Justin Tarte's Blog – August 2010 Archive (25)

Taking risks and experiencing failure...the two perfect ingredients

Educators across the country are returning to their schools with fewer resources, larger class sizes, increased work loads, and the fastest

changing student population ever...these challenges and setbacks do not

excuse us from taking risks and doing whatever it takes to meet the

needs of our students.

This school year several colleagues and I have chosen to

implement some major changes in our classrooms. These… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on August 29, 2010 at 6:20pm — No Comments

Finding...and taking the road less traveled

I was inspired to write this post after

speaking with a friend and colleague. Over the course of a lifetime and

career we all experience the highest of highs, and the lowest of lows.

So much of what we do in our lives comes back to our goals,

expectations, hopes and dreams. The biggest difference between those

who accomplish their goals and those who do not...are the paths they

choose while developing their vision.…

Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on August 22, 2010 at 10:01am — No Comments

Reinventing yourself = survival...

My first official working day at school was today...I witnessed ups and downs, heard screams of joy, and whirlpools of pessimism and

discontent. As I thought more about the "happy" people, and the not so

happy people, I decided to concentrate on why the "happy" people were

happy. I soon realized there seemed to be a couple underlying factors

that lead to their happiness / enthusiasm toward the new school year.

I have to… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on August 16, 2010 at 4:47pm — No Comments

Why YOU matter much more than you think...

Educators are constantly using their energy and resources on others. Their students are their number one priority, and consequently educators

are always filling the buckets of others. Educators dedicate

their lives to the development and growth of others...but wait, who

fills the buckets of educators? Who is there to tell the educators they

are doing a great job, and if they need anything somebody will always

be there… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on August 9, 2010 at 5:58pm — No Comments

What's my job?

Do you ever wake up in the morning before work and think to yourself, "I

need to find a new job." If you are human the most likely answer is

"yes." Should you feel guilty about this feeling? Should you focus on

the negative parts of your job, and totally ignore any of the positive

parts? I would answer "no" to both of these questions.

As educators we have the luxury

of facing a litany of setbacks and struggles. Yes, I… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on August 9, 2010 at 6:37am — No Comments

Would anybody like some change?

As I often do, I speak with my wife about issues and theories related to

education. Though my wife is not a full time teacher, she does teach

as an adjunct professor at a local community college. Thus, I feel she

is knowledgeable and a worthy audience when discussing educationally

related topics.

Our most recent discussion revolved around how education needs to be

more effective and applicable to the ever changing needs of the student

population. There… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on August 9, 2010 at 6:34am — No Comments

How high can you JUMP?

Last year I volunteered to lead a program called JUMP. JUMP is aimed at helping freshman students who are struggling academically and/or

socially. At first I was somewhat hesitant because I have never lead a

program quite like this. In short, we were able to accomplish some

great things, but looking toward the future we also have a lot of room

for improvement for a more effective and efficient implementation of

this… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on August 9, 2010 at 6:31am — No Comments

Where is the value added?

I am 26 years old. I like to play video games. I like to play computer games. I think I am somewhat computer savvy. I am a member of

generation Y. So, naturally I use Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Google,

Youtube and blogging on a daily basis, right?. "Jain," which in German

means yes and no.

I will give most of the credit to a friend, fellow cohort member in my

doctoral program, mentor and educational inspiration, Chris… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on August 9, 2010 at 6:29am — No Comments

What motivates you, me and students?

As a human being I am inclined to believe that we are self-motivating and self-driven. We yearn to explore and discover as much as possible

about the magnificent world around us. We derive our energy and power

from our self-motivation and drive, and without this ability to discover

and explore on our own, we will most certainly become zombies.

Now, to some people, becoming a zombie… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on August 9, 2010 at 6:27am — No Comments

A chance to grow...

Last year I approached my building principal about starting a book club. The main goal of the book club was to help teachers grow both personally and

professionally. To my astonishment, not only was my building principal

supportive of my idea, he also provided the book club with the financial

backing to purchase almost one thousand dollars worth of books.

As…

Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on August 9, 2010 at 6:22am — No Comments

The utilization of classroom assessments...

A year and a half ago I started my Doctoral Degree in Educational Leadership. As a teacher, this program has been influential in helping

to shape my philosophy of education. In particular, I have really begun

to analyze and critique the assessment policy I use in the classroom.

Last school year I was part of a committee that was reading and evaluating

the ideas presented in Rick Stiggins' Assessment for Learning model… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on August 9, 2010 at 6:20am — No Comments

The unspoken hero of education...the sharing of experiences and knowledge

Last night as I was sitting in my doctoral class I was reminded why I thoroughly enjoy the cohort format of educational leadership classes.

By no means am I the smartest, most intelligent or most knowledgeable

person in my class. To be honest, I would say I am probably closer

toward the bottom of the class in terms of my educational experiences

and knowledge. As weird as it might sound, I am completely okay with

being toward… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on August 9, 2010 at 6:17am — No Comments

Teachers...it is time for you to step up...

Educators in America and around the world face a daunting task. Educators are asked to teach every student regardless of their ability,

their desire to learn, and their family or socioeconomic situation. As I

am sure you are aware, education can also be one of the most rewarding

careers in the world. However, in order to be a great educator you must

accept the responsibility of affecting the lives of children. Last

year I read… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on August 9, 2010 at 6:15am — No Comments

What are we so afraid of?

When was the last time you left your house without your cell phone? Can you remember the last time you did not access the internet in a 24 hour time frame? When was the last time

you opened a book to find an answer? If you are anything like most

Americans, I would be willing to bet you never leave your cell phone at

home (at least knowingly), you access the internet several times a day,

and… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on August 9, 2010 at 6:13am — No Comments

7 proven strategies that WILL engage your students...

Over the last 5 years as an educator, I have learned so much about student motivation and student engagement. Recently, I started reflecting on my current practices and strategies I have used to engage

my students over the years. The program I am with has doubled in size

from roughly 140 students to over 280, so I feel confident these

strategies can, and will work.

1. Don't just care...really…

Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on August 8, 2010 at 5:39am — 1 Comment

Good ideas spread...and win - what are your good ideas?

As mentioned in previous posts, I have really tried to utilize my summer to better myself. I wanted to refine my skills as a progressive

educator who is able to meet the needs of students in a meaningful and

influential way. As such, I have concentrated on new ways to integrate

social media and technology into my classroom instruction. All of the

ideas and suggestions I plan on using started out as ideas. In

particular, they… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on August 6, 2010 at 8:22pm — No Comments

Why the current educator evaluation process not only doesn't work...it is hurting America's education system

If you have been in education for one year, you have most likely experienced the educator evaluation process. Depending on what school you work at, and in which district you work, your experience could be completely different than that of another. I think it is fantastic that individual schools and districts retain the right to do things in a manner which is best fitting for their students and their community, however when an educator evaluation… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on August 5, 2010 at 4:21pm — No Comments

Human nature - why sometimes we should fight to ignore it...

I will preface this post by saying I am only 15 pages into the book, The Death and Life of the Great American School System, by Diane Ravitch. Despite not being too far along in this book, I feel empowered to share my experiences thus far.

In my short 5 years in education I have learned many things, however for

this post I will concentrate on just one. There is one thing for

certain in education...and that is, there is… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on August 4, 2010 at 4:06pm — No Comments

Bring on the learning revolution!

A fabulous resource to educators is available, and the best part about it...it is free! Visit the website http://www.ted.com/ and watch videos about "ideas worth spreading." I chose this

particular video by Sir Ken Robinson because I feel Robinson makes a

wonderful point about education. When we talk about education we need

to forget about the evolution of the school system, but rather we… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on August 4, 2010 at 12:13pm — No Comments

Do you recognize the many pieces to the puzzle?

Over the last several weeks I have had the opportunity to speak with several different people who are the

leaders/coordinators/directors/supervisors in their respective

departments within my school district. This opportunity has given me a

new found appreciation for the many intricacies of a large suburban

school district.

As a current classroom teacher I plan my lessons, go to school, teach

students, grade… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on August 4, 2010 at 12:11pm — No Comments