Become a Fine Weaver

"A weaver who has to direct and to interweave a great many little threads has no time to philosophize about it, rather, he is so absorbed in his work that he doesn't think, he acts: and it's nothing he can explain, he just feels how things should go."

                                                              - Vincent Van Gogh -

It takes a fine hand to gather thousands of different threads and weave them in an intricate tapestry that somehow becomes a piece of art for many to admire. Some who view it will be struck by the use of color, others will marvel at the detail of the image and still others may simply appreciate the whole picture.

This too, is our job as educators, to make connections of thousands of ideas into a lesson that may be understood by a variety of individuals.  Just as the tapestry will be appreciated on many different levels the students of each classroom will understand, appreciate and utilize the knowledge in a wide variety of ways.

It is our job as an educator to design lessons that will somehow strike a chord with as many students as possible within their classroom. As a teacher we must weave ourselves, our subject and our students in the fabric of learning.

Our capabilities are maximized as we create great understanding through connectedness. We must be able to take grand complex ideas and bring focus to the threads that we weave together within the image. But, we are also capable of taking what may seem like piles of unrelated ideas and manipulate them in to a single intricate coherent thought.

As educators we must utilize a variety of tools in order to complete this process: Socratic dialogues, collaborative problem solving, lecture, multi-media and technology.  However, the connectedness does not flow out of these methods but instead it flows out of the zeal, passion and heart that we as educators demonstrate in the process.

Good teachers become part of the fabric of the community of learning, joining both students and subject into a culture of learning within their classroom.

       

What Teachers Would Really Like to Tell Parents

Thank-you, Ron Clark, for saying what most of us would truly like to say. Specially for those of us who have witnessed the parents as friends of their children phenomenon that has become steadily more prevalent throughout the last decade.

The link below takes you to the article on CNN. com.  It is well worth your time to read and take to heart.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/06/living/teachers-want-to-tell-parents/

The Mindset List - Beloit College

Each year Beloit College in Wisconsin posts The Mindset List to provide a insight into the world view mindset of the incoming freshman class. The post provides a parenthetical overview of the  history of the newly admitted class followed by a list of the "always have" or "never had" life experiences for this enterprising group of students entering college life.

To view the current Mindset List for the class of 2015, click the link below.

http://www.beloit.edu/mindset/2015/

The list provides an opportunity for educators to hold up a mirror to themselves and their students and  realize how far removed from the world, lifestyles, environment, technology, teachers, schools, and classrooms that most of us experienced. 

Aluminum Foil and Cupric Chloride Labette

The reaction between cupric chloride solution and aluminum foil is a very quick and simple labette to introduce a variety of topics in chemistry.

The reaction provides a very distinct set of observations that allow students to understand evidence that shows a chemical reaction is taking place.  The reaction gives off heat (exothermic reactions), obvious color changes, release of gas (bubbling and condensation), deterioration of the aluminum as it recombines.

The chemical activity is quite unique as there are several reactions taking place.   First the cupric chloride ionizes in the water producing the nice blue color from the copper inons in solution. Most aluminum foil has a layer of aluminum dioxide which reacts with chloride ion to liberate the oxygen and create aluminum chloride. The copper ion reacts with water to form copper hydroxide and release hydrogen. The bubbling is caused by the both hydrogen and oxygen gas which recombine to condense on the cooler surface of the mouth of the test tube. 

I have the students complete this labette multiple times throughout the year as a common thread tying together many different topics in the chemistry curriculum.

Living the Lasallian Mission

"It is not fair to ask of others what

you are not willing to do yourself." — Eleanor Roosevelt

Emblazoned around our campus is the very Lasallian idea of Enter to Learn, Leave to Serve.

This phrase is a direct outcome of the Lasallian Core Principle of Concern for the Poor and Social Justice.

 To kick off this school year the Science Department Faculty got together at Union Station in Pasadena to cook and serve dinner to  75 members of the homeless community of Pasadena.  This is part of a monthly service opportunity at our school where students, faculty, staff, clubs and teams provide this meal on the fourth Tuesday of every month.

I would like to thank the members of my department and their spouses and children who volunteered their time and energy in living the mission of our school community.  I would especially like to thank the faculty members of our Student Life Service Team who organize this tremendous opportunity for our school to give back to our community.