What's your sentence?

On Monday, I'm going to introduce a new idea to my students, thanks to Daniel Pink! I'm going to use this video to introduce it:

http://vimeo.com/8480171

I plan to play this video and talk with them about what they want their sentences to be...how they want to be remembered, and what steps they'll be taking to achieve those sentences. I think I'm also going to use the question Steve Jobs talked about in his Standford Commencement address. He said when he gets up every morning he looks in the mirror and asks himself "If this were the last day of my life, would I be doing what I'm doing today?" He says if he tells himself no more than 3-5 days, then he knows there's something he should change.

After my students create their sentences, I'm going to use my flip camera to make videos of them holding up posterboard of their sentences written out. I'd like to make a video for each class. Should be a good culminating activity. It also moves toward what I've found to be the revelation of my teaching career:

I want to become a better teacher by continuing to learn from those I teach. Teaching is only made better by learning, and living is only made better by learning. In order to teach, I have to learn - and the only way to live is to continue to do both. I'm excited about this new adventure.

I'm also anxious to continue working on my goal to make my classroom entirely paperless. I am inspired by the writer of the blog Teach Paperless: http://teachpaperless.blogspot.com/. I think with the way education is moving, this is a perfect way to move forward. I posted my project at www.donorschoose.org, and we'll see what happens! I've already had one donor, and I'm hoping for more.

Well, so begins my blogging career. I've piddled around with it before, but I'd like to start blogging what I'm doing - and as I learn, I can share. This might just merely be for myself, but maybe it will go somewhere!