Beyonce Beware: All the Scholar Ladies

By Bill Henk — As a topic, Education carries more than its fair share of downers.  We hear lots of stories about the failures of districts, schools, teachers, children, and families.

Frankly, I thought it would be nice to break from the gloom and doom, and just give you one big feel good post! Actually there are plenty of great education success stories out there, and we’ll try to tell more of them here in the future.

For the time being, though, I want to highlight one small school system in Milwaukee whose storytelling  truly stands out.   Hope Christian Schools has done a remarkable job of educational video production that I wanted to bring to your attention.  Here I share just one video, but you can click here to see four other videos they’ve done that you’ll probably like, too.

By the way, the video I’ve singled out came to my attention through our  College of Education beat reporter, Tim Cigelske.  Tim was instrumental in conceptualizing the blog and has given us tons of help since its inception.

Anyway, in case you were wondering about the title of this post, the featured video is a parody of Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” — the Song of the Year at this year’s Grammy Awards.  The pop diva made history that night by taking home six Grammys.  No other woman had been recognized that often at any Grammy awards in any one year, and the show’s been around for over 50 years.

OK, how GREAT was that?

BONUS videos

And I’ll shamelessly throw in three other video clips that have nothing to do with education, but will either amaze you or make you feel very good or both. The first one uses the same Beyonce tune as a backdrop, but the choreography is priceless.  I guarantee you will smile. My longtime friend, Dr. Fred Fedorko, sent the link to me.  My wife tipped me off to the second video which is just plain precious, especially if you’re an animal lover.  I can’t remember how I stumbled on to the Michael Jackson tribute, but am certainly glad that I did.   It’s a good way to end a post that started with a musical premise.

In any case, I always welcome a healthy dose of uplifting material to make my day, and all of these videos definitely did the trick for me.  Enjoy.

What Kept States and Districts From Entering the $4 Billion “Race To The Top?”

Wisconsin stands among 40 states vying for the $4.35 billion dollars available in the federal Race to the Top grant program.   Within the state, 414 of 425 school districts  chose to take part in the first of two rounds.  For me, these figures beg a couple of  related questions:

How could 10 states pass on this unprecedented opportunity in good conscience?

Why would any school district, including 11 in Wisconsin,  choose not to participate in its state’s application?

A “Little” Perspective

First, let me give you perspective on 4.35 billion dollars.  If we took that many dollar bills and placed them end to end on a direct route from New York City to Los Angeles, the amount would stretch there and back more than 84 times.   Wisconsin has requested $254 million dollars, which equates to nearly five of these round trips.

Obviously both the federal total available for Race to the Top funding and Wisconsin’s request represent a huge amount of money.  In turn, those amounts could be expected to do plenty of good.  On the face of the matter, it’s hard to understand why states and districts would choose to sit on the sidelines.

A Long Overdue Thank You

By Amanda Lloyd, First Year Teacher Blogger — I was a good kid.  I generally did what I was told, I obeyed rules for fear of any sort of punishment, and I worked hard in school.  Despite my sometimes perfectionistic tendencies, I was pretty average and generally faded into the background.  I was smart, but I was not the smartest kid in school.  I liked to play sports, but I was not as coordinated as I would have liked to believe that I was.  I wasn’t overly talented in any single area –  like music or the arts.  I had a good group of friends, but I wasn’t Miss Popularity.

Me and a friend (circa 1999)

For the most part, none of this really mattered that much.  I was happy and healthy growing up with decent self-esteem.  Until middle school.

During those tumultuous years, I struggled to find my way like so many others.  I became self-conscious, hesitant, and shy.  I was irritable, angry, and annoyed much of the time, yet with nothing in particular.  Looking back on those years, I often cringe of what felt like a constant onslaught of dramatic occurrences that left me feeling like a victim of my own life.  That is, until my 8^th grade year.

Be VERY Careful What You Ask For — Especially If Assembly’s Required

By Bill Henk —  Honestly by now you’d think I’d have learned my lesson.  But no, not me.    Instead, every Christmas, birthday, and other gift-giving occasion I make the same mistake.

What is it?  Simple.  I ask for stuff without considering that it probably needs to be assembled, may require an actual brain to operate, or both.

This past year’s major mistake – a Bowflex.

Yep, my wife decided to call my ridiculous bluff about wanting to become a lean, mean fightin’ machine.  Talk about stunned.  I never thought she’d actually stoop so low as to buy one knowing the deep emotional toll it would take on me.

Don’t get me wrong; I was blown away by the generosity of the gift.  And under different circumstances I would be incredibly appreciative.  But, before you conclude I’m an ingrate, you need to know that it’s not just the prospect of exercising that bothered me.

There was something much more terrifying:  once the huge box full of Bowflex parts and hardware became mine, I’d be expected to put this marvel of applied engineering together.

In other words, the pressure to now get in shape took a backseat to a new emotion — the fear of piecing together a  mechanical puzzle of immense complexity.  That task might be fine for a normal human being, but not for me. 

Dwyane, Zo, and Fellow Pros “Dish” Hope To Haiti

By Bill Henk — For some readers what I’m about to report will be old news — seven days to be exact.  To me, it’s timeless.  That’s because being a “person for others” in the finest Marquette tradition will always be a cause for appreciation.

Had it not been for the horrific natural tragedy in Haiti the news of this humanitarian gesture might be a cause for rejoicing.   But the devastation this island nation endured recently renders this act of caring and kindness as simply the right thing to do.

Student Spotlight: Katie Moss

Katharine “Katie” Moss
Senior, College of Education
Double Major in Secondary Education and History
Vice President of Student Affairs, College of Education Student Council

Katie Moss has a vision for the future of history education.  She believes in total engagement – giving students the opportunity to see themselves as part of the stories they’re taught.

“I think we need to make education into more of a verb than a noun,” she says, “We can’t just teach history… social justice… we have to live it.

Teaching Students to “Think Outside the Bacon”

By Bill Henk — Chocolate-covered bacon.  Sounds gross.  Tastes great.   Either way it qualifies as a chancy idea.  Who’s gonna eat something that seems so disgusting  — well, I mean besides crazies like me?

It turns out that the answer to this question is “PLENTY of people!”  The Wisconsin State Fair, where the new treat first surfaced locally, ran from August 6th to August 16th last year.  On each of those 11 dates, sales came in between 9,000 and 10,000 pieces of bacon per day.  Overall, that means nearly 100,000 strips were bought, and at $1.50 a pop.

COED NEWS: January 23, 2010

It can be tough keeping up with everything that’s going on in the College of Education. So, we figured we’d help you out a little bit. Here’s some of  the latest and greatest news that you might have missed!

NEWS:

• Dr. Jessup-Anger Receives ACPA Research Award
• Dr. Alan Burkard Assumes CECP Department Chair Role
• Marquette Community Campaign Numbers Reflect Mission Driven Giving in College of Education
• December Commencement Marks Historic Moment for Marquette College of Education
• New Counseling Master’s Program Approved for 2010

MU and COED Events:

• Tuesday, January 26 – Dr. Margaret Wheatley, writer and management consultant, to speak at the Milwaukee Community Leadership Conference from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the AMU Monaghan Ballroom. The conference is free and open to the public. Register online.
• ‘Women Transforming Marquette’ exhibit on display through February 4 (Raynor Library)
• Tuesday, February 2 — ‘What is So Important About the Dead Sea Scrolls,’ February 2 at 3pm (Raynor Library Conference Center)
• Thursday, April 22 — 4 p.m. College of Education Alumni Awards Reception (AMU Henke Lounge/Lunda Room)
• Tuesday, April 27 (time TBA) – College of Education Annual Mission Recognition Event
• Ongoing – Women’s Centennial Events

Want more news?

• Visit the College of Education Web Site
• Follow the College of Education on Twitter!

Catholic Education: Between the Steak and the Cake

By Jennifer Maney, Institutional Coordinator, GMCEC — Exactly one week ago I attended the annual Archbishop’s Catholic School Dinner, in support of Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. I know those of you who often get invited to these kinds of shindigs regard them as predictable.  And it’s true. There were the typical things you would expect at a fundraiser: a 6:00 cocktail party and a 7:00 dinner served on beautifully decorated tables.

Yet it was about something much more.  The event showcased really good food (seriously), an opportunity to meet and hear from our new Archbishop, Jerome Listecki, and a room full of kind-hearted and well intentioned education advocates who know the situation our Catholic schools are facing, not just here but across the country.

Buckle Up–It’s gonna be a bumpy ride!

By Amanda Lloyd, First Year Teacher Blogger —I’m a complete Type A personality.  I always have been.  Growing up, my mother never had to ask me to clean my room, because I consistently rearranged my closet myself and asked for more appropriate sized storage bins to categorize my belongings in the most efficient and compact way possible.  When I went away to college, I was packed two weeks in advance, with all of my t-shirts and sweaters neatly tucked away in one box and all my skirts and pants in another—all clearly labeled I should add.

So it’s no surprise that this is how I found myself learning as well.  I organized my classes in college by three-ring-binders, each one outfitted with colored dividers and labels differentiating class notes from study guides and homework assignments from project guidelines.  I had a place for everything and everything had a place.