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How to be an Author: DIGGING FOR GOLD
Over the course of my teaching career, I attended a wide assortment of professional conferences. There was one conference that stood out among the many. It was the annual Wisconsin Education Association Council Teacher’s Convention. Teachers from all over the state converged on the convention center in Milwaukee. Not all came to improve their teaching skills. A few just wanted a chance to drink, dine and shop in the “big city.” Having grown up in Wisconsin’s version of a metropolis, that kind of experience took a back seat to hearing from colleagues on how to motivate and inspire young minds. One wise teacher told me she always found nuggets to…
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For Your Amusement: TO MASK OR NOT TO MASK–THAT IS THE QUESTION
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For Your Amusement: PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS AMONG WORLD LEADERS
“Tell me, Vlad. This bounties thing. Is it anything I need to be concerned about?” “Not in the least, D-J-T. It’s all nonsense. Foolishness. Why would we pay Taliban to do what they already do? … You just wait. It’ll all blow over. Deny. Deny. Deny, my friend.” “That’s what I thought. I told the generals to handle it. They get all excited when intelligence makes a new discovery. Then, one of them idiots leaks it to the New York Times. You’re lucky you don’t have to deal with a friggin’ free press.” “I feel your pain, my friend. But, have a little faith. Our intelligence indicates you’ve made significant…
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For Your Amusement: TO MASK OR NOT TO MASK–THAT IS THE QUESTION
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How to be an Author: FREE SAMPLES
One of the main reasons parents can get their kids to go willingly with them on a weekend shopping trip to Costco is free samples. Throughout the store a number of vendors are strategically placed to scoop chips, slice cheeses and meats and spread creamy toppings on crackers for customers to taste as they cruise the aisles. Kids love stuffing their little bellies with as many of the free delicacies as they can get to before it’s time to check out. This kind of marketing was not invented by Costco. It’s been used to sell all kinds of products for more than a century. Free samples are not new in…
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For Your Amusement: TO MASK OR NOT TO MASK–THAT IS THE QUESTION
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For Your Amusement: TO MASK OR NOT TO MASK–THAT IS THE QUESTION
Last Friday, THE DJT told Michael C. Bender of The Wall Street Journal that some Americans wear masks to show they disapprove of him not to stop the spread of Covid-19. This latest revelation by THE DJT shows how once again it’s about him. Earlier sources inside his administration circulated the idea the Chinese developed Covid-19 in a lab and released it to attack the United States to make THE DJT look bad. The next day at what THE DJT termed, “the rally of the century,” most of the nearly seven thousand supporters did not wear the masks his campaign provided. They answered the often asked question of whether they…
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How to be an Author: ON WITH THE SHOW, THIS IS IT
When I was a child growing up in Milwaukee, one of my favorite television programs was The Bugs Bunny Show. Bugs loved to stand on his rear legs and chew on a carrot while pestering a character named Elmer Fudd. He often crept up and surprised Mr. Fudd with the ubiquitous question, “What’s up Doc?” The reason I bring this up is because at the start of the year–well not exactly the start, but February–I had every intention of writing a blog a week or even twice a week. Those first two months (February and March) I wrote eight and four blogs, respectively. In April I wrote three, none in…
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For Your Amusement: TO MASK OR NOT TO MASK–THAT IS THE QUESTION
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How to Be an Author: I’VE MADE A DECISION
Life is filled with decisions. Some people think by putting off a decision they avoid making a wrong decision. I learned a number of years ago that not making a decision is actually a decision. Both have consequences. Every profession requires decision making. Plumbers have to decide what tool works best to repair a leaking faucet or unclog a drain. Baseball players must decide what weight and length bat will help them hit a ball traveling at ninety miles per hour. Doctors must decide what medicine or surgery will prolong a patient’s life. Teachers must decide whether a student is developmentally ready to succeed at the next lesson in the…
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For Your Amusement: TO MASK OR NOT TO MASK–THAT IS THE QUESTION
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For Your Amusement: IT’S THE WHO
“It’s The Who!” declared THE DJT. No, he’s not referring to the one Horton hears, or the rock band. He’s talking about the World Health Organization. “They listened to China instead of me. So, now I’m suspending their funding until we investigate.” He went on to tell us how he saved us by suspending flights from China to the USA. At the same time, the fake news reminds us he was praising China and President Xi for “being transparent.” Many of THE DJT’s supporters quickly endorsed the president’s bold move. “There’s too many leftist doctors in that organization,” one contributor to the re-election campaign said. “If they want to help…
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For Your Amusement: TO MASK OR NOT TO MASK–THAT IS THE QUESTION
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How to Be an Author: JUST AN OBSERVATION
One of the most important lessons I learned during my thirty years of teaching was while it was important to have a solid knowledge of the content some instructional skills may prove just as important, if not more so. Among these skills I rank observation near the top. Without keen observation skills the teacher will miss the ah-hah! moment (otherwise known as when the light bulb goes off inside the student’s head), or the oh-this-crap-is-boring moment, or the I-just-don’t-get-it moment. A lot of valuable time and knowledge is lost when the teacher fails to notice. Writers, too, have to be keen observers. Painting a world readers can relate to, whether…
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For Your Amusement: TO MASK OR NOT TO MASK–THAT IS THE QUESTION
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For Your Amusement: KIDS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS
Last night on the NBC news they looked at what a group of sixth graders, who would normally be in class together, had to say about their situation since their school has been closed. The network had a reporter interview them using a Zoom teleconference. One child said he was bored. No surprise there. Another child claimed she felt lonely. Again, pretty much as expected. A third child said she found the changes confusing. Many adults have become confused filtering through the different messages our leaders present. Then a friend sent me a text with this tweet from actor Treat Williams. My friend remarked, “Great analogy.” I have no idea…
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For Your Amusement: TO MASK OR NOT TO MASK–THAT IS THE QUESTION
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How to Be an Author: FLOW
Anyone can write. During my thirty years in the teaching profession, one of the most obnoxious remarks I heard from various sources was, “Anyone can teach.” Right, and anyone can sing, draw, paint, dance, throw, catch, fix, repair, assess, analyze, evaluate, follow, lead, describe, prescribe, inscribe, insert, invest, invent, prevent, predict, presume, consume, conspire and concede that anyone can write. One of the few positive outcomes from the scourge we are currently experiencing, Coronavirus or COVID-19, comes as the result of schools closing and millions of children being at home with their parents, who for one reason or another find themselves at home. The task of teaching a child or…
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For Your Amusement: TO MASK OR NOT TO MASK–THAT IS THE QUESTION