Dinner with a Bang

What men I have on this Mothers' Day! Jess, Ernie, and I are on the trampoline gazing at the the sky when Jess spots a skunk heading across our yard. The darned thing decided to head into an open door of our shed. The guys move into action: Jess gets his last smoke bomb from New Years; Ernie gets his gun. I'm hanging onto the dogs, so they don't get into trouble. Smoke bomb is thrown, skunk comes out to meet his Maker, and Ernie heads to the bar-b-q pit to flip the steaks. Better than dinner and a movie! (It all seemed a little bit Redneck, but it was fun and dinner was yummy:)

Last play of the ball game tonight

Look at Jess's smile!

Implications Of The Texas S Ta R Chart

This presentation seeks to offer solutions to weaknesses found in our local campus STaR Chart.

Implications Of The Texas S Ta R Chart

View more presentations from Katrina Gonzales.

My Prezi on 21st Century Literacy

Reading in the 21st Century on Prezi

Accomplishing Long-Range Goals in Texas Technology: Target Date 2020

While some might see the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology filled with lofty goals impossible to obtain, many Texas educators see the plan as critical to the realization of an education system that maintains and surpasses the demands for learners in the 21^st century. Although all four components of the plan are equally important, I believe that, without a paradigm shift in the way that we provide Educator Preparation and Development to our teachers, Teaching and Learning will continue to struggle, and, in many cases, stagnate. Fortunately, many avenues exist to enable Texas teachers to promote academic excellence through the use of technology; the issue is not a lack of resources, but a refusal by many in education to view professional development in a new way.

Allowing teachers precious time to learn how to integrate technology into their classrooms enables the teachers a comfort level that a one-shot staff development session cannot match. Helping teachers to understand the demands of today's learner creates a sense of urgency that we, as facilitators of that learning, must strive to do a better job to meet these learners' needs regarding technology. Finally, when teachers embrace the idea that we, the "digital immigrants", have an obligation to provide those tools that the "digital-natives" in our classrooms find second-nature in their 21^st century world, powerful and relevant learning takes place.

Schools must find ways to re-think Educator Preparation and Development so that Teaching and Learning will reach the Target Tech level of the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology by 2020.

NCTE, Philly, and Me

And so, at the ripe old age of 47, I embark on a journey to parts unknown...at least, by me. Tuesday, at noon, I'll head to Austin to stay the night with Alana, Branyon, and Branna. Then, Wednesday morning, they'll take me to the airport where I'll board a plane to Dallas, then to Philadelphia. The reason? The National Council of Teachers of English conference!

So many firsts in one trip!

1. First plane trip alone out of state;
2. First trip to the northeast;
3. First time to go to the NCTE conference.

Outside of the great things at the NCTE conference, I want to walk around the corner from the hotel to see St. John's Catholic Church, Chinatown, and Independence Hall. Also, I have a Book Jam invitation for Saturday night which means that I'd miss Tracy Kidder at NCTE, but I REALLY want to hear Alan Sitomer and Sharon Flake.

I have a feeling that this trip will be riddled with decisions. I'll probably end up doing the flotsam and jetsam thing which usually works fairly well for me.

Lastly, I'm hoping I get to hear and maybe (fingers crossed) meet my new favorite YA author Maggie Stievater, author of Shiver! How cool would that be?

Banned Book Week

Today was the first school day of Banned Book Week. After mulling around many scenarios, I settled on the following:

I pulled many books off of my classroom library shelves that have been challenged currently or in the past. Displaying these on the top of one of the shelves, I asked the students, when they came in, to try to figure out what all of the books had in common. As I made my way to the front of the classroom, I picked up various library books off their desks. One student said, "But Miss. Now, I don't have ANYthing to read." I quietly explained that her book would have to be placed with the others, and I apologized "sincerely."

Then, I compiled their observations and ideas into one list projecting the ideas as the students offered them. Some examples were:

• They're all great books.
• They all have violence.
• They all have a protagonist like PonyBoy in The Outsiders.
• They're all made of paper (I just love the higher order thinking in that one.)
  

Finally, when it seemed as if their ideas were exhausted, I projected the list on the board. Then, I wrote, "Happy Banned Books Week." Puzzled looks abounded. "What???" "I don't get it."

So I explained, "All of the books on the top of that shelf are books that have been banned somewhere in the US. Because of that, I'm pulling all of the books off our classroom library shelves, and, then, I'll have to start working on our school library."

First, each class I had was silent. Then, they erupted. "This stinks!" "Well, if someone don't like a book, they can just put it back!" "That's gay! Those are all the books I like to read!" "But The Outsiders is there, and we haven't finished it..."

I amazed myself at being able to pull it off for as long as I did---close to five minutes in each class. When I realized I might have a major revolt on my hands, I pulled them back together and explained why I did what I did.

Such a simple, but powerful, approach. The students talked about it all day long. They were still suspicious that we might not finish The Outsiders when they came back for their second half of their ELA block, but I assured them that we would read a banned book together in honor of Banned Book Week.

Our 8th grade American History teacher is just beginning the American Revolution, and he is excited about the tie-ins to freedom and liberties that we enjoy as Americans.

This first day hints at a great week of learning in Mrs. G's classroom.