Break Even Teaching "Getting to Know You!" Giveaway

Since I am just starting out, I thought I would have a little contest to "Get To Know You!" Here's what is up for grabs for the lucky winner!

Activities include: matching exercises, number tracing, pictures with color keys and more! 4 Silly Song CDs with 102 Silly Songs total Songs Include: Can You Name That Animal Sound?, The Muffin Man, Sally The Camel, Silly Shapes and More! Activity Books recommended for ages 3 and up Package Includes: 4 Activity Books: Learning to Cut & Glue, I Like to Color & Trace, Fun with Numbers, Fun with Letters; 4 Silly Song CDs. So follow the directions in the rafflecopter, and good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Olympians Were Once In Elementary School...Any Stories?

Growing up, I can remember idolizing a certain speed skater named Eric Heiden.  He was the fastest skater I had ever seen and only lived two states away, so he was very real to me.  I watched the "Up Close and Personal" segment with Jim McKay and got to see all of the inside secrets as to how he trained.  Then I went out to the barn and tried to recreate the sliding panel he had on his workout room floor in Wisconsin.  Then, in the sub zero Indiana winter, I took my shoes off and struggled to imitate what I had seen my idol do, so effortlessly, on TV.  To say it was a mess would be an incredible understatement!  I can tell you it was much less painful than trying to learn the "Fosbury Flop" in my  homage to Bruce Jenner in the summer of '76!  But Olympians do that to us as kids...and sometimes as adults too.

Here in Plymouth Indiana, we have an Olympian, I believe, for the first time.  Her name is Morgan Uceny, and I can bet there will be girls all over the country watching the Olympics that will try to train just like her, and be just like her. 

I've never lived in a town that had an Olympian and I can tell you it is really exciting.  Seeing people wearing the wrist bands in support of her and her family makes me feel good about the community in which I live.  I can't wait to sit around the TV with friends and watch her run.  It doesn't matter if she wins or not, at least not to us.  She is an Olympian no matter what happens now, and no one can take that away from her.  An incredible accomplishment to say the least.

So what stories do you have?  Did you train like a champion after seeing your first Olympics?  Did you have an Olympian in class at some point?  Was Morgan your student?  This is your chance to tell the world your story and share your experience with friends. Nothing inspires us as Americans like these stories, and nothing brings us closer together as humans than these two weeks, every two years.

Image:  Courtesy Patrick Hoesly via Flickr

Hot Summer Day Missing the Kids...

Today I am sitting at home doing nothing.  It seems like such a long time since I have had this opportunity, but today it feels less like an opportunity and more of a chore.  I have talked to several people this week that have commented how fast the summer is going by.  I find it to be the exact opposite for me.  For the first time in my life, I feel like the summer is never going to end!  I think it is mostly because I just miss the kids.  Most of the people I have shared this with assure me that this feeling will pass the more years I spend working with the kids.  I have my doubts.

This is my first summer to experience this.  All those little ones at your feet all day, then BOOM, nobody.  No one to send to the nurse with a scraped knee.  No one to have stand on the wall for disobeying a rule.  No one asking those great questions that we adults love.  You know, the ones that make us feel so smart to that second grader, who looks up with that grin like, "Mr. Ringenberg is soooo smart."  Yeah, I kind of miss all of that.

Registration is only a week away, and then only a couple of weeks until school starts.  I think I can make it.  Maybe I'll read a picture book or work on some fractions.

Neat Site-Teachers pay Teachers!

This is a really cool  site I just stumbled across, and it looks like it is legit.  If any of you have used or are members of this site, please leave a comment or review if briefly below.

It seems to be an open source for teachers to buy and sell materials from other teachers.  There is a marketplace, but also a request area, where teachers ask if anyone has something out there that they need, specifically.

There are three types of memberships, only one of them with a cost.  I opted for the middle of the road (which was free), and sign up took a mere three minutes.  Now I can buy and sell on their site with the only fees being listing fees, which you get on every online sales channel you may use.(eBay, Amazon, Buy.com)

Having worked with some teachers this year that have some lengthy experience behind them, I know some of you have massive amounts of teaching resources that might be old and outdated to you, but can be new to someone else.  This could be a great opportunity to help you break even.

Their site is TeacherspayTeachers.com.  So check them out and let me know what you think.

My Favorite Teacher!

Anyone out there have a favorite teacher? Of course, I think we all do. When I was in sixth grade, my family moved to a farm just outside of the town in which we lived. I could no longer go to the city schools. I had to go to...Boston Junior High, DAH, DAH, DAH! Well, I thought it would be that bad. Actually, it turned out to be an incredible experience.

That same year, 1976, for those of you keeping score at home, a new teacher entered the hallowed halls of BJHS; Mr. Joe Hellrung. Mr. Hellrung wasn't like the other teachers I had experienced up to this point. He was cool. In the summers, he taught tennis, and was from Collinsville, Illinois, which of course was a much cooler place than Richmond, Indiana! He was good looking and even though he was the new guy, all of the other teachers seemed to want to be a a part of the phenomenon.

 Mr. Hellrung was more than that to me though. I am not sure I even remember what he taught. For some reason English and History come to mind. What I do know is that he taught me to LOVE history, and through that connection, how to love literature. The way he talked about our world made it seem like we had a chance in life. During these times we didn't get much hope from what was going on all around us. When I was in Mr. Hellrung's class I felt safe, and that someone had my back. I have a feeling every kid felt that same way.

 Mr. Hellrung was funny too, but in a very subtle way. He wasn't trying to make you laugh, he just did. We always compared him to Mr. Kotter of Welcome Back Kotter, but he wasn't really like him at all. One time we were discussing Thomas Jefferson and he had said that he was also an inventor. I asked him if our last elected President, Richard Nixon, had invented anything. He immediately responded, “I don't know...maybe the 'Secretary Stretch'." (For those of you not of this era, look this one up, or ask me. It is much more clever than you realize!)

 I'm pretty sure Mr. Hellrung is still out there, probably having the same impact on kids that he did back then. I know I never got a chance to say thank you to him. I also assume he doesn't realize what an impact he had on my life, or on the lives of countless others. He probably would be embarrassed to even read this about himself, because he was truly, all about the kids. Thanks Mr. Hellrung!

Back to School Shopping-A Random Act of Kindness

Good Afternoon Everyone!

The other day I went on a huge journey to the civilization located a mere 25 miles-ish north of my home...a land we call Mishawaka!  They have a Super Target.  We don't have a Super Target.  We have a Super Wal-Mart, which puts us slightly lower on the food chain in terms of shopping I think.

As I was strolling through the aisles, salivating over the selection, that just a "normal" Target doesn't have, a thought occurred to me.  Why not put a little "care package" of school supplies together for my favorite teacher's classroom?  This would only cost me maybe another fifteen bucks, and it might put a smile on the face of some student who didn't get to do their BTS shopping at a Super Target. 

Then I had another thought.  What if something like this is already in place?  What if the PTA or another organization already organizes something like this to help the students?  After a two minute search on the web, I found that this is a very common practice.  Communities and school systems are doing this all over the country!  This is great!

Alas, another thought came to mind.  I had a lot of thoughts in that Super Target.  SO What!  What if it's not being done in my town?  Then the kids will suffer!  So I decided to do it.  And I encourage all of you to do it as well.  You don't have to spend a ton, just get a list of the required school supplies for a child in a specific class and make it happen!  If you can afford to, make it happen multiple times!

Folks, with unemployment and underemployment and the economy and all of these factors going against us, we can only count on one another.  Do this small act if you can and I know you will make a huge difference in the life of a child on the first day of school!

Thanks for reading, and acting, and Peace to you all! And remember, if you like what you are reading, don’t forget to follow me on Networked Blogs, or Google Plus, or subscribe on the top right, and recommend posts at the bottom of each post using Google Plus, Twitter and Facebook etc.  Thanks again for reading!

Back To School Shopping? Already?

The other day I was having lunch with some friends and we got on the topic of "Back to School" shopping.  I know it seems early, but if you go into any store that sells anything remotely close to school supplies, like pencils, crayons, dog food, you will see what I mean.   In our discussion, two stores came up; Walmart and Staples.  One of my friends claimed that Staples had much better deals than Walmart, which of course, took me by surprise.

When I think of back to school shopping, I think of just popping in the car and heading to Walmart, like everybody else, right.  After thinking about it for a while, I realized that the reason my mind goes to Walmart, is that Walmart is my only choice for local deep discount shopping.  I don't want to drive 24 miles to the nearest Staples!  But do I have to?

After lunch I decided to see if the Staples deals were all that great, and to see if I could get those same deals online.  To be fair, I also checked Walmart.com to compare.  So, here we go.

Walmart is a true American success story.  They started out as a five and dime and have become the worlds largest retailer.  Their 100,000+ square foot stores can save you money on almost anything you purchase.  Sometimes the quality is a bit in question, but, you get what you pay for I guess.  As an online store, they really don't have a clue in my opinion. 

For being the worlds largest retailer you would think their web presence would be astounding.  You would think they could find the best of the best to program their sites.  Apparently they are shopping at the programmers equivalent of Walmart to get their discount programmers.  What an incredibly boring website.  It is also very confusing to navigate. This could be because of the amount of products they sell, but that should not be the consumer's problem.  You would think "Back to School" would be highlighted immediately on the first page.  I have a 22 inch screen and I had to scroll down just to find it, which is a cardinal sin of website design.  Overall, I decided to not make a purchase and if I need anything from Walmart, I'll just get in the car and make the trip.

Staples on the other hand has been paying attention the last fifteen years.  They have come from being a great retailer to becoming a great e-tailer!  Not only is their site striking to look at, it leads you to your products and allows you to explore their store quite easily.  Best of all, the "Back to School" deals are good on the website, and, if you spend $45 or more, shipping is free!  Who of us won't be spending that much this fall?

Just a quick note to add to all of this.  I am all about shopping locally and supporting the local small business owner.  At this time of year though, when you are buying multiple items and possibly a good quantity of them, you need to find the best deal.  If your local merchant can compete, wonderful, shop locally.  If not, you might find the best deals right on your laptop.

So, think outside of the box this year and look around for your back to school deals.  You may be surprised at what you find.

Volunteers! Come One, Come All!

One of our readers from yesterday brought up a good point in her post to me.  What about all of the people who volunteer at our schools to help carry the load.  Absolutely!

We have several volunteers at our Elementary school.  Some, you know very well, because it seems they are there as much as all of the rest of us.  Some, you don't know quite as well, maybe a familiar face in the hallway or at recess.  And some, you would have no idea that they make a great contribution on a regular basis, just because they work behind the scenes.

We have one parent who comes in to volunteer, I would say, three days a week, on average.  When I first started working there, I really wondered about this woman.  "Do you really have nothing better to do than hang around a bunch of Kindergartners?", I thought.  But then, I got it.  She had better things to do, sure, but she was hooked.  The kids gave her energy and enthusiasm.  They gave her as much as she was giving to them.

Another parent I see weekly is one of those, "Do I know you?" volunteers.  She is seen in the halls occasionally, but most of the time she is working with the front office or in the lunchroom during off peak eating time.  I don't see exactly what she does, but I see the results of it in the school.  I see the people she has been helping feeling a bit less burdened by their day.

Of course you don't have to be a parent to volunteer.  My ideal volunteer would be a ten foot tall person with sticky hands.  This would come in mighty handy getting the balls off the roof during recess.  Yes, you can even volunteer for recess duty!  We have one regular recess volunteer that is in great shape and he runs the kids until they are exhausted!  I love that.  I tried to run with him once and gave up before the first muscle on my leg had moved.  He makes me tired just watching him.  But man, does he help me with the kids.  His presence allows me to really watch the kids and be a better recess aide.

So, how do YOU get involved?  It is very simple.  Come to the school of your choice and ask!  If they tell you they have plenty of help, they aren't looking hard enough.  There may be a bit of paperwork or maybe a short background check, but it will be worth it, trust me.  These kids will pay you in hugs and smiles more abundantly than you will be able to handle at first, so be prepared!

Now, go volunteer!

PAEWX2KFYWBU

Why "Break Even Teaching"

My wife is a Teacher's Aide at a small elementary school in Northern Indiana.  She is a GREAT aide to these kids!  I started out my career in education working in College Admissions,  but "went to the dark side" with banking several years ago. I am a Lehman Brothers survivor, to the extent that any of us really survived. Over the years I slowly lost touch, and if I am honest, interest, in what my wife did on a day to day basis.  Until last fall...

With my life on a bit of a hold while I searched out my next vocational venture, I was sitting home posting resumes and scanning employment websites when the phone rang.  It startled me, because the only people that ever called me, well nobody ever called me.  The phone sat dormant most of the day.  I assumed that this was going to be the call I had been waiting for.  The job that was going to bring me back into a cushy job(sarcasm) in education!  No, this was my wife telling me of the woes of the school.  Really selling the fact that two of the other aides were out sick and she needed me to come fill in for a couple of hours.  Begrudgingly, to say the absolute least, I agreed.

Now, first you must understand some things.  I am 48 years old and am 6'1" carrying over 250 lbs of not unintimidating corn fed human.  I don't frighten easily, and can honestly say there are very few things that I don't feel I can do reasonably well.  Sword Swallowing!  Now that is something I don't think I can do well.  Huge gag reflex, and not fond of paper cuts, let alone gaping wounds.  But one of the other few things that really scare me...little kids.

My sons have been raised and are now off to other places and adventures, so I hadn't been with "little" kids in quite a while.  So for my wife to plead with me to come and fill in, well, I really must love her to oblige. 

All that day, I waited. Patiently.  Where were the crying children?  Where were the fighting boys?  Where were the kurschmackers with the clinkedy clackers, making all of that noise, noise, noise noise!?  Sorry, but I did feel like the Grinch that day.  But regardless of all of my worst and most foul expectations, nothing bad really ever happened.  In fact, I ended up really falling in love with the kids, and the job, and the whole nine yards.  So much so, that when an opening came up as an aide at that very school...I applied.  And the rest, as they say, is History.  Well, more like current events, as I am going back for year two this fall.

To say that that one day changed me would be a grave error.  That one day allowed me to take a step in life that I would never, ever have taken.  A step that ultimately gave me back a sense of hope and happiness in my life.  But what amazed me even more, were these amazing professionals that I worked with.  From the Principal to the librarian to the custodians to the teachers, these people really cared!  I mean,  "drop everything else in your life and let's sit down and discuss how we can touch lives", cared!  Not the bank slogan type of care.

Budgets are tough for everybody these days, cuts must be made, but what will we do for the needs of the school?  I'll tell you what these people do...they pay it out of their own pockets!  I know!  That's what I said!  Until I spent every day with these same kids, that HAD gloves, because someone was willing to donate them.  These same kids, that HAD crayons because one of their teachers knew they needed them and slipped them into their desk overnight, like a little wax elf making a special delivery.  These same kids that HAD lice treatments because someone cared enough to not let them go home itching again for the third day straight!

So, here is my point and the point of this entire blog.  These educators, I am certain, are amazing, yet, I am even more certain, more typical than we care to believe.  They didn't get in to education to make money, and due to the fault of legislators everywhere, that has been more than granted.  But these people go above and beyond, everyday.

So, let's raise a glass, tip a hat, or put our hands together, for all of the teachers, custodians, administrative assistants, school nurses, Principals, and yes, even aides, that go out there every day, not to make money...but just try to break even.

I am in awe of you daily, and I salute you!

PAEWX2KFYWBU