Lessons With Coffee

Oh my god I am so happy that I checked my calendar today!  I thought I had two events at one time.  Turns out I do not. But I do have one really cool one that I am super excited about.  WHAT!  Yes that is right, real people, real cocktails, real teachers! Woo Hoo!!!!!! IF you ever visit Minneapolis I highly suggest Brit's Pub.  They have lawn bowling!!!!! I am so excited to meet these women and pick their brains I can not stand it!  I will be sure to take loads of pictures and post first thing tomorrow. Also this week I completed (well I have to write the final lesson plan(a graphing lesson using the sea turtle's migration-will post for free!) and research paper(on I have no idea what)) a grad class called Turtles Of The World.  I quite literally spend three days at the Como Zoo in St. Paul, learning about Chelonians, or turtles, tortoises, and terrapins.  IT was a really interesting class I am going to share with you some of...

Part One: Inherent Ability 1. There Is No Achievement Gap At Birth One of the things I find myself constantly arguing is the fact that I am a white teacher in a not so white school.  I think I have heard (from the mouths of white people) “do you ever fear for your life?” more times than I would like to admit.  No I do not fear for my life.  I know where this is stemming from, the idea that black teenagers are somehow “more dangerous” than white teenagers.  Most of the time these types of comments are from folks who I believe to not be RACIST but, let's face it, they are pretty prejudice.  And there is a HUGE difference. (By the way…statistically speaking, look at school shootings and the demographics of the shooters.  Seems to me most of them are white, and in white neighborhoods.  I’m just saying.) In the first chapter of Lisa Delpit’s book “Multiplication is for White People," (MIFWP)  Delpit reminds us that childr...

Summer is nearly half way done. I'm starting to get emails for opening week already and I feel as if I have done nothing professionally. So I guess it's time to start some professional reading. Le sigh. I am going to read " Multiplication is for White People" Raising Expectations for Other People's Children by Lisa Delpit. I will also give you a chapter by chapter synopsis and my thoughts. It would be neat if someone else was reading the book and happened to come along for the fun, but I'm not expecting much. :) Ah to coffee and reading! Cheers! J.