Inspirational Speaking?

Today I received this video from a friend who, last week, tried to make a point about what characteristics make someone an inspirational speaker.

I can't say that this makes his argument but it definitely had me ROTFL.

Live in the moment but........

When I was younger. Much younger. In high school. I wanted not to be in high school. I couldn't wait to graduate and be done with high school.

I missed out on enjoying my later high school years. For many different reasons. I was never present for those last 2 years. I was just biding my time, waiting to get out and start my life as an adult. And not only was I not living in the moment during that time, but I also wasn't planning for my future. Double whammy.

The Station  is one of my favorite poems. I have a copy of it hanging up in my kitchen so I can see it everyday. It talks about living the journey of life; being present in the moment.

Yes, you should live in the moment while you're in high school. Embrace all that it has to offer. Value your friendships. Utilize all the resources available to you. Participate in extracurricular activities.

But also live for the future.

Enjoy high school but also think and act towards your future. Even if you are lucky enough to have parents who provide you with direction. Even if you have awesome guidance counselors who provide you with resources, it is still your call. It is your journey.

Live it. Own it.

Seriously?

I just received this brochure from AAA. I'm surprised (though I shouldn't be) that their marketing people allowed this to go out the door. Was there not a second pair of eyes on this?

I went back to one of my older blog posts  to see if I had added your and you're to my list of grammatical transgressions and I found that I hadn't. Shame on me, since I see this mistake made all the time.

Sheesh!

Yosemite Institute Field Research

Two week backpacking adventure in the wilderness of Yosemite. Earn college credit by completing an ecological research project to answer your own questions about the natural world.

Jaime Escalante - A True Educational Hero

Jaime Escalante, the high school teacher whose ability to turn out high-achieving calculus students from a poor Hispanic neighborhood in East Los Angeles inspired the 1988 film “Stand and Deliver,” with Edward James Olmos in the starring role, died Tuesday March 30th near Sacramento.

I loved the movie but, more importantly, I was impressed with what Jaime did as a teacher. The article Stand and Deliver Revisited  really delves into the obstacles Jaime had to overcome in order to make a difference for students.

There are a lot of teachers who are well meaning but they lack the skills to really teach.  You will be lucky to have 2 - 3 really good teachers during your tenure as a K-12 student. Latch on to them. The remainder of your education you'll have to take into your own hands -- sad as that may sound.

10 Amazing Life Lessons

A friend sent me a blog posting the other day entitled 10 Amazing Life Lessons You Can Learn From Albert Einstein . I especially believe in #6.....living in the moment. I wish I had lived more in the moment when I was in high school. But maybe that's because I know so much more now.

Knowledge Comes From Experience is right up there as well. It's one thing to learn the concept of problem solving or working as a team but you actually have to DO it in order to really learn it. That goes for most things. Perhaps that's why I'm such a supporter of project based learning as well as high school internships. We may be able to teach students how to calculate volume or area or the basics of accounting, but, believe me, it will stick if they use it in real life situations.

Time to Get That Money for College

If you haven't done so already, it's time to start hunting down those scholarships and grants. The very first thing you need to do is to submit your FAFSA application. FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. You need this in order to apply for any type of federal student aid such as a Perkins Loan or a Pell Grant.

More scholarship info to follow. But first and foremost, submit your FAFSA application!!

A Good Adiction

I'm addicted to reading.

My bookshelf is arranged by subject matter......Sort of......For the most part..... All the big books have to go on the tallest shelf, having nothing in common with each other except their height.

I also have one shelf dedicated just to those books that I plan on reading in the near future. The definition of near future is not what you would find in the Webster's Dictionary. It's my very own, personal version. The near future is the time between today and the day I die. I've always liked approximations!

I hear about books from friends, reading articles or blogs on the Internet, or even from a book I'm currently reading. If the book sounds interesting, I immediately go onto Amazon and buy it. They range from biographies to historical non fiction to architecture to home improvement. I consider myself to have fairly eclectic taste in books.

Unfortunately, my appetite for reading is much larger than the actual time I have for reading. I wish I could be more disciplined or more selective and only get the books that I will actually have time to read.

I guess I just keep pluggin' away and maybe someday surprise myself and find that I have no books left on my To Read shelf.