Muse

  Teachers are notorious for using lots of stuff;  to my mind, too much stuff.  They use stuff for the sake of using stuff...  or Novelty Which reminds me that George Carlin has something to say about stuff.  It's a problem. If you don't believe me,   Google "Teacher too much Stuff" or "Classroom Clutter" Adding to the stuff on the walls and the stuff on the tables, desks, and shelves (some even add stuff on the floor) teachers and/or schools like to use a lot of stuff. Consider the following tale of truth from Melissa Willets (2023), author for Parent magazine and mother of four school age children. My elementary school-age kids ’ teachers use an app called ClassDojo that tracks class participation. Then there’s IXL for reinforcing math skills—but I need another app called Clever to access IXL, as well as a host of additional apps that tackle other subjects. I have to open another app altogether called Schoology to contact a teacher with questions a...

The three pictures below feature a common experience.  What do you think it is? Tethered Boom O Rang The Bottom Step Ballroom Dance Failure All of these images represent failed attempts to accomplish a desired end. The ribbon was intended to insure that the Boom O Rang came back. It didn't. The bottom stair is where six crawling babies learned that they could fall. This competitive ballroom dance team breaks the hearts of hopeful teens annually. ... and yet, these images also represent potential for achievement... He caught it! She did it! They nailed it! Every failed attempt is an opportunity to develop tenacity. How many times will a child try? What strategies will she develop?  Which muscles will be strengthened? In her 2013 TED Talk, embedded below, Doctor Duckworth explains her research revealed that grit is more important than talent or intelligence. “...grit grows as we ... learn to dust ourselves off after rejection and disappointment, and learn to tell the difference ...