One of the things I’ve tried to incorporate into my classroom this year is TED Talks. I’ve been viewing them on a regular basis to get some inspiration, as well as to supplement my lessons on character traits such as perseverance, grit, optimism, etc. It’s something new and informative for me to watch as I slog through my morning routine. At first glance, this specific TED Talk headline didn’t particularly pique my interest, but I decided to give it a listen anyway. Either way, it was better than emptying the dishwasher in silence. It turned out to be really interesting! I actually loved it because, for those that know me, I’m a big music fanatic, and I was pleasantly surprised when the speaker, Tim Harford, shared a few inspiring music-related stories about Brian Eno and Keith Jarrett to make his point about stimulating creativity. Something for my teacher friends AND my vinyl community buddies?! Sounds like a winner! Check it out!
Last year, I was fortunate enough to win the Javits-Frazier Scholarship, which got me a free trip to the 2015 National Association for Gifted Children Convention in Phoenix, AZ. There I attended countless workshops, met and talked with the leading advocates in the GATE community, and listened to several amazing keynote speeches.
One of the speakers that stood out for me was Joshua Davis, author of Spare Parts: Four Undocumented Teenagers, One Ugly Robot, and the Battle for the American Dream. He tells the story of four undocumented Latino teenagers from Phoenix, Arizona who joined a high school robotics team and competed against the best student engineers in the country, including ExxonMobil-backed M.I.T., in a national underwater robotics championship.
Davis was eloquent and passionate about his subject. He held the thousands in attendance in the palm of his hand as he recounted the details of his life before the story. He brought Luis, one of the four teenagers from the book, to the Q&A part of the presentation, which was an added treat. Without a doubt, the funniest part of their story came during a crucial time, moments before the big championship. Their underwater robot “Stinky” had a leak and started taking in water. They needed something to absorb the water that had leaked into the heart of the robot. “Like a tampon?” suggested Lorenzo. Davis had the audience in stitches as he recounted the story of how shy, inexperienced Lorenzo approached the well-dressed white woman in the Ralph’s store and asked, “Could you help me buy the most absorbent tampons?”
Joshua Davis speaking at the 62nd annual GATE conference in Phoenix, AZ.
While this is a story about robotics and education, there is, in fact, a larger narrative that begins to unfold as you read through the story. This is a story that is particularly relevant today, especially in my home state of California, and it is the plight of undocumented immigrants and their children. Politicians go back and forth about the subject and often incite fear in their constituents regarding the “dangers” of illegal immigrants in America, yet we rarely talk about the opposite side of the issue. The young men in this book are an excellent example of the positive things immigrants have brought to the United States now and since the inception of our country. These four young men were intelligent, hard-working, upstanding students, yet it was extremely difficult for them to gain citizenship in America, even after their successes in the book. Born in Mexico, they were brought here illegally by parents who struggled to survive in their homeland, but were desperate to give their children the chance they never had. Oscar, in particular, loved America so much; he was willing to go to incredible lengths, including fighting for our country, in order to make his dream of becoming an American citizen come true.
Spare Parts is a really entertaining and relevant book! It’s a fabulous read for educators, mentors, STEM enthusiasts, and anyone interested in the Latino experience in America.
My first blog entry!! After weeks and weeks of considering what my first post would be, poring over books about writing and blogging, and trying to figure out the in’s and outs of WordPress, I came to the realization that I just need to stop procrastinating, take the plunge, and WRITE. So here goes…
For the past several years, I’ve had an itch to write. It all started about 6 years ago with a weeklong training I took called The Area 3 Writing Project. The A3WP is a professional development network for California teachers and administrators. They use the “teachers teach teachers” model to share the successes of those educators who effectively teach writing at all grade levels. My goal was to become a better writing teacher, but an unforeseen side effect was a desire to write for myself! That week changed my life as a teacher and a lit a fire inside me.
I hope to share my past and present experiences in elementary teaching with a splash of wit and the occasional dose of humor! I plan on writing book reviews, sharing lessons, daily happenings in the classroom and teacher lounge, and, of course, the occasional rant. I want to share my ideas and my opinions, my successes and my failures. Hopefully, I’ll make some connections in the teaching community and get some great ideas to try in the classroom. At the very least, this will satisfy my urge to write. So, in the words of the immortal rhyme poet KRS-One, “Let us begin…”
Last year, I was fortunate enough to win the Javits-Frazier Scholarship, which got me a free trip to the 2015 National Association for Gifted Children Convention in Phoenix, AZ. There I attended countless workshops, met and talked with the leading advocates in the GATE community, and listened to several amazing keynote speeches.
Elementary Speaking 