Keep calm...life changes rapidly...and mine is definitely doing that right away!

As I head off on Maternity Leave on Friday, I am reminded that life is definitely something that needs to be treasured. As busy and hectic as this week is and will continue to be as I prepare for my replacement, get report cards completed, finish up my extra-curricular commitments and basically just try to find some time to enjoy my students, I know how much I will miss this school while I am absent.

People make a big impact on you whether you want to admit it or not. You can fight against the bad people impacting you, and sometimes it is those who we are frustrated with that take the most time from us, but in their impact you can find something positive to take away. Even if that is just to not be that way to others. It is those positive people you encounter in your day that deserve more attention. They make an effort, a choice, to be positive and/or happy and that is something we should all strive for. It is a reminder that life has its ups and downs and you need to ride them as it comes. For example, I have been taking time away from blogging (I'm sure only some of you actually noticed), but I didn't feel like I had something of interest to write about! That may or may not have actually been true in the end because as I tell my students all the time "You always have something interesting to write about, you just need to choose a direction and go. Someone will connect to it!" I should listen to my own advice sometimes, haha!

Well here I am, writing to you on the Tuesday before I take a hiatus from teaching to have my second child. We are so very excited to meet this little one and start this next adventure in our lives. I've heard it many times that "life is a gift". But it isn't until you're faced with a huge challenge, huge change, or huge joy, that you actually believe or understand that statement. Well mine is coming up soon, and I am ready for it! After my mother passed away, I was apprehensive of going through this process without her. She was a big presence around us after our son was born in 2012, and I still can't imagine what this is going to be like without here physically present with us. I know she's around me, around us, but that pain is still acute when I miss her. I am not sure that will ever go away really, and in some ways I don't exactly want it to. She is going to be super excited when this baby is born and I can see her crying with joy once we get to meet him or her.

I guess the point I am trying to make is that life is short, life is precious and you need to take time from being busy to make sure you enjoy all the little moments that make up your life before it changes or ends. I'm filled with so many emotions this week that I can hardly express to anyone what I am feeling. I guess that is okay. If you know me, then you know it's normal, my being full of all kinds of emotion haha!
Cheers to life - here's to looking forward to new adventures! Chat with you soon!

"I've Been In Grade One.." by Little Miss Higgins featuring Nokomis School Students and Staff

Here it is folks!
"I've Been In Grade One..." 
By Little Miss Higgins featuring Nokomis School Students and Staff

NOKOMIS SCHOOL from Red Hat Studios on Vimeo.

Why are you interested in technology? Why am I?!

I sit here wondering how exactly it is that I came to be so interested in technology. I never really used to be when I was in high school or growing up, besides the odd fun game on our old computer at the farm like Oregon Trail or Simfarm. Boy do those games ever bring back memories! When I was in elementary/middle years, we had DOS and learned very basic programming (not sure I remember much of that now!), and it wasn't until I was in upper high school that we got "new" computers that dealt with some other formatting and basic MS Word. I caught on quite quickly and continued advancing in technology as my years went on. 


I had to do a lot more work on computers in University as I went through the College of Education at the UofS, and with a major in PAA (Industrial Arts) and a minor in ELA, it became a part of my everyday life. Whether it was in IA with drafting in AutoCAD, machining programs, or writing essays and creating projects and presentations in my ELA courses,  I was always using a computer for some form of technology. I guess you could say I just sort of got better at it as I got older and I continued to work on programs more and more. I would never have said that my life was always filled with top-notch technology and opportunities, but that my perseverance and dedication to doing well (and sometimes the 'easy way') with computers, helped me see the proverbial 'light' about technology in education. 


Now I have a laptop , a projector, speakers,and a SMARTboard I cannot live without, and soon to be a classroom set of iPads that I am sure I won't be about to live without as well. Maybe it doesn't matter how I came to be where I am, but the more interesting question or discussion to have would be why I am where I am in terms of technology. Education is a living organism. I truly believe that. It is CONSTANTLY changing, as long as those teachers who really care about the meaning of education take the time to stay up to date. Whether it be the curriculum that guides the content, to the far reaches of teaching styles and content delivery. Teachers have a wide-ranging job, more than a lot of other professions in my opinion. In saying that, it is also our job to try to stay on top of some trends and innovative teaching, which typically means with TECHNOLOGY! I must say that if I needed to pinpoint why my teaching style involves a lot of technology I guess I could say it is because of the students and their need for inspiration, engagement and advancement, but I might by lying if I said that was the only reason. Ultimately, with all these extra things put on teachers plates today, I use technology (and am interested in it), because it makes my job a whole lot EASIER! 
What about you? Comment and let's talk. 

Student Song-writing Experience with Little Miss Higgins

Today we had a visit from the band Little Miss Higgins, who actually live in the community where I teach. Click on the song title if you want to hear a few of their songs such as "Bargain Shop Panties" or "Middle of Nowhere". They were here today sharing with us the song that was inspired and partially created by the students from my school! Jolene Higgins from Little Miss Higgins came out in December to work with the students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 about song-writing. She spent some time talking about her creative process and how she and her partner and guitar player Foy Taylor (David Mark), write songs. She wanted to write a song about the school and include the perspectives of the students themselves, so when she came to work with the kids we all were very excited. 

Jolene gave the students 5 prompts, a few of them being 'what did you learn in school this week' and 'what is your favorite thing about the school' - they were told to just write down the first thing that came into their heads because that means the most to them and not to worry about sounding 'good' or being 'right'. It was the ultimate in free-writing because the students were making a connection to their lives without even realizing it! Jolene compiled all of the answers from all of the students in the school and took them with here to start her journey of writing this song. 

She came to us explaining that she was done writing the song and that almost all of the lyrics (with exception of making it flow), were from the students' responses in the song-writing exercise. Jolene and David, along with Irv Fines on bass (another local musician, member of the party band Men Without Shame) and one of our own grade 11 students Cory Bart on drums, performed the song for the staff and students today in the gymnasium. In addition to just performing the song, Little Miss Higgins also had the students get involved and we all helped sing the chorus along with her. Her idea is to maybe use some of the process we did today with some students in the music recording and also in the video creation later on! How cool is that?!? I hope to get at least one of the videos put up here for you to see in the near future so stay tuned!

The kids were so inspired and excited to be part of such an amazing team of fun musicians. Thank you for sharing your talents with our future!

Investigative Study - Student-made Video

My students finished their Investigative Study video! They had to investigate our school to see why it is so great and I think they did a fantastic job. Check it out and share comments below!