Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Say Something Nice
Woke up this morning, not in the best of moods. Came into work, and came across the above video as I was settling in. Just watching it somehow made me feel so much happier, so I thought I'd share. (I will say my personal favorite is the kid saying "To Infinity and Beyond!")
So say something nice today, doesn't need to be out of a megaphone, but hey that works too.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
sMattdown!
Continuing on my previous post, it appears Anderson Cooper loves Matt Damon too!
Don't Mess with Matt Damon, the Silver Fox told you so.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Thanks Matt Damon!
This past weekend Matt Damon was a speaker at the “Save Our Schools March” here in DC. I’ve been a Matt Damon fan for quite awhile; not only because of his acting, but because he just seems like a really smart, genuine, cool guy. (The fact that he’s easy on the eyes is really just an added bonus) I would totally want to be his friend if I ever actually met him. While I wasn't at the event, a friend of mine alerted me to the speech he made in front of the crowd of teachers and teacher-supporters on the ellipse. I just really loved what he had to say. Check it out:
“I flew overnight from Vancouver to be with you today. I landed in New York a few hours ago and caught a flight down here because I needed to tell you all in person that I think you’re awesome.
I was raised by a teacher. My mother is a professor of early childhood education. And from the time I went to kindergarten through my senior year in high school, I went to public schools. I wouldn’t trade that education and experience for anything.
I had incredible teachers. As I look at my life today, the things I value most about myself — my imagination, my love of acting, my passion for writing, my love of learning, my curiosity — all come from how I was parented and taught.
And none of these qualities that I’ve just mentioned — none of these qualities that I prize so deeply, that have brought me so much joy, that have brought me so much professional success — none of these qualities that make me who I am ... can be tested.
I said before that I had incredible teachers. And that’s true. But it’s more than that. My teachers were EMPOWERED to teach me. Their time wasn’t taken up with a bunch of test prep — this silly drill and kill nonsense that any serious person knows doesn’t promote real learning. No, my teachers were free to approach me and every other kid in that classroom like an individual puzzle. They took so much care in figuring out who we were and how to best make the lessons resonate with each of us. They were empowered to unlock our potential. They were allowed to be teachers.
Now don’t get me wrong. I did have a brush with standardized tests at one point. I remember because my mom went to the principal’s office and said, ‘My kid ain’t taking that. It’s stupid, it won’t tell you anything and it’ll just make him nervous.’ That was in the ’70s when you could talk like that.
I shudder to think that these tests are being used today to control where funding goes.
I don’t know where I would be today if my teachers’ job security was based on how I performed on some standardized test. If their very survival as teachers was based on whether I actually fell in love with the process of learning but rather if I could fill in the right bubble on a test. If they had to spend most of their time desperately drilling us and less time encouraging creativity and original ideas; less time knowing who we were, seeing our strengths and helping us realize our talents.
I honestly don’t know where I’d be today if that was the type of education I had. I sure as hell wouldn’t be here. I do know that.
This has been a horrible decade for teachers. I can’t imagine how demoralized you must feel. But I came here today to deliver an important message to you: As I get older, I appreciate more and more the teachers that I had growing up. And I’m not alone. There are millions of people just like me.
So the next time you’re feeling down, or exhausted, or unappreciated, or at the end of your rope; the next time you turn on the TV and see yourself called “overpaid;” the next time you encounter some simple-minded, punitive policy that’s been driven into your life by some corporate reformer who has literally never taught anyone anything. ... Please know that there are millions of us behind you. You have an army of regular people standing right behind you, and our appreciation for what you do is so deeply felt. We love you, we thank you and we will always have your back.”
I grew up in a household with teacher parents and have quite a few extended family members who are teachers or who work in education. I have also had the privilege of being taught by a number of incredible and inspiring teachers throughout my years in school. These are people who not only taught me facts and figures, but taught me how to think; how to be creative and think outside of the box. These were people who set an example on how to be a good person; who pushed me to work harder and do better than I ever thought I could myself. They introduced me to topics, ideas and questions I probably would never have stumbled upon on my own. None of these things were taught to me through teaching me how to sufficiently pass a test.
I can say for certain that my life would not be what it is today if it hadn’t been for the very many teachers in my life. So thanks Matt Damon for saying so well what so many of us out here think. Thank you to the teachers who have changed my life for the better and who continuously work so hard to improve the lives of so many others every day.
“I flew overnight from Vancouver to be with you today. I landed in New York a few hours ago and caught a flight down here because I needed to tell you all in person that I think you’re awesome.
I was raised by a teacher. My mother is a professor of early childhood education. And from the time I went to kindergarten through my senior year in high school, I went to public schools. I wouldn’t trade that education and experience for anything.
I had incredible teachers. As I look at my life today, the things I value most about myself — my imagination, my love of acting, my passion for writing, my love of learning, my curiosity — all come from how I was parented and taught.
And none of these qualities that I’ve just mentioned — none of these qualities that I prize so deeply, that have brought me so much joy, that have brought me so much professional success — none of these qualities that make me who I am ... can be tested.
I said before that I had incredible teachers. And that’s true. But it’s more than that. My teachers were EMPOWERED to teach me. Their time wasn’t taken up with a bunch of test prep — this silly drill and kill nonsense that any serious person knows doesn’t promote real learning. No, my teachers were free to approach me and every other kid in that classroom like an individual puzzle. They took so much care in figuring out who we were and how to best make the lessons resonate with each of us. They were empowered to unlock our potential. They were allowed to be teachers.
Now don’t get me wrong. I did have a brush with standardized tests at one point. I remember because my mom went to the principal’s office and said, ‘My kid ain’t taking that. It’s stupid, it won’t tell you anything and it’ll just make him nervous.’ That was in the ’70s when you could talk like that.
I shudder to think that these tests are being used today to control where funding goes.
I don’t know where I would be today if my teachers’ job security was based on how I performed on some standardized test. If their very survival as teachers was based on whether I actually fell in love with the process of learning but rather if I could fill in the right bubble on a test. If they had to spend most of their time desperately drilling us and less time encouraging creativity and original ideas; less time knowing who we were, seeing our strengths and helping us realize our talents.
I honestly don’t know where I’d be today if that was the type of education I had. I sure as hell wouldn’t be here. I do know that.
This has been a horrible decade for teachers. I can’t imagine how demoralized you must feel. But I came here today to deliver an important message to you: As I get older, I appreciate more and more the teachers that I had growing up. And I’m not alone. There are millions of people just like me.
So the next time you’re feeling down, or exhausted, or unappreciated, or at the end of your rope; the next time you turn on the TV and see yourself called “overpaid;” the next time you encounter some simple-minded, punitive policy that’s been driven into your life by some corporate reformer who has literally never taught anyone anything. ... Please know that there are millions of us behind you. You have an army of regular people standing right behind you, and our appreciation for what you do is so deeply felt. We love you, we thank you and we will always have your back.”
I grew up in a household with teacher parents and have quite a few extended family members who are teachers or who work in education. I have also had the privilege of being taught by a number of incredible and inspiring teachers throughout my years in school. These are people who not only taught me facts and figures, but taught me how to think; how to be creative and think outside of the box. These were people who set an example on how to be a good person; who pushed me to work harder and do better than I ever thought I could myself. They introduced me to topics, ideas and questions I probably would never have stumbled upon on my own. None of these things were taught to me through teaching me how to sufficiently pass a test.
I can say for certain that my life would not be what it is today if it hadn’t been for the very many teachers in my life. So thanks Matt Damon for saying so well what so many of us out here think. Thank you to the teachers who have changed my life for the better and who continuously work so hard to improve the lives of so many others every day.
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