EduCafe - Issue 20 - More Soup?

I scarcely know where to begin. Even THINKING about the EduCafe is an exercise in humility after dropping the ball so heavily back in January.

Over at the EC Ning, I can kind of fade into the woodwork and it isn't as noticeable, as there's always so much going on. Around here? I get crickets and a huge feeling of guilt. *sigh*

But! I am going to go for it again, because it's important to me to exemplify the kinds of behavior I want my students to follow. Part of that means admitting when you screwed up, but not using a screwup as an excuse to GIVE up.

So let's start, once again, with the soup course!

Mr. Halpern's posts always make me smile. I think it's sad that so many grownups leave childish play behind. Sure, some games are a LOT different in grown-up bodies (tag in particular!) but you can still have fun.

I loved Rachel's example of how the internet can shift something from private to public. It very neatly balances "completely believable" with "just a touch creepy." This isn't the actions of Big Brother or The Evil Corporate Empire. Nope. It's us, folks.

The Science Goddess tells a good story about being recognized. And thinks about those who were not recognized. It can be easy to forget that we make a difference (for good or ill!) to all our students, not just those who tell us we do.

Teachin' certainly had an interesting day. You know, I don't think my life is boring, necessarily, but... yeah. I don't think I've ever had anything quite that ... unusual happen. (Knock wood!)

Mrs. Chili is looking at curriculum options for next year. Chili, I am MAD JEALOUS of your opportunities! and your supportive admin!!

I just love Tom's metaphor. It's so... evocative, let's say. And I'm not going to give away anything more than that! Just go read it, really. (Um, but... not around mealtime. At least not if you have a vivid imagination.)

And then Mr. McGuire gives Mrs. Chili a run for her money in the jealousy department. Because... wow. Just wow. I'm trying to think of a Superintendent/Superman word play and failing. :P Oh well!

Hey, at least they're honest? Dr. Pezz and his colleagues were actually told to "do less." Not playin' here.

Siobhan Curious tells a story that fills me with jealousy and regret because it is so beautifully written. It really happened, but the WAY she tells it is just marvelous. Loved it.

Edie, if you come by, don't read the Dr. Pezz post above. It might depress you. Sure, you're losing instructional time too, but... at least expectations are high. That's a good thing, right?

Call me a sucker for meta, but Miss Teacha's comparisons of schools was intriguing. Got me thinking about what I like about my school and system and what I would like to see changed.

And speaking of meta, Dana Huff is always good at thinking about what she's teaching and how it relates to the world at large. In this post she examines the Hero's Journey.

Okay, I cannot WAIT to see the results and/or purpose of this survey by MS Teacher.

Isn't it lovely when your students, like Joan's, magically transform into human beings? With PICTURES, no less!

Poor Ms. Bees discovered that a failure to plan on others' part may actually wind up as an emergency on her part. Don't give up, Ms. Bees! And let us know how it all ran down.

A conversation about facebook turns into something more for Mr B. I love how, in his post, he so skillfully blends the personal, the philosophical, and the professional. Just brilliant!

Mrs. Bluebird's students are allowed to use calculators on the math section of the Very Big Deal Government Test, but not the science section. Even though it involves a good bit of math...

Dina continues her responses to The Art and Science of Teaching.

I am SO stealing Mardie's reading lesson with the Turbo Encabulator hook. Seriously awesome. :D

And while Jim Burke refers to it as fourth-grader wisdom, I think it's more of an example of "fourth-rightness." Ok, ok, I know, bad pun. ;)

I have more posts that I want to share, but I'm stopping here, because I had intended to post this yesterday morning and now it's almost time to leave for this week's narrative theology discussion/study and... if I put it off much longer it won't get done!

Image thanks to http://www.humiliationstudies.org/