by Krissy.Venosdale | Dec 31, 2012 | Reflect
The best part about a New Year is that it always feels like a fresh start. No matter what. We turn the page, finish one calendar and start another. We get a new planner, all blank and full of potential. We try to start remembering to put the right year when we write the date, and if I’m lucky, I’ll have it by March. 2012 was in many ways a better year, and at the same time more sobering year, than I ever imagined.
A year full of moments I’ll treasure forever, new people that I now consider great friends, and tragedy that stopped us all in our tracks and made us take a closer look at everything, and everyone, around us. 2012, through the good and the unspeakable, gave me a new perspective I’ll never lose. Nothing in life can be taken for granted. No experience, no moment, no person. I’d like to believe I always knew that, but I just don’t think I see anything the same now.
May your 2013 be a year of “new”. New ideas. New connections. New challenges. New gratitude. New perspectives. Because it is all of it that makes us who we are.
by Krissy.Venosdale | Dec 29, 2012 | Reflect
What if….
…we worry less about controlling kids and more about trying to encourage their self-control?
…we stop keeping kids thoughts within the tight reins of a very specific curriculum?
…we ask them “What do you think?” more than telling them what we think?
…we stop feeding their need for rewards?
…we listen to them with the intent of changing how we teach?
…our schools become about inspiring their passions?
…the things that don’t change are because people are afraid?
…being afraid is a lie we tell ourselves to do what’s easy for us?
…we have a choice every day?
…we stop looking around, throwing up our hands, and saying “Can’t change education.”?
…we have more choices than limitations?
…we look around our classrooms and really see what we CAN change?
…we change one thing, one day, one year at a time?
by Krissy.Venosdale | Dec 28, 2012 | Reflect
I’m on a mission. I want to see the good. I truly believe that when we keep our eyes focused on the good, our lives become good. So, if we focus on the good in our schools, our teaching will become even better. No, it doesn’t make everything perfect, or even easy, but it makes us appreciate the little things that matter. So, as a new year is about to begin, I’m thinking of starting a Project 365. You know, a photo a day for the entire year. It’s not about fancy cameras, or setting up big photography equipment. It’s about taking a moment each and every day to focus on the good. It’s also about sharing it with each other. You know, passing it around like a ginormous bowl of goodness that we can all share. Will you please join in? All you have to do is take a photo a day in 2013.
The rules?
1.) Take a photo a day. Something you notice good around you or something from the suggestion list. I’ve kept the suggestion list general, so you can get creative in your interpretation of each topic. I’ll update the list each month and share it in the Flickr group and here on this blog.
2.) Share where you’ll be sharing your photos via the Google Doc. Part of the fun in seeing the good is seeing the good others are sharing too.
3.) Take a photo a day. That’s the hard part. Everyday. If you miss a day? No big deal, post two the next. Nobody will yell at you. Or even frown in your direction. 🙂
Tools:
EduGood Flickr Group: A group on Flickr to share our photos.
Shuttercal: A daily way to share your photos via the web or an app. I love this one because it gives you a calendar to glance at and see the good all at once.
Project365 App: A fun app to keep your daily shots organized.
Please join in…. the more we share, the better. Let’s make 2013 the year we focus on the good in our schools and our world…. one photo at a time.
Edited to add:
Tips for Getting Started:
1.) No pressure: Don’t try to get “the perfect’ photo every single day. Have fun with your camera or even snap a quick one with a phone. Follow the daily theme, or make your own theme.
2.) Set up a folder on your computer. Call it 2013. Make a folder for January. Name each photo with a number like 001_2013. Trust me. When you get to the middle of the year and decide you want to upload to your favorite photo place and order them, you’ll be glad you did this.
3.) Create a consistent online space to share. Tweet out with the hashtag to #edugood to inpsire others, upload to your Flickr account, share in the Flickr group. Did you know you can create “sets” in Flickr? Here’s a sample of my January 2010 project. A great way to organize your own shots. I’ll be sharing more on that later once January gets going.
4.) Have FUN! The project isn’t meant to be stressful or add “one more thing to do.” I know that some days I’ll be taking a quick Instagram shot, and other days I’ll spend more time playing with my camera because I enjoy it.
5.) Not in a “traditional school” setting, here’s another site with good lists for inspiration. These may even work great with those of you thinking of trying this with students!
So grateful that so many are joining in the fun… now, let’s just keep each other motivated to finish ALL 365 days of seeing the good. 🙂
by Krissy.Venosdale | Dec 26, 2012 | Reflect
Walt Disney World. Also known as the happiest place on earth. The place where you are immersed in the magic of pure imagination. I’ve always said I want my classroom to be one of the most exciting places on earth, like Disney World. Scented parade floats to engage everyone’s senses. Light up concrete to make you believe in magic. Leaves that sparkle in the dark that cause you to wonder if fairies are real. A castle that looks like the kind you dreamed of when you were five. A roller coaster that makes you think you’re zooming through space. Music, lights, sounds, scents, and all the stuff that kids dream about. In one place.
It is clear that when Walt Disney said “Our greatest natural resource is the minds of our children,” he meant it. He understood kids. He ‘got’ what engages people. He created an experience that develops wonder, inspires imagination, and instills dreams.
We’ve spent so much time focusing on tests and collecting worksheets in our schools. I get that. Those are the things we’ve come to associate with learning along the way. Misguided traditions. But, it’s time we associate what learning is really about. More time focusing curiosity, imagination, and dreams. Teaching kids that ‘impossible’ is fun. Pouring wonder into our schools like it’s oxygen. Because inside every kid is a vision, just like the one Walt Disney had. A vision that we’ll never see if we don’t take the time to develop it, listen to it, and embrace it. A vision bigger than scores, worksheets, and points. A vision that will add something special to the world. We’ve just gotta remember where to focus, or we’ll miss it.
