Super Bowl Curriculum Connections

Hope these Super Bowl-themed lessons for LA, Science, Math and SS are helpful!

Language Arts
Writing prompts - Who will win the Super Bowl on Sunday? Remember to provide specific reasons to support your pick.
OR
Bruce Springsteen is performing at this year’s Super Bowl. Who would be a better choice for a half-time performer? Remember to provide specific reasons why your pick would appeal to more

Activity - Commercials that air during the Super Bowl have more viewers than any other TV event.
1. If you were going to run a Super Bowl commercial, what would you be promoting?
2. Brainstorm different ways you could get people’s attention and promote your product and/or cause.
3. In groups, choose one idea and produce a 30 second commercial to perform for the class.

Science
The Arizona Cardinals have migrated from Chicago to St. Louis to Arizona. Just like birds that migrate south for the winter, the Cardinals seem to be doing much better in their new warm climate. ~~~Lesson on bird migration

San Diego Chargers have a lot of energy. ~~~Lesson on electricity

Social Studies
US culture: The Super Bowl has been an American tradition for 43 years. What other sports traditions are there in the United States, in your school and in your family? How does

International culture: As we witnessed with the Olympics, sports are an international tradition.
What sports are popular in other countries?
What do all sports fans and/or athletes have in common?

Math - Super Bowl Pool
Let students pick squares on the pool chart.
Remind them of the standard scores for football. They want to pick a square that is the likely sum of the final scores, so they’ll have to work out potential scores before picking.
Touchdowns – 6
Extra point – 1
Field goal – 3
Safety - 2
Students will be tracking numbers and working out potential scores while they watch. The winner can get extra credit or a homework pass.

Is your class doing anything for the Super Bowl? Share you lessons in the comments section!

Anti-Evolution Curriculum Debate Lives On

Despite the Supreme Court ruling banning creationism and intelligent design in science classrooms, evolution is still on trial in Texas and Louisiana.

I feel like it’s the Scopes monkey trial all over again. [Or at least the fictional account I read in Inherit the Wind.]

Both Texas and Louisiana are voting on changing the curriculum to allow for “weaknesses” in the theory of evolution to be introduced to students.

Many science teachers see this as a backdoor approach to integrating creationism or intelligent design (basically creationism 2.0) into science curriculum and potentially, science text books.

Since Texas makes up such a large percentage of the textbook market, publishers will likely tailor their national materials to suit their needs.

“These weaknesses that they bring forward are decades old, and they have been refuted many, many times over,” Kevin Fisher, a past president of the Science Teachers Association of Texas, said after testifying. “It’s an attempt to bring false weaknesses into the classroom in an attempt to get students to reject evolution.” NYT article

Personally, I have to vote with the Supreme Court and science teachers on this one.

Science education is about teaching children to question, discover truths about the world and learn to prove those truths. It seems a disservice to students to introduce materials that have been overwhelmingly disproved by the scientific community.

Don’t get me wrong, America guarantees people the right to believe whatever they want to believe. People should be allowed to teach their children whatever they’d like. They are welcome to send their children to private schools that provide a curriculum that introduces religion into the classroom.

But public school just is not the place.

As a Catholic school alumna, I fully support finding the balance between religious beliefs and science education. Unlike many who think science kills faith, I think that evolution is a much more impressive interpretation of the Biblical “7 days” creation.

Regardless, this dated debate is taking valuable time and consideration from the major problems facing science education. Texas CFI exec. Dir. Clare Wullner represented it best. She was pictured in the New York Times wearing 19th century clothes.

The sign on her seat reads: "Evolution was a controversy . . . 150 years ago. It’s not anymore. Teach 21st Century Science." Read more about the debate

Do you agree/disagree? Have I got it all wrong? Shed some light on the debate in the comments section or take the poll!

Homework Misunderstanding - The Funniest Thing I've Seen All Week

Just had this email forwarded to me - and almost fell off my chair laughing.

(Here's the reply the teacher received the following day)

Dear Mrs. Jones,

I wish to clarify that I am not now, nor have I ever been, an exotic dancer. I work at Home Depot and I told my daughter how hectic it was last week before the blizzard hit. I told her we sold out every single shovel we had, and then I found one more in the back room, and that several people were fighting over who would get it.

Her picture doesn't show me dancing around a pole. It's supposed to depict me selling the last snow shovel we had at Home Depot.

From now on I will remember to check her homework more thoroughly before she turns it in.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Smith

Have you ever had any humorous revelations or mishaps from homework? Share in the comments section!

Homework on the First Day of School

On Wednesday, I learned that all students, no matter what age, have one thing in common: they love to complain.

Wednesday night was orientation for the online college comp I teach. In the 2 ½ years I’ve taught community college, I always face an initial skepticism from my students – many of whom are non-traditional, adult students – because I look about 19 (compared to my well-earned 26).

Beyond the initial “I thought she was a student” murmurs, that talk usually subsides once they realize
1. I know what I’m talking about and
2. I’m in charge of their grade.

I assumed we’d reached that point by the end of the class – we’d gone through the syllabus, had a chuckle during the “please don’t plagiarize because prosecution is one Google search away” speech and were wrapping up with a few “fun,” short assignments for Friday.

While most of the students looking over the reading exercise on Obama’s inauguration speech, a middle-aged man in the back raised his hand and said, with a scowl on his face, “You want us to do all that for Friday – a day and half from now.”

When I said yes, he continued to try to convince me of how unreasonable I was being while looking at me with an expression that said “I can’t believe this little girl is giving me homework on the first day of school.”

Obviously, I didn’t back down, but he did convince me of one thing: I may be young, but I was definitely the grown up in the room.

Share your stories about complaining students in the comments section!

Teaching Tolerance Resource Guide

Guest writer: Evelyn McCormack

The highest result of education is tolerance ~ Helen Keller

Since questions on tolerance and acceptance don’t often appear on standardized tests, Helen Keller’s message can too easily fall by the wayside in these stressful times in education.

Intolerance, prejudice and hate in children are too often inherited or a result of ignorance. There are a tremendous number of resources available to help you open the minds of your students and broaden their understanding of racial, ethnic and gender stereotypes and differences.

Mix It Up
“Mix it Up” works to break down barriers between students, improve intergroup relations and help schools create inclusive communities where there are fewer misunderstandings that can lead to conflicts, bullying or violence. An initiative of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Teaching Tolerance program, “Mix It Up” provides tools, resources and ideas to help youths and their adult allies take action. On Nov. 13th, thousands of schools will participate in the seventh annual “Mix It Up at Lunch Day,” in which students eat their lunch at a different seat in their school cafeteria, to meet new students and cross the lines of division. Last year, 4 million students participated in the event. Learn how to organize Mix It Up at Lunch at your school. If you missed this year’s event, don’t worry. “Mix It Up” provides year-round ideas and activities.

Educators for Social Responsibility
Seek out help from Educators for Social Responsibility, a leading national center for teaching about conflict and social responsibility. ESR has spent the past 20 years providing resources for teaching important current issues. Its Online Teacher Center provides teaching resources on a range of issues related to international security, conflict resolution, peacemaking, violence prevention, and social responsibility.

Freedom Writers
Spend time with your class on The Freedom Writers Foundation website. The foundation was created by inner city school teacher Erin Gruwell and her students. Freedom Writers promotes an educational philosophy that honors diversity in the classroom and empowers students and teachers through outreach, curriculum and scholarships. The site has a number of suggested activities, but focuses on writing and discussion prompts. You can also order “Freedom Writers,” the moving film about Gruwell and her students.

PBS Online
Use the PBS online series, “Race: The Power of an Illusion,” in classes with middle and high school students. This award-winning series explores race in society, history and science and will prompt plenty of discussion in your classroom. You can also order the original 2003 television series through PBS. The site also provides comprehensive teacher resources and lesson plans designed for grades 9-12.

Connected & Respected
Consider registering for “Connected & Respected in the Elementary Classroom,” a one-day institute sponsored by Educators for Social Responsibility in the spring of 2009. The institute will focus on social emotional learning themes, including emotional literacy, making connections, developing caring and effective communities, cultural competence, social responsibility, and conflict management. Connected and Respected is a core curriculum in the Resolving Conflict Creatively Program, a K-8 program in SEL and character education.

How do you teach tolerance to your students? Share your advice and lessons in the comments section!

Donation Opportunity for Teachers and Ed Charities: Need Recommendations

TeachHUB staffers are looking for ed/teaching charities or organizations in need of donations.

Once the TeachHUB.com launches, we would like to donate a percentage of any proceeds from the site back to the education world. I need your help to figure out how to do that.

What organizations help teachers the most? Please give us suggestions of organizations in need!

MLK Quote Game - Answers

The human rights activists have been reunited with their quotes. Here are the answers to the quote game and a live reading to get us all excited about today's Inaugural inspiration to come.


1. H 2. J 3. L 4. D 5. K 6. E 7. F 8. B 9. G 10. C 11. I 12. A

1. A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.
~ John Lennon

2. If you're going to hold someone down you're going to have to hold on by the other end of the chain. You are confined by your own repression.
~ Toni Morrison

3. This is the duty of our generation as we enter the twenty-first century -- solidarity with the weak, the persecuted, the lonely, the sick, and those in despair. It is expressed by the desire to give a noble and humanizing meaning to a community in which all members will define themselves not by their own identity but by that of others.
~ Elie Wiesel

4. Peace, in the sense of the absence of war, is of little value to someone who is dying of hunger or cold. It will not remove the pain of torture inflicted on a prisoner of conscience. It does not comfort those who have lost their loved ones in floods caused by senseless deforestation in a neighboring country. Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where the people are fed, and where individuals and nations are free.
~ Dalai Lama

5. Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility. For the person who is unwilling to grow up, the person who does not want to carry his own weight, this is a frightening prospect.
~ Eleanor Roosevelt

6. You must be the change you want to see in the world.
~ Gandhi

7. Throughout my years in political life, I have seen extraordinary courage and fortitude by individual men and women, innocent victims of violence. Amid shattered lives, a quiet heroism has born silent rebuke to the evil that violence represents, to the carnage and waste of violence, to its ultimate futility.
~ John Hume

8. I have encountered riotous mobs and have been hung in effigy, but my motto is: Men's rights are nothing more. Women's rights are nothing less.
~ Susan B. Anthony

9. I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality.
~ Martin Luther King Jr.

10. I'd like there to be less refugees. I'd like all girls to go to school. That's what we need to be thinking about, and working on making our own families good and strong and our own kids happy. ~ Angelina Jolie

11. In the past, I came here as the freedom fighter - a black South African denied the vote in my own country. But today, I speak to you as a representative of our nation; as the head of the first ever democratic government in South Africa. The victory of democracy in our country is a victory of the American people, as well, because you took up South Africa's struggle as your own. You did so in the full understanding that the American dream is a dream that all the world's people deserve; that a new world is in the making in which humanity should be united in its diversity of race, gender, language and religion.
~ Nelson Mandela

12. Education is a human right with immense power to transform. On its foundation rest the cornerstones of freedom, democracy and sustainable human development.
~ Kofi Annan

MLK Quote Game

Match the human rights activists to their inspirational words. Prizes for particants!

1. A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.

2. If you're going to hold someone down you're going to have to hold on by the other end of the chain. You are confined by your own repression.

3. This is the duty of our generation as we enter the twenty-first century -- solidarity with the weak, the persecuted, the lonely, the sick, and those in despair. It is expressed by the desire to give a noble and humanizing meaning to a community in which all members will define themselves not by their own identity but by that of others.

4. Peace, in the sense of the absence of war, is of little value to someone who is dying of hunger or cold. It will not remove the pain of torture inflicted on a prisoner of conscience. It does not comfort those who have lost their loved ones in floods caused by senseless deforestation in a neighboring country. Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where the people are fed, and where individuals and nations are free.

5. Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility. For the person who is unwilling to grow up, the person who does not want to carry his own weight, this is a frightening prospect.

6. You must be the change you want to see in the world.

7. Throughout my years in political life, I have seen extraordinary courage and fortitude by individual men and women, innocent victims of violence. Amid shattered lives, a quiet heroism has born silent rebuke to the evil that violence represents, to the carnage and waste of violence, to its ultimate futility.

8. I have encountered riotous mobs and have been hung in effigy, but my motto is: Men's rights are nothing more. Women's rights are nothing less.

9. I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality.

10. I'd like there to be less refugees. I'd like all girls to go to school. That's what we need to be thinking about, and working on making our own families good and strong and our own kids happy.

11. In the past, I came here as the freedom fighter - a black South African denied the vote in my own country. But today, I speak to you as a representative of our nation; as the head of the first ever democratic government in South Africa. The victory of democracy in our country is a victory of the American people, as well, because you took up South Africa's struggle as your own. You did so in the full understanding that the American dream is a dream that all the world's people deserve; that a new world is in the making in which humanity should be united in its diversity of race, gender, language and religion.

12. Education is a human right with immense power to transform. On its foundation rest the cornerstones of freedom, democracy and sustainable human development.

Activist Bank
A. Kofi Annan – Ghanaian diplomat and seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations. Annan and the United Nations were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize for their fight for universal equality, tolerance and human rights around the world.

B. Susan B. Anthony – lifelong human rights advocate, fought on behalf of anti-slavery and temperance movements before the Civil War and then as founder of the Women’s Suffrage Movement and lifelong advocate for women’s rights.

C. Angelina Jolie – award-winning American actress and Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency. Jolie uses her fame to promote humanitarian causes throughout the world.

D. His Holiness the Dalai Lama – Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, is the spiritual and political leader of Tibet. Currently governing in exile from India, he is the first Dalai Lama to visit the west to spread Buddhist teachings and his message of nonviolence and interfaith harmony. He was awarded the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize.

E. Mahatma Gandhi – spiritual and political leader of India and the Indian independence movement. Gandhi is best known for his non-violent approach to change grounded in civil disobedience, beginning with the South African civil rights movement. His work has inspired peaceful movements dedicated to civil rights and freedom around the world. He is celebrated with a national holiday in India and worldwide through the International Day of Nonviolence.

F. John Hume – former politician in Northern Ireland. Hume was an instrumental part of the Northern Ireland peace process, a co-recipient of the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize, with David Trimble, a recipient of the Gandhi Peace Prize and the Martin Luther King Award, and the only recipient of the three major peace awards.

G. Martin Luther King, Jr. – African-American minister and civil rights activist who led the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the 1963 March on Washington. He is most commonly remembered for his “I have a dream” speech. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 and has an American national holiday in his honor.

H. John Lennon – world famous English musician, member of the Beatles and outspoken peace activist. He and wife Yoko Ono staged a “Bed-in for Peace” where they recorded “Give Peace a Chance.”

I. Nelson Mandela – After spending 27 years in prison for his anti-apartheid activism, Mandela became the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. He has received more than 100 awards, including the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize.

J. Toni Morrison – the first black woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. Morrison is an editor, author and professor who has been influential in bringing the work of black authors to mainstream audiences. Her best known works are Beloved, The Bluest Eye and Song of Solomon.

K. Eleanor Roosevelt – Best known as First Lady to husband Franklin D. Roosevelt, Eleanor was also a noted activist, teacher, author, speaker, social worker, and diplomat for women’s rights and the New Deal coalition.

L. Elie Wiesel – author of the memoir Night, depicting his Holocaust experience, and 56 other books. Wiesel is also a professor, 1986 Nobel Laureate, and political activist who continues to share his experience as a Holocaust survivor and his message “of peace, atonement and human dignity.”

Post your answers in the comments section. Anyone who matches all the quotes to their correct activist will win a prize.

Official answers will be posted on MLK Monday!

Teacher Spotlight: Ben Hartnell

Meet Ben Hartnell, history teacher in Westerville, Ohio, 06/07 Teacher of the Year and member of the ratemyteacher.com Hall of Fame.

If you could have any person (living, dead or fictional) as a principal, who would it be?
Wow. The "dream school" would have Abraham Lincoln as the principal. You want someone tall and well-spoken to run the show. Someone people can see coming down the hallway. (Of course, he wouldn't be allowed to wear his hat. Sorry Abe. School rules.) Maybe Ghengis Khan as the Dean of Students. Someone to scare the bejesus out of those students who find it "cool" to get into trouble. Yeah. You'd be a tad worried if you walked past his office and the door was closed! Maybe Jesus Christ as the school guidance counselor. You know he'd be the perfect person to turn to for help! I'd have Dale Murphy as my Athletic Director. He's still alive and played for the Atlanta Braves during the 1980s and early 1990s. He was my idol growing up. He did things the right way... no steroids... and he continues to do things the way they should be: with character.

What are three things every teacher should own?
Patience, patience, and patience! Every teacher has their own "physical possessions" that they use in class or to entertain the masses (Mrs. Joan Wisler has a growing collection of Pez dispensers along her chalkboard that made the usually drab math room pleasing to the eye!) As for me, I have over 60 historically accurate uniforms from various wars and time periods that I wear in when I open a new unit or to dress up (no pun intended) a normally boring lecture. However, I have come to realize that teachers need patience with their students. Not every student was blessed like I was to come from a "normal" family background - both parents together, working, and supportive. I often explain my sentiment with the famous story about Joe DiMaggio.

Someone once asked New York Yankees' center fielder Joe DiMaggio why he was always diving for the ball and trying his hardest during every game. His response remains, to this day, the creed by which I teach: "There is always some kid who may be seeing me for the first or last time, [and] I owe him my best."

For the 45 minutes that I have my students, I need to realize that this may be the 45 minutes that gets them through a tough night. They might want to see what "crazy" Mr. Hartnell will do next, and it might take their mind off the troubles in their lives. That's why patience is the most important thing a teacher can have.

What profession other than your own would you most like to attempt?
If I could do it again, I'd have joined the U.S. Navy, just like my grandfather, who was my definition of "hero" long before 9/11 sent us looking for oridinary citizens to fill that description.
And if I couldn't join the U.S. Navy, I'd want to open a sports bar called "The Great Divide" and have it be half University of Michigan and half Michigan State University (where I attended). Always though that would be a great gig.

Describe your all-time favorite lesson/unit activity.
Every spring I re-create a Civil War battle using over 4,000 water balloons. I march the students in lines and have them fire timed volleys just like they did during the conflict. I bring in reenactors who shoot muskets, rifles, and artillery to clog the battle field with smoke and make it as realistic as possible. The students are always amazed by this every year. It certainly beats lecturing about linear war!

What is the greatest misconception about teachers?
That we all "have our summers off". Nothing sends me into the stratosphere more than when I hear people ask me, "So, what's it like to have your summers off?" to which I respond, "I would't know. I teach summer school, run my own landscaping company, and take classes." I am currently enrolled at Walden University working on my Ed.D.

What stereotype about teachers is true?
Coffee breath. Thankfully I don't drink coffee and make sure I pop a mint a couple times a day.

Who was your favorite teacher? Why?
It's never easy to select just one teacher, especially because growing up I had great respect for each of my teachers (even the ones who gave me Cs) and the amount of time and energy they put into their profession. If I had to break it down in terms of grade level... I fell in love with the notion of teaching when I had Mrs. Sharon Wheeler as my 5th grade teacher. I'll never forget the day when she informed us that the Battle of Bunker Hill was actually fought on Breed's Hill and that the battle had been misnamed. I was hooked on history education! As for middle school, there were many: Mr. Wallace, Mrs. Nancy Cooper, Mrs. Rose, and Mr. Davis were such an amazing group of "team teachers" that helped my transition from 5th to 6th grade. They were so supportive and furthered my love of education. Mrs. Leslie Robbins (now Thompson) was my 8th grade U.S. History teacher. Aside from the childish "crush" I had on her, she brought history to life by adding music to her classroom for several of the activities. She showed us clips from Ken Burn's Civil War documentary on PBS. (And this was well before the time when lots of teachers did stuff like this.) In high school the list is endless. In fact, I work with many of the ones who I had as a student. Mrs. Carol Denney, Ms. MaryAnn Hines, Mrs. Joan Wisler, Mr. Robert Andrews, Mr. Harding Kirchhoff, Mr. Dave Reisch, and on and on and on! Every teacher showed me what it took to become an educator myself. I felt so prepared for college that it was always my goal to return to my alma mater and return the favor to future generations of students.

How did you know you wanted to be a teacher?
Again, it was that one little lesson on the Battle of Bunker Hill that shifted my interest from dinosaurs to history.

Bio:
The 2008-2009 school year marks Mr. Hartnell's eighth year teaching in Westerville, Ohio. He received "Teacher of the Year" honors for the 2006-2007 school year, an award bestowed upon a teacher only once in their career. Mr. Hartnell loves basketball and coached for four years at Walnut Springs, where his tactics... and antics... earned him the nickname of "The Bobby Knight of Middle School Basketball" (for better or worse). During the 2004-2005 campaign, he became the first coach in school history to lead the 8th grade to victories over all three Westerville rivals in the same season.
...more can be found on my school web site... http://www.hartnellhistory.eboard.com/

Would you like to be featured on Teacher Spotlight when TeachHUB launches? Email your answers to these questions to teachhubblog@gmail.com or acondron@k12teachersalliance.com

Snow Day Envy

I am overwhelmed with jealousy. This jealousy isn’t necessarily directed at teachers who are enjoying snow days this week, but to all teachers who get to recapture that childlike innocence and excitement that comes with a snow day.

Unlike the world of office workers, teachers can still hope.

While I was whining about digging out my car on Sunday night, my mom was crossing her fingers and bookmarking the district website for updates. Just like their students, my teacher friends were brainstorming possible snow day activities, debating whether or not to get caught up on grading or just enjoy their bonus day.

Seeing the anticipation on their faces is like watching bright-eyed children talk about what Santa might leave under the tree Christmas morning.

To be clear, these are all amazing teachers who love their jobs. It just seems that the school atmosphere is one in which teachers can look forward to time off like students. In a business setting, you live with the unyielding downer of adulthood because a snow day is just not going to happen and openly admitting you are wishing for one is taboo.

Sadly, the snow day didn’t come to fruition, at least not yet (with this week’s insane cold and blizzard forecasts, there is still a chance. Gotta love Chicago!). But teachers can still rest assured that their career let them feel like kids again.

Sing your Snow Day praises (or declare your Snow Day dissent) in the comments section!!

Selling Ads on Tests: Welcome to the Verizon Wireless Western Civ Final

As a calculus teacher, Tom Farber solves problems.

When administrators at Farber’s high school cut his copy budget from $500 to $316, he came up with a way to pay for his copies: selling ad space on tests.

The going rate for quizzes is $10, while tests earn $20 a pop, and ads on the final exam run $30.

Most of the ads are encouraging notes from students’ families, but there are a few local businesses who bought ad space. One dentist tells students to “Brace Yourself for a Great Semester,” according to a USA Today article.

This unusual fundraising technique has gotten attention and criticism from groups who want to keep commercialization out of schools. From this perspective, advertisers are paying for access to these children/teens.

On the other hand, Farber is doing what he can to ensure that his students’ education doesn’t suffer because of budget cuts. He also practices discretion and common sense in what ads he allows. Too often, teachers use their own money to cover the shortfalls in school supplies and that just isn’t fair to people whose paychecks are already too low.

I’ll put the question to you:

Should teachers subject students to advertising? Take the poll or post your thoughts in the comments section.

Staging the Teacher Robot Revolution: Columnist Preview

Jennifer Scoggin will be a weekly columnist at TeachHUB.com. Here's a preview of what's to come:

In my previous teaching life, and by that I mean in my heinous first job, I was forced to work with a scripted curriculum that made me feel more like a robot than an actual professional.

Let me paint a picture for you. This is how a math lesson went in my first grade classroom:

Me:
[hands up in the children’s faces like a traffic cop desperately trying to not lose my place in the manual, or as I liked to call it, bonfire material]
“What’s 2 + 2?”
[Pause for dramatic flair of the hand followed by a snap, yes a snap. It was explicitly stated in the bonfire material that I was to snap...and who knows what would happen if I deviated from the text? Hey, it was my first year.]

Kids: [eyes totally blank] 4?

Me: 4, yes, 4.
[hand back up in their faces]
What’s 3 + 3?
[pause, then dramatic flair of the hand followed by a snap]

Kids: [eyes still blank, a few children wipe away some drool] 6?

Me: 6, yes, 6.

Even the ways we were to praise children were outlined. In our session with the staff developer who presented this curriculum, we were told there was to be NO PERSONALITY. Whoops! Was that out loud? I meant, no deviation from the manual. We were simply literate robots.

And it didn’t stop there. Oh, no. We were also provided with diagrams that detailed the layout of our classroom space. Poster A was to be hung to the left of Poster B. Banner C should be displayed proudly at the front of the room, while chart D was to be hung on the black board. I think perhaps the best (read “most humiliating”) part of this whole experience was when the administration came around with a clipboard to check if our posters were hung in accordance with the guidelines and if we were operating “task on time” (which really means is the seal balancing the ball on it’s nose at exactly 9:34 a.m....me being the seal in this scenario, of course).

My answer was to run screaming from the building in search of a school that took a teacher’s knowledge and expertise more seriously.

But the question remains: what can you do, with any curriculum, to create that personal connection?

Here are some thoughts, and sage words of advice that I have gathered from some phenomenal, non-robotic teachers:

• Spend time reflecting on what YOU think school is all about. What is your philosophy of education? What do you believe are the qualities embodied by the ideal teacher? Now, hang onto those ideals like a life raft!! Filter all your decisions through those ideals and find ways to make whatever curriculum you teach gel with your beliefs.


• Remember your personality. No child wants to sit in front of a lifeless being all day, even if said lifeless being is forced to read from a script. Jazz it up and be silly...especially when the door is closed.


• Think about what you already know. Have you have learned any tricks from other curricula or programs taught in the past? Find ways to make room for those ideas in your current practice. If you like it, there must be a good reason.


• Find time in the day to teach something you are truly passionate about. I know it feels like there is never any extra time, but finding the time (or forcing the time) to let my students work on scrapbooks throughout the year has made a world of difference in my mental state and that of my students.


• Advocate for yourself! Although sometimes it feels like no one wants to hear what a teacher has to say, choose your battles and present well thought-out, practical alternatives. This has worked for me, even if it makes me a little unpopular from time to time.


• Always remember: Damn the Man, Save the Empire!

Share your tips in the comments section!

YouTube Writing Prompts

Discussion/writing prompts: Hero Dog Saves Kittens from Fire

K-2: Discuss "What does the video teach us about friendship?" Have students write words or sentences describing what it means to be a friend.

3-5: Who is a hero in your life? What did he/she do that was heroic?

6-8: What are three qualities someone must demonstrate to be called a hero?

9-12: Heroism is often associated with sacrifice. Is there ever a time when it is more heroic to save yourself than someone else?

We may make this a feature on the TeachHUB.com website.

Would you use YouTube writing prompts? Take the poll or give other suggestions in the comments section!

Top 12 Must See Teacher Movies, Part 2

And the list continues:

Remember the Titans (2000)
As two single-race Virginia high schools are forced to integrate in 1971, football coach Herman Boone (Denzel Washington) must transform his divided black and white players into a united team. Boone’s team faces prejudice and resistance at every turn, but they manage to find a common ground while tearing up the turf. Just as teachers shape students beyond the classroom, coaches shape who players become on and off the field.

Lean on Me (1989)
Morgan Freeman has played a limo driver, a U.S. president, a prison inmate and even God, but he takes on his most challenging role in Lean on Me. Freeman’s radical principal wanders the halls with a baseball bat, locks troublemakers out of school and refuses to accept any excuses. His extreme approach shocks teachers, students and the school board, but ultimately changes the lives and learning of his students.
(Trivia: Freeman also had a small role in 1984’s Teachers)

School of Rock (2003)
After getting kicked out of his band and threatened with eviction, wannabe rockstar Dewey Finn (Jack Black) fakes his way into a sub job at a private school. Dewey taps into his fifth-graders’ talents for his rock n’ roll comeback. In a surprisingly heartwarming, screwball comedy, School of Rock also manages to slip a lesson on the value of art education under the radar.

October Sky (1999)
When everyone else in a kid’s life is pointing them in one direction, a teacher may be the only one who helps them blaze their own path. That’s the case in October Sky. A young Jake Gyllenhaal stars as an outcast teen with a passion for rocket launching in a 1950’s close-minded, coal-mining town. With the support of his teacher, he follows his passion to the state science fair, to college and eventually to NASA.

Chalk (2006)
In the style of Christopher Guest, this mockumentary provides a dry, yet poignant portrait of teaching. The film follows a handful of teachers at fictional Harrison High, comically showing the struggles they face without making teachers the butt of the joke. You’re sure to recognize some painfully familiar classroom encounters.

Dangerous Minds (1995)
Despite the Coolio connection (or maybe because of it), Dangerous Minds has become an iconic movie for the fish-out-of-water teacher. Ex-marine Louanne Johnson wins over her rebellious students with candy bars, karate and Bob Dylan. It may be trite, Hollywood and a cliché of “the great white hope,” but it is also shows compelling connections between a teacher and her students. Either way, no list of teacher movies would be complete without it.

They say I gotta learn, But nobody's here to teach me.

If they can't understand it, how can they reach me?

~ Gangster's Paradise

Honorable mentions: Schooled, The Karate Kid, Freedom Writers, Children of a Lesser God, Hoosiers, Sister Act II, To Sir With Love, Pay It Forward, Finding Forrester, The Emperor’s Club, Akeelah and the Bee

What am I missing? Post your favorite teacher movie in the comments section, or see the rest of the list at the Countdown to Teachhub homepage!

Top 12 Must See Teacher Movies, Part 1

After polling teachers, checking box office numbers, critical reviews and teacher forums, we've compiled a list of the Top 12 must-see teacher movies. Here are the first six (though they appear in no particular order):

Dead Poets Society (1989)
Robin Williams gives a shockingly understated, touching portrayal of a teacher who brings inspiration to the lives of his straight-laced prep school students. A little saccharine but mostly sincere, Dead Poets Society is guaranteed to infuse poetry into the most prosaic days.


Teachers (1984)
Teachers taps into the realities of teaching with over-the-top satire, including disappearing desks, a brawl over the copy machine and a star substitute who is actually an escaped mental patient. Nick Nolte stars as the slacker hero who brings heart to this spoof.


Half Nelson (2006)
In this intense, indie drama, a friendship forms between a well-intentioned, drug-addicted teacher and his 13-year-old student who is trying to escape her convict brother’s fate. After she catches him smoking crack, the two alternately try to save the other while their own lives spiral out of control. Unlike most feel-good teacher movies, Half Nelson is about real people with real problems, but also maintains a tangible sense of hope.


Stand and Deliver (1988)
Based on a true story, Stand and Deliver depicts a rebellious math teacher who transforms his seemingly hopeless, apathetic students into the top-scorers in the state. Their achievement is so remarkable that the school board accused the Latino students of cheating. Just imagine this story in our test-obsessed age of NCLB.


To Be and To Have / Être et avoir (2002)
This French documentary transcends with trite world of hokey, inspiration fiction. To Be and To Have follows teacher Georges Lopez and his 12 students (ages 4 – 12) in their rural schoolhouse. Peter Rainer of New York Magazine wrote that “it demonstrates without overreaching what an actual teacher can do to shape lives.”


Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995)
Classical musician Glenn Holland assumes that teaching will leave him plenty free time to compose his classical masterpiece. Instead, he finds his life’s passion in musical education. Mr. Holland’s Opus reminds us that, even when it seems frustrating and futile, teaching will can change lives – both your students and your own.

Check back tomorrow for the second half of our must-see movie list! Or share your favorite in the comments section.