Science. . . not just for nerds anymore!

So, I just looked back over my blog and what do you know? It has been nearly a month since I last “mused”. What happened? Where did the time go? My only possible explanation is that I was abducted by aliens at some point during the last month and held captive without the ability to blog. Yeah, that’s it. That’s what happened. I was abducted!!! But now I am back, and ready to go, ready to blog, ready to share my thoughts with those who are foolish enough to read them. In other words, here is a new blog post.

In the last post I promised that this time I would actually talk about teaching stuff and that is what I intend to do. You know how sometimes you are just sitting there and BOOM, the perfect thing falls into your lap. You find a $5 bill in your pants pocket that you forgot or you arrive at class to find that the one student who makes your classroom crazy is home sick today? Well, I was pondering what to do with my post when all of the sudden, there in my email inbox, was the answer. From NSTA (National Science Teachers Association) there was the perfect topic. The Horizon Report (http://science.nsta.org/nstaexpress/2012-NSSME-Full-Report1.pdf for those who want to read it for themselves. It is riveting, I assure you!). For those who are not science teaching nerds, the Horizon report survey over 7,000 math and science teachers across the United States to measure the state of math/science education in the United States. And what did it say? Frankly, it scared the hell out of me.

Among other things, it showed that:

• More than 80% of elementary school teachers feel very well prepared to teach reading/language arts while less than 50% feel the same about science.
• While math is taught in nearly all elementary classrooms daily, fewer than 1 in 3 fourth–sixth grade classrooms are teaching science daily, and only 1 in 5 K-3 classrooms receive daily instruction in science.
• Few teachers, at any level, feel prepared to teach engineering – a key component of STEM.

That is alarming. That is scary. That is preposterous!!! What happened to the education system that helped put a man on the moon? What is going on? The answers are really too complex to be addressed in a humble blog post, but what ever the reason, there needs to be a change if we are going to compete in the future.

I live in the Seattle area and here, Boeing is king. You cannot swing a dead cat (I am in no way supporting the swinging of cats, dead or alive, by anyone) without hitting someone who works for Boeing or is related to someone who works for Boeing. And guess what? Within the next 5 to 10 years, it is predicted that nearly 60% of Boeing’s technical workforce will be at the retirement age. Who is going to replace them? And that is only one area. What about computer science? What about general science? Who is going to work to cure cancer or solve climate change issues?

So, here is my solution! Teach science. OK, so maybe it is not quite that simple. But really, when we get down to it that is what it is about. If we are to educate our kids, we must educate them in all areas that they are going to need in the future, not just those that are tested in the spring on high stakes tests. So, I challenge each and every one of you to step out of your comfort zone and try an experiment with your kids. A quick Google search will show a host of lessons that you can do with little prep time. Heck, it can be as easy as taking 2 playground balls (a small one and a big one), and dropping them. Then drop them with the smaller ball on top of the bigger ball and watch what happens.  The energy from the large ball will be transferred into the small ball, sending it flying up high (this is best done outside). Or make a hovercraft out of a CD and a balloon (http://sciencesquad.questacon.edu.au/activities/cd_hovercraft.html).

It does not need to be complex to be exciting for kids. It doesn’t even need to be 100% correct the first time. But if we don’t take on this work, if we don’t at least try, then what is to become of science education in our nation? Yes, it is scary. Yes, it can be intensive. Yes, it can be daunting. But it can be done. I believe in you. And I believe in your students. They deserve it. And truth be told, you do to. You deserve to share with them the wonder around them.

All you need is love!

OK, so I get that this blog is supposed to be about teaching. To be perfectly honest, though, I am just not feeling “teachy” right now. Don’t get me wrong, I love my job and I love my students, but every now and then, I find myself just not wanting to think about teaching. So, if you will indulge me, I would like to talk about something else. I promise, the next post will be about a lesson. Maybe math? Hmmmm

Archetypal lovers Romeo and Juliet portrayed by Frank Dicksee. Art from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:DickseeRomeoandJuliet.jpg

Anyway, today is February 1^st. Where did January go? I was looking at it just yesterday! Anyway, it is February 1^st and that means it is the beginning of one of my favorite times of the year. . . the 14 days of Valentines. I love the chance to get WW a little something each and every day between today and Valentine’s Day. Each year we look forward to these 2 weeks. Each day we give each other a little something. It could be a silly Valentine’s balloon or a pack of heart stickers or a hand made card. It could be really anything (including an office chair one year!) but the point is that these two weeks are about WW and I.

Those of you who know me (by the way, thanks for reading!) know that I am a hopeless romantic. I wear that crown proudly. You also know that I love my wife. I am pretty damn lucky, to be sure. So, put those two things together and what do you get? That’s right, the 14 days of Valentines. Now I know that many people believe that Valentine’s Day is a Halmark holiday, a day made to sell cards between Christmas and Easter.

According to the receptacle of all knowledge, Wikipedia, “St. Valentine’s Day began as a liturgical celebration of one or more early Christian saints named Valentinus. The most popular martyrology associated with Saint Valentine was that he was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians, who were persecuted under the Roman Empire.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine’s_Day)

Let’s think about this for just a second. There really was a Valentine. He really did sacrifice for love. He really did exist. How is this worse than the Easter bunny? Would you be willing to be jailed because of your love? How about love that is not connected directly to you? Would you be willing to go to jail for another person’s love? How can this be a holiday any more made up than any other holiday? By definition, all holidays are made up.

I get those who say that we should not limit our expressions of love to a particular day. I understand those who feel like society places an undue amount of pressure on this one day. But to those I ask, what did you do the other 364 days to show the person you love that they are special? Is there anything wrong with focusing a day on that most human of emotions, love?

We are living in a unique time in history.  Love has taken center stage in our political culture with three states voting to legalize same sex marriage. Regardless of which side you come down on this issue, I think we can all agree that one thing that makes the world a better place is love. At the risk of sounding like a sensitive guy here, love is really the difference.

So, happy 1^stDay of Valentines. Now if you will excuse me, I have to get WW’s 2^nd day of Valentine’s gift ready. I can’t wait to see her face when she opens it. More importantly, I get to see that face every day. Seriously, how did I get so lucky???

Stress!!!

It has been awhile since my last blog post, and since I am trying to get better at blogging, it seems like maybe, just maybe, I should start by writing something. So, here goes. SOMETHING!

See, I am hilarious! No? Well, anyway. Since the last time we have gotten together, I have had a lot of great material for my blog come across my plate. There have been several conversations in the staff room that have made me go “hmmmm”. Did you know there was a “Water Bra” or that it does no good if you are super small?  Now there is something that men never would talk about in public, even if we knew what they hell they were talking about. I mean water? What happens when you go outside when it is cold? Do you gain a cup size because of the freeze?  And is it really water? I would think gel would be more stable, but then again I am not a bra-ologist. While as a scientist I believe this is a topic that requires some more research, as of right now WW has not been willing to be my research assistant, so I am guessing that will have to be moved to the bottom of the “to do” list.

What has been on my mind mostly in a professional manner is pressure. There seems to be a lot of pressure on me these days, and I don’t think I am alone. I am pretty sure that others are feeling it too. See, I am a pretty mellow guy. Not a lot ruffles my feathers. I am not sure really why, but it has always been that way. But these days, I am feeling very stressed. Why is that? What do I do about it?

The why is pretty straight forward, I believe. As a school, we are taking on an RTI model this year. Response to Intervention is a way of looking at student achievement not on a yearly basis but on a weekly basis and changing your instruction to meet the needs of your students. It really is a great way of thinking, but it takes a lot out of you. You know elementary teachers. We want to do everything right and we take our job very seriously. With RTI, there is just such a huge volume of new information coming at you that it is more than a bit overwhelming at times. Between learning all the new acronyms (DT, PLC, WTF – well, that last one might not be an official one, I am not sure) and looking at data on what feels like a constant basis, it is tough because it is time intensive. But for me it is more than that.

I am also the representative for my grade level to the school leadership team. This means that the other teachers at my grade level look to me for some clue as to what to do. I really have no more clue than anyone else. What I do have is a belief that the kids in my classroom deserve the opportunity to learn to the best of their ability and that it is my job to help them get there. Professionally, though, I am feeling like an RTI cheerleader though. Now don’t get me wrong, I totally have the legs for the outfit, but that is a hard job. And to make it even more stressful, there is a lot riding on our efforts. As the leadership representative of my grade level, I am feeling like not only do I have to figure this RTI stuff out for myself, but I need to be able to help my colleagues figure it out too. I feel like when they have questions, I should be able to know the answers. The only problem, I’m just figuring it out myself. Thankfully the folks I work with are filled with grace, but still. . .

As to what to do about it? Well, that is a different kettle of fish, as my grandmother used to say. I am not sure what that really means. After all, when do you put fish into a kettle? And why would you put them there? Fish tea? Yuck. Anyway, I digress. What do I do about the level of pressure that I am feeling? If I am to believe Winston Churchill, and a thousand posters on Pintrest, I am to keep calm and carry on. And I guess to a certain extent that is good advice. But here is the problem. It is not 1944, I am not British, and I am pretty certain that Winston Churchill is dead. That being said, I guess the best bet is to keep slogging my way through the mire of RTI. After all, the stakes are pretty damn high and if I don’t do it, who will? And who knows, maybe after I struggle through this, I will be able to figure out at least a part of it.

Are you doing RTI in your school? Are you feeling overwhelmed? Do you wish Andrea would come clean your desk for you too? I would love to hear from you about your experiences with data teams, professional learning communities, and the like.  Or, if you know anything about water bras, I would be interested in those too. Especially just how much expansion there is due to freezing.  Maybe I can get Victoria’s Secret to mail me one that I can experiment with.  Maybe I can con my wife into being my research assistant.

Here comes 2013!

 

It is that time of year, that time when we look backwards at 2012 and forward to 2013. It is the time of year when we make goals for the New Year, swear off fatty foods and promise ourselves that we will make use of that treadmill in the garage. Now to be fair, I have made use of the treadmill, but I am pretty sure it has a purpose other than holding stuff. I mean, it has moving parts for goodness sake, so I am guessing the designer of the treadmill (I believe his name is Skip, but I am not sure) did not have that in mind when he planned out the machine. I am also not sure if biscuits and gravy counts as a healthy food. While it does have milk in it (calcium is good, after all) I think the sausage outweighs any health benefits that might come from the serving of dairy. Then again, I am not a dietician; so don’t take my word for it.

Anyway, back to looking forward. This is the time of year to make resolutions and I have taken of late to breaking mine up into professional and personal resolutions. I also have tried to limit myself to no more than just 2 or 3 resolutions. That way I have a shot at making them come true. So, without further ado, here goes. Here are my 2013 resolutions. . .

Professional:

1)   Organization. Those of you who have met me know that I am not always the most organized person in the world. I am a believer in the pile policy that is everything in a pile and a pile for everything. It works just fine, thank you very much.

Piles are our friends

That is as long as I do not have to find anything in a particular hurry. If you need something in a hurry, well then you best go next door to my teaching partner. I teach with two folks who are very organized. John is amazing and I really do wish I were more like him in this regard. That is a little bit like saying I want to sing like Adele, but you have to have somewhere to shoot, right? So, I would like to be more organized in 2013. Will I be? Well, if the past is any indicator, Andrea and Jeanne will find themselves cleaning my desk for me and I will find important paperwork in the refrigerator on top of my diet Coke, again.

2)   Leadership. My principal is an amazing leader. She has a certain way about her that makes people want to go with her. When she started a new school, teachers were lining up to work with her. When she moved to another school, teachers did not hesitate to pack up their stuff and move as well. For some reason that is not clear to me, she thinks I have “leadership” potential. I am not sure what that really means, but she keeps working with me and I keep resisting. Maybe it is time to stop resisting and instead look at it as a challenge. Who knows, I might find myself growing. Jeanne has been right many more times that she has been wrong, so she might just be right here. So, in 2013, I am going to work on being more of a leader in my school and my district. I’ll let you know how that goes.

Personal:

1)   Be a good husband. I was very lucky. I had a great example of what it means to be a husband from my Dad. I have blogged before about what I learned from my Dad. The greatest thing I learned from him is that love is a verb; it is defined not by what you say, but instead what you do. Now mind you, he would never, ever, had verbalized that. He would eschew any notion that you would talk about such things. Instead, he would quietly go about his life, showing love to those around him. This was especially true to my Mom. I can think of no greater goal than to be a good husband to WW. She deserves nothing less, and I should strive to do nothing less. Now to be fair, this is pretty easy cause WW is wonderful. She kind of makes it easy.

2)   Be a good Dad. See above but replace WW with kids.

3)   Exercise more. An oldie but a goody. Who doesn’t need to exercise more? OK, maybe there are some, but not me. I know it is good for me. I know I need to do it. I actually even kind of like it (I will deny that, however, until the end of my days!!!) but like all habits, once you get out of them, they are kind of hard to get back into. There was a time when I exercised. There was a time when I was in shape. But those days are gone, and it is up to me to get them back. Turns out eating ice cream and watching TV is not exactly exercise. Who knew?

So, there you go. 2013 is going to be a great year. I am certain of it. I would love to hear what your New Years’ Resolutions are. Maybe together we can make some of them come true. And Andrea, you can get started on my desk anytime you like!

The Power of Video

I remember my very first computer class like it was yesterday. I was in 8^th grade, and Ms. Sargent taught the class. We had Commodore PET computers, and we were learning BASIC. I remember the “game” I created (it was text based, and looking back, pretty darn lame, but still. . . )and I was pretty convinced that I was the greatest programmer in the history of programming. Then again, I might have been a bit naïve. Who knows? And do you remember the Commodore 64? With the cassette drive? Pretty sweet, to be sure. The future was so bright, so exciting, in the age of technology. We were going to have completely paper free offices and classrooms. Kids would be able to do anything on computers. It was going to be great.

Now fast forward a few years (never you mind just how many) and we find the reality is just a little off from that utopian ideal. But still, while we have not gotten away from paper

My desk. See, no paper to be seen!

, technology does some exciting opportunities for teachers who are willing to take them. I have been using Skype lately with my brother in California and it is amazing.

For those who don’t know, Skype is video conferencing software that allows you to make and receive video calls. All you need is a high speed internet, a web cam, and someone who is willing to talk with you. It is really neat. We have used it with our families for a while now, but with students it really does have a great potential.

As you know, Science is my passion. If I could make a living be a Science Education Evangelist (can I get an AMEN?), I would so do it. Traveling the world, extolling the virtues of hands on science for kids? Are you kidding me? That would be great. I would love it. Sadly, there are not a lot of people lining up at my door to pay me outrageous sums of money to talk with them about science (by the way, if you are interested in paying me outrageous sums of money, click here!). So, I am left to work with my own group of kids. I believe that kids need to do science, and that the job of science is to expand how a person understands. How do we do that? By talking. By sharing. That is where Skype comes in.

My brother teaches fifth grade as well and he and I both love science. So, we cooked this up. Each of our classes would do an experiment, and then share that experiment with the other class via Skype. This way the kids in each classroom could instantly get the information, as well as see and interact with the other class. We did this last year, and we are doing it again this year. And I got to say, it has been great. The kids love the chance to share their experiments with the other class and are so excited to share their thinking as well. All of the sudden, science is more than just a set of steps to do, but there is value in being specific because someone else is counting on you to help them be successful.

Could we do this via letter? Or email? Yes, of course we could. But with the addition of real time video chatting, the kids connect on a much deeper level because they can react instantly to the other student scientists in the other classroom. They can watch the impact that their ideas have on others and can expand their thinking. It is amazing, truly amazing. The future really is now!

Silence for Sandy Hook Elementary

12 for 12

The Internet is a wonderful thing. Then again, it is also often the source of new and “exciting” projects for me to work on that WW finds. This post is one of those “exciting” opportunities.  In her travels around the internet, WW found a link party. Now mind you, I really do not know what the hell a link party is or what to do to be a part of it, but what the heck. I have never been one to say no to a party. OK, so this is not strictly true. I have said no to plenty of parties, what with my complete lack of social skills and all, but if I said that, people would stop reading and, dang, who wants that? So, here I am, writing this post so that I can go to a link party. What will I wear?!?

The link party at Miss Kindergarten asks me to answer 12 questions, each about something favorite from the year 2012 (see a pattern here?). So here it goes:

12: Favorite Movie

While this should be pretty simple, it is actually not, seeing as I do not see a lot of movies so when I am thinking back on my favorite movies of 2012, I am not even sure what year I saw which movie. However, this year I can safely say that Skyfall was my favorite movie this year. I love James Bond. I know, cliché, but still. So when the new James Bond movie came out, I was excited not only because it was going to be a fun movie, but because my son was old enough to watch it with me. It was fun to watch it, and more fun to watch it with him!

11: Favorite TV Series

Easy: Big Bang Theory. Duh!? I love this show for three reasons: 1) It is funny as hell 2) It has science as a central theme and 3) Penny is hot. OK, so that last one is sexist, but as much as I am a sensitive new age guy (SNAG), I have to have some sexist quality sometimes!

10: Favorite Restaurant

Not that it will make sense to most of the world, but I love Azul in Mill Creek. The food is great, the drinks are delightful, and they have a super, and I mean super, Happy Hour. The only downside? It is not a great “kid” place, so I do not get there as often as I like. The upside? It is not a great “kid” place so when I go, I am with WW, ALONE!!! Need I say more?

9: Favorite New Thing I Tried

I had to ask WW about this. Then I realized, I am doing it. Blogging. Blogging is the favorite new thing I tried. I hate to admit it, but there is a certain rush of seeing how many times my blog has been visited, and when I got a visit from Asia? That was cool. Who cares if 92% of the visits are my own? Not me. I can’t wait until I get to 4 digits. Maybe in 2013? Or 14?

8: Favorite Gift I Got

For Christmas this year, I got an iPhone 5, which is pretty damn cool. I love the Jelly Belly jelly beans my kids get me each year for my birthday. But I guess the coolest gift was for my birthday WW took me & the kids to a local zoo and we got to take a camel ride. Yep, a camel. How cool is that? It was very odd, and I loved it. Who knew that you could ride a camel at a zoo? It was so much fun to ride it and so much fun to see my son and daughter ride it too. WW? Nope, she took pictures! But as neat as this was, my favorite gift was from WW. See, I like painted fingernails. I think they look amazing. WW hates, and I do mean hates, painted nails. She hates the upkeep, the hates the process, everything about them she hates. Except how they look. She seems to like that. Anyway, for my birthday, WW got her nails done. They looked amazing. So why was this my favorite gift? Not only did they look great, but I loved the fact that she wanted to do something for me, just for me. It just goes to show how much I am loved. What could be better than that? And, I loved the French manicure. It was beautiful. Thanks WW.

7: Favorite Thing I Pinned

The hem of some jeans for my wife? Does that count? No? OK, so technically I have pinned a lot of things. I have pinned a ton. I am probably one of the top 2 or 3 pinners in the world. The only problem? I don’t actually pin, instead WW does. You see, to be on Pinterest, you have to have a Facebook account and for reasons that are known only to her, she refuses to be on Facebook. Therefore, she uses my Facebook account. So, want to see what I pin? Search for Tim Granger. I have some cool boards. I really have great taste.

6: Favorite Blog Post

Is it wrong to list one of my own? No? Great. It is a tie, really. I love the post “Happy Birthday Mom” and “A Child’s First Teacher”. Why? Each of these is from the heart. I opened up and wrote what was right there. I love my mom and I love my wife. What better than to share my love with others?

5: Best Accomplishment

Watching my kids grow into great kids is really my best accomplishment this year – or any year. I am amazed at what my son is becoming, and watching my daughter think things through is so much fun. What more is there?

4: Favorite Picture

Either

or

Why? Because they are both pictures of love. My daughter leaping into the water as she giggled and laughed is a highlight and the look on WW’s face as she and my son laugh is priceless. Why have photos? To remind you of specific times & emotions. These both remind me of wonderful times, with amazing emotions.

3: Favorite Memory

Each year we get together, my whole side of the family, for a week in the summer. We play in the water, we laugh, and we just generally catch up. The cousins play, and pick up where they left off the year before. Each year, my Mom takes the “ladies” (all the other daughter-in-laws) out for Ladies Lunch. In the past, before my Dad passed, we also did “Daddy’s Drinks” where all of the dads would go out for a drink together. Since Dad has been gone, we still go for drinks, but it just seems different; odd. Anyway, this year we added a new one. . . The Brother’s Dinner. This time, all the brothers took Mom out to dinner. It was great. We had a nice meal, enjoyed laughing together, and in general had a great time. But the best part? My favorite memory? When my Mom proudly told the waitress (who had to have been all of 12 years old) that she was being taken out to dinner by her sons. The look of pride on her face was stunning. She was so happy, so joyful. What more could a son want for his Mom?

2: Goal for 2013

To grow. And not wider, which has been the pattern of late!

1: One Little Word

Dendrochronology. How’s that for a word?

Head over toMiss Kindergarten to read more 12 in ’12.