How will you be remembered?

I presented the "What's your Sentence?" lesson today. It exceeded my expectations! It was so much fun!

First, I showed the video of the Hoyt Team...the father son team who runs marathons, triathalons and ironmans together. Hoyt Team Video I asked the students to think about the two men, and how they would want to be remembered. It is such an inspirational piece, the students are speechless for the first bit after they've seen it.

We took a few minutes to talk about these men - and how they will be remembered. Then I presented Dan Pink's idea, "What's Your Sentence?" by showing this video from Dan Pink's website. We came up with a sentence for both Dick and Rick Hoyt and talked about why they would choose those sentences.

Then we talked about the students - and what their sentences would be. They each had one single piece of paper and started brainstorming. The kids came up with some pretty amazing sentences: "He told his story and thousands quit smoking." AND "He led a team to victory." AND "She changed the world - the world didn't change her."

Tomorrow I am cracking out the flip cam and we're going to make a video for each class. Of course, they are filling out release forms and I sent home parent letters - but I CANNOT wait to see the culmination of these projects. The kids (11th graders) are really excited about it, too.

I created a YouTube channel called teachlivelearn that I will start uploading these videos to, so I will post as soon as I start...it's just exciting to see the students thinking about how they want their lives to go - how they want to be remembered. I told them it's just one step closer to actually reaching their goals. Many of them chose making others happy as their way to be remembered. I was REALLY PROUD.

Great day.

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!