WWI Museum
WWI Museum located in Kansas City, Missouri. This is a really amazing museum. Truly, I learned so much about WWI, much more than I did in school. I have many photos that I took during my visit. They will be posted throughout the year.
~Alie
My goal for 2012 is to post a photo every day this year (rain or shine). Some photos will be solo, others will have a short story, poem, or other musing. Please feel free to comment and add links back to your blogs.
Joan of Arc
This was taken at the World War I Museum in Kansas City, MO. A very moving and interactive museum. I would highly suggest this as a must see and much more interesting than reading out of a text-book in history class.
Happy New Year!
Awhile back I saw a PBS program with Suze Orman and “The Money Class.” After watching her on PBS, I checked out the audio version of her book from the library. I must say that I like her advice on how to teach kids about money far more than any other financial advisor I have read.
As you may know Scott and I have posted before on this topic. What is different about Suze’s advice?
1. Pay for work done and do not call it allowance. Kids are working for money just like adults do.
2. Have a list of tasks/work that they can do and the dollar amount they will earn for completing the work. You have easier tasks that pay less and harder tasks that pay more. However, your kids must master the easier smaller paying jobs before moving onto the harder better paying jobs. This is how it is done in the workplace, a worker masters tasks and then learns others and progresses which typically leads to making more money.
3. Pay your kids every two weeks, which is typically how most people are paid at work. This will teach them to make their money last for two weeks.
4. Do not tell them what to do with their money. If you set a good example with your actions your kids will mimic you. So let them know the options of spending, saving, and charity, but they make the ultimate decision.
5. Also, do not foster negativity toward working. Let your children know that you work, get paid, and in return are able to provide for the family.
6. Budget! Do not spend out of your means and it is okay to let your children know that. It is a teaching moment in that you can say that a certain item or activity is not in the budget this month, but we can save for it next month.
7. Suze also says to let them be a part of the process in learning how to pay bills each month. For example, when you are paying the electric bill let your children see the bill, how it is metered, the comparison of previous months and charges. If you use online banking then let them click the mouse that pays the bill. You are able to explain how online bill paying works, debits and credits, plus show them that electricity, gas, water, trash service is not free. It costs money to maintain a home, apartment, business, etc.
8. There is also a way to include kids with the budget making. If you let them be a part of paying the electric bill you can also create a family challenge. You can set a goal as a family to lower the electric bill by a certain percentage within a specific date, if the family meets the goal then the percentage saved is split between the family. Suze said that you will notice lights being turned off, shorter showers, etc.
9. Never pay your children for good behavior or bribe them. Yes, that is a hard one. I know that I have done this. I also know that once Scott and I are together working as a family that I will be very cognizant of this because it does not set anyone up for success.
What do you think of Suze’s advice?
As an update to my earlier post on kids and money. I did teach my kids about debits and credits, the ATM machine, and the debit machine at stores. They grasped a lot and already knew quite a bit. I really want to set a good example because I learned the hard way. And yes I believe we learn from our mistakes and they make us stronger, but I want my kids to be set up for success from the beginning and then make mistakes because they choose to not because they were not educated in finances.
Cheers, ~ Alie
Update 4.6.2011, Bob Hurley was in Utah! How cool is that?
Last Sunday I found myself watching TV which is something I rarely do and am so glad I did. I watched a segment on 60 Minutes about Coach Bob Hurley and it was inspiring. In 39 years he has only had two students that did not go to college. He works with mainly low-income boys in Jersey City at St. Anthony High School.
St. Anthony has about 245 students. It is a struggling school in a struggling town. Hurley is the person that provides hope in this community. He is one of the few high school coaches in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
What does he do to help kids?
1. He makes them sign a contract.
2. No cigarettes, narcotics, alcohol, tattoos, or rings. He does random drug tests too.
3. He is tough and demanding.
4. He teaches them and reiterates: Loyalty, commitment, and values.
5. He knows that these kids have potential, but they need someone to believe in them and also set high expectations.
Coach Hurley has been offered millions to coach in college, but he continues to stay where he is and has never made over $9,000 a year at St. Anthony.
There is a book that was written about him in 2005 and one that I am going to pick up from the library. I love reading about people who help our youth succeed.
Do you have any stories or people who inspire you?
~Alie
If you have not heard of Marc Prensky, I highly encourage you to visit his website. You will want to read the PDF Digital Immigrants, Digital Natives. A new way to look at ourselves and our kids.
He speaks about how our kids are natives to the digital age and we as parents/teachers are immigrants. How our way of teaching needs to meet their needs by speaking their language and changing the way we teach. Prensky believes that we can create games for every content area that will engage kids. The structure we have now was not created for the digital natives.
Very interesting perspective and one I agree with.
Scott, thank you for all the great articles you have been sending me. We are learning so much about our kids and education.
For those of you that were following Foto Friday, it is no longer. The host has decided to pursue another route for her blog.
I would like to have a Friday Forum where we can discuss education, kids, the digital age, etc.
Happy Friday,
~Alie
Mind mapping is used to help people brainstorm. It is a visual tool that depicts words, ideas, tasks, tools, with a key word as the focal point. The mind map is also used in education as webs, mind webs, or webbing. It develops structure, organization, and classification.
Unlike tree structures and hierarchy maps, a mind map uses a non-linear approach which allows for greater creativity. There is no right or wrong. A mind map starts with one key word.
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| Courtesy of My Mind Map |
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| Courtesy of My Mind Map |
Tony Buzan
1. Start in the center with an image of the topic.
2. Use images, symbols, codes, etc.
3. Use multiple colors for visual stimulation.
4. Develop your own personal style.
The site below lists the top 12 free online mind mapping tools. I like bubbl.us for teaching. It is very simple to use and lower grade students could easily navigate it. You could also use it on the smart board and work together as a class.
Do you use mind maps? If so, in education, business, or personal? If you would like to share any of your mind maps please comment with a link.
Enjoy,
~Alie
Help your Children with Homework the Love and Logic Way:
1. Set aside a time each day for family learning. At least 30 minutes devoted to “family brain cell development.” There should be no TV, video or computer games. Model your own excitement by reading a book, writing letters, etc.
2. Help only when your child truly wants it. Some parents make the mistake of forcing help upon their kids. This only creates frustration, anger, and kids who believe they can’t learn without their parents’ help.
3. Help only when there’s an absence of anger or frustration. When either you or your child gets frustrated or angry, learning becomes associated with frustration and anger.
4. Help only when your child can describe what the teacher said. This ensures that your child continues to believe that it’s important to pay attention to teachers.
5. Move away from your child before he/she “gets it.” Some children believe they can only learn something, or “get it,” when an adult is in the same room or is guiding them every inch of the way.
The Cardinal Rule for Helping:
Never Work Harder Than Your Child.
~Taken from Love and Logic, Dr. Charles Fay http://www.loveandlogic.com/
This is from a book I read:
Zen and the Art of Making a Living
“I.S.E.E.
Integrity:Your life’s work is something you deeply care about.
Essential Question: Who am I?
Service: Your life’s work is your way of making the world a better place.
Essential Question: How can I make this world a better place?
Enjoyment: Your life’s work is something you love to do, something your talents can find full expression through.
Essential Question: What do I love to do?
Excellence: Your life’s work is something you can give your all to.
Essential Question: What can I dedicate to enough to persist to excellence?”
I skimmed through most of the book, but did find it very interesting. There is a section on how to apply these principles to educating youth on developing a better understanding of what they want to do.
I know while student teaching I tried to encourage dialogue about the future. I also had the students create a time capsule which included a letter that described what they would be doing in ten years. When you are in middle school ten years seems like a long time, but it goes by so fast. Also, what I found was that students have a difficult time figuring out what they want to do.
The school also had a program called Reality Town
The students are given jobs and a salary based on their GPA. They are given a card with their salary, job, family size, single, married, divorced, etc. They must go through a series of events like arrange and pay for daycare, car insurance, health, food, clothing, etc. It is a real eye opener for most because they do not realize the cost of things until they have to purchase them in Reality Town. They also realize that having a trade or college education is very beneficial.
I am hoping to see more Reality Town and career development in schools. Often times there is so much focus on core requirements, testing, and grades that the student is left behind in how all of those things tie in with the future. The students often think it is just a lot of rules and hoops they need to jump through without realizing the benefits.
Also, I would like to see more hands on activities in the classrooms, technology, creativity, and not have the majority of the class be rote learning and regurgitation. Of course rote learning is beneficial in some aspects, but overall hands on activities brings out better discussions and the information is retained longer.
However, I must say that I have met some dynamic teachers and know that education is changing. I listened to teachers, administrators, and NEA members debate on NPR. That program really reflected how divided the education system is nationwide, but also reflected how much it has changed.
Here is to all the people that teach, volunteer, and help our youth! Thank you!
~Alie
integrity [ɪnˈtɛgrɪtɪ]n
3. unity; wholeness
Remember Peter Drucker? I wrote about him before and his theory on decentralization. After learning about him I checked out several books from the library so I could learn more about him. I really admire him. He had integrity. Not only was he a great leader and business man, but he was a good husband to his wife.
This is what he said about integrity:
“For it is character through which leadership is exercised; it is character that sets the example and is imitated. This is particularly true of the people at the head of an enterprise. For the spirit of an organization is created from the top. If an organization is great in spirit, it is because the spirit of its top people is great. If it decays, it does so because the top rots. Top management is the model for subordinates.”
This can also be applied to parenting and how we treat others in general, not just in business. We are models and set the example in many situations. Drucker goes on to say that, “We can forgive people for incompetence, ignorance, insecurity, or bad manners. But most will not forgive lack of integrity.”
~Alie
