Cool Cat Teacher Blog is at coolcatteacher.com

Why do we pride ourselves on taking the martyr's approach that we're not making money when US teachers are in the top 5% wealthiest people in the WORLD? It is time to start living like it and stop "feeling" broke. Do you want to hear more in this series? Let me know in the comments. Teacher (Photo credits: www.myparkingsign.com ) You can be wealthy but to do that you must be exceptional. Exceptional people spend less than they make. Exceptional people don't take the (usually dumb) advice of marketers but make their own decisions. Exceptional people aren't sold to, they buy what they want. But I'm not rich? Oh really. Let's look at some stats from the global rich lis t: If you are at the US poverty line for a 3 person household of $19,350 you are in the top 11.26% richest people in the world The average janitor (median income) of 24,936 puts him or her in the top 10.09% of the world If you make the a verage annual salary of a US private...

What passion based, flat, STEM based learning feels like. As I pondered what to share with you today, I just wanted to mention a few experiences from yesterday to show what passion based - flat learning FEELS like as a teacher and what it means to try to fit things in. I wrote this in late April/ Early May to share with you. The first draft was in April. It takes a while to polish up and add links sometimes. Just a glimpse into some things in my life if your'e interested. We're nearing the end of the school year at this point as we finish up major projects and final work for the year. Before School. 4:45 am-ish My fit bit wrist alarm wakes me up when I'm in my lightest sleep. It is so nice not to wake my husband. 4:50 On the treadmill for 2,000 steps. Throw fresh coffee in the pot. 5:05 Reading my Bible/ Praying/ Journaling 5:20 Writing (Blogging or my second book.) 6:45 Get dressed 6:55 Breakfast with Kip 7:05 Head out the door. I like to get to school ear...

I'm wrestling with a book right now. Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan, old fashioned smack down wrestling. I heard  Jon Acuff  this past week and picked up his new book  Start: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average and Do Work that Matters . The questions in the back and questions on every page have me a bit uncomfortable but in a way that I need. How do you focus your time? How do you work on what matters? How do you overcome your fears? This is all in  +Jon Acuff  's book "START" which I highly recommend. I have a lot of purpose in my life - I'm a teacher, after all. But fears, like the mermaids & kelp around Harry Potter's legs as he dove into the lake to save his friend, those fears can pull me down. Punch fear in the face. Fears that have told me to please people so maybe, they'll like me. Fears that grew out of quite a few years of childhood when no one wanted to be my friend. When I became more attractive, people wanted to be my fri...

Dreams might be imagined on vacation, but they are birthed out of focus and work . Saturday with Friends and Family 028 (Photo credit: -DjD- ) I've been up writing again at 5am on Saturday. Not because I hate myself or I'm rested, but because I have a burning dream. You see, I've found that dreams aren't made on sandy beaches with your feet up drinking a cold Diet Coke. That might be where they are first thought about, but it isn't where they are made. I've accomplished more dreams since I started setting my alarm clock for 5 am than before. Dreams are made out of work. They are made out of early mornings and late nights. Five am is particularly attractive to me (and sometimes 4 am if on a deadline.) They are attractive because they are guilt free. I have no one who needs my attention and more importantly, there is no one who feels ignored or untended to. If I have to work all day and let my family know ahead of time, there's not usually struggle ...

Authors of the Genius Hour Manifesto and hosts of #geniushour chat Joy Kirr, Hugh McDonald Gallit Zvi, and Denise Krebs are the Fantastic 4 of genius hour. They are 4 teachers DOING it. Listen to this week's show to learn more. Really? Every child is a genius? Hooey. I admit, that is what I first thought when my friend Angela Maiers said this. However, if you look at the definition of genius: "1. Exceptional intellectual or creative power or other natural ability. 2. A person who is exceptionall intelligent or creative, either generally or in some particular respect: "musical genius." Synonym: talent" We are looking for the natural abilities of students. Now, don't mistake natural ability for the art of mastering. We all know naturally gifted athletes who never accomplished anything because they were allergic to sweat, or naturally smart kids who accomplished nothing once they had to study. Genius takes time but talent can be spotted ...

At STEM Early College High School, students earn top test grades | STEMwire I'm recording another episode of "Every Classroom matters" interviewing some of the teachers and organizers in the Chicago Early STEM college movement. As I researched for this show, I found this report out of North Carolina reporting an increase in test scores. A county here in Georgia is also implementing Early college stem as well. STEM is something every school needs (listen to the earlier show I recorded w/ Kevin Jarrett) but this is an interesting approach. "Just two years after it opened, a North Carolina high school has found that teaching students the principles of STEM can boost test scores and keep learners engaged. That’s prompting the school to ask, “If we can do it, why can’t other schools do it, too?” The school has a mouthful of a name: the Wake NC State University STEM Early College High School. It has attracted many students to its R...

guest post by Johnna Weller, Ed D. Note from Vicki: As I was talking to Johnna from Discovery Education about this post, I started hearing her talk about districts who are struggling with Common Core. We thought that it would be helpful to know what people are doing to cause their districts to fail in implementation. Of course, if we learn from failure, we can fail forward into success. Thanks Johnna for this guest post. (See disclosures at the bottom.) Answers to complex questions never come in a box. A seal on a box does not guarantee success. 15.  Expect that a packaged program will be the magic bullet. We’ve all seen the labels on the cover of teacher’s manuals that say (in bold print), “Aligned to CCSS.”  And, although the lessons might be matched to specific CC standards, and include quality examples of “close reading” or “text-based questions,” there is no program that can cause our students to be deep and critical thinkers.   Of course, materi...