Over the recent holiday four awesome members of my Twitter PLN invited me to participate in a reflective "get to know one another" activity also know as the Sunshine Awards. This activity for bloggers involves sharing random little know facts about oneself, then answering the questions asked by the nominating blogger asked, and finally asking eleven different bloggers your own eleven questions.11 Facts About Myself
Toyota pick up trucks are the only vehicles I've owned. Each of the two I've previously driven went over two hundred and fifty thousand miles.
I am a childhood cancer survivor.
I am a childhood cancer survivor.
My dad passed away when I was nine years old. Having kids of my own now is the greatest gift I could possibly imagine.
I performed CPR until paramedics arrived on a substitute teacher last year on April 1st and am credited with saving her life. It is such an incredible feeling seeing her and knowing she survived this experience.
My nickname in high school was "jazzy"- I played the trumpet in the school's jazz band.
I asked my wife to marry me at the bottom of the Grand Canyon next to the Colorado River.
Sailboat racing is my hobby. This sport has taken me many places around the world and introduced me to many wonderful people. In many ways coaching juniors helped set the stage for my teaching career.
Before becoming a teacher I worked in a high end cabinet shop. I especially enjoyed making dovetail joinery.
In high school I participated for two summers in an educational research project through Brown University and the "Coalition Of Essential Schools" providing a student perspective on what made a great teacher.
I once ate a sauce made with habanero peppers and didn't realize until it was too late. A friend called the poison control hotline because my face started swelling, they hung up- they thought it was a prank call!
I wanted to drop out of school from eighth grade on, but my trumpet teacher told me that wasn't an option and saw me through those difficult adolescent years. I am very grateful to him.
My nickname in high school was "jazzy"- I played the trumpet in the school's jazz band.
I asked my wife to marry me at the bottom of the Grand Canyon next to the Colorado River.
Sailboat racing is my hobby. This sport has taken me many places around the world and introduced me to many wonderful people. In many ways coaching juniors helped set the stage for my teaching career.
Before becoming a teacher I worked in a high end cabinet shop. I especially enjoyed making dovetail joinery.
In high school I participated for two summers in an educational research project through Brown University and the "Coalition Of Essential Schools" providing a student perspective on what made a great teacher.
I once ate a sauce made with habanero peppers and didn't realize until it was too late. A friend called the poison control hotline because my face started swelling, they hung up- they thought it was a prank call!
I wanted to drop out of school from eighth grade on, but my trumpet teacher told me that wasn't an option and saw me through those difficult adolescent years. I am very grateful to him.
Jim Cordery
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| Jim (right) and myself at edcampnj |
Jim's post
Jim's questions for me:
If you were not in education, what would be your career choice?
Difficult to say, maybe civil engineer or commercial pilot.What is your favorite book?
I'm really fond of The Count Of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. My favorite work related book is "Meet Me In The Middle" by Rick Wormeli.What is your favorite meal?
Fettuccine with Pesto sauce.What song do you not want people to know you secretly sing in the car?
Probably something from the 80's like "Rock Me Amadeus" by FalcoWhat is your favorite movie or TV show?
Caddyshack takes the top comedy spot.If you were ever stranded on a deserted island, what 3 things would you want with you?
Signaling mirror, clear plastic, and a good knife.If you could invite any 3 people (dead or living) to dinner, who would it be and why?
I would invite three friends that I haven't seen in a while and haven't connected with because we are busy with family, work and life.Where would love to visit if money was no object?
I'd have to say that the Moon has an allure to me. Just have to make sure I'd be able to get back!Do you prefer eating appetizers or do you save room for dessert?
BothHow do you wind down when work gets stressful?
Spending time with my family, playing with my kids or taking a walk with them. Sailing if it is the season.What is your favorite musical band?
U2
Shawn White
I've only known Shawn a short time, although I've seen him around Twitter a bit here and there. This writing activity allowed me to learn more about him and get to know him- I'm grateful for that opportunity. Through reading his post (see below) I've come to learn that he accepts tough assignments with aplomb. Shawn also demonstrates flexibility in modifying plans on the go which I think is crucial to being successful in both life and teaching.
Shawn's postShawn's questions for me:
If you could remove one thing or idea from our world, what would it be and why?I would eliminate child abuse because children are not always able to stand up for themselves.Where do you hope to be professionally in ten, twenty years and are you currently progressing toward that stage?
Continuing to promote an innovative technique for learning whether it is as a classroom teacher as I am currently or in administrative position. During the current school year, I have created a open classroom environment where outside visitors come to observe my students and me during a regular class and get the opportunity to hear from my students themselves what its like.What is one of the more significant trends in pedagogy right now and how do you foresee it progressing in the future?
Video in education is huge. Unfortunately pre-packaged video curriculums and the search-ability of the net are turning the medium into the "new worksheet". Eventually all educational programs will include this delivery method, it is my hope that teachers embrace best practices like keeping them short and interesting so that students aren't bored silly by them. Additionally, I'm optimistic that teachers will get out of the way and have students create their own video content.What is a favorite quote of yours and can you please share your interpretation of it and why it is a favorite?
"Kites fly highest against the wind"- Winston ChurchillYou are presented the opportunity to spend a full day doing whatever you want with any three people in the world. Who are the three people and what is the itinerary?
This quote symbolizes the idea that through struggle we achieve greatness.
I would spend the day racing around Block Island with three best friends from a sailing team I've been on for over twenty years.Is there evil in the human condition, in this world? Please explain.
No, I don't think there is evil in the human condition, just selfishness. If we are not vigilant, we succumb to our own indulgence. For many that becomes seemingly harmful behaviors towards others.You can have any super power you want. What power and why?
I'd want to be able to stop pain and suffering, anyone who has been a caretaker for someone who is sick can relate.Do you choose an iPhone, Android, Windows, Blackberry, or old-school Nokia cellular phone and why?
I choose the iPhone because it integrates so easily and smoothly with my other devices. Plus apple's photo stream torpedoed my facebook account :)What is the next item on your bucket list you aim to achieve?
Not a bucket list kind of guy. I do have things I'd like to do with my family though, like sailing around the northeast or to Bermuda together.Which came first, the chicken or the egg? How?
Not sure, but I do know that omelettes sure taste great...Children are… (complete the sentence or paragraph).
amazingly pure beings that take the shapes we give them - therefore we must craft their environment with great care and thought.
Drew Frank
Excited to get to know Drew a bit better through this blogging challenge and the #blogamonth project which I got into partial from his tweets about it a few weeks ago.Drew's post
Drew's questions
What is your favorite movie of all time?James Bond "A View To A Kill" takes the top action spot.If you could go to have attended any concert anytime in history, what would it have been?
Probably one of the first times the Beatles played in the US.What do you do for fun? Hobby?
Sailboat racing or cruising. Being on the water is a great way to spend the day.What two guests would make the best comedic pair as co-hosts for the Oscars?
Will Ferrell and ...anyone else.Cat, Dog or Goldfish? Why…
Dog, definitely because they can go places with you or just hang out. Also they always seem so happy.How do you caffeinate?
espresso, coffee in that order.Favorite twitter chat?
#sbgchat Wednesdays at 9 pm EST.Best place you ever vacationed?
Its a toss up between New South Wales, Australia and southern Norway.Best book you’ve read in 2013?
Invent to Learn By Gary Stager and Sylvia LibowMartinez. This book has the potential to totally transform my education philosophy as no other book has.Favorite television shows?
I don't watch T.V. so don't have a favorite show.What is one thing you never/rarely share that you are exceptionally proud of?
The superintendent of my school district nominated me for New York State Teacher of the year last year. The amount of support and honest, kind words spoken by my supervisors, colleagues, students and parents were humbling.
Rik Rowe
I've known Rik now for over a year having talked with him on an almost daily basis. His expertise in the area of quality feedback and grading practice is unparalleled. Always one to share ideas and ask questions he epitomizes a true learner. I truly appreciate that he doesn't always just agree with me (or others) because that forces me to evaluate and revise some of my thoughts which lead to greater growth.
Rik's Post
Rik's Questions
My wife, Jessica, has had a tremendous impact on me. She encourages me to follow my dreams and explore my ideas through to fruition. For example my entire video instruction project is something I had always wanted to do and built with her encouragement.What specifically do you do to have a reasonable work and life balance?
I don't jump on the computer or phone when I'm home and my family is up. This way I can stay present and focused on being with them. At work, I work while eating lunch that way I am efficient with my time there.Share any event in your life that was life-changing.
Like I mentioned previously, being a cancer survivor. This profoundly shaped my early life and still impacts how I live on a daily basis now that I'm in my late 30's. We all have so much to be grateful for and it's important to not let life go unappreciated.If you were offered the opportunity to speak to hundreds of young people, what would you say?
Be true to yourself by never accepting someone telling you that you can't accomplish something you would like to. You can do anything that you put your mind to.What legacy do you plan to leave and to whom?
To my children, I hope to impart a love of life and learning, as well as compassion and caring for their fellow humans.What foreign country have you visited that was memorable?
I was in Venezuela in the nineties. I was amazed by the raw beauty of the land and the abject poverty beside vast wealth. I was able to mingle in the markets and shops not as a tourist, but as a person. The generosity was inspiring.What have you learned in the past year that has impacted you?
Using Google scripts in conjunction with apps for education has transformed my classroom feedback system to a point that traditional grades don't even come close to providing the level of description I can now give on student understanding.
Describe your happiest childhood memory.
Just being out on sailboats all the time.
What is the nicest or most thoughtful gift you have ever received?
Love, caring and friendship from family- nothing else comes close.
What famous person would you most like to dine with and why?
I would like to have dinner with Alfred Wegner, who first proposed the theory of continental drift. I am fascinated by how he kept his faith in his beliefs and ideas even though the scientific community thought he was crazy.What are your favorite Twitter chats?
#sbgchat and now #colchat (Rik introduced me to this one).
Postscript
Writing this post took much longer than I had thought. Sharing more about myself- especially little known facts made me uncomfortable. We put out a front here on the net and fill it with only the best parts of our lives. Challenging this, even in a small way, was the best part of this exercise. I am truly humbled that Jim, Shawn, Drew and Rik were interested in sharing something about themselves but also asking about me. Because it took so long for me to complete this post, I won't be passing any questions on to others as many in my network have already responded with their own posts.In the future, I will try my best to temper my high point posts with some other less glamorous topics, hopefully allowing the thought process to continue as I make meaning of my growth. I look forward to continuing learning with my "sunshine" gang!