me with the wide variety of strategies they use to figure out the answer. A couple years ago, I extended on this activity by asking them to figure out the approximate cost of the gifts in the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_rMCwoCLv8">12 Days of Christmas</a>. Since I didn't want my students to find the answer from the <a href="https://www.pnc.com/en/about-pnc/topics/pnc-christmas-price-index.html">Christmas Price Index</a> and I understood that some interpretations of "nine ladies dancing" might be school inappropriate, I gave them a list of sites to use for prices. After working on it for two days, I could see my students were bored and going through the motions without learning much. My fear of inappropriate content and desire to keep students from a readily-available answer cost us a chance for innovation. This year we explored the <a href="https://www.pnc.com/en/about-pnc/topics/pnc-christmas-price-index.html">Christmas Price Index</a> and students created lists of their own modern and extravagant 12 Days of Christmas. They were motivated, they explored, and the project was a success because it was an actual project, not an exercise with one correct answer.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'd keep the Little Free<br />
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One of this week's blog prompts was to share things to include (and leave out) if given the opportunity to develop a school from the ground up. If I were creating my own elementary school, I would begin with an environment where students felt safe and cared about. I am lucky to teach in a school that excels at this, and I think it is the foundation for success in elementary. As a result, I wouldn't change much from the current model of students in classrooms where they can work together with a teacher to build a community of trust, respect, and enthusiasm for learning. I would also continue to give students time with specialists in the arts and physical education. In fact, I would love students to have more time with these specialists and with a librarian who helps instill a love of books and reading.<br />
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My changes would be in the curriculum and how students share their work. Students need opportunities to use their curiosity. Every classroom would embrace curiosity projects or genius hour and give students time within the school day to explore their own interests. Not only does this give students the opportunity to bring what matters to them into the classroom, it provides real opportunities for them to practice the reading and writing skills they learn. Math instruction would include more problems with multiple answers and paths to get there. Students need opportunities to wrestle with ambiguity and develop their own problem-solving ideas rather than parroting back algorithms and defined steps for problem-solving.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHApnCcIqoIRhE7Y1gjaOXPhdbTtazviELaOpKDLtwMTyTlT0_j5GdbXPwgXIRkOC3UOR47CicUOFKEBOabyXuR1NFqT4IFJ3dAVCvhvzrWreo2mmRGOqrz4dhnxcMLyxI94JgoOW8klab/s1600/B9dizWLCMAATa9j.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHApnCcIqoIRhE7Y1gjaOXPhdbTtazviELaOpKDLtwMTyTlT0_j5GdbXPwgXIRkOC3UOR47CicUOFKEBOabyXuR1NFqT4IFJ3dAVCvhvzrWreo2mmRGOqrz4dhnxcMLyxI94JgoOW8klab/s320/B9dizWLCMAATa9j.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gallery at <a href="http://mobiusspokane.org/">Mobius Spokane</a>'s previous location<br />
looks like the perfect school museum space</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The biggest difference between my school and most current schools would be a focus on sharing student work. I've always dreamed of having a school with an on-site museum that was open to the public outside of school hours. It would feature student-created exhibits of all kinds: art, history displays, interactive exhibits, video, and more in addition to temporary hands-on exhibits borrowed from other museums. There would also be a flexible performance space where students could present coffeehouse nights, stage plays and concerts, and hold town hall meetings. In addition to these opportunities to physically share their work with our immediate community, students would be able to share worldwide by posting work online and frequent communication with students in other places.<br />
<br />
My school would challenge students, nurture their curiosity, and give them opportunities to engage in rich dialogue about their learning with others. I picture it as a place where students truly get to innovate as they get to use the things they learn to solve problems and make their own creations.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgiSqBU91aE5GjEFfLn14HvG_K8xIOsq-FN6hWRTJiFkO4MLFmX1q0CR4rRG5nWs8aUmq8-7af5B4UnJTngJl8lIMAxK6YrMs0kwfkFRSgPmQrCeodQzB7ZhaLIF_ln1XqIagMqh4e3R6q/s1600/IMG_-c2duoh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgiSqBU91aE5GjEFfLn14HvG_K8xIOsq-FN6hWRTJiFkO4MLFmX1q0CR4rRG5nWs8aUmq8-7af5B4UnJTngJl8lIMAxK6YrMs0kwfkFRSgPmQrCeodQzB7ZhaLIF_ln1XqIagMqh4e3R6q/s200/IMG_-c2duoh.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had to share my <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">#IMMOOC </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">selfie here, too!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This is only a fraction of the thoughts in my head at the end of the first week of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/immooc">#IMMOOC</a>. I can't wait to see where it goes from here!<br />
<br />Jim Windischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12768292429654933591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183651890862140391.post-71331394040992055872017-02-20T15:35:00.000-08:002017-02-20T15:43:02.090-08:00Presidents Day 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu0WFWE8V_NPHwYHbrDmOy0iZaMk8zMhDBIv4srP0djFZ52Vwd_WBmr6vCFBRt1gHdwX6BFlmVCNLY1Nd3XN6VDFbT5ioYdNakt1RbsGSgKAEbcvUHkTUKoouuk7kKD4Y1q8QhcEEweqd-/s1600/Cleveland+Rocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu0WFWE8V_NPHwYHbrDmOy0iZaMk8zMhDBIv4srP0djFZ52Vwd_WBmr6vCFBRt1gHdwX6BFlmVCNLY1Nd3XN6VDFbT5ioYdNakt1RbsGSgKAEbcvUHkTUKoouuk7kKD4Y1q8QhcEEweqd-/s400/Cleveland+Rocks.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Happy Presidents Day! The <a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2015/02/happy-presidents-day.html">Presidential portrait series</a> continues this year as I honor both the 22nd and 24th president of the United States of America, Grover Cleveland. Here is the source photo that Sarah and I emulated for this year's portrait.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZPJxXN1ia0uNQfPsn475oX9T6gsYrYL2gcClOPYtplAwO1Zf266Tqgq9hULklCZY_qLCpNRKRTu3o9JKQlUF39zubKZ7rlUMUyDIwebtQN7D02as71FHX3gAfTTK46LNk8UFUUKhG3MU8/s1600/461px-StephenGroverCleveland.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZPJxXN1ia0uNQfPsn475oX9T6gsYrYL2gcClOPYtplAwO1Zf266Tqgq9hULklCZY_qLCpNRKRTu3o9JKQlUF39zubKZ7rlUMUyDIwebtQN7D02as71FHX3gAfTTK46LNk8UFUUKhG3MU8/s400/461px-StephenGroverCleveland.png" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Public domain via <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:StephenGroverCleveland.png">Wikimedia Commons</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
If you enjoyed this, please view the <a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2016/02/presidents-day-2016.html">2016 portrait of Ulysses S. Grant</a> and the <a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2015/02/happy-presidents-day.html">earlier portraits of Presidents Lincoln, Hayes, Garfield, Arthur, Theodore Roosevelt, and Taft</a>. </div>
Jim Windischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12768292429654933591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183651890862140391.post-68741936583126118562016-09-18T17:06:00.001-07:002016-09-19T08:08:24.705-07:00Can we talk about homework?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilnNSCNLgEa66nI27PKrpzVLcntZMNkzpHcnOpcVB5bZFxeblqxWN_YFKXgjM4ujqhSuSfgwtGpqo2E1EKKAhG3BXadXEZu2KV0lXdI4wlyoR7PXnoPrCpjoyfaQ4HyJ-dlLU_XGjXpQMt/s1600/1st+grade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilnNSCNLgEa66nI27PKrpzVLcntZMNkzpHcnOpcVB5bZFxeblqxWN_YFKXgjM4ujqhSuSfgwtGpqo2E1EKKAhG3BXadXEZu2KV0lXdI4wlyoR7PXnoPrCpjoyfaQ4HyJ-dlLU_XGjXpQMt/s320/1st+grade.jpg" width="235" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me in first grade<br />
Could you assign oppressive amounts<br />
of homework to a face like that?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My introduction to homework came in first grade. Every school night, I had to write my numbers from 1 to 100, copy spelling words, and fill out some sort of worksheet. It took hours to complete: not because the assignment was difficult, but because I filled my time with distractions and dawdling to avoid the dreaded task. As I went through school, the assignments got better, but my attitude never did. I was a certified homework hater.<br />
<br />
As a teacher, I found the other side of the homework situation wasn't much better. I did my best to assign meaningful practice in math and language arts, but it just didn't work. I found the students who most needed the practice didn't do the homework, often because they needed more assistance than they had at home. The students who reliably turned their homework in would have been better off using the time spent doing homework on reading or an extension activity. In addition, class time and relationships were sacrificed to extracting completed assignments from the kids who didn't get them done at home.<br />
<br />
One of the benefits of switching from teaching fifth grade to my current position was that homework was not an expected part of my classes. The students who came to me were responsible for homework assigned by their regular classroom teacher, the time spent in my room was for enrichment.<br />
<br />
Now that doesn't mean that I never wanted my students to take my class home with them. I challenge my kids to read 40 or more books a year: there isn't enough free reading time in the school day to make that happen. When my kids are confronted with a challenging idea in math or an argument from something they have read, I hope it's compelling enough that they will think about it overnight.<br />
<br />
Last year, my entire school had a discussion about the necessity of homework. We read articles, surveyed families, and shared opinions about it. We didn't create a blanket homework or no homework policy, but an agreement that any homework assigned would be intentional and meaningful.<br />
<br />
This week, my school's homework policy ended up on the <a href="http://m.cdapress.com/news/local_news/article_c1d20b21-3b9f-5db9-a6ed-eeeaa7680dac.html?mode=jqm">front page of the Coeur d'Alene Press</a> and in a <a href="http://www.krem.com/news/local/kootenai-county/north-idaho-school-says-there-is-confusion-over-their-no-homework-policy/319539881">KREM 2 News segment</a>. It caused me to do even more reflection on how we want to build a bridge between school and home learning for our students.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJjeJQD6YcITc7yM9JkLtSCwhvbTjsD-uS5tJWL1zOvUf_K5DVLtqGxGqoD5TDm7UP-PhUhSj1W0rwTSPqHMpyPye6eLoFDsZcVVwrt2OAMx8sYVgxtIZFqaJHCDCzwd89xThvLfD7Voj/s1600/586px-Pizza_Toscana_in_box.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJjeJQD6YcITc7yM9JkLtSCwhvbTjsD-uS5tJWL1zOvUf_K5DVLtqGxGqoD5TDm7UP-PhUhSj1W0rwTSPqHMpyPye6eLoFDsZcVVwrt2OAMx8sYVgxtIZFqaJHCDCzwd89xThvLfD7Voj/s200/586px-Pizza_Toscana_in_box.JPG" width="195" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This 3 topping pizza would cost 9.7¢ per <br />
square inch at <a href="http://pepecaldopizzeria.weebly.com/">my favorite pizza parlor</a>.<br />
<br />
Image: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pizza_Toscana_in_box.JPG">Pizza Toscana in a box</a><br />
[Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I want my students to continue thinking about what they've learned in school. When I show up dressed as Charles Pinckney on Constitution Day, I hope a few kids will go home and look up the text of the Constitution and learn more about the compromises made during the summer of 1787. If we calculate the cost per square inch of the <a href="http://www.101qs.com/2048-the-giant-sicilian-pizza">Giant Sicilian pizza</a>, a few of my kids are going to figure out the cost per slice of their family's dinner, right? If they want to break our class speed record for counting by 8s, won't my students practice at home?<br />
<br />
The more I think about it, I don't know if my kids are taking their learning home with them. So, this year I plan to be more intentional about suggesting how they can practice, study, and engage in their own academic exploration after the bell rings at 3:30. No homework isn't the same as no learning at home.<br />
<br />
In addition, I am going to encourage my students to take advantage of the enrichment opportunities available to them. Maybe less "homework" will mean more <a href="http://inventidaho.com/">Invent Idaho</a> projects, more entries in our local library's writing contest, and better preparation for our school spelling bee.<br />
<br />
The big question is how to get that message to my students and their parents. How can I help my students become self-directed learners to the extent that they look for opportunities outside the school day? Do you have an answer? I'll be seeking them all year, and I'll keep you updated as I continue to experiment and refine...<br />
<br />Jim Windischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12768292429654933591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183651890862140391.post-82938343835415522252016-06-22T11:54:00.000-07:002016-06-22T12:38:21.781-07:00#IDedchat: Summer reading June 22, 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPnLSH3KqxJW3KwRbTpd6eAjzrsFzjVjBTG_zJRMXPb6UyeNvCcye-NXGtPUQq23cc4JT9dyCiOvK-z4aHmS1G_Q079TDpMEYY8Hy4wyMzwsI95rNfptdqs4YROJgCk1rv7WwGZubqAB5/s1600/Untitled+drawing+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPnLSH3KqxJW3KwRbTpd6eAjzrsFzjVjBTG_zJRMXPb6UyeNvCcye-NXGtPUQq23cc4JT9dyCiOvK-z4aHmS1G_Q079TDpMEYY8Hy4wyMzwsI95rNfptdqs4YROJgCk1rv7WwGZubqAB5/s400/Untitled+drawing+%25281%2529.jpg" width="270" /></a></div>
<br />
This week, I'll be hosting <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/idedchat">#IDedchat</a> along with <a href="https://twitter.com/slwindisch">Sarah Windisch</a>. It's summer, and that means we finally have time to sit down and read. I know my summer reading is always a mix of professional books, KidLit, pulp novels, and internet articles. Even though my to-read list is endless, I'm still always looking for recommendations.<br />
<br />
Tonight, let's give each other some recommendations for summer reading. We will try to just have an open discussion and just throw out ideas from our own diverse reading lists. Think about the questions below to guide our discussion, and Sarah and I will throw them out throughout the chat if we need to keep the discussion moving.<br />
<br />
I hope you'll join us tonight, and I really look forward to hearing your recommendations!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/idedchat">#IDedchat</a></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Summer Reading</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>June 22, 2016</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>7 p.m. PDT / 8 p.m. PDT / 9 p.m. CDT / 10 p.m. EDT</b></span></div>
<br />
Some of these questions come from a <a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2015/01/slowchated-for-love-of-reading.html">chat that I hosted</a> for the gone, but not forgotten, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/slowchatEd">#slowchated</a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">What are you currently reading?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Which book do you most recommend for other teachers?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">What is your all-time favorite book?</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy85s9rF0ZrWUQZcb3leQtcjbqL5Pspah6HMRuB_C3bYwReT1Ou7qRIcdB2pj7UqkirGbjvEyE7pbVrM9V_G2IeAE9idKJI2JuDlZA1BKfj-bCcySf5ZuIN2HgzgTN8OD0A8jUCeUVR2sl/s1600/slowchat-q1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy85s9rF0ZrWUQZcb3leQtcjbqL5Pspah6HMRuB_C3bYwReT1Ou7qRIcdB2pj7UqkirGbjvEyE7pbVrM9V_G2IeAE9idKJI2JuDlZA1BKfj-bCcySf5ZuIN2HgzgTN8OD0A8jUCeUVR2sl/s320/slowchat-q1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Share something you read as a student that sticks with you to this day.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Why did it make an impact?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfX5WkM5HaZj2NQ0ZiAxTFJ6mIOGcY-4zztnX3hzOX2zrPBFxluNnZL5Chg8LLj7EhyTVWMdVC-6ssJrTApOR_gi7n5Xd15M9AahVafE7qpUYS8X-PNDYKMo9d9p1Eqi-coBTVpQO7GRq0/s1600/slowchat-q21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfX5WkM5HaZj2NQ0ZiAxTFJ6mIOGcY-4zztnX3hzOX2zrPBFxluNnZL5Chg8LLj7EhyTVWMdVC-6ssJrTApOR_gi7n5Xd15M9AahVafE7qpUYS8X-PNDYKMo9d9p1Eqi-coBTVpQO7GRq0/s320/slowchat-q21.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Share something you read that inspired a change in your practice this school year.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjtfwma8NBwhVRLsEITLHOoPc2hRGtEWNZ9go3BC1HObG-sI3IbhKZrK9BPLfi-dCTRNWmcwSDT-xkSpPe32w8PIVBFiyWNknTdN5gegtbJwRtEFwmPprEc1Yv2J6u_ZD17ywSR8Sxn0Al/s1600/slowchat-q3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjtfwma8NBwhVRLsEITLHOoPc2hRGtEWNZ9go3BC1HObG-sI3IbhKZrK9BPLfi-dCTRNWmcwSDT-xkSpPe32w8PIVBFiyWNknTdN5gegtbJwRtEFwmPprEc1Yv2J6u_ZD17ywSR8Sxn0Al/s320/slowchat-q3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Share something you have read and are still digesting.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt9A2VtOSWTrHWAd8ukA7-pRR0raGNkP_FOx9SKB9-C28M2u4txa_vUfNrW3aexb9Z5Oh11D7-6zsTRnMcp3KsmrFnZ7UYCT9RabyxgCWugDWjtrUNvqp0aG0A51KdIXjqSVa2ftgeQCSb/s1600/slowchat-q4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt9A2VtOSWTrHWAd8ukA7-pRR0raGNkP_FOx9SKB9-C28M2u4txa_vUfNrW3aexb9Z5Oh11D7-6zsTRnMcp3KsmrFnZ7UYCT9RabyxgCWugDWjtrUNvqp0aG0A51KdIXjqSVa2ftgeQCSb/s320/slowchat-q4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
What do you most want your students to read?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Jim Windischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12768292429654933591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183651890862140391.post-50486201534250707012016-04-17T07:45:00.001-07:002016-04-17T07:46:08.440-07:00Edcamp Cd'A is coming.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://bit.ly/edcampcda"><img border="0" height="85" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7XhbzPaz03uNGbYkdGz2ojKmlRTePa4EDkGmk08Ekv_Yn6sE_TF7vKyNh2T4bowr5tmAtcc8sgJebLQh-zRNvo8mk3N83bOCW5KL0KruvmUf5cxEU2eH1Ow_PS7padzfCatxEQlAMnt69/s400/edcamp+cda.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Things have been really crazy for me for the last couple months. When I presented at the <a href="http://www.cdaep.org/">Coeur d'Alene Education Partnership</a>'s State of the District event, I said that I wanted to bring the Edcamp experience to our region within the next year. Before I knew it, <a href="http://bit.ly/edcampcda">Edcamp Cd'A</a> was coming together. It will be the first Edcamp in North Idaho, and I can't wait to see how it goes. I'm working with a <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/edcampcda/organizers">terrific team</a> to put it all together, there is just a lot to do before it gets here. If you're in the area, I hope you can join us.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Edcamp Cd'A</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>May 14, 2016</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Lake City High School</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://www.universe.com/events/edcamp-cda-tickets-3CXKRW">Register Today</a></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
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Jim Windischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12768292429654933591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183651890862140391.post-6154572841068918962016-02-15T21:39:00.001-08:002016-02-15T21:40:54.662-08:00Presidents Day 2016<a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2015/02/happy-presidents-day.html">Last year</a> I said that I would be switching to clean-shaven presidents and doing two portraits a year. So, without further ado, here is one portrait of a bearded president. I guess that's what I get for putting it in writing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiug5mCR360EKOKcUBXTE5dxTAX9sj4DgwriJaMtXcnPxDxqjSd0yKqTvuzmhUXUXCBI4DXMcvbx_cStu6JFJyIgDf2nv6sFr4Qb8QQnfA5yoKGU2P23R-GKjzVZUEOi9BK2i349LTbTg-z/s1600/download_20160215_132924a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiug5mCR360EKOKcUBXTE5dxTAX9sj4DgwriJaMtXcnPxDxqjSd0yKqTvuzmhUXUXCBI4DXMcvbx_cStu6JFJyIgDf2nv6sFr4Qb8QQnfA5yoKGU2P23R-GKjzVZUEOi9BK2i349LTbTg-z/s400/download_20160215_132924a.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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This year's portrait was inspired by this photo of Ulysses S. Grant taken by Matthew Brady circa 1870</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeJlEjRWFF6soIGMZwouHh-aUsZYq1955kwUhHQhd1SiBU4ctwdUZoTMszt6xgpSh2Ub6wdiDre4wU4Ruvy6ww0jxe3GjOWGmaxOGx8tX2eXq8yX7tGNtbLPKDBEBkPI0y0zdnrEf_YJNd/s1600/c112d85890ea2dddbfef166bd50beda7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeJlEjRWFF6soIGMZwouHh-aUsZYq1955kwUhHQhd1SiBU4ctwdUZoTMszt6xgpSh2Ub6wdiDre4wU4Ruvy6ww0jxe3GjOWGmaxOGx8tX2eXq8yX7tGNtbLPKDBEBkPI0y0zdnrEf_YJNd/s400/c112d85890ea2dddbfef166bd50beda7.jpg" width="248" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Accessed from <a href="http://millercenter.org/president/grant/gallery">The Miller Center Presidential Portrait Gallery</a></td></tr>
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<br />Jim Windischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12768292429654933591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183651890862140391.post-41938584552875061952016-02-14T11:39:00.001-08:002023-02-20T21:35:44.628-08:00Inspiration from #IETA16<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My head is still swimming from all the education awesomeness I experienced at my first <a href="https://ieta.oetc.org/">Idaho Education Technology Association (IETA) Conference</a>. Between the sessions, exhibit hall, and networking, it was one of the best conferences I've attended. Rather than leaving with a mile-long wishlist of technology, I have ideas that I can use in my classroom and share with my colleagues.<br />
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I was lucky enough to attend along with my wonderful wife, <a href="https://twitter.com/slwindisch">Sarah Windisch</a>. Since we're both always looking for ways to improve our schools and classrooms, the learning never stopped. We're still talking about all of the things we're inspired to try out.</div>
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Monday opened with <a href="https://twitter.com/dhudgins">Darren Hudgins</a>' keynote presentation "The Merchant of Someday." He highlighted just how rapidly access to information and communication is changing the world.</div>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IETA16?src=hash">#IETA16</a> kicks off with <a href="https://twitter.com/dhudgins">@dhudgins</a>'s keynote. Interesting stat from last night. <a href="https://t.co/jjJfkrKcPD">pic.twitter.com/jjJfkrKcPD</a></div>
— Kelly Kermode (@coachk) <a href="https://twitter.com/coachk/status/696712474825863168">February 8, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Although the world has changed immensely in the last few years, schools have been much slower to adapt. He challenged us to use our vision of someday to guide us as we sell learning to our students. It definitely set the right tone to kick off a technology conference.<br />
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Here are my random thoughts from <a href="https://twitter.com/dhudgins">@dhudgins</a> keynote at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IETA16?src=hash">#IETA16</a> The Merchant of Someday! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/madewithpaper?src=hash">#madewithpaper</a> <a href="https://t.co/v7681Xo2RA">pic.twitter.com/v7681Xo2RA</a></div>
— Janet Avery (@averyteach) <a href="https://twitter.com/averyteach/status/696727400986509312">February 8, 2016</a></blockquote>
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I also got to learn about <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/highfill2013/hyperdocs-explained">Hyperdocs</a> from <a href="https://twitter.com/lhighfill">Lisa Highfill</a> on Monday. The basic idea of Hyperdocs is to create an all-in-one digital document that gives students the instructions and resources to explore and learn on their own. Then students can share the basic information with each other online leaving your class discussion time for making meaningful connections and digging deeper. This was my biggest takeaway from the conference. I'm putting this right to work in my classroom for third grade literature circles. I also loved hearing about Lisa's <a href="https://twitter.com/TsGiveTs">Teachers Give Teachers Twitter account</a>. It's basically a repository for re-tweeted free resources from other teachers. It's a great concept, and I hope it really takes off in Idaho.<br />
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The #IDedchat crew got together Monday night. Discovery Education hosted a nice reception for the group and it was fun to spend some time with my usually virtual PLN.<br />
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IDedchat?src=hash">#IDedchat</a> group meeting up at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IETA16?src=hash">#IETA16</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/DiscoveryEd">@DiscoveryEd</a> <a href="https://t.co/Nofi5PDWOL">pic.twitter.com/Nofi5PDWOL</a></div>
— Em Wirth (@EmMurn) <a href="https://twitter.com/EmMurn/status/696870386642726913">February 9, 2016</a></blockquote>
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My favorite Tuesday session was almost another keynote as <a href="https://twitter.com/rushtonh">Rushton Hurley</a> talked about making memorable projects. He encouraged us to get students asking interesting questions.<br />
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How many times do we ask students to make their work interesting? Set the bar high. <a href="https://twitter.com/rushtonh">@rushtonh</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IETA16?src=hash">#IETA16</a></div>
— Penni Aufderheide (@piccolopenni) <a href="https://twitter.com/piccolopenni/status/697120184289533952">February 9, 2016</a></blockquote>
When students are interested, they're willing to produce excellent work. In addition, constructing a memorable project sets the stage for greater student learning.<br />
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Ts Reflect on your classroom. How can you make it memorable? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IETA16?src=hash">#IETA16</a> <a href="https://t.co/fs2GffXj6N">pic.twitter.com/fs2GffXj6N</a></div>
— Heidi Paullus (@heidipaullus) <a href="https://twitter.com/heidipaullus/status/697114267984605184">February 9, 2016</a></blockquote>
The rest of the second day was full of great ideas, too, but the highlight was the IETA Teacher of the Year award. It went to a fourth grade teacher from my district who has done some amazing things with technology in her classroom. I always look forward to learning with her at our district technology meetings. Congratulations, <a href="https://twitter.com/teachtechthings">Kelli Ogle</a>!<br />
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There were so many things at IETA that I want to bring back to my classroom. It will definitely keep me trying new ideas through the rest of this school year and beyond. And I'll keep you updated as I continue to experiment and refine...<br />
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For more #IETA16 learning, check out <a href="https://twitter.com/averyteach">Janet Avery</a>'s Storify of <a href="https://storify.com/averyteach/ieta16-tweets-from-day-1">Day 1</a> and <a href="https://storify.com/averyteach/ieta16-day-two">Day 2</a>.</div>
Jim Windischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12768292429654933591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183651890862140391.post-87017637396600026452016-01-19T06:09:00.000-08:002016-02-13T07:26:56.473-08:00The big 10K<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWrKrjZdJwT2aUtzg0id3884Yr6bLeJLtwuqstlB2K8FUbRsuoXDh7US7KT6fCP6HL9xgoYS1QD7R3nusybNe67mWZNlYV8FroWM7u6ynK5Q-lisre6DXY_RFJmHj_jXj-8ggM2PyIECN5/w1366-h625-no/" style="-webkit-user-select: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Illustration by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/sg-en/shop/WeezyMakes">Sarah Windisch</a></td></tr>
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At some point this week, the Teacher With Tuba blog reached 10,000 pageviews! It's hard to believe I've been able to share with so many of you over the last two years. Before <a href="http://blog.jimwindisch.com/2014/07/twitter-rescued-me.html">I joined Twitter and started blogging</a>, reflection on my work as a teacher was an entirely private activity. I didn't believe the things I did were worth sharing to a larger audience than the students in my classroom. Then I saw this:<br />
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I realized that sharing makes all of us better. I've learned so much through reading others' blogs and discussing the posts I've written. Thank you so much to everyone who reads the Teacher With Tuba blog and interacts with me. It's helped me and my students to reach greater heights. I look forward to continuing to learn together for a long time to come.Jim Windischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12768292429654933591noreply@blogger.com1