Experience...It's All About the EXPERIENCE!

My friend Tiffany and I just took a short trip over our holiday break to Hot Springs, Arkansas. Some may ask ...."why would you go there?" Well, to be honest, we really didn't know what to expect, but we had never been there before and we are always up for an adventure.
.........background of Tiffany (my bff) We have been friends for as long as I can remember. Some may call her my PIC (partner in crime) but if you know us both very well, when we travel we are the modern day Thelma and Louise...We were given that nickname by an older friend of ours when we started going of frequent random vacas and road trips together...to say the least, we have A LOT of FUN....but we wouldn't steal or kill or any bad junk like that....please....we are teachers!!!!

Sooooo....how does this relate to education? For some educators it might not at all...for others they will understand exactly what I am talking about.... So here goes...

It's all about our experiences in life that mold us into who we are. Through experiences we are able to expand our everyday outlook on life, but most importantly....experience allows us to have a more in depth knowledge or outlook about the topics that we talk about with our students.

If I don't travel and experience new things, it will be more difficult to encourage and inspire my students to travel and create their experiences. We want our students to dream for themselves, but what about us? What happens when we stop dreaming about the things in life that we want to see, experience or explore? If we stop wanting those things we will dry up or become stagnant? I don't know the answer to this and I hope that I will never have to....I want to grow as much and as often as I can...

During our trip to Hot Springs I did a few things that I had NEVER done before in my life....
1. I took a bath/spa in a bathhouse..Extremely interesting to say the least...I will probably give a more detailed version later once I have truly reflected on the overall experience...
2. Visited the oldest bar in Arkansas, The Ohio Club..Built in 1905
3. Dug for crystals and visited Mount Ida
4.Stayed at the Historic Arlington Hotel

Met some very interesting people and learned about the history of the town...

Our students are thirsty for knowledge...not just facts that they can Google, but experiences that could inspire them to GO and DO!!! What an awesome gift that could be for your students. All I ask is that you take a moment and think about it and be AWESOME!!! Experience is a great way to grow, learn and change the world....

Love and Peace,
Leigh

Modern Day Mother Teresa....Be a Person of Service

I'm sure you are thinking that this is a bizarre title to my post, but there is a background behind it. Last year during the annual district wide toy drive that my class and I spearhead every year one of my kids nicknamed me 'Modern Day Mother Teresa' or #MDMT for short. I obviously know that I don't hold a candle to Mother Teresa and her work and dedication to the world, but I thought it was interesting that this student associated this iconic world leader and I in the same ballpark..Maybe he was fishing for an 'A", but either way I had to inquire....

I responded to Joe with a faint giggle, "trust me, I am nowhere near saving children in the streets of Calcutta!" He replied, "I know, that is why you are the modern day version. You help us all of the time and save some of us too, but most importantly you encourage and inspire us to help others. It is like a ripple effect to make the world a better place. You are right, you are not in Calcutta, but you are in Hillsboro, MO and making a huge difference." 

Wow!!! Those are words that will stick with my until the day I die. It was one of the most sincere and heart-felt compliments that I have ever received. 

Encouraging each other to be people of service:

Last Friday my students and I volunteered at the DeSoto Elks for their Annual Food Baskets that they do for the local community. It is a very touching sight as most of my students live in poverty to see them so passionately working to help others and  LOVING it. As a teacher is warms my heart to see young people not just giving back, but enjoying it and taking pride in their actions. It reassures me that the world will be taken care of after I am dead and gone. 

We MUST teach our young people to be people of service and the importance of giving back. The most effective way to do this is to LEAD BY EXAMPLE. We must continue to demonstrate humanitarianism and the need to be global servants...We MUST help others...EVERYWHERE...From our backyards and across the world, we must continue to try and make the world a better place. Please continue being awesome and remember that LOVE is where we can all start...

Happy Holidays to you and peace on Earth!

Leigh

 

Teens and Technology; The World of SnapChat and Texting

The world of technology is all around us and crazy, right? Well I did a study on my students and my dance girls about teens and technology. Some parents might not understand this, and that is totally cool. Hopefully this will be an insight into your teenagers' brain for a split second and you will be able to relate to this post.


Scenario:
You pick your teen up from school or they arrive home in a perfectly good mood. You ask them how there day went...blah, blah, blah...all is good right now and no melt down has occurred.
Within minutes their mood completely shifts...What could it be? You ask them, you get no response...you begin racking your brain..."did they fail a test, boyfriend break up with them, fight with a friend???" your mind begins to race....

Do you understand the problem? Of course you don't...we didn't have cellphones in high school.
You will never hear this conversation out loud, but it happens a thousand times a minute in the teenage world...

"OMG they opened my Snap (that is snapchat) but didn't text me back, WTF"

To most of us the above conversation sounds completely ridiculous, but you try telling that to your teenage daughter....Good Luck to you...You are a brave soul...

You ask teens if they think/feel this way and they will laugh out of embarrassment and say, "Yes, all of the time!"

Also, if they send out a snap and don't get an instantaneous response, they blast another snap to 10-20 new people and are usually pissed about it.

If you have a teenager at home then you realize you have an additional battle to face. The Smartphone/Social Media is a beautiful thing, but it can also cause a roller coaster of emotions for a teenager.  Just another chapter in the parenting book:)

There will be more topics on teens and technology coming soon..
   *The Importance of Turning Down the Volume
   * What Does It Feel Like to be Unplugged

Just an FYI; I am an advocate of technology, especially in education. I feel that kids that are neglected of technology is comparable to us (old folks) as not having electricity. I just wanted to share a little part of our discussion that we had the other day, because it was very interesting and funny!

Maybe share or discuss this post with your teen as a bonding time hahahaha..

Until next time,
Leigh

No Extra Credit....So Kleenex, Markers and Glue Sticks Don't Count?

How many of you remember growing up and your teacher giving you a list of classroom items that were needed in class and offering 'EXTRA CREDIT' if you brought them in? Well, I do..Mary Ragsdale (my mother) knew that without that extra credit, my brother and I might not pass that class or it could bring our "B" to an "A"!!! hahahah....

Well, those are funny memories, but in reality you shouldn't ever do that. Bringing in supplies does not measure what a student actually has learned. Don't you want to know what your child/student has actually learned? Also, what about the kid that can't afford to bring those items in? With that being said, if you have to use grades, they must be quality grades, that really measures student achievement. Does a word search reflect what a student knows? What about memorizing facts? Not really, if you think about it.

We as educators, parents and stakeholders must look at education in a totally different light. Our students today learn faster than we ever did. We have to make sure that we are 4G and fully charged at ALL times. We have to give them relevant knowledge that they can apply to the real world. We must stray away from pounding content into their heads and help them problem-solve, explore, innovate and most importantly THINK!!!!

Happy Saturday to all...I am off to take part in sound mediation with my bestie Anne...

Peace on EARTH!
Ms. Leigh

What Have You Learned Today?

Do you make it a point to LEARN something new everyday? If not, why not? Do you want to become stagnant? Do you think you have learned everything there is to know? Do you know people that are lifelong learners?
If you are answering these questions are disappointed...make a change...buck up buttercup!

Do you know what a lifelong learner is? If not, you must have never met my Grandpa George S. Pallo.
My Grandpa Pallo was the poster child for a lifelong learner. Up until the day he passed, he was learning. He was a believer in the power of the mind and education. He never wasted a moment and made every situation a meaningful experience. He embraced people, knowledge and life. I can only hope to be like him today and everyday.

I try and stress the importance of being lifelong learners with my students daily. That knowledge is power and we need to learn about things that we find interesting and are passionate about. I let them know if they become stagnant they will become resentful in their older years.

I ask them the question, "Do you want to be that awesome old person that you could listen to for hours reflect on their life experiences (Grandpa Pallo), or do you want to be the grouchy old person that complains about how bad life is and is rude to everyone(they are NOT reading this blog)?"

The choice is yours. You have the power to decide what path you want to take. Be like Robert Frost and take the road less traveled...at least it will be an adventure.

Something to think about. Hope you learn a wealth of knowledge and pass it along to random people that you meet!

Happy Hump Day,

Leigh xoxo

Breaking the Cycle...

When I ask my students about breaking the cycle, they look at my like I have three heads. They don't understand what that means and where I am going to go with it. I think as an educator of teenagers, this is a very important conversation that we need to be having, but....what does that mean? What form does that take on? What in the hell is a cycle?

I give them an example of poverty first. How do we break the cycle of poverty? Many answer with, "move out of this town, go to college or get a good paying job." Yes, these things are great....but does that mean you will break the cycle of poverty? This is where is begins to get tricky. If you grew up in poverty your entire life and you go to college and start experiencing the world and opening your mind to new things, will that change your perception? Of course it will, we all know that answer to that...But...once you join your family at the next family function and your drunk Uncle Bob starts making racist or uneducated statements that you know are not right or correct, what do you do? If you correct your Uncle, then you are the outsider of the family, the smarty pants that thinks they know it all, and you are instantly viewed a "better than they are".  If you don't correct him, then what do you stand for?
This is the crucial point where people either break the cycle or fall back into it. They either find the strength to continue moving forward or they regress back into the cycles that they were born into.

Other cycles that we are all trying to break can range from technology, to addition, lifestyles, education, temptation, choices or anything that we don't like or respect about ourselves or the generations before us. We have to dig deep and find the strength to break the cycles that we all have been born into and be brave enough to change and forge ahead.

What cycles have you broken? What cycles do you try and change everyday? What cycles are you still apart of? Can we really ever change?

If we don't reflect on our past, we can't change our future. If kids don't understand where they came from, how can they make an effort to change? Self-reflection and awareness is a critical part for all of us to reach our self-actualization state.

Just a little fruit for thought...

Enjoy and go out and break a cycle today!

Ms. Leigh