Summer is Over and I am off

First trip was to PA to see my daughter, son-in-law and grandson's, Connor and Seby.  Fun, Fun!

Now I am off to INDY via Harrisburg, PA to Charlotte, NC to INDY.  But I am still on the ground.  I have been waiting for over one hour.  At least now the AC is running.  It was over 100 degrees here and we were on the ground with the doors closed and windows shut with no air.  I am dripping wet. 

Now the engine has started but we are just waiting.  The captain has not said what we are waiting for.  Perhaps there is a line for take off.  US Air/American must not have been a good merger.  I hope this flight makes it safely to IN.  I am worried.  In the seat a head of me is another pilot.  So if he feels this is ok, I need to just hang in there.

I hope to start up tutoring in July and August.  I have Dr appts to make and work to do on the house.  All the things I put on hold while I was working. I am so excited about next year.  I have the room to myself and a computer for each student.  I can't wait to start planning.  I want to make a reading center, writing center and math center.  

I will start going in to work the second week of July.  I will try to just work once a week.  I also signed up for a 12 week get active program.  So I will see how that goes. I want to change my lifestyle.

The reason I am on the way to INDY is to celebrate my Mom and Dad's 60th wedding anniversary.  This is so exciting.  I never thought they would actually stay married when I was growing up.  I do hope to blog more next year.

I can't believe I made it a whole year.  Wow.  I just went to a job interview after HR called.  This was the week before school starting.  After a 15 min interview, he asked ok pick what school you want.  I dont know all the names of all the schools or where they are located.  I just picked Scripps after the HR guy says it was near La Jolla.  I knew that was near our house so I picked a .6 assignment.  MWF.  That only lasted two months and then I was full time.  It was a whirlwind but I think I made it.  I am happy.  I enjoy the time with the students and planning my days, curriculum and then writing IEP's. 

A.D.H.D. Electronically

I found this article in the Wall Street Journal 11/25/15 and was shocked to read that "in a pilot study, a video game was shown to help children."  This seems counter intuitive.  TV and video games were supposed to be aggraviging children's ADHD.   But Project "EVO is a computer program created to improve attention and reduce impuslsivity in children withh attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. "

Scientists created a game to improve cognitive skills in old age and they found it 'helped aging adults improve their focus and ability to multitask.'  

So study shows the same results as ADHD medication and 30 minute sof Activate omputer exercies and 40 minutes of physcial exercies thre or four times a week for 16 weeks.  But warining is can cost $195 for three  months for the computer software.  So check out Katherine Ellison book :  ADHD: What Everyone Needs to Know: (Oxford University Press, Nov 2015)

School's Out Forever

What a fun article in the Wall Street Journal.  I hope this is not true.  "...you're trapped inside all day reading books you don't want to be reading and learning things you don't want to be learning from teachers who often don't want to be teaching."

I know that school is not the best place for some students.  But it should be fun to learn.  I still like learning every day and if I could afford it, I might still be taking classes. (time and money)

But I am probably a school freak.  I first got a BS in Engineering from Vanderbilt.  Then I finished by MBA from Xavier University after taking a few classes at UVM.  After moving from Vermont to California I found the best job as an AA for the Liberal Studies program,  the environmental studies program, and to be part of the Eastside Union High School recuriting program to find minioririty students who want to be teachers.  It was so fun and the University allowed me to take free classes after working there one year.  It also allowed for free tution for my children to attend if they could get in.

I suppose I pushed them a bit in High School to make sure there grades were up so they could get in.  I bribed my son with a $1 a point to improve his SAT scores.  Don't believe this does not work as he increase over 100  points.  But that may have been the best money I spent as he was able to have a free college education from Santa Clara University.  

So I started taking all the classes I never had before and ended up with a Liberal Studies degree and graduated with my daughter.  She became a teacher and used a grant to have free tuition for her teaching credential.  After stating I would never be a special education teacher, I ended up pursing a Masters degree in Special Education.  And I just love it.

I had a great job at Price Middle School and had to give it up to move to San Diego.  I couldn't find work for three years and subbed on and off.  Finally I was called to HR for San Diego Unified and  after a 15 min interview I was offered a job.  And I just love it.  I work at Scripps Elementary with K - 5 students.  

I have to say, I think my students and their parents like my teaching.  Again, I love to make it fun becasue I enjoy fun things.  We have written about apples compaing two kinds.  We eat them and describe the crunch,, we loook at them and describe the differnt colors.  We write in a blog to review educational games on the iPad.  I post them on my web page.

I think student  choice is important.  I ask my students wha tthey want to learn.  I then work on games, find videos that relate, and 'voila' a fun lesson.  But then maybe I am a freak.  I still love learning and I am a grandmother.

"Schools for Wisdom" San Diego High Tech High

Interesting article from the New York times by David Brooks 10/16/15.  Basically he talks about High Tech High that uses the old idea of project based learning and 'updates it with tech clothing.'
The documentary "Most Likely to Succeed" has the premise that today all we need are relational skills to be great future workers in the world.  We need to be able to "motivate, collaborate, persevere and navigate..."

The problem with a 'tech' school that does not teach basic factual acquisition is at what point can you contribute if you don't really know anything about it.

Brooks states you must 1. know some basic facts 2. be able to see a pattern formation or be able to link facts together to make them more meaningful 3. mental reformation ie the information becomes alive for you to manipulate it.

Basically to be a new worker in the future you needs to know facts and how to work with a group.  So knowledge is still power.  Today we no longer work in a vacuum we need to have people skills as well.

So do you know what  a neutron is?  Do you know if the Progressive Era came before or after the Civil War?  Do you know what countries the refugees are coming from and going to?

Now I See The Moon

This school year 2014-15 I have been working with students with Autism.  I was given this book by an educational aide.  Now I See The Moon is written by Elaine Hall with Elizabeth Kaye.  On page 60, I found some very interesting information.  "The anxiety of children with autism is more than the typical anxiety that you or I might feel.  Their anxiety comes from their inability to predict or control what might irritate or overwhelm their nervous system...

Minecraft

Teaching full time for the San Diego Unified District plus tutoring a few students, I have found many addicted to playing Minecraft.  So I decided to take a course to learn more about it.  First I want to learn which version would be the best for me.  My fourth grade student loves to watch Minecraft videos on You Tube.  I felt needed something more that just watching.

I don't have a Play Station so I don't think I will go with that version.  To of my students do have that version. One boy only has one controller so it can only be played alone.  The other boy splits the screen so he and his brother can play side by side.  I think having a controller may make things easier or more intuitive when playing.

Building my own computer is not a real interest of mine, so I will pass on the RaspberyPI version.  If I had a class of students who wanted to build their own computer this would be a plus.  I understand this version have the connection between curriculum and Minecraft.  If my boys were young I think I would use this version so they could expand their knowledge of computers, gaming and how things work.

I thought I would check out about the PC version at work while eating lunch.  But I found all the pages blocked.  It appears that all the features are available on the PC version.  I use PC's for work but I have Macs at home.  With everything blocked here at work it eliminated this option.  I understand the PC version allows people to connect to servers for miltiplayer games but I want to use mine mainly one on one.

So I have decided to go with the Pocket Edition or Minecraft PE.  I think I will purchase it on my iPad.  I brought one of my personal iPads to work and use it as a reward after students work for me.  I can use it at home when I tutor individual students as well.  I also like that the recipes for various combinations are make visible in the PE version.  This makes it sound a bit easier to use, at least for me. I understand that it comes at a cost because it cannot make as many different items like the PC version.  This weekend I plan to download the version for my iPad.  I will contact my fourth grade friend to assist me.