Resistance is NOT futile

Anyone who has a trekkie background will get that joke.

So...tonight I found myself in my usual habits. Arrive home somewhat late...and right before bed grab a snack. Nutritionists around the world can tell you that eating 1-2 hours before bed helps you gain unhealthy fat.

And this habit of mine...of eating something rather bad for me right before bed....is a terrible one.

So tonight, I reminded myself of this. And before making a wolfing down of 4 graham crackers with peanut butter, I reminded myself of good eating habits. Habits that lead to a healthy body and mind.

And I resisted.

And it wasn't futile.

And now I'm upstairs, on my computer and getting ready to sleep away a great night with said snack not in my belly. Yes...I'm still a bit peckish. But I'll be thankful I didn't cave into that craving later.

And...as with almost everything I do...I reflected on how that little thing could be used in my classroom practice.

In this situation, the resisting of impulsive urges applied. As teachers we can be quick to anger sometimes. It's an impulsive urge to want to yell at our kids sometimes. And this can create a poor classroom environment.

So, much like I did tonight, we need to see our "teaching urges" as the emotionally charged moments they are...and resist them. So we can make a more secure, and focussed classroom. And create an environment that is well thought out. We need to be that example for our kids. Show them what it is to resist urges. And do it.

21C learning is no different. We also jump immediately to think "how can this be done on the screen"...well...sometimes it doesn't need to be. Sometimes, during a task, a more tactile method is needed. Sometimes we need to be more patient and think how we can do a lesson creatively on and off the screen. Because that produces some amazing results.

And the reality is...despite popular trends...not every kid loves screen time. Some kids are so tactile they want to be left off the screen and work with their hands.

So, we shouldn't jump to the urge of "must do screen work"...to... "will my kids learn more, and engage more with a tool on the computer/mobile device?"

Just some thoughts for the night.

And a cool link to go see:

Games to build security in the classroom

Artificial or flowing?

Today I had my first experience with Moksha, or hot, yoga. It was an interesting experience as you enter a very warm room with other people in it, lie on a floor, and wait for the class to start. Before it starts, on the other hand, you're sweating. By the time you're half way through the class, you're drenched because of the room temperature.



In yoga we should generate our own heat. It's good to sweat, but to be in a room that was heated the way it was felt like cheating. It felt artificial. Forced. Fake.

Don't get me wrong, the instructor was good (Thanks Erica), and it was somewhat challenging, but it felt weird.

After the class I got to thinking about the word Artificial. 
I don't like artificiality. It seems forced, fake, weird, cheated. Natural, flowing seems better to me.

And maybe that's just me.

Or maybe that's how our kids feel sometimes when we teach them. Things feel artificial, forced, fake, weird, cheated.

Don't get me wrong. You can still have natural, unforced, and real and still be challenging. After all, many of the Ashtanga, Yin, and Vinyasa Yoga classes I have attended have all seemed natural and unforced but very challenging.

But to cheat yourself out of something seems too...easy. So, when we teach I think we need to keep that in mind. We shouldn't cheat our kids out of anything. We shouldn't make the learning artificial or forced. It should be natural and flowing.


For example, when we find a 21st Century Learning tool that seems cool, we shouldn't force it on the kids. By doing so we may be taking something out of the experience of learning for them as the tool may be doing the work that would make it flow easier for them. We would take some of the steps to learning from them. It may end up being forced.

A great real life example of this is the automatic spellcheck built into most word processing software. By constantly using it, we are removing misspellings from the process and the kids seeing where they went wrong. We are cheating it. Making spelling artificial. Kids learn to rely on the spellcheck, so spelling becomes a mute point for them.

Real spelling is a growth-based, challenging process that can take some time. It's natural. It flows.

The spellcheck is like the Hot Yoga. In hot yoga you worry far less about generating your own heat, as the room does it for you.

So, we need to take an honest look at our lessons, 21C Learning tools, and activities to see what we're doing that is fake, artificial, forced. Then change it to bring back the challenge, fun, and flow of our lessons.

Just some thoughts for tonight.

Bringing out the weird.

In my spare time I like to pop around the internets and look at various videos and things for either my students to see, or just for my own amusement (thank you buzzfeed video for amusing me many a time).  Everyone does this.

And now and again I run across something really poignant or important, or excellent, but the content isn't quite right for kids to watch.

For example,  in the past few weeks I've run across a lot of Zefrank's stuff. In particular are his "Human Tests"

These are prime examples of things that I would love to use in the classroom, but simply can't due to various content reasons. There is a third volume, but it's intro picture is one that I can't really show on this site in case some kids are watching. Ask me about it sometime though, it's great. 

The Human Test Volume 1 and 2 are things that I would love to use in the classroom because they address the things that no one really thinks are normal but really are. For example, making weird noises out loud while thinking of embarassing things (yes...I've done that from time to time), or wishing a certain moment in time had an "undo" button (done that too). 

Really, there are a lot of things that we

• think
• do
• feel 
• know happen to us 

that we think are

• too shameful 
• embarrassing
• weird 

so we don't mention them because we think they just apply to us, and no one else is doing the same. When in reality, they apply to a lot of people. And a lot of people would feel comforted if they simply knew that other people did them too.

Well, I'll bet our kids are thinking the exact same thing. I'll bet they've had thoughts, do little "quirky" things, get excited about certain games, apps, or toys that they think no one else does and keep it bottled up because no one has bothered to tell them that other people do it too. And they feel ashamed of those feelings

The kicker is...It's o.k. to think, do, feel, and know this happens because it's normal, good and fun. Because the excitement they feel is shared. Because the "weird" they feel is shared. Because the embarrassment they feel is shared.

And if they simply acknowledged it to each other, they would connect. They wouldn't feel the same, or hide it. Because others are there to support them. They wouldn't keep it internal. Because it would no longer be 

• too shameful
• embarrassing
• weird

So, maybe a "kid test" is needed. Maybe there are certain things that we need to put in it, to show our kids. So they can grow to their fullest potential. And be the best "me" they can be.

Because when they hear other people are doing/feeling the same things, they join in. Feel comforted.

And this is part of making a secure, inviting, and open classroom. 

To bring out the "weird"...because it's really not.

On Wisdom

Plato once said: 

"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."

According to Wikipedia, the definition of wisdom is:

Wisdom is a deep understanding and realization of people, things, events or situations, resulting in the ability to apply perceptions, judgements and actions in keeping with this understanding. 

Shocking....yes...I know....I used wikipedia. I agree with using it, in the correct way, by the way. Like any other 21C Learning Tool, it can be used correctly in the classroom, but more on that later.

One of the consistences amongst various ways of thinking on wisdom has been that wise people are those who are slow to speak, slow to anger, and contemplative.

Wisdom lies in just about every culture throughout history. The greeks personified it in godesses Metis and Athena; the Romans used Minerva; the Inuit people of Northern Canada said that a person became wise when they could see what needed to be done and did it without being asked; Native Americans believed wisdom lay in being balanced with nature as well as being socially balanced.

According to Andrew Harter, in his book Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification:

• A wise person has self-knowledge.
• A wise person seems sincere and direct with others.
• Others ask wise people for advice.
• A wise person's actions are consistent with his/her ethical beliefs.

According to the various world religions, we attain wisdom through God. It is deemed one of the greatest gifts.

I may come back to a more thorough definition later on in my blog...but I digress. 

Throughout my whole life, I have been accused of talking too much, and too fast. Caffeine has not done anything to slow me down, or get my to talk less. 

One of the consistencies that is noticed in Wisdom is the ability to control your speech, and knowing when to talk and when not to.

A wise person knows this and doesn't just blabber on.

And I've noticed that in many of the people I've worked with/experienced in my life who seem to personify Wisdom. There are a few at my current school, as well as those I've encountered on my travels and in my life in Newfoundland. I won't name names, as it wouldn't be fair, but I can reassure you that if you ask me personally, I would gladly tell you.

Regardless, it leads me into the wisdom of speech in the classroom.

As a teacher, I have a desire to strike the balance of good speech, not rambling when setting up lessons, and being clear at the same time.

As teachers we are taught to give our kids clear expectations. I think it's more than just clear expectations. It's wisdom in what we say at all times. It's the wisdom not to speak all the time. To slow down when needed and let things happen. To use the right words that are not just clear, but also direct, sincere, kind, and nourishing.

And to only speak when we need to. To listen 85% of the time and speak 15%. And not respond right away if we think we'll be "foolish" with our talk.  Sometimes it pays to not say something right away.

After all, we're not in the classroom to listen to ourselves. We're there to help the kids develop their voice. In whatever way that is. 

So, as educators, parents, citizens of our growingly-global-world we have the responsibility to be wise in everything we do. 

Our society demands immediacy. To do things now. Wisdom demands slowness, and thought. I think doing the later rather than the former is probably a better decision.

I think this one is worthy of a few specific examples, which I will provide in a later entry. Once I have thoroughly sought them out. 

Quick and humbled.

It's a bit late, so I'll keep this one short. I'm also doing it on my iPhone which makes it a little more challenging.

Tonight, a quick comment: we all sound like we know what we're talking about if we say it confidently, but I love it when I'm proved wrong because someone hauled out their phone and checked.

I love it because I was corrected on something  I thought I believed was true, and because I was humbled. We need to be humbled and open to accepting being wrong. Even from our students.

Stupidity is an intelligent point

I saw this video on youtube today. It's an interesting commentary on Stupidity by John Cleese of Monty Python fame.

Cleese makes the point that in order to know we're bad at something, we must first understand it. He makes the comment that stupid people won't know their stupid, as they'd be too dumb to know they are.

Which is an interesting point to make to/about our kids. If a child comes up and says they're bad at something, it means we can tell them they must know how it works for them to think they're bad at something. In which case, they're actually good at it, because they know things about it.

In the same way that a child who thinks they're stupid, must be, to a certain degree, intelligent enough to know what this means, or what it means to not be stupid. In which case, they're not.

I love this, because it's very positive.

What's not explained is the difference between knowledge and application of said knowledge

Or ability vs knowing.

So, if you know you're "not good" at something, then you must have some knowledge to be able to apply to your current ability to get better at it.

In other words, if a child you teach doesn't know how to add, but knows what good adding looks like, then get them to explain what good addition is, and build from there. Use their own positive knowledge with them to scaffold it into further knowledge, and ability. In time, their definition of "stupid" will change as you positively reinforce the application of their knowledge into ability.

For example, when I first started doing yoga I knew what bakasana, or crow pose, was but didn't have the ability to do it. I applied the various things I was learning, including basic forearm stretches, balance poses and smaller things like looking straightforward while in the pose, to eventually get it, understand it, and use it. It took time, but I was successful. It was a patient process.

In other words, I originally thought I was "stupid", but because I knew it what good crow pose looked like and through guidance from my teachers was able to get that pose into place.

And it's no different in the classroom. We must not simply tell our kids they're not stupid, we have to make them see why they're not by using what they've already got.

I recognize that every child will not be experts at everything, but I have a hard time believing children are truly "stupid" at anything.

As a great PYP coordinator, Dean Johnson, once said to me, in paraphrased form:

Always look on the light side Andrew. the dark side isn't going to do a lot of good for them.

Lessons from Bob

One of the most important things that happened today was getting my Bob Ross Master Kit. It's essentially a painting kit that gets you started on how to use the Bob Ross painting methods.

For those of you who don't know who Bob Ross was, he was an American painter who ran a 30 minute TV show that ran for 25 or so seasons on PBS until near his death in 1995. 

Before you immediately think "Why would I want to watch or care about that??" you have to realize that within that 1/2 hour of his program, he produced some absolutely gorgeous works of art that you were stunned he could possibility create in such a short time.

Not only that, but you were also mesmerized by his voice, his relaxing nature and his happy little trees. Bob Ross reminded us of such things as:

Happy painting and God Bless, my friend.

• Ken Tucker (2006) Kissing Bill O'Reilly, Roasting Miss Piggy: 100 Things to Love and Hate about TV, Macmillan: ISBN 0312330588, p. 155.

Let's build us a happy, little cloud that floats around the sky.

• Ann Curry (September 22, 2004) "Painter Bob Ross remains an iconic figure years after his death", NBC News.

Little more black, little more blue. And we'll just put that in using little crisscross strokes or--or little X's, whatever you want to call them. Whatever.

• David Brancaccio (May 12, 2003) "Legacy of Bob Ross lives on through his TV show still airing on public television stations", Marketplace, American Public Media."

Bob Ross made painting accessible to the layman. He made, what seemed like the impossible, possible. He always said that within an hour people learning his methods would have a completed work if art. He made art less intimidating. With his quiet, reserved, calm voice and simple nature he made the scary, accessible. 


He was an awesome teacher. And it's what he wanted to do. Teach. Make things doable. Make people feel good about a skill they didn't think they had.

And I reflect on that to think that we should all do that. We should all try and make the intimidating, or inaccessible, accessible to our kids and those around us.

To our students, many things seem impossible, unattainable or just too hard to try. So, we need to seek ways to make it less intimidating. So they can access it with their minds. Just like Bob Ross did with painting. He allowed many of us to tap into creative parts of our nature that we didn't realize we had. We just need to make it look easy, and support kids when they struggle. Find the ways they can get something. 

But don't get me wrong. Elementary teachers are often expected to be experts at everything.


But it very much depends on what we are trying to do.


And it often depends on what our expertise are too.


Bob Ross was an expert painter, so he made painting accessible. As teacher, we need to find what we're experts at, make it accessible to our students, then tap into the other "experts" on staff and have them teach our kids what makes them experts. By doing this we can make the impossible, possible. We make everything doable to our kids


In a nutshell, that's one of the big lessons from Bob. 


To make the impossible seem possible to our students because intimidation creates fear. Fear creates doubt. And doubt isn't something that we should want in any of our kids' lives.


So, go out and be a Bob Ross. Big red hair and all.