This is a wonderful TED Talk that talks about the importance of living a passionate life! She says to say yes to life! You only get one life! Make this LIFE GREAT!
This talk also talks about one thing we all have to deal with. Aging! Don't be afraid to age! Accept it! Enjoy it!
Tuesday Oklahoma History ate the Oklahoma State Meal. I have done this for the last 9 years after the first unit - Geography of Oklahoma. Instead of memorizing the State Meal, I think we should eat it together instead. I bet anything they will remember the State Meal! Every student brought an item off the State Meal. We had a feast on Tuesday! The Meal includes:
BTW got an amazing opportunity to host a Supreme Court Justice. Justice Sonia Sotomayor was talking at Tulsa University, and she chose to come speak at BTW. The BTW Teen Advisory Board organized it. A few weeks before they made a power point explaining who she was, and went to every English class telling the students about her. That was wonderful because the students needed to know who she was. I spent a day telling my students about her.
I wonder if the students get what a big deal she is! Once someone becomes a member of this prestigious court - they have a job for life! The have the awesome power to decide if laws are constitutional or unconstitutional! Think about that for a minute. That is incredible, and then America has to accept their decision whether we agree or disagree. That is powerful! And one of their members came and talked to us! Boy we are lucky!
Role of the Supreme Court
President Obama nominated her to the court, and the Senate confirmed her.
I was so excited to hear what she was going to say to the students, and she did not disappoint. One thing I loved was how down to earth she was. She was so real, and you could tell that she care about people. One impressive thing was she took a picture with every section. Even the Freshman at the very top! Here are the big ideas I got from her talk:
1. Build Bridges
She talked about this a lot. In every moment ask questions and get to know people. She said she does not like selective groups because that is segregation. Even if you do not understand a social situation. Ask questions, and clarify.
2. Suck It Up and Do It!
She talked about not understanding everything. She gave the example of Physics, but she did not let that stop her. She sought out alternative texts that helped her understand better. But ultimately you have to suck it up and do it! That got a big applause from the teachers. She also mentioned if you have never been overwhelmed by school - you are not challenging yourself. Be a Life Long Learner!
3. Give Back!
She said when you go to bed you should ask yourself two questions: what new thing did I learn today, and what did I do today to help someone? I loved that!
Justice Sotomayor was fantastic, and I did not want it to end! I hope the students got a lot out of it! She talked about her memoir a lot. It is inspirational!
There are many historical thinking skills we will use in class. One you will need to know is continuity and change over time. It is important to see in history what has stayed the same and what has changed. Here are two great examples:
This Red Hot Chilli Pepper's video is GREAT because it shows continuity and change over time in a fun way. They go through the decades of music starting with the 1950s and go to the 1990s. It's funny to watch especially if you know the Red Hot Chilli Peppers this awesome Rock Band.
The questions to ask is what has stayed the same, and what has changed? I am going to challenge you to do that. Can you find similarities and differences?
My second example is phones throughout the years. Boy they have changed a lot! I remember being in 7th grade my mom got a cell phone. It looked like the third one. It was big and clunky, but it was exciting! You did not have to use your land line. And this will sound crazy to students today, but I did not get a cell phone till I was 22. But I love this photo above because you can really see the evolution of phones.
So this is what you have to do in history. Look at what has stayed the same and what has changed.
One historical event I have heard about my whole life was The Battle of Thermopylae, or the Hot Gates! When 300 Spartans go up against 1 million Persians! And it is fitting I do this post today because I know this event because of my Dad. Today is his birthday, and I won the lottery with him. I have the BEST Dad in the world!
He loves this Battle, and always told us about it! He found inspiration in the Spartans. He was inspired by their discipline. Spartans had incredible discipline. Whatever he does he always says he has discipline like the Spartans. This is one thing I love about history! You can learn lessons, and be inspired and motivated!
So when I became a World History teacher I knew I had to teach about the Spartans and the Persians. One year after I finished teaching this a student raised his hand, and asked if I knew about the movie they are making? I said no, and he said they are making a movie about this very event. I got excited! And the movie was 300!
This movie caught on, and BTW students could not stop talking about it. One day I walked up to a group of students talking about 300, and said Wow you LOVE history! They looked at me confused, and said no we love 300! I said no History! This movie was inspired this historical event!
The story of the Spartans is amazing! The Persians decided to take over Ancient Greece. Ancient Greece was organized by city-states. The two most famous city states was Sparta and Athens. They were drastically different. Night and Day. Athens was philosophical and full of culture. Where Sparta was driven by war. So much everything and everyone did their part to help with being the BEST soldiers! They had no culture. They did not have time for that!
The city states also did not like each other, and battled all the time. But when someone like The Persians threatens Greece they band together. It is like siblings. You can make fun of your sister, but if some one else does those are fighting words! Of course everyone wanted the Spartans to fight! They were the BEST!
The Spartans came up with a plan. They were going to hold off the Persians while the rest of the city states mobilized to defeat the Persians. This was a suicide mission, and it was understood whoever went would die fighting. Sparta's 300 best went to go fight a million Persians! That is hard to imagine! 300 v. 1,000,000. The best part of the movie is it enables us to show the magnitude of that! Here is my favorite scene to show the magnitude:
Now you think they would be decimated in a few days, but they last for a week! They last because of geography, and where they stand their ground. They do it at the Hot Gates. A passage through a mountain. And good news the city states defeat the Persians! Sparta's sacrifice was worth it!
A great book about Sparta and this moment is Gates of Fire! It is a great read, and they explain so much!
My sister told me about a great life lesson. When she was in college her speech professor told the class there is a way to give a speech, but there is also a way to listen. When you pay attention , make eye contact, smile, nod, and laugh you make the speaker feel comfortable. Then you are noticed, and stand out.
So if it is an important speaker - it could help you! You want to be noticed by someone important. Abbey took this to heart while she was in Taiwan. Through Fulbright they had to go hear a speech, and Abbey did all that she was taught. She made eye contact, nodded, and paid attention. It was an important speaker, and at the end the speaker sought her out. The speaker thanked her for paying attention.
In a small way it can help you with teachers. If you pay attention you will stand out in a positive way. So next time you hear a speaker pay attention!
