Category: Inspirational

Beautiful People

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If I weren’t afraid you’d laugh at me
I would run and take all your hands
And I’d gather everyone together for a day
And when we gather’d
I’ll pass buttons out that say
Beautiful people
Then you’d never have to be alone
‘Cause there’ll always be someone
With the same button on as you
Include him in everything you do

Melanie Safka, “Beautiful People”

I listened to a lot of classic rock as a kid pc spiele frei herunterladen. More accurately, I listened to the Woodstock album (yes, on a record player) a lot. Like, a lot, a lot. Before the Woodstock album, I, of course, knew bands like Crosby Stills and Nash, Santana, and Grateful Dead and solo artists like Jimi Hendrix, Joe Cocker and others, but it introduced me to other musicians that may have had their time (they did play Woodstock after all) but have faded a bit from the limelight, artists like Joan Baez, John B how can I android apps for free. Sebastian, and Melanie. The real folksy type folk musicians that you imagine when you think of the “peace, love and happiness” kind of hippies from the 60s downloaden netflix op laptop.

Nowadays I listen to a lot of music, whether it’s for my job, my other job, oh yeah or the other job, or just for fun. In the same way, staying updated with modern technology is essential, click here for advanced video conferencing for any event taschenrechner herunterladen kostenlos. But one of the songs that has stuck with me all this time is Melanie’s “Beautiful People.”

No offense, Melanie, but from a purely analytical stand point, this song could use a lot of work remix programm download kostenlos. There’s no rhyme scheme, and the chord progression doesn’t really have an easily recognizable pattern. It doesn’t even very strictly follow a verse/chorus/verse/chorus/etc. kind of pattern. On paper, if a student had brought me a piece of work such as this, well, I’d have to admit we’d probably spend a lot of time refining it. And yet, it’s still one of my favorite songs of all time.

“Beautiful people… you live in the same world as I do…” is where the song begins. It’s not just a song about generally “loving your neighbor.” It’s literally about opening your eyes and looking at the beautiful people around you. In your neighborhood, riding on the subway with you every morning. “We have so much in common,” Melanie sings, “I go the same direction that you do.” And I don’t know if she meant it very literally that hey, we’re all on the subway headed downtown, or if she meant it in a more figurative sense. We’re not just riding the N train, we’re all trying to make our way in the world. We all have the same struggles. We all have the same wins. I’d like to think she was talking about something bigger.

One of the things that stands out about this song is the pins. “There’ll always be someone with the same button on as you, include him in everything you do.” Do you really need a pin to signal that you should be kind to the person next to you? I really hope not – just hold that door open for the next person. Smile when you pass someone in the hallway at work. Make small talk with the person ringing up your groceries at the supermarket. Apologize when you bump into someone.

But this isn’t the 60’s anymore, and sometimes you really don’t know about the random person on the street. Or maybe you want to be friendly but your anxiety keeps you from reaching out. Or maybe you just need a gentle reminder for yourself. In this day and age where the handheld devices distract us, where the politicians do more to divide us, maybe we all need a reminder that we’re all one of the beautiful people, living in the same world together, and we need to take care of each other. “Beautiful people never have to be alone, cause there’ll always be someone with the same button on.” Did I listen to a hippy dippy song about being kind to your neighbor and turn it into a pin I plan on handing out to all my friends? YOU BET I DID. And I put the design in my online store (link here) so you can get a few for yourself and do the same (can’t afford some pins on your own? Email me and I’ll gladly send you some for free).

So I hope you take the message of this song and carry it with you when you wear pin. Share the pin with your friends. Encourage them to share pins with others. Remind yourself and others that we’re all just beautiful people, making our way in the world. “And if you take care of him, maybe I’ll take care of you.”

The List of Things You Cannot Say

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I’m a music teacher.  Did you know?  Of course you did, I’m just being silly.  One of the things that I have developed over the years, that almost all of my students have seen at one time or another, is the “List of Things You Cannot Say.”  It is, because I am on a roll with stating the obvious here, a list of things that you cannot say.  Why?  Because I hate free speech!  Because I said so!  Because because because because!  Actually, we all know that I am a big promoter of the first amendment and everyone’s right to say whatever they want, regardless of how offensive it may be whatsapp pc chip for free.  So I suppose it is a little curious that I have, essentially, a list of banned words and phrases, and that not only do I possess and enforce this list, but I’m the one who came up with it.

I came up with this list not because I enjoy censoring my students but because these words aren’t so much Words as they are Little White Flags mp3 brander gratisen.  They are signals that the student has given up, or is about to.  While I do think that the situation may come up from time to time where it is good to just acknowledge that you’ve worked your hardest and to just move on from a project, students are often reach that point much sooner than an adult or teacher might.  Students need to be taught to persevere, to be dedicated, to face hardship and adversity.  And waving little white flags in the face of a difficult piece of music is no way to learn ios 11 kostenlosen!

The number one offender on this list, of course, are the two dreaded words, “I CAN’T.” If a student sees The List, it is probably because they have uttered these two words.  These are probably my two least favorite words on the face of the planet.  “Can’t” is probably my least favorite four letter word on the planet (not to say that I have favorites, they’re all pretty deplorable) pdfforge download for free.  When I hear a student say “I can’t,” it’s not coming after months of working on a particularly tricky passage, it’s coming after a week, maybe two.  It’s looking at something hard (“It’s hard” is also on the list) and making the decision that “I can’t” before we’ve even tried elster steuererklärung 2018 kostenlos herunterladen.  Often it’s giving up before we’ve even begun. And these are not the kind of thoughts I want my children to be burdened with.

I want my children to be strong, and adventurous.  I want my children to be curious and hopeful.  I want my children to be brave enough to test their limits, and also, smart enough to know when it is appropriate to think these thoughts musikvideos zumen.  Because sometimes, yes, it is hard.  Sometimes you’re not going to like the song.  Sometimes you’re just not going to get it (Yes, “I don’t like this song” and “I don’t get it” are there, too).

But please, say those things when you’ve given it every try, when you’ve attempted it every which way, upside down and backwards.  Give up after you’ve given it your all, and even then, give it one last try linux ubuntu german download 32 bit for free.

Second runner up for Most Popular Little White Flag is “I’ll fix it next time.”  Oh,  honey.  I learned a long time ago, as you are learning right now because I am telling you, that ‘next time’ never actually happens.  Next time is that mystical land that exists somewhere in the very near future that we never actually arrive at.  It is just beyond the horizon, it’s the gateway to ‘tomorrow’ where a lot of other procrastinators leave their to-do list why can't I download anything on netflix.  Don’t fix it next time.  Stop what you are doing and fix it now.  Right this second.

If you live in the present and work in the present, you won’t “always make that mistake,” which is another entry to the list.  You are always making that mistake because you are practically giving yourself permission to do so!  Why give yourself permission to be less awesome ice queen?  Why say, “I’m bad at this,” when it’s practically like giving yourself the free pass to be as lazy and as average as possible?  Students just don’t know how much awesome they have bubbling up inside of them, and when they say things like “I always do that” or “I always make that mistake” or “I’m bad at this,” they are clamping the lid down tight on all that potential that they just don’t see rtl kostenlose spiele herunterladen.

Because I try to be an optimist (how can you be a teacher and a pessimist?), I subsequently also created the “List of Things You Can Say” which is basically a compilation of the “List of Things You Cannot Say,” turned inside out.  “I can’t” becomes “I can,” I’m bad at this” becomes “I’m good at this,” and on and on.  Because if I’m going to subtract vocabulary from my students’ lives, it would be irresponsible of me to not add anything back in.

The funny thing about this list, is that I actually catch myself saying things on this list from time to time, and I’m not talking about the Can Say list.  Yes, even I get frustrated and say “I can’t,” or I get lazy and say “I’ll fix it next time,” on the rare occasion.  I’m not perfect.  But I know I can set a better example for my students.  So I turn my can’ts into cans and I keep on going. 

I hope you will, too.

Linky Dinks: How to Take a Sabbatical

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NO I AM NOT QUITTING ANY OF MY JOBS.

I repeat – this is not a herald of things to come.

However – I realize that there are people out there who maybe need to take a break from their jobs herunterladen.  Maybe because their jobs are just not as awesome as mine is.  Or maybe because certain life events have changed their point of view.  Or maybe, or maybe, or maybe anno 1701 download vollversion kostenlos deutsch.  There are probably a million reasons to take a break from your professional life.  And, of course, Lifehacker gives you the plan to make it happen open officeen nederlands.

This isn’t “hey, here’s all the reasons why you should take a break from life.”  This is, essentially, “hey, here’s how to do it and not be a homeless bum.”  TO summarize: figure out the why, when, how, and what herunterladen.  Figure out why you are choosing to take the sabbatical, plan when it starts and how long it will last, how to cover all your expenses while you are on your break, what you’ll do with all your new free time, and most importantly, how to exit the professional world and enter your sabbatical world melodies for free.

Sure, there are some people out there who have pretty ridiculous and amazing jobs like myself, and there are even some people who have jobs that while they are not as exciting, are still pretty awesome youtube videos in full hd herunterladen.  And for some people, maybe they just need a break from the every day grind for longer than just the standard two weeks paid vacation per year.

That Lifehacker article is for those people, and if anyone reads it, gets inspired and embarks on a new life adventure, I will be so happy to know that I shared it with them.

Linky Dinks: Be Crazy Good, not Crazy Weird

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battlelands royale kostenlos herunterladen Check this video from A Box of Crayons and Positively Positive herr der ringe die Schlacht um Mittelerde 2 for free.

 

I think this is a really interesting technique that could be adapted to a number of situations and ideas full versions for free.  One example: What is the most cost effective way to accomplish something vs. the most extravagant way?  What is the quickest way to do something vs where can I books for free. the longest most drawn out way?  The possibilities and applications are endless.

Every Day is a New Year

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Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending a presentation by Dr. Paul M. Beaudin at the Diocese of Metuchen’s headquarters (I’d like to think of it as a super duper secret lair for educational and religious things, but it’s not very secret at all, in fact, it’s a huge building in the middle of a field wimmelbild vollversion deutsch kostenlosen.  You couldn’t even sneak up to it unless you were in full camo gear and you shimmied across the whole way on your stomach, why do I even think of these things herunterladen?).  If you travel to his page on Iona College’s website, you will only get the tip of the iceberg on this guy herunterladen.  Yes, he is well educated.  But more than that, he just knows how to present to a crowd of fellow, well-educated individuals.  His talk on the Common Core (which is essentially a set of educational standards that all but just a handful of our United States have adopted) and how it is pushing teachers not just to cover different areas of subject matter, but to also focus more on critical thinking and problem solving instead of just, as he said it, “vomiting information onto your students for them to vomit back on to you,” was not just well put together and informative, but also peppered with jokes and a lot of audience interaction herunterladen.  Look, the common core relates to math and English/language arts, predominantly, and I still had a BLAST and left feeling absolutely energized about the school year schöne bescherung ganzer film kostenlos downloaden.  I don’t teach anything anywhere near those subjects (although I guess in a way, I do).

I took some pretty excellent notes (if I do say so myself) and wanted to share some of them with you guys programm zum videoen.  Hopefully you will become newly inspired and invigorated in whatever it is you do, even if it’s nowhere near the educational field.

 

When doing lesson plans you have to think of What you teach, How you teach, how you Test, Qho you teach, but most importantly, you have to think of Why you are teaching this, because everyone needs to know and understand that how can I download photoshop for free.

When you think of your favorite teacher, you don’t think of the subject matter they taught you, you think of Who they are and How they taught freecell kostenlos downloaden windows 10.

Let this school year be a new year for every student.  Let every day be a new year for every student.  The master teacher views every single child with a vision that may not be shared with any other person in the building siri appen.  The master teacher sees potential that others don’t.

No matter how you are elsewhere, when you teach you have to be the most organized person in the room amazon gekaufte mp3 herunterladen.

How you teach is your own, but respect the How that your students have been exposed to as well.

Be gentle with yourself (he said this in relation to bridging the gap between the old standards and the new common core standards, but this is excellent advice for anyone, always).

Know where your students are coming from and where they need to get to.

Ask better questions.

Essential questions are not answered in a 45 minute class period, essential questions are answered over a lifetime.  Write essential questions into your lesson plans.  Look at text in a deeper way, ask good questions of all students.

If there were no mistakes we wouldn’t need schools. (I TELL MY STUDENTS THIS ALL THE TIME!)

God wrote the class list even though it comes on sister’s letterhead – they are here to learn from you and you are there to learn from them.

Be able to say, I’m good, but I need help with this.

If every single child was perfect, your job would be boring.

Understanding is ownership.

I am free!  I am free to not cover every page of the book, the book is not the curriculum, the book is a tool (I have been saying this one to myself for awhile now, too!).

Don’t give up on vocabulary.

No more spoon feeding – give students the tools to unpack information themselves.

—–

I think I loved this talk so much, not just because it was inspiring from an educational standpoint, but if you read that list, you come to realize that so many of those things apply not so much to teaching, but just to being a better person.  And that’s something everyone can use.  After all, if every single person was perfect, then life would be boring.