X will be out in August

will
      be
         out
              in
                 August!!!

Yeah!  Those of you who are fans of the ABC mystery series by Sue Grafton know what I am talking about.  I am so excited.  I have pre ordered my book and really am looking forward to it.

When we read it let discuss it!!!

W is for Whiners

is
   for
       Whiners!




In my office I have a sign that says "no whining zone".  There are several reasons why I would like to whine.  Little reasons, bad reasons, good reasons, that I would like to whine about.

So why is w for whiners, well, there are so many wonderful reasons why.  The main reason is that today I realized what I wanted to do for the rest of my life but I don't know that it is such a great idea. because dreams are expensive propositions.  I want to live my dream instead of my life.

How about you?  Do you live your life?  Do you live your dreams?  The difference is that God's plan for your life are closer to what your dreams are and your life is just something that you exist for on a day to day basis.

God's plan!  Great place, tough journey! wonderful lessons.

W is for whiners, but whining is something you suck up and live your dream.

Salvo Sunday

SALVO SUNDAY:

Verse of the week:

THE LORD

          MAKES FIRM

                      THE STEPS OF

                                     THE ONE

               WHO DELIGHTS IN HIME

PSALM 37:23

New Member of the Family (Drumroll)

 A beautiful Siberian Husky named Killian.  He is not red, but light colored fur with pale blue eyes.  He is between 2-3 years old, he is a rescue pup.  A lot of energy in this animal!!!

Transition period:

Any leads on curriculum writing, teacher training, curriculum development or consulting, let me know.  I would like to move into the field of educational consulting and writing. 

The train is moving into the new week!!!

•      IEPs to complete
•      Testing
•       Book reviews
•       Critiquing
•       Dog training
•       God, ???????

Have a great week!!!

V is for Victoria

V  is 

       for

            VICTORIA

A Facebook pal sent me a link to a game which asked "What should have your parents named you?"  I really thought that they would tell me it is Michelle.  In addition, to admitting an addiction to these types of quizzes, God has been speaking to me about my name.

I have always been very proud of the fact that Michelle means like God.  However, in my Bible readings God has been reminding me of all the times that he changed a person's name, especially when he had something new and great about to happen in their lives.  So I have to admit that this thought was going through my mind as i completed the answers to the questions.  Quite frankly I was surprised when the quiz came back with the answer Victoria.

Do I look like a Victoria?  Seriously, think of Queen Victoria, not as a young women but as my age.  Granted she was a feisty old broad, but Victoria, me?

I did a little more research on the name 

• The name of Victoria gives you a clever, quick, analytical mind, but you suffer with a great deal of self-consciousness, lack of confidence, and much aloneness because of misunderstandings.        
• 
  

It isn't bad, but it really hits a little close to home.  Michelle, on the other hand means:

• Your first name of Michelle has made you a hard worker with a meticulous sense of detail.
   
• You have a great deal of patience and independence, and you can be relied upon to complete your undertakings.
   
• You are stable, trustworthy, homeloving, and logical in practical matters, but rather unresponsive to suggestions from others.
   
• You resist change.

My thought is that I am a little of both, but more of a Michelle than a Victoria, although I have to admit there are combination of both.  For more information on your name, my name or the quiz name, refer to http://www.kabalarians.com.htm  for your own research. 

U is for Universal Design

is for
       Universal
                     Design

Teachers look at your classroom:  No REALLY TAKE A GOOD LOOK!

Look at all of the diverse learners in your classroom:

• Cultural 
• Gender
• English Language Learners/English as Second Language Learners
• Learners with Physical Disabilities or Impairments
• Learners with Cognitive impairments
• Students with Learning Disabilities
• Gifted and Talented Learners

How many of the above labels fit students in your classroom.  How do you teach them?  How do you diversify your instruction among the students so that they will do well on the state tests?  Well enough so that you will not have to worry about your job next year?

I have always bought into the theory that we teach students in the manner that they learn best.

Which is differentiated instruction, right?  Not really. 

 "Differentiated instruction is not a collection of teaching strategies. . .there is not now way to differentiate instruction.  Instead, successful differentiation is grounded in strong content knowledge, effective pedagogy, and knowledge about the individual differences of your students. (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2012)." 

I know my students, my content and how to teach. Great!  How do you teach and when you do how many of your strategies are effective for your students?  Differentiated insertion is personalize and customized learning. "The key to differentiation is providing flexibility and choice in terms of the content and processes you use in your classroom and the products that the students creat to demonstrate their learning (Cennamo,. . 2012)." Technology is a great asset, a great tool to use when a teacher needs to differentiate among their students, especially when there are 30 of them and 1 of you.

The Center for Applied Special Technologies (CAST) has been promoting universal design (UDL).  It a concept that was originally a building concept.  People began designing building so that all types of individuals could access the building.  A ramp was included in the design so that people who use wheelchairs could access the building, but also parents with small children, parents with strollers and people who, for some reasons, had a hard time using stairs.  As you can see, the purpose was to use the ramp to help people in wheelchairs and other people who has special needs used it as well. 

Gardner's Multiple Intelligences proposed that people had many different types of intelligences (ways they learn best), even though they had a dominant intelligence.  UDL expands on that concept by basing their guidelines on the multifaceted nature of the brain, specifically the recognition, strategic, and affective networks, (Cinnamon, 2012) As a teacher you develop learning goals for your students either individually, as a team, or as part of an individual education plan. True differentiation does not "dumb down" the curriculum or make a plan for each student. UDL "emphasizes that achieving outcomes should not be contingent upon the media or methods used to achieve them, but focuses on removing  barriers to learning. 

Assistive Technology  continuum provides low tech devices such as shelf liners, clothespins, sticky notes,  med tech assistive technology that require some sort of chargers such as tape recorders, CD players, all the way up to high tech assistive technologies that can be customized to fit the students needs. (think Stephen Hawkins wheelchair and communication devices)

Cast and the National Center on Response to Intervention provide many ways to customize and personalize instruction.  The set up on the front end takes a lot of time, but benefits of UDL outweigh the time and will provide you with more time to work with the students in the long run.

Resources:
Tomlinson, C.A. & McTighe, J. (2006). Integrating Diferentiated Instruction: Understanding by Design. ACSD publishing Alexandria, VA

Cennamo, K.S., Ross, J.D., & Ertmer, P.A.(2012) 2nd Ed. Technology Integration for meaningful Classroom Use: A standards-based Approach. Wadsworth Engage learning.

T is for TEACHING

is

    for

   

         TEACHING!!!

and the teacher got taught!!

This year I promised myself would be different.  I wasn't going to be walked on, I was going to state my case and I wasn't going to be told I was wrong when I knew I was right.

That was at the beginning of the 2014-15 school year!

When I signed up for this challenge I told myself I wasn't going to write about anything related to teaching.  How could I do that when this blog say EDUCATIONAL HOME.

HERE GOES!!!

August:  Fine, I got my classroom ready and all of my paperwork straighten out.  I was so proud!

September:  I got written up for being unprofessional!

October, November rolled along just fine.

December:  I got the worst observation that I have ever received from an administrator, even ones I didn't like.  I spoke with a friend who is politically correct in everything she does and said you are on your way out.

January:  I chose the word integrity and things got worse, much worse at school.

I am not going to go into it, suffice to say I made mistakes and since there was a target on my back I should have known better. I really got zapped for them!! 

I wasn't going to write about any of it until I read another teacher's blog and realized that while I made some mistakes, I also have done a lot of good in the classroom. I have written grants and received funding for a number of things for my students.  I have tried innovative ideas in the classroom.  I have worked with my parents and my students well.  My students have progressed.

I received my 5 year pin, even though this is my 10th year with the district.  My 28th as a teacher, who has taught in eight different school districts.  

The blog that I read advised new teachers how hard teaching really is.  My Dad tried to talk me out of teaching as a career when I was 18.  Looking back I have learned a lot! Some of it not so good.

Now I am at a transition period in my career and I really don't want to go back into the classroom, but I don't want to get out of education.  The devil keeps telling me that no one would hire a teacher who has a record like mine.  What is wrong with my record?  I had a bad year, made some mistakes,  but God will still use this for good!

I learned a lot from this year, I learned how to read between the lines.  I learned that there are admin who don't like teachers who have been around the block and up the creek and back down.  I have learned that even when I am wrong, so is the person across the desk.  The best defense is to stay calm.

Finally, I learned that teaching is something I do well, even when I am the one learning the lesson. 

My hero is Abraham Lincoln who failed and picked himself up 32 times that are recorded.  Some of them were pretty steep falls.  He always had an angel to help him and somehow he didn't thwart God's plan for him. 

Regardless of the mistakes I have made, I have learned, the teacher was taught and God will still use this for his good. 

S is for Sand

is
    for
   
              SAND!!


    When I lived at home, when I was around 11, my parents bought a sand castle for me.  They bought it for me because they felt that it represented how I viewed life.  In other words without a lot of foundation to my life, but I was a dreamer.

This kind of represents how I feel about life, in fact I would like to be on top looking in the ocean.  

R is Rearview Mirror

R is for the Rearview Mirror

Currently, I am part of Bible study called  what happens when a woman walks in Faith.  The author tells a story about how her rearview mirror fell off and she did not replace it.

What she did find out was that she did not really miss it.  She used her rearview mirror to put on makeup, check on her kids in the backseat and watch what was happening in the back of the care while she drove.

She, also, found out was that without the rearview mirror she had to pay more attention to what was actually going around her.  If she needed help with someone watching the back side there were usually other people that could help.  If there were not any other people than she had to pay closer attention to what was happening around her.

The problem I have with the rearview mirror is that I pay a lot of attention to what is going on in back of me.  I look to see how close the car is coming to me, I look to see how close the car is when I stop at the stoplight, I look to see how much traffic is back there and sometimes I watch what happens  when a car passes me in order to see if something happens.  In other words, I pay to much attention to what is going on behind me.

That is a common theme in my life.  Six months after an event has occurred I will vent or discuss it constantly.  Usually something has triggered it and usually it is about something or someone that has wronged me.  A great deal of attention is being paid to events that have occurred, I can't do anything about, it has happened and I want to make sure that people know that it has happen.

I actually realized that I spend more attention, energy, and time concerning about things that have happened.  Good, bad or who cares!  

Why do I do that?  Well, my personal opinion is that it is because I don't want to face what is happening right now.  I don't want to face what has happened.  I just don't want to face the future. Plus I want God to make it all go away and make the past a different show.  (I didn't say it made sense.)

There are people who spend this much time on the present or future.  I don't know that it is healthy to spend a lot of time on the present or future either.  I do know that the present needs a person's most attention, the future is next and the past, well learn from it and move on.  Now what?

I will get back to rearview mirror at a later date.  For now, let's just leave it and think about it. 

Q is for Quirky

QUIRKY usually means differently unusually so!

According to my Flip dictionary it means aberration, band, 

caprice, crook, deviation, eccentricity, equivocation, groove, 

idiosyncrasy, kink, knack, mannerism, oddity, peculiarity, 

quibble, trait, turn, twist, vagary

GCW  ==  Have a great night!!!

Salvo Sunday

Isaiah 46:4
I have made you and i will carry you
I will sustain you and restore you.

Michelle=a woman of integrity 





Right after I wrote that I got a tweet that someone was standing with me in prayer.

Backstory:
I am a public school teacher and as much as I would like my year to begin in January, it doesn't.  It being in August when professional development starts and the teachers return to school.  My year also ends in June when the students go home for the summer.

FlashForward:
Suffice to say it has not been a banner year for me professionally and, while I am not going bullet point what has happen, I allowed people to make choices for me.  This has hurt, a lot.

In addition, I have been reminded that my dreams were authored by God.  In other words, he gave the dreams and I took them and did what I wanted to improve upon them. Rather than let him watch over them and tend to them, I TOOK OVER!!.  Bad mistake.

Proverb 31 Online Bible Study:  "What Happens When Women Walk in Faith"
This study has been helping process a lot of what is going on in my life.  I still don't like it, but I understand it a lot better.

It isn't that good things haven't happen, the have:
                 Twitter Account:  @play10    139 followers
                                               @shellforth   63 followers
                  Linken and Facebook have provided me with wonderful resources for my job hunt.
                  Ed.S in Educational Technology is coming along.

The Rest of the Week:
          - Family to pray for _______.
          - IEPs to finish
          -Critiques to be Written
          -Stories, Articles & Lesson Plans to be Written
          -Assignments in Ed.S to be completed
          -Technological materials (of all kinds) to be learned.
          -Resume party to attend
          -Grant projects to be funded: 
                       Scholarship/Grants for School
                       Two DonorChoose Projects:    
                        Learn with Style:  http://www.donorschoose.org/project/learn-with-style/1459590/?rf=link-siteshare-2015-04-account_projects_teacher-teacher_2358706&challengeid=403591
                        Learn the New Technology:  http://www.donorschoose.org/project/learn-the-new-technology/1535233/?rf=link-siteshare-2015-04-account___projects___teacher-teacher_2358706&challengeid=403591  
                (The links are provided if you have some money to donate)    

HAVE A GREAT WEEK, EVERYONE!!!   

P is for Passion

Is for passion










Passion is defined as a "strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement for something or about doing

 something"

I get really excited when I get a new piece of technology or learn something new!

When I was in middle and high school I looked for to my tech classes.  I love to read devotional books.  I love to read and write about it.  I love to give anyone my opinion.

I was not surprised to find out that I am a ice storm.  A person who is much more serious than I look. On the surface I am calm and a bit enchanting. However, under the wrong circumstances I can be a real pain. I am not as good natured as I seem, look at my journal. I am slow and deliberate. I am meticulous and a perfectionist.

I am a typical Gemini, who loves the Lord and works hardcore at his kingdom.  That is why I am drawn to technology and writing, I am as ever changing these two mediums.

What is your passion?

is for oneself!!





We need to have a good relationship with ourselves and God.  Once this occurs we can have a good relationship with other individuals.  

Cliche?  Yes!   True?  Yes!

I have read this in the Bible.  Now, keep in mind I am not saying that we should be selfish and be all about me.  We just need to keep ourselves from being used, abused and neglected.  There is a lot of truth to the instructions we receive from the flight attendants when we fly.

1.  Put the air mask on yourself.
2.  BEFORE,  you put  or help anyone else.

It is not selfish to put the mask on yourself first, because if you don't you will NOT be able to help anyone else. 

Ones self!  Take care of yourself!!   

N is for NOT!!!!

N is for Not!

Not going to feel that way anywhere!
Not having enough money!
Not going to let you live rent free in my head!
Not having enough confidence in my dream, myself, ME!!
NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT

I am not going to let these nots live in my head anymore!

Thank you God!!

M is for Milestone

is for






MILESTONE


Tonight I am going to go to sleep early, in fact after this post and my journal entry, I will go to bed.  That in and of itself is milestone.

My children are both in their twenties.  I have been married for over twenty years.  I have been teaching for over twenty years.  This summer, with all hope and faith, I will be declared in remission and cancer free as I celebrate my sixth anniversary of my diagnosis.  

This summer I will also be turning 53.  WOW!!  I don't feel that old, in fact I don't feel old until I catch a picture of myself in the mirror or a reflection in the window.  Then I wonder who is that old person. 

Also, with all hope and faith, I will achieve my EdS in educational technology and start to work as a writer and consultant. 

Milestones, we need them to remind of all that we have accomplished and failed at in order to continue on this journey.  

What milestones are you celebrating?  

Remember, a milestone can also represent something that you have failed at and that is okay.  In fact, how you pick yourself up is the most important aspect of that milestone.

L is letting go

is for letting go 

Letting

Loving

Looking

Living

L is located in the middle of the alphabet.

Today I realized the initials of my first and middle name are located in the middle of the alphabet.

Of course I am the middle child in my family.  I was born in the middle of a bunch of cousins. 

Letting, Loving, Looking Living are all ingredients to living a full life.  Don't let where you are define who you are!!!!

K is for Kosher

is for Kosher










accepted, authentic, clean, ethical, genuine, legitimate, permissible, prober, pure

Enough said!!!

J is Joy

is for Joy





J is for Joy.  Joy has been missing from my life. This is really not a good thing.  My Bible tells me that joy is something that always needs to part of whatever a person does, even when the time is hard.
Joy is something that should be part of whatever a person does, regardless of the day to day experience. In other words, say the day is going bad, but the moment will pass.  It will!  It just doesn't seem like at the time.  Of course when the moment passes into another moment that is worse and this continues on and on.  Joy is a hard thing to find in the situation. It is something that has to be looked for like gold.
No one finds gold when they are panning for the first time, but when it is found the happiness the miner feels is wonderful.  However, it is the journey of looking for that gold that keeps the miner looking for the gold.
My journey has hit some rough spots right now and joy, well, I would really like joy to part of my life.  I'm looking for it.  If you are like me, please look for the joy.  I know from past experience, it is there.  If you can't find it perhaps it is time to look for it in a new place. 

Feed the right battle!

I is for Integrity

is for Integrity






Integrity is the word I chose to be my boundary word of the year.  It is something that I want people to see when they look at me.  Inside the word Integrity is the word "grit"; "in" which is the beginning of the word inside.  Both words are really hitting me hard.  Changing from the inside out is difficult.

Right now I think that life is changing and God has a plan, but the beginning of the plan is to become a woman of integrity. 

H is for Hope

     = Hope

Hope is something that I have been thinking of a very long time.

The hope that all of my prayers will be answered in the way that I want them to be answered.

This is not the way that prayers are supposed to work. Even Jesus prayed that he would not have to follow through on his Father’s plans for him. The Cross.

I pray that all of you will discuss your cares and needs with our Father.

Hope and Faith will take you through!

G= Gracious

=GOODNESS














This is actually Wednesday, April 9, 2015.

YES, I AM BEHIND!!

Goodness Gracious!!  Goodness Gracious Charlie Brown!!!

Goodness is sugar coating in a cookie.

Goodness is graciousness that each of should get together with.

Goodness is Wednesday night!  When I was in elementary school in Minnesota, public schools let their students out early so we can attend church.  A time to catch up on our religious education.  Those individuals who didn’t go to church got the afternoon off, but not me.

We went to church!

We also went to church on Sunday from 9 – 1.   Goodness Gracious!!

Goodness is something that I haven’t experienced for quite a while.   Something I have not let myself experience.

Goodness Gracious!

Gracious is something that we need to extend to all of our friends!!  Family can be a friend as well!!