theNogblog.com

Teaching: Year Two

Stuart — Sat, 05 May 2012 14:25:08 +0000

This semester has been a whirlwind. I can’t believe it’s almost over! As usual, I’m starting to miss the Seniors. As usual, I feel like I’m not going to get everything done before the end. And, as usual, I’m brewing ideas for next year. In the process of preparing I’ve done a little reflecting. Here are some lessons I learned from Year Two:

Students can perform at high levels. You have to push them to perform better than their best.
Students are fun. Every class this year was incredible! They all make me laugh and I hope they come back next year.
Students are talented. Show off their work and they will win you accolades.
I work with amazing teachers. So many of them stick with it year after year and receive no recognition. I just want to give a shout out to all the veteran teachers I’ve copied.
Teaching is frequently quashed by the amount of required paperwork from the State and District.
Administrators are powerful. Chuck Norris is more powerful than administrators.
We are loosing high culture. Students have no clue about Michael Landon, Lorne Green, Lake Wobegon, Fred Mertz, or The Real Richard Simmons.
I agree with Steve Jobs—PowerPoint is overrated.
Boring creeps in. You have to constantly try new things and avoid paperwork at all cost.
Apparently I mispronounce Kid Cudi (as in “cooties”) on a daily basis.
I STILL love working with people that completely disagree with me.
Students are tired of new teachers and new administrators every year. They want to keep the “old” ones. Hopefully our new teachers will fall in love with the students at Sanders and become old teachers at Sanders.
Students will love AIMS if you hype it up. Make things fun and students will learn.
I’m so glad the world will be ending and we won’t have to mess with AIMS next year.
My Graphic Design Promo video shows very little classroom work. I need to update it for next year.
The enemy that nearly killed Chuck Norris—PAPERWORK!

So that is it. My second year of teaching Graphic Design. If you want a glimpse of what we do in Graphic Design be sure to check out the Promo Video [below]. Contact me for the video password.

Photo of the Week

Stuart — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 23:40:13 +0000

View photo on Flickr" href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7179/6828123526_55fb7ffbfc.jpg" rel="lightbox">

Fall 2011 Reading List

Stuart — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 03:31:38 +0000

I’m just getting around to posting this. I’ve been reading more since I bought the Amazon Kindle as an Anniversary gift for Rachel. I like having my queue in sync so I can read at any time (Kindle, iPad, iPhone). All the books on the list were easy reads. I dabbled in two works of fiction even though fiction is not my thing. It’s no surprise that Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson was my favorite book on the list.

- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

- Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield

- Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

- True Grit by Charles Portis

- Catch Me If You Can by Frank W. Abagnale and Stan Redding

- Einstein by Walter Isaacson

- Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

- Do the Work by Steven Pressfield

G.K. Chesterton

Stuart — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 01:21:26 +0000

Dickens did not merely believe in the brotherhood of man in the weak modern way; he was the brotherhood of man, and knew it was a brotherhood in sin as well as in aspiration.

Video of the Week

Stuart — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 01:11:22 +0000

The Life of Charles Dickens (BBC) by ADONAIS9991

Photo of the Week

Stuart — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 06:12:10 +0000

View photo on Flickr" rel="lightbox">

The Best

Stuart — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:40:13 +0000

The 2011-2012 academic year has been off to a great start. My students have accomplished so much in one semester. I am very proud of them all. I really do have the best students on the planet. They are respectful, they WANT to learn, and they are extremely talented. Here are a few of their accomplishments:

SkillsUSA Chapter Formation
Designed academic posters for the District
Ninja-design-skills in Pixelmator
Sports photos and video
Getting me Snickers and Dr. Pepper on tough days
Selling Basketball Posters
1000 Word English Paper (their favorite assignment ever)

My students are so great that AZ State Superintendent John Huppenthal is visiting our class in February! These students deserve some attention. I can’t wait to show off all the cool things they are doing. Like I said, they are the best!

Tis’ the Season for Cast Iron Seasoning

Stuart — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:24:12 +0000

So I finally finished seasoning my cast iron skillet. I want to be ready for our camping trips this summer. It is never too early to plan for the camping season. It’s my goal to become an expert at cast iron cuisine. I’m not entirely happy with the final results, but actually cooking with the beast should determine wether or not the seasoning method worked. It was a 16 hour process. In order to get a really smooth finish, the next time I will completely strip the skillet using oven cleaner. Here are the before and after shots:

The full scientific explanation and process is on Sheryl Canter’s blog if you want to give it a shot. I’m going to experiment with the oven cleaner on my smaller cast iron to see if I get different results.

Video of the Week

Stuart — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 03:57:41 +0000

I Love Lucy/Friendship Song by lissiegirl

Caterina Fake

Stuart — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 03:21:09 +0000

Working on the right thing is probably more important than working hard.