2-23-2018

Article on Resiliency after Violence.  First part of the article particularly strong on talking with students during these tough times.
https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/18/02/resiliency-after-violence

What a Victory! The 5th/6th grade girls basketball team won a come from behind game in overtime last night against a very tough Aurora Christian!  Great coaching by Dan and Matt.  Also thanks to Jessica and Lyn doing the supervision and talk about tough...Mr. Wadman doing the book and the clock at the same time.

How arts-focused field trips can help our student test scores.
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2018/02/16/an-unexpectedly-positive-result-from-arts-focused-field-trips-in-school/

Thanks to all of our teaching assistants.  I continue to be amazed at the job they do in the classroom and in all of the extra duties they do like homework club, lunch duty and helping students on the bus to name a few.  We are lucky to have such a strong support staff.

The Brain changing power of Conversation.
https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/18/02/brain-changing-power-conversation?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=&utm_term=&utm_content=

Speaking of strong staff...I know Matthew hates being complemented so I won't say that we are all proud of him winning the IEA New Teacher Award and just say that we are awestruck by his ability to assemble a dagwood sandwich while supervising 5th grade lunch duty, with his lunchbox hanging around his neck. Oh and I guess he is a pretty decent band teacher that has done an amazing job of improving our band program.  Make sure not to complement him when you see him in the hallway! :)

Article on the power of music.
https://www.brainpickings.org/2016/04/28/schopenhauer-on-the-power-of-music/

Thanks to Marcia for keeping us informed with all of the medical updates that she has been receiving for our students.

Helping students make good decisions:
https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/18/02/making-good-decisions

Hope Group will be working with Angela to make improvements to our courtyard.  That makes two projects for the courtyard as former student and potential Eagle Scout David Fatheree will also be working on an outdoor classroom area in the courtyard this summer.



Great work to Michelle and Kathy H for promoting and organizing such a big Caudill celebration.  Anytime we can get the students reading from their own interests for pleasure, we are ahead of the game!

How to handle the fear of failure.
http://www.openculture.com/2011/05/paulo_coelho_on_the_fear_of_failure.html


On the evening of March 1st I have a representative from Northwestern Center for Talent Development coming in to talk to parents about the available enrichment programs they have to offer their children.

"In any given moment we have two options: to step forward into growth or to step back into safety." - Abraham Maslow


Jessica is doing a great job facilitating the newspaper club.  I have had more reporters from the Tiger Times come to me with hard hitting, investigative reporting questions this year than I can ever remember happening previously.

“A mind is a fire to be kindled, not a vessel to be filled.” — Plutarch

2-16-2018

Why teens need a sense of purpose.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-teens-need-a-sense-of-purpose-1518264001?linkId=48022732

Thanks to Megan and Alex for working with their students to put on the opening day of STARBENGALS.  Also, thanks to everyone that got your coffee fix with them on Wednesday morning as they were extremely exited and happy while working on life skills.

Thanks to Colleen and Alex who are sponsoring the Student Council Valentine's Day dance tonight for our 7th and 8th grade students.  If you are looking to have fun and earn a few extra $ we could use another chaperone or two. 

Congratulations to Melissa L, Danielle, and April as her students put on a spectacular preview of the musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. The students singing, dancing and set-design was top notch!

Beautiful Cello Piece....come on...you have two minutes to listen!

Big props goes out to Tony, Frank and Tim for the excellent job they did with snow removal/salting.  They worked hard on Sunday to get our building ready and have been great all season with clearing snow and salting on top of everything else they do.  

Remixing with Credit

https://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/8067

Good luck to Matthew as he takes a group of our students to the Illinois Grade School Music Association Contest this weekend.  This is a great experience for these students that will add to their musical development and appreciation.  

Free online course from Yale University - Introduction to Classical Music: Using a simple and enjoyable teaching style, this course introduces the novice listener to the wonders of classical music, from Bach fugues to Mozart symphonies to Puccini operas

https://www.coursera.org/learn/introclassicalmusic

Thanks to our SS and Math staff members as we continue to explore options with PD/Webinars/Trials and Pilots.   It is a lot of work to get the right resource for us to use with Our Curriculum. 

10 ways teachers are like Olympic Athletes

https://www.weareteachers.com/why-teachers-are-like-olympic-athletes-2/?utm_content=1517614026&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

I'm continuing to work on everyone's alternative and traditional evaluations, thanks for getting things to me in a timely manner.      

bottom level goals, check, mid level goals, check, ultimate goal, check, Angela Duckworth 2 minute goal video

Thanks to Dan and Matt Tylk for the great job they are doing with our girls basketball teams.  Encouraging skills, practice, effort and motivation they have kept spirits up despite mixed results on the court.

How your brain helps you win Olympic gold just as much as your body.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-02-scientists-brain-olympic-gold.html

Thanks to the science teachers for their input on their room colors and designs, who would have thought that yellow would be everyone's favorite color!

Congratulations to Michelle Fiorini who motivated 71 students including 41 7th graders to complete the Caudill Book requirements and will have a chance to Skype with and author and other fun events at the Caudill Celebration on Friday, February 23rd.  

Please take a few minutes of your plan or team time to review the emergency manual on our ALICE protocol.   The news events recently, emphasize the importance we play in providing as safe an environment as possible for everyone at school.  

"If everything is under control, you are going too slow." -- Mario Andretti

"If people don't occasionally walk away from you shaking their heads, you're doing something wrong." John Gierach

"Life is like a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving." -- Albert Einstein

2-2-2018

Thanks to Chris, Lauren, Lyn and Adrienne for attending the Illinois Association of Gifted Children conference yesterday and today.  Learning strategies to help students who need differentiation on the opposite end of the spectrum will strengthen our schools toolbox.

Ten Websites for Gifted/Talented students.
https://educationaladvancement.org/ten-websites-gifted-kids/


Illinois, recently passed two laws that go into effect next school year that will have an impact on our school and how we help advanced students.  .  The Acceleration Act and the School Report Card Act.  I will briefly review these laws and their impact at our next staff learning meeting.

The Challenges of talented students from undeserved populations.
https://edexcellence.net/publications/is-there-a-gifted-gap

Randee Blair will be here from Northwestern University's Center for Talent Development on February 8 at 6:30pm.  She will be talking to our advanced parents about talent search testing, summer and weekend classes, gifted learning links, and a possible accelerated weekend experience here at Benjamin for students who qualify.

Do Talented students get ignored in school?
http://www.spring.org.uk/2014/01/gifted-children-get-ignored-in-school-despite-huge-future-contribution-to-society.php


Thanks to Melissa for holding down the fort in my absence.  She was also bragging yesterday about how awesome our teaching staff is as she is getting in classes these two days to observe greatness!

Megan P had an awesome "read out loud" day yesterday with teacher guest readers.  Students really got into it, great job to everyone that participated!

Rethinking giftedness...I mean school.
https://www.notsoformulaic.com/dont-need-rethink-giftedness-school/


Lyn is cultivating an interest with 4 of our young 5th graders as they meet with her to practice their knitting and crochet skills.  They just came to me on her behalf to share their gratitude.  Thanks Lyn!

The top 20 principles for gifted, talented and creative students.
http://www.apa.org/ed/schools/teaching-learning/creative-talented/default.aspx

I'm happy to announce that Dan Baker is our new athletic director.  Thanks to Keriann for the great job she has done over the years, (and will continue to do) this year in this demanding role.

It's the little details that are vital.  Little things make big things happen.   John Wooden.

1-26-2018

Thanks to grade level and PST teams for working through the data in our data meetings yesterday and for doing everything you can to help students of all ability levels.

Do you want your child to grow or do you want him/her to be comfortable?
http://www.davidgeurin.com/2018/01/do-you-want-your-child-to-grow-or-do.html


Roller skating is in full effect in PE.  Thanks to Jen, Lynette and Corey for making this cool opportunity happen and to Marcia and Jignasa for the band-aids. 



Benjamin Middle School had it's National Junior Honors Society Induction Ceremony Tuesday Night and it was big success.  Thanks to Jessica and Lauren for making it happen. 

Interesting change to try. Not sure if you have to get a 1950's version.
https://verilymag.com/2018/01/stop-using-screens-at-night


Monday Night we hosted a combined board meeting with several of our area school districts.  Melissa, Matthew, and the Choir/Theater/Band students blew everyone away with their talented performance.  Thanks also to Jen S for all of the hard work that went into setting up the event.

Why Pixar just leaked it's own mistakes and what we can learn from this.
https://www.inc.com/larry-robertson/pixars-biggest-mistakes-were-just-leaked-by-pixar.html?cid=sf01001&sr_share=twitter


Last night the girls JV and Varsity BB team played two exciting games against Wheaton Academy.  Thanks to Matt Tylk and Dan for their effort with this group of girls, they played fierce.  Also thanks to the all-star scoreboard team of Rich Feffer and Bill Wadman, the super security team of Michelle F and Lyn B and of course Mr T and the BMS PEP Band!



Thanks to the math teachers for watching the Eureka math webinar and to Chris F and Melissa F for watching the Discovery SS webinar as we prepare for two possible adoptions. 

Do you know what OER is? It could help Benjamin.
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/what-heck-oer-heather-wolpert-gawron


Stephanie Knutson is engaged!  If you see her in the hallway make sure you say congrats and try not to be blinded by the gigantic rock!

11 alternatives to Popcorn Reading
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/alternatives-to-round-robin-reading-todd-finley?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialflow


Please remember to think about donating some experiences with your grade level students for the Foundation Trivia Night!  Time spent with you is more valuable than money and will draw bigger bids from parents than "baskets".

Learning to self-manage.
https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/18/01/learning-self-manage


Team Leaders, just a reminder that we have a team leader meeting Wednesday after school.

Alternative Plans and Completed student growth goals are due Feb 1.  Please see me if you need a short extension. 

Digital Literacy for Digital Natives
https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/18/01/digital-literacy-digital-natives?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_term=&utm_content=&utm_campaign=Usable+Knowledge
 

Michael Miles continues to amaze me when he works with the Benjamin students.  He is definitely a hidden treasure!


Going after a dream has a price. It may mean abandoning our habits, it may make us go through hardships, or it may lead us to disappointment. But however costly, it is never as high as the price paid by people who live in his/her comfort zone.
Paulo Coelho

1-19-2018

Good luck to our 6th grade students and teachers today as they take a field trip to the Museum of Science and Industry. 

Replace customers with students or parents:  From IKEA's staff lounge. 


Bill Wadman and a bunch of students were running the halls yesterday as he kicked off Winter Blast to get students into shape with aerobic and strength training. 

Can a Test Ever be fair?  An inside look at how standardized test are made.
https://www.edsurge.com/news/2018-01-10-can-a-test-ever-be-fair-how-today-s-standardized-tests-get-made


Good luck to Dan Baker, Matt Tylk and all of the boys basketball players as they embark on the SWAC Boys Basketball Tournament this weekend. 

The Benjamin Franklin Effect or How to Handle Haters.
https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/02/20/the-benjamin-franklin-effect-mcraney/


The table is forming!  The Benjamin Teacher Championship Trivia table that is.  I have a couple confirmations and a couple more hopefully on the way.  February 24th...get your seat now or you might lose out on your opportunity for glory!

Managing your attention so that time takes care of itself.
https://medium.com/the-mission/learn-to-manage-your-attention-and-managing-time-will-take-care-of-itself-66d67d0984d6


Just a clarification on the summer STEAM proposals; if you are creating a proposal you should be planning for activities that last 5 days, for the entire day.  If you have any questions do not hesitate to email or call Greg Martin. 

How Design Thinking Improves the creative process. 
https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/how-design-thinking-improves-creative-process?utm_campaign=crowdfire&utm_content=crowdfire&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter#1467621-tw#1487031553676


Mr. Johnson has started to volunteer in the maker space, this will add some guidance, direction and just a general overall resource. 

Top 10 Apps to try in 2018



Classroom Management from the Rock.
https://www.weareteachers.com/classroom-management-ideas-from-the-rock/?utm_content=1510770883&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter



I was able to pop into a lot of the curriculum work that was happening on Wednesday after school.  Thank you for working so hard to create the best foundation resources for our students.  I have reached out to Tricia from Pearson to address a couple of questions/problems that came up in those meetings. 

Collaborative Learning with structure:
https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/18/01/collaborative-learning-structure



Our power resides not only in what we do but also in what we refuse to do.
Paul Coelho

1-12-2018

Our choir and band students did an excellent job at representing our school at the first annual WCCHS Music Festival yesterday ending in a great concert.  Thanks to Melissa and Matthew for their work in making this happen.



Thanks to all of the social studies teachers for attending the training on the SS standards and inquiry instruction from MaryEllen Daneels.  All teachers, please remember to fill out the two forms and turn in the evaluation in my mailbox today if you want PD hours for the curriculum/student growth work you did on that day.



The Foundation is looking for a Benjamin Teacher Table for Trivia Night on February 24th and for some teacher experience donations  for the event.  Come join my table for the VICTORY!  Practice starts next week!  Spouses (that are good at trivia) are encouraged to come as well. 


Here is the county wide institute offerings for March 2nd.  Thanks to Michelle F for sending it to me.  https://www.dupageroe.org/wp-content/uploads/Countywide_Institute_Day_Booklet_2018-Addendum01_10_18.pdf

Pineapple Chart is back!   Sign up in the lounge, new improved board, "Think Different"  "Just Do It"
Here is an article on why it is important to see each other teach.
https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/open-your-door/

Just a reminder that student growth goals are due Feb 1.  I am currently scheduling more observations for next week if you are on cycle.

Colleen Morgan's students built great houses thinking of Energy with green houses and solar panels.  Check them out in the LMC. 


Thanks to Deb LeBlanc for her leadership and calm demeanor in our weekly PST meetings.  Professionalism at it's best.

Important article on the future of letter grades and what might take its place as top high schools and Universities are phasing out old transcripts and expectations.
https://www.edutopia.org/article/will-letter-grades-survive

Lessons and other curricula for MLK Day.
https://www.edutopia.org/article/resources-martin-luther-king-jr-day-matt-davis?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

1-5-2018

Thanks to Greg for running our Tech Integration Meeting Wednesday night and to Ellen B, Alex and Megan D for attending.  New devices will soon be in student and teacher hands to pilot for next year.

Ellen T did another SUPER job on the bulletin board, check it out if you have a chance.

Thanks to Ellen and Kim for sitting down with Color Portraits yesterday to work out some of the problems we were having. Improved service and product will follow.

Two opportunities for involvement:  I will be at the West Chicago High School Concert on Thursday night to see our band and choir students.  If anyone would like to attend a PTA meeting we have one the same night.  6:30pm in the board room.  All you would need to do is sit and listen, parents appreciate when teachers attend.  Also on Wednesday Night I will be attending the Foundation Meeting and I know they are looking for new BMS Members, attending a few meetings a year and helping to organize two events are the main responsibilities.  Let me know if you would like to attend with me.

Thanks to everyone for taking the 5 Essential survey, students will be taking it soon and please encourage parents to take it if you see any volunteering in the building.

I will check in with everyone who submitted a flexible furniture proposal.  I met with Dr. Clark yesterday and will let people know where their proposal stands.


A little different this week, all of my resources will come from books...Old School!

First one, think about the rating scale not in the sense of hiring but in making decisions in general, from Tribe of Mentors by Tim Ferris:


Distinction between knowledge and skills, From PEAK Secrets From the New Science of Expertise, by Anders Ericsson.



On improvement from PEAK


On what is possible to accomplish, from Tools of Titan, Tim Ferris.



On Today's classroom,  From the Innovators Mindset, George Couros




On growth mindset, from Mindset from Carol Dweck:

On the elasticity of our brains and what it means for student's abilities: From Out of Our Minds, Sir Ken Robinson

On addressing our weaknesses from Principles by Ray Dalio: