Gearing Up for the New (School) Year: A Video Playlist

All last week, the unmistakable signs that the school year was about to begin. Our first-year students were going through orientation, parents were moving students in, and meetings and faculty events were taking place. While I can't believe that summer is over and that it is time to start a new school year, I'm also excited to see my seniors and to get a new batch of secondary education students in my general methods courses.

To help you (and me) get psyched for the new school year, here is my "Welcome to the New School Year" video playlist (after the jump):

A (Very) Belated Happy New Year!

I apologize for my long absence from the blog, but the end of the fall semester was especially difficult. Besides the typical end-of-the-semester craziness of grades and finals, I managed to get the flu and food poisoning, so I spent most of the last three weeks of the semester very sick. However, that is in the past, and I'm trying to get ready for the spring semester. With this goal in mind, I turned to one of my favorite poems. To those of you getting ready to return to school (or who have already started), good luck and be ready to "ring in the new"!

In Memoriam (Ring out, wild bells)
by Lord Alfred Tennyson

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
   The flying cloud, the frosty light:
   The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
   Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
   The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind
   For those that here we see no more;
   Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,
   And ancient forms of party strife;
   Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
   The faithless coldness of the times;
   Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes
But ring the fuller minstrel in.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,
   The civic slander and the spite;
   Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease;
   Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
   Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Ring in the valiant man and free,
   The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
   Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.

Free Education Webinars Coming in September 2014

I can't believe that September is almost here! While the weather is currently warm and muggy (at least in northern Indiana), soon the air will turn crisp and cool, and summer will be a distant memory. Before that happens and before the semester gets too busy, now is a good time to look at some of the free virtual professional development opportunities on the horizon.

A Video Playlist for the First Day of School

While I'm sad to see the end of summer vacation (and its flexible schedule, absence of assignments to grade, and time to read a lot), I'm also excited for the beginning of the school year. Besides giving me the chance to work with students who want to be teachers, the start of school also signals a chance to start anew, to set new goals, and to do things differently (and hopefully) better than I did before. However, in all of the craziness that comes with back to school, it is easy to get overwhelmed and to forget about the joy, the excitement, and the possibilities the new year holds. To serve as a reminder of these aspects and to help set the tone for the school year, I've put a video playlist for the first day of school. Enjoy, and have a wonderful school year!