Rock On!

It's homecoming week. And it's dressup day. Today was "Rock T-Shirts." Rock on dude.

Agenda: Monday, Sept. 14, 2009

Today is the beginning of Homecoming Celebration week. Today is "Rock T'Shirt Day!" Mr. Duez will be sporting his Led Zeppelin T'shirt.

Quote:
"If the mountains crumble to the sea there will always be you and me." - Led Zep (Robert Plant)

Targets:
*Learn the fundamentals of a good socratic seminar
*Review how to set weekly goals

Agenda:
Warmup - Create weekly goal for this week. Must be 2 sentences: What is the goal, How will you accomplish the goal? (Must be measurable, meaningful and show how you will accomplish it)
Solve a mystery in class in groups. The mystery is a bank robbery. Each group will have 5 clues per person. They must work together to determine what must have happened. First group member to get the answer right wins a prize. :)

Agenda: Friday, Sept. 11, 2009

"The end of the human race will be that it will eventually die of civilization." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Junior AVID (4th Period):
1. Finish Obama's speech to school children. Discuss.
2. Read in class Campbell's "Six Characteristics of Exceptional Leaders."
3. Discuss which are the most important characteristics.
4. Explain how we'll be using Campbell's work over the next semester to write a research paper as a class on a leader.

Sophomore AVID (7th Period):
1. Road Trip Nation - Finish Episode 2 of 2007
2. Discuss Careers in class. What are their goals?
3. Quickwrite: "When I'm as old as Duez, I will be... "

Have a great weekend.

Inspiration: Heather and Troy

Watching the Steelers-Titans opening NFL game of the year and saw this on twitter at the 1/2. Very inspirational. A reminder to all of us to enjoy each day we are given and to try to make our lives here together the best we can.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Agenda: Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009 & Thursday, Sept. 10th, 2009

Tutoring - students will come with a level 2 or 3 question for tutoring. 1/2 period is tutoring.

Rest of the period is - Binder Checks (test grade) and watching President Obama's address to school kids, taking cornell notes on it, and writing a reflection and discussing what the president talked about.

We will work on the college essay on Friday and check out an episode of Road Trip Nation.

Agenda: Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2009

TUTORING

We will have full tutoring today. Our tutors are still working on being trained and we will only grade the notes during the session. Please bring your tutoring question. We will work on making that better in class if it is not level 2 or 3.

Wed/Thu - we will grade the binders. Make sure it is in order.

Progress Report date is Friday. Be sure you are up to date with your work in your classes and attending tutoring if needed.

President Obama's Address to School Children

What do you think about President Obama's speech on Tuesday? We will not be watching it during class because it is tutoring time on Tuesdays. But, I plan to show it on Friday during class to give everyone a chance to discuss it. Maybe even have a Philosophical Chairs debate?

This speech has caused some controversy. But, you can already read the planned remarks because they have been released by the White House.

Read the President's Planned Remarks - His Speech for Tuesday

Here are a couple of news videos that give a good slice of the different sides of the controversy. In the past other Presidents have done a similar address to school children, but is what President Obama doing different and do you agree with what he is going to say?

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Agenda: Friday, Sept. 4, 2009

Juniors will meet in their AP study groups to prepare for upcoming papers and tests.

Sophomores will watch the end of last episode of Road Trip Nation and write about what they saw in a reflection. We will also explore the RTN website.

Both groups will have a binder check by Mr. Duez.

Binders will be graded next week. You have until Tuesday to get them into order.

Have a GREAT Holiday Weekend.

Sophomores: "Road Trip Nation"

This year we will be experiencing "Road Trip Nation" as a sophomore class. It has already been a cool experience and we aren't really even sure what we are doing yet! We have watched the intro first episode from the 2007 season. Here it is:

Students today in class did a quick pre-write on this topic:
1) What do you expect out of Road Trip Nation this year?

2) During the episode we wrote notes and questions that we were unsure about.

3) After the video we wrote a reflection and summary of what we saw.

We had about 3 or 4 minutes of the video to watch before it was over when the bell rang. (Bad timing on my part~Mr. Duez strikes again!) So we will watch the last few minutes as a warmup on Friday and then discuss.

During this episode - from 2007, they interviewed Joshua Jackson. He is personally one of my favorite actors. This interviewed occurred before his current hit show "Fringe." It is one of Mr. and Mrs. Duez's favorite shows. So it was so neat to hear his opinions on his early life and his philosophy. He is definitely a wise man and I think everyone learned a lot from his approach.

Check out the Fringe website here: Fringe TV Show Site on FOX.com

Agenda: Wed. Sept. 2, 2009

"Confidence is the companion of success."

Today we will be tutoring for the first 1/2 of the period and then working on our tutoring skills for the second 1/2.

Bring a tutor question and be ready to help others.

Agenda: Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2009

Tutoring
1. Meet the tutors
2. Look at tutoring questions
3. Juniors will divide up into groups with their tutors and begin. Sophomores will work on levels of questioning, watch a tutoring video with the tutors, and then do a mock session of tutoring.

For next time -
Bring a tutoring question.

212 Degrees

Watched this for warm up today:


What did you think? Leave a comment if you have something interesting to share.

Agenda: Monday, August 31, 2009

Learning Targets:
*Work co-operatively to discuss AVID Strategies for Success

Agenda:
1. Warmup - 212 degrees video
2. Present AVID Strategies. All students will be working together and presenting to the class on these strategies: 1. Binder 2. Cornell Notes 3. Tuturing 4. Philosophical Chairs 5. Socratic Seminar 6. SLANT 7. Parent Meetings and 8. Field Trips
3. If time, discuss tutoring. Starts tomorrow.

To DO:
Bring a tutoring question for Tuesday!

Eagles Win First Football Game

Atascocita Eagles 16 - Hastings Bears 7 game story w/video: Eagles turn up heat in second half, get win
Transfer Carter
shines playing QB;
Bears still struggle
JENNY DIAL Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle
Aug. 29, 2009, 2:23AM

Our Eagles won on the road Friday night. It must have been a very competitive game. Especially since the very controversial QB that transferred back to Hastings this week played the second half and was very good. Proud of the Eagles D for holding Hastings and that awesome QB to only 7 points.

Wish I could see the game next week, but I am heading to Nacadoches, TX for a couple of fantasy football drafts. I'll have to wait for the next home game.

Agenda - Aug 28, Friday

Target:
*Work together in co-operative groups to review and learn AVID strategies for success.

Agenda:
1. Prep for 10 minutes
2. Present the AVID strategies for success:
**Mr. Duez's Sophomres will go to Mr. McWhorter's freshmen class to present the strategies to them.
3. Discuss Pre-AP and AP classes. Prep for tutoring - starts on Tuesday.

have a great weekend!

Teammates "Carry On."

Today we watched this video from ESPN's Outside the Lines. Two friends. Two teammates.

It's a story about over coming obstacles, I guess. But, really... in the end it's about friendship. Do yourself a favor and watch it all the way to the end.



"I will show you my strength."

And you think your Pre-AP or AP class is tough? It's not about "I can't." Everyone can do it, if we work at it and work together.

AVID Skill and Tecnique - Socratic Seminar

Socratic Seminar

Costas Levels of Questioning

As a review of some of the AVID Skills and techniques we have learned, here is "Costa's Levels of Questioning." Remember we need to bring in high level questions for tutoring and use higher levels of questions in our notes on the left side for Cornell.

Costas Level Questioning

Cornell Notes - Power Point

As a quick reminder, here is my power point on Cornell Notes. This might help you refresh your memory about how to use Cornell.

As a former student of mine wrote me this week, "Thank you so much Mr. Duez for teaching me Cornell Notes. They are helping me so much during my junior AP classes."

AVID HISTORY PATH: Cornell Notes

Agenda - Aug 26, Wednesday

Learning Targets:
*Work co-operatively in groups to re-learn and teach the AVID strategies.

Agenda:
1. Warmup - "What part of AVID has influenced and helped you the most?" (Quickwrite)
2. Divide up into groups and design a quick lesson to teach the class about that topic. This will help us review AVID Strategies before we begin tutoring next week and get into the normal flow of the weeks to come.
3. On Thu/Fri we will be working in groups to present AVID Strategies

Coming up:
On Monday - Weekly goals are due.
Next Tuesday - First day of Tutoring
Next Friday - Free Write in class - The College Essay.

Agenda - Aug 25, Tuesday

Targets:
*Set our priorities and goals
*Write about our obstacles

Agenda:
1. A Bug's Life (First 10 min) - Watch the video and discuss any obstacles and barriers in their path.
2. Discuss: Juniors - Research Project ASFI; Sophomores - Road Trip Nation
3. Team Building: "The Race is On!" How fast can you work together as a group? (10 minutes)
4. AP Timed Writing Rubric. Time to write the College Essay in class.

Tuesday's Free Write - "A Bug's Life"

On Tuesday we are going to write about overcoming our obstacles. We'll watch 10 minutes from the movie "A Bug's Life."

Students will answer the question, "What is your leaf or obstacle that might keep you from reaching your goal of graduating from college?"
and
"Can you compare Flick's invention/device with something in your life?"

Anyone want to share here on the blog? Feel free. Hit the comment button.

"Talk to you l8tr!" New Law prohibits Cell Phones

Talk to you later: New law prohibits cell phone use in school zones

With the passing of House Bill 55 during the last legislative session, lawmakers have taken a first step toward prying cell phones out of the hands of Texas motorists - at least in school zones.

All across the state, municipalities are expecting the installation of signs that alert drivers of the new legislation that, as of September 1, makes the use of cellular phones illegal in school zones.

The Texas Department of Public Safety summarizes the new law by saying, “[House Bill] 55 makes it illegal to use a wireless communication device in a school zone unless the vehicle is stopped or a hands-free device is used. Cities or counties wanting to enforce this law must post a sign at the beginning of each school zone to inform drivers that using a wireless communications device is prohibited and the operator is subject to a fine. It is a defense to prosecution if the operator was making an emergency call.”

A violation of House Bill 55 can result in a class C misdemeanor citation and a fine up to $200.

Humble Independent School District spokeswoman Karen Collier said House Bill 55 is a welcome additional layer of protection for students who walk to or from school and have to navigate traffic in the morning and afternoon hours when traffic peaks around schools.

“People who talk on cell phones are as likely to get into an accident as someone who’s driving while drunk,” Collier said. “It’s a safety issue for kids. We want to keep them safe and the state obviously felt it needed to make a law about this.”

Collier said the school district’s police force will work with local agencies like the Houston Police Department in Kingwood, Humble Police, and constable’s as well as sheriff’s departments in Atascocita to enforce House Bill 55.

“Be forewarned!” she cautioned. “Get off the cell phone while in school zones.”

What do you think? Should it be against the law to use your cell phone while driving through a school zone? Or Should it be against the law to use it at all when you drive?

Agenda - Aug 24, Monday

Targets -
*Welcome Back.
*Expectations for the year.
*Questions/Problems raised and hopefully solved (schedules, classes, etc.)

Agenda -
1. Welcome Back. ~ "Who I am." Handout.
2. Syllabus & Expectations. Video - "Welcome Back 1st Day Video."
3. First assignment - "College Essay" - due next Friday.

Juniors - Research Project ASFI Preview
Sophomores - Road Trip Nation Preview

Our classroom

This is going to be a great year.

This is my classroom for the new year. Tomorrow these seats will be filled (38 in my 6th period will do that!). I am so excited about seeing the new students that I will meet for the first time. And I am even more excited about seeing my former students and how much they have grown.

A look as you walk through the door. I am lucky to be back in the corner. Most people leave me alone. If you come through my door, well... you meant to do it. :)


I moved my desk to the back this year. I had it along that window there last year. It was hard to see the computer monitor and this gets more kids in the front of the class. I think that's a psych ploy by me to make them think they are better students. :)


Closer look at my desk. :)


A look at the front of the room. I am going to do more work with me teaching from the board this year. I know, old school. But, the kids get tired of power points and projections. We are going to add a little more light this year. :)

You can see my "Target Board" on the left side. It's where I post our learning targets, agenda, and notes to my 3 preps. Above the board are college pennants, hopefully reminding them of why we are learning what we are learning. This year I added a cut out of the Geiko "Money you would be saving if you switched to Geiko." I'll call it, "Money you could be saving if you prepare for a college education."


Our beautiful school. We are so lucky to call it home. Go Eagles!


Wishing a good first day to all the teachers and students out there.

AVID in college? It is at UTMB

UTPB to implement pilot AVID program

Very interesting article. I had heard that some California schools have AVID at the college level for freshmen, but never in Texas.

A progressive curriculum that has worked wonders at local public schools for at-risk, average-achieving students with college in their sights may soon be making its way up the educational ladder to the University of Texas of the Permian Basin.

For the first time in the university’s history, the Advancement Via Individual Determination program — which is more popularly know by the acronym AVID — may have found a new permanent home among some of UTPB’s freshmen seminar classes.

Only two years after its implementation at Ector County Independent School District campuses, the program already has experienced explosive growth and success in local secondary schools by targeting at-risk students with average grades and helping them move toward their goals of going to college.

So AVID’s sonic boom has reverberated throughout the area, catching the attention of higher education officials in the northeast side of town.

Rey Lascano, special assistant to the president and director of continuing education and outreach at UTPB, said the university plans to implement a pilot program this fall semester in two of its freshmen seminar classes that utilizes many of the AVID curriculum’s hallmarks.

"This is a program that’s been successful just about everywhere that it’s been implemented," he said. "All you have coming from something like this is a win-win."

Very interesting.

AVID Syllabus Parent Letter

Here is the AVID Syllabus and parent letter. Students, please sure it is signed and returned to Mr. Duez as soon as possible. I will be inputting email addresses into my email system and using it as a form of communication.

Please note that there is also an assignment - "The College Essay." We will be working on it in class and I will tell you in class when it is due.

AVID Syllabus Parent Letter from Google Docs Share [download here if the preview below is not working

AVID Syllabus 09

Is this possible? Online classes better?

Department of Education: Online Education Beats Classroom
Key Findings

- Students who took all or part of their class online performed better, on average, than those taking the same course through traditional face-to-face instruction.

- Instruction combining online and face-to-face elements had a larger advantage relative to purely face-to-face instruction than did purely online instruction.

- Studies in which learners in the online condition spent more time on task than students in the face-to-face condition found a greater benefit for online learning.

- Most of the variations in the way in which different studies implemented online learning did not affect student learning outcomes significantly.

- The effectiveness of online learning approaches appears quite broad across different content and learner types.

- Blended and purely online learning conditions implemented within a single study generally result in similar student learning outcomes.

- Elements such as video or online quizzes do not appear to influence the amount that students learn in online classes.

- Online learning can be enhanced by giving learners control of their interactions with media and prompting learner reflection.

I wonder what some of you who have taken online classes think about this report?

We saw last year when Courtney from Alabama came in as a guest speaker in AVID, a lot of her tests and papers are turned in online. So maybe that is a good thing? But, can the computer replace the things a teacher/professor can give as far as interaction?

College Degree is not enough

Posting this article is not meant to scare anyone. But, what you have to know is the truth and the reality. It is tough out there. Luckily it's less tough in the Houston area than most others in America.

Here is the beginning piece to the article: For class of 2009, degree doesn’t mean a job
Fewer than a fifth of graduating seniors even have offers, research finds

A college diploma has long been the ticket to a good job, but the deepest economic slump in decades has dampened the dreams of many college seniors.

Matt Dumont has been looking for work since May.

“I’ve had a couple times that I was told that I was one of the top applicants, went in for an interview, and then I just never heard back from them,” said Dumont, who graduated last spring from Abilene Christian University in Texas with a degree in English and minors in Spanish and the Bible.

Dumont was haunting the college’s Career Center last week, looking for leads and advice. But the prospects are not promising for him and thousands of other new college graduates: Employment counselors and job placement specialists say the class of 2009 faces a daunting task finding work in the worst economy since the Great Depression.

Labor statistics for July showed that 15.3 percent of Americans ages 20 to 24 were unemployed, up a tenth of a percentage point from June. That’s compared to the overall jobless rate of 9.4 percent.

Those figures don’t indicate how many were recent college graduates, but surveys by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, a professional organization of career counselors at more than 2,000 U.S. colleges and universities, show that the recession has been particularly tough on those entering the job market with a college degree.

More than half of graduates in the class of 2007 had job offers in hand when they finished school, the association said. That figure dropped to one-quarter of 2008 graduates — after the recession began in December 2007 — and for the class of 2009, it was fewer than one-fifth.

Graduates ‘frustrated,’ ‘scared’
Projections for the class of 2010 won’t be final until the fall, but the association said the picture next spring was likely to be even worse.

Please go to this link to read the rest: For class of 2009, degree doesn’t mean a job
Fewer than a fifth of graduating seniors even have offers, research finds

What do you think AVID? Are you worried? What can you do to better your job and career chances after college?

Very Interesting Ted Talk

I could see this being used as a teaching device in the future. Would love to test it out!

Thoughts from Lauren @ A&M

I wrote to Lauren and wished her much success at Texas A&M this year. She wrote back and said this:

Thank you Mr. Duez I am so excited!! And I will give you a call when I come home. However I do have a friday afternoon class this semester so it will probably be close to Christmas break before I can come back and see yall at school. But tell all my AVID kids good luck this year and to stay focused :)

Can't wait to see her near Christmas and find out how everything went. We will miss her tutoring expertise!

Cornell Notes & Philosophical Chairs

Today and tomorrow I am a presenter in my district for AVID Path Training in Social Studies. Basically it's two days of time with middle and high school teachers to present 'best teaching practices' to them. The great thing about the training is that we actually 'do' and model the work.

Today we focused on topics like Using Poetry, Cornell Notes, Jigsawing, Quick Writes, and Philosophical Chairs. Two things jump out to me and seemed to be significant. First, teachers really appreciate well-prepared and on task professional development. A teacher stopped me and my partner about an hour in and announced how excited he was that this training was going so well. He has been through three professional development experiences this summer and was stunned that we were on the ball. It was great to see how appreciative he and others were.

The other thing that stood out was how two techniques went over well with the teachers. The first was Cornell Notes. It may have been the best and most clearly designed Cornell Notes lesson that I have taught. (I might finally be getting the hang of this thing) Here is the power point that I used to introduce C Notes:
AVID HISTORY PATH: Cornell Notes

At the end of the power point, I distributed a sample of US History Cnotes with a grading rubric on the flip side. Then I had each of the participants grade it for themselves. Then we did "4 Corners" and had the teachers go to an A, B, and C corner (There were no Ds). After discussing it in their corner group, one person presented the faults they had with the notes.

This was a wonderful way of emphasizing with the teachers what good note taking is and how they could do this with their students to impart just how to take notes and what the teacher is looking for. I think it went over very well.

Also we did a wonderful Philosophical Chairs debate. The teachers got into it. The first thing I did was show my power point on PChairs to introduce the rules:
AVID HISTORY PATH: Philosophical Chairs PPT
Then we modeled Philosophical Chairs with this question:
Should the "Cash for Clunkers" program be continued by Congress?
The debate was split in 1/2 and was very lively, but well mannered. I think the teachers got a great feel for just how they can use it.

I am looking forward to presenting Engaging the Text, Document-Based Questions, Free Response Questions and Socratic Seminar tomorrow. This has been a wonderful group to work with. I can't believe that school starts in less than 2 weeks!

Teammates Carry On

It's a story about over coming obstacles, I guess. But, really... in the end it's about friendship. Do yourself a favor and watch it all the way to the end.



"I will show you my strength."

Campus Compare

I like this website. Very handy to compare 3 schools side by side.

Campus Compare

AVID SI Luncheon - Summer Institute Speeches

One of the highlights of AVID Summer Institute is the luncheon. The luncheon is in a huge ball room. There are about 2,000 people stuffed in there. And there are two luncheon days. They happen on Wednesday and Thursday. The food is good, but the speeches from AVID teachers and students are way better.

Here is an editorial from this week's Dallas Morning News. It gives an overview of the luncheon that I was at and also about how powerful it was.

Editorial: These kids prove college is achievable goal
05:25 PM CDT on Thursday, June 25, 2009

If only those naysayers who believe Texas puts too much pressure on kids, especially poor ones, to attend college could have been at the Dallas Hyatt Regency on Wednesday.

They would have heard straight talk from Monica Washington, an English teacher from Texarkana; Ron Rossingh, an Odessa Permian sophomore; Elizabeth Ruiz, a top Edinburg High School graduate; and Gerardo Venegas, a Lake Highlands grad headed for Baylor. These were some of the most determined students and teachers you could meet. They not only dream big, they fuel it with the passion to realize those dreams.

They spoke to a summer institute run by AVID, a nationwide elective program that gives elementary and secondary students an extra push toward a college future.

Washington was first. The thin, soft-spoken African-American woman stared into the 1,800 faces staring back and launched into an inspirational address rivaling something out of Barack Obama's mouth. She had every bit of the crowd's attention when she described hearing a student in her AVID class say, "If I go to college..."

She knew she had to change that to, "When I go to college..."

Rossingh, broad-shouldered and round-faced, offered an arresting personal story. He was brutally frank about his drug-addicted mother, his spiral into gang life and his grandparents and middle school teacher who helped him turn himself from a smart-mouthed C student to an inquisitive A student.

What did it? Part of it was realizing that "gangs don't hand out scholarships."

Then, he leaned over the podium and said in the steeliest voice, "And I will be a college graduate," as adults around the room reached for tissues.

This is what Rossingh and his peers represent: They prove we can overcome the achievement gap, that pernicious divide that separates wealthy and poor, white and minority. It will take effort, programs and money, but we can get there. Initiatives like AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) prove that, by believing that every student can get to college with rigor and support.

Yes, the same college that naysayers say is too hard for some kids to achieve. Try telling that to these students. They want to go places, and their teachers believe they can get there.

The rest of us should get out of their way.

Definitely a highlight of my week.

AVID Summer Institute 2009

AVID Summer Institute in Dallas was great! We got in early Monday morning. I rode up with the new AVID teacher at Summer Creek High. It was great to tell her all about the 3 students that she'll be getting from my class. :)

I also spent a lot of time with the folks that teach at Atascocita Middle and Timberwood Middle. They were great and it is really awesome to learn who they are and how they work. We are so lucky to have such great teachers in our district.

This summer my class was for "AVID College Readiness." This meant I was learning all about what we should be doing during the Junior year of AVID. I am excited to say that I am now ready with tons of lessons, plans, and ideas. During the session I was lucky enough to have a tremendous facilitator from Wichita North in Kansas. They have an amazing AVID program there. She helped me so much.

We will be spending a great deal of time on four essential skills that colleges look for:



We will be using a long term research and writing project around "Leaders" to accomplish our goals of learning these skills. We'll do the skills as a full group, in smaller groups and then finally individually.

Last spring we finished the year in a really strong way. I can't wait to get started in late August. It will be a huge year for my AVID juniors as they begin to take Advanced Placement and Dual Credit classes. Everyone says the Junior year is the toughest academic year. We will also be focusing on SAT and ACT preparation. Juniors will take the PSAT in the fall, and then SAT and ACT in the spring.

And for my sophomores it will be a big adventure. We'll need to replace a lot of students and continue to tweak the skills we learned as freshmen. I am also really excited about the project the sophomores will be doing. It's called "Road Trip Nation." Check out a little sample here:

Official Road Trip Nation Website



Follow Road Trip Nation on Twitter

The Graduates 2008

Last Year's "The Graduates 2008" from NBC News. Looking for this year's 2009 version. It aired tonight, but not available on the internet yet. Strange. But, enjoy. As soon as I find the latest one I will share it.

So looking forward to attending MANY of your college graduations, when that day comes!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Michelle Obama - Inspiration about Education

2009 Spring AVID Freshmen Video

Please leave a comment or email and I will send you the password if you'd like to see it.
It was a great semester! Thanks for the memories. Can't wait until the fall. We are interviewing tutors for next year already.

Spring 2009 AVID Sophomore Video from Mr. Duez on Vimeo.

Freshmen Spring 2009 Video

It was a great spring. I'm looking forward to recharging my batteries this spring and coming back ready to go in the fall. Thanks to everyone for their hard work, dedication and commitment to improving. It is all going to pay off!

I'll miss you guys that are going to Summer Creek High. And I will miss the bunch of you deciding not to take AVID next year. Although that saddens me very much, I also know that all the things that come to us we have to take in a positive way.

The video is password protected. If you would like to see it, please shoot me an email and I'll send you the password.

AVID Freshmen 2009 - Spring from Mr. Duez on Vimeo.

Spring video for my AVID Freshmen class in 2009. What a great spring.

Miss You Zach.

I really miss Zach. He passed away 3 years ago today. Zach was in my first period class. I'll never forget the last time I saw him... he had the BIGGEST smile on his face. When he was absent, I knew something must be up... because he was always there.
Zach passed because he came into contact with a a bat that had rabies.
More info can be ... Read Morefound on: For more info: ZachJonesMemorial.org

Miss you Zach. Your passing taught me to enjoy every day with my students. I always regret not having had a chance to see you grow.

Would You Want A Kindle?

Wall Street Journal: Amazon to release Kindle for texbooks

Would you trade your textbooks for a Kindle? The price would be a great deal smaller for a school district that would be purchasing thousands of them. Interesting.

NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon.com Inc. will release a larger — and more expensive — version of its Kindle electronic reading device that is geared toward periodicals and textbooks.

During a press event Wednesday at Pace University in New York, Amazon founder and Chief Executive Jeff Bezos showed off the $489 device. It has a grayscale screen that is 9.7 inches on the diagonal, up from 6 inches on the regular Kindle. The new Kindle DX also includes a QWERTY keyboard like the current Kindle.

The announcement comes three months after Amazon revealed a slimmer, updated version of the original $359 Kindle, which wirelessly downloads books. Some analysts have said the unit needed must-have content like textbooks to become more of a mainstream gadget.

Three textbook publishers said they have agreed to sell books on the device.

Would you want a Kindle instead of having to carry ALL of your textbooks?

Crisis of Credit - Understanding Why American is Having Economic Problems.

We watched part I of this video today in class. It does a great job of explaining in a straight forward way what the credit crisis in America is all about.

The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.

Comparing H1N1 to the Spanish Flu

Free Hugs

We watched this video today during the end of AVID class. Interesting phenomenom. One man - giving free hugs. Millions of people see the video.



You can see the video here:
Free Hug Campaign

Read the story in The Sydney Morning Herald:
Sydney Morning Herald Story - Free-hug man speaks out

Here is their official website:
Free Hugs Campaign dot org

Isn't it amazing that a video like this can result in world wide fame and change people's lives so much?

What did you think about the video? Leave a comment.

AVID Field Trip

Some of you may have been wondering, "Where was Mr. Duez on Tuesday?"


Yesterday we took our AVID freshmen class to Rice University. It was a great trip and a BEAUTIFUL day. Perfect weather. It is really an amazing university. The kids were blown away and exhausted when we got back to school.

This is a picture of me and my other AVID freshmen team member. She has a class of freshmen AVID as well. I am so lucky to work with such great people.



I told you it was a beautiful day. But, we are now 4 for 4 in beautiful days for field trips. We have had amazing luck with the weather over the past two years.

Juniata College, Where Mr. Duez went to school

This is Mr. Duez at his 10 year reunion at Juniata College. These are my two best friends from college. Your friends from college are like family.

I put this presentation together for AVID. The students have been doing their own college presentations. We've been taking cornell notes and practicing our note taking ability during the presentations. I put my college presentation together, too. This is all about Juniata College, where I went to school.

Juniata

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Academic Work college Juniata

Juniata College Website


Mr. Duez was #40. This was such a long time ago. I can't get that much "air" anymore. :)

Everything You Need to Know About Writing

Stephen King gives great advice in this piece: Everything You Need to Know About Writing in 10 Minutes

Stephen King (Stephen King.com) has published over 40 books and has become one of the world's most successful writers.

King's advice begins with a story about editing. Upon editing a first draft - eliminate the unneeded. Be concise. Reduce.

I had been writing first drafts of stories which might run 2,500 words. The second drafts were apt to run 3,300 words. Following that day (a story about his first writing boss's advice), my 2,500-word first drafts became 2,200-word second drafts. And two years after that, I sold the first one.

Here is his advice quickly:
1) Be talented. (here he is talking about what it takes to get published)
2) Be neat. Type. Double space. Use heavy white paper.
3) Be self critical. "If you haven't marked up your manuscript a lot, you did a lazy job. Only God gets things right the first time. Don't be a slob."
4) Remove every extraneous word. Be concise.
5) Never look at a reference book on a first draft. Good advice to avoid writer's block - just let it flow.
...

9. How to evaluate criticism (I love this) Show your piece to a number of people - ten, let us say. Listen carefully to what they tell you. Smile and nod a lot. Then review what was said very carefully. If your critics are all telling you the same thing about some facet of your story - a plot twist that doesn't work, a character who rings false, stilted narrative, or half a dozen other possibles - change that facet. It doesn't matter if you really liked that twist of that character; if a lot of people are telling you something is wrong with you piece, it is. If seven or eight of them are hitting on that same thing, I'd still suggest changing it. But if everyone - or even most everyone - is criticizing something different, you can safely disregard what all of them say.

Smart advice from someone who knows.

Financial Aid Even at AHS - Thursday, March 26 7 pm.

College Financial Aid Event: Due to an overwhelming response to the first financial aid event hosted in January, the Humble ISD Student Support Services Department will host a second College Financial Aid Event for high school junior and senior students and their parents on Thursday, March 26, 2009, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Atascocita High School Performing Arts Center, 13300 Will Clayton Parkway. The evening will include an overview of college financial aid, the opportunity to complete the on-line Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the chance to speak to financial aid representatives from several universities including Texas Tech University, Texas A&M University, Sam Houston State University, Lonestar College Kingwood and possibly the University of Texas and the University of Houston. Sam Houston State University will have a mobile enrollment center available to provide additional on-line assistance. Please join us for this informative meeting to help students and parents gain a better understanding of college financial aid. For more information or for questions, please call 281-641-8405.

Private Houston Schools Making Recession Decisions

According to this Houston Chronicle article, Private Houston colleges taking steps to ward off recession, schools are making some serious changes. Here are a few:

HERE’S WHAT SCHOOLS ARE DOING

Private universities across Texas are coping with the recession in various ways. Here are steps some schools are taking:

Rice University: Will cut next year’s operating budget by 5 percent, while increasing financial aid. Hasn’t announced 2009-10 tuition.

Houston Baptist University: Will cut 10 percent of faculty. Applications and requests for financial aid both up. Tuition for next year up 6.2 percent.

University of St. Thomas: Will cut next year’s budget by an undetermined amount. Will add at least $250,000 to next year’s financial aid budget. Tuition for next year up 6.2 percent.

Baylor University: Applications up, but acceptance rates expected to drop. Tuition for next year up 7 percent.

Southern Methodist University: Will cut next year’s operating budget by 5 percent. Tuition for next year up 6 percent.

Texas Christian University: Will cut next year’s operating budget by 8 percent. Financial aid budget increased by 5 percent for 2009-10. Tuition for next year up 5 percent.

Is a smaller private school an option for you? According to the article be careful about deciding no too quickly:

“Without financial aid, I wouldn’t be here,” said Tammy Vo, a freshman at the University of St. Thomas.

Vo graduated from DeBakey High School in Houston last spring and applied to universities in and outside of Texas. She said the University of St. Thomas, a Catholic college in the Montrose area, proved a better deal than most public schools.

Private schools are making that argument more often in light of rising unemployment and a weak stock market.

“If you look at the sticker price, people say, ‘I can’t afford this,’ ” said Scott Moore, dean of scholarships and financial aid at the University of St. Thomas. “But you have to look at the sticker with the package you receive.”

The financial aid package is what matters. Not just the sticker price of tuition, room and board. What are those smaller private schools willing to give you? It may be increasing in this poor economy.

Some smaller and private Houston Colleges:
Houston Baptist University
Rice University
University of St. Thomas Houston

College for all?

Is Obama's dream of having every American attend college realistic? Could the US become a country that leads the world in percentage of college graduates?

Some interesting perspectives in this article:

College For All?

It is a collection of expert opinions on whether the President's goals can be reached. Many are pretty optimistic, but stop before saying the goal will be accomplished.

Reminds me a lot of AVID the whole way through the article. Our mission is so similar.

Longer school days, weeks, and years coming?

Education chief favors longer school days, weeks and years

"It doesn't matter how poor, how tough the family background, socioeconomic challenges," Duncan said. "Where students have longer days, longer weeks, longer years -- that's making a difference."

Do you agree?

This reminds me of the documentary 2 Million Minutes.

Inspirational Totes

Today we saw a video, read an article and did a socratic seminar on this topic.

From childhood wish to lasting legacy, Smith's charity specializes in smiles
Great article about a freshmen basketball player at Clemson who has touched MANY lives through his own charity.

Buoyed by the idea of helping kids the same age as Tanner, the family decided to gather things to brighten hospital rooms, and toys that would fill an otherwise lonely day. The Smiths put everything in tote bags so kids could carry their wares from treatment to treatment.

The first bags were as mom-and-pop as could be, printed by an uncle with a silk-screening business and filled by neighbors who, at the Smiths' request, came armed with loot to the family's annual Halloween party. In 2002, 12-year-old Tanner made his first delivery to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

"At first I wasn't sure it would matter," Tanner said. "I mean, what can colored pencils and modeling clay do? But we can't cure cancer right now. There isn't a medicine or a shot or a test that helps you cure it or prevent it. At least we can help somebody get through it.

"I remember when I was in high school, this girl got cancer. Her brother was in my class, and the year before he was helping me fill bags. Then all of a sudden we're delivering a bag to her. You just don't know."

You can see video of Tanner and his parents here on Hulu.com: This is an episode on HGTV that designed a room for Tanner

2009 AVID T-Shirts

First look at our new T-Shirts. What do you think?

I am one lucky teacher.

Teaching is not an easy job. But, with kids like this... I am pretty lucky to be a teacher.

Failure

Just remember... before you can succeed... sometimes you have failure. Just don't give up.

If an elephant can paint... you can go to college!

Elephant Artists Link

UnEmployment Rate. Ouch.

Unemployment Rate Link - MSNBC

Super (Bowl) Commercial

Super Bowl Sunday is just around the corner and most of you know that Mr. Duez grew up in Pittsburgh. So here's another installment of essential Steeler history.

This year there will be a new #1 greatest super bowl commercial ever.

This is going to be great!



For those of you too young to remember the original...


Mean Joe is the man!

But maybe the very best version is the Sesame Street one:

40 Inspirational Speeches in 2 Minutes

40 Inspirational Speeches in 2 Minutes

We took a look at it today to begin our semester. And boy were we inspired!

Transcript:

Shame on you. This could be the greatest night of our lives, but you’re going to let it be the worst. And I guarantee a week won’t go by in your life you won’t regret walking out, letting them get the best of you. Well, I’m not going home. We’ve come too far! And I’m going to stay right here and fight for this lost cause. A day may come when the courage of men fails… but it is not THIS day. The line must be drawn HERE. This far, no further! I’m not saying it’s going to be easy. You’re going to work harder than you ever worked before. But that’s fine, we’ll just get tougher with it! If a person grits his teeth and shows real determination, failure is not an option. That’s how winning is done! Believe me when I say we can break this army here, and win just one for the Gipper. But I say to you what every warrior has known since the beginning of time: you’ve got to get mad. I mean plum mad dog mean. If you would be free men, then you must fight to fulfill that promise! Let us cut out their living guts one inch at a time, and they will know what we can do! Let no man forget how menacing we are. We are lions! You’re like a big bear, man! This is YOUR time! Seize the day, never surrender, victory or death… that’s the Chicago Way! Who’s with me? Clap! Clap! Don’t let Tink die! Clap! Alright! Let’s fly! And gentlemen in England now abed shall know my name is the Lord when I tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they’ll never take our Independence Day!

This was indeed a lovely think to behold!

So what is your favorite inspirational speech? (leave a comment - hint, hint...)

Want to be a better writer?

How to Write (in a thousand words or less)

This is a great little blog post on some tips on writing. Here's a preview:

# Hook ‘em early. Start with the headline, which should say why I should read this. Then write a strong introduction that draws your reader in and makes them want to read on. Tell a story, make a bold statement, offer up a surprising fact. Don’t open with "According to Wikipedia…" or "According to Webster’s…". YAWN!
# Use topic sentences. Every paragraph should clearly say what it’s about. The topic sentence might not be the first sentence — it might even be the last sentence, or the first part of the third sentence. But somewhere in the paragraph there should be a line that, taken on its own, says what the paragraph is about.
# Have a conclusion. People fuss a lot over introductions, and slack on conclusions. Tell your reader why they bothered to read your piece. Remember, the conclusion is the part your reader is going away with — make it count.
# Explain yourself. Never assume your reader agrees with you. If you say someone’s bad because he barbecues puppies, you’d better explain why barbecuing puppies is a bad thing. Maybe your reader thinks puppies are delicious and nutritious — can you afford for that reader to completely miss the intent of your writing?
# Have a trusted reader. Whenever possible, get your work read by someone you trust to be honest with you. Listen intently to their responses, even when your reader tries to blunt their critique. For example, if they say they didn’t get a part, but that’s probably because they didn’t know anything about the topic, you need to rewrite that part so that, even knowing nothing about the subject, they do get it.

Pretty good advice and very well written (interestingly enough).

For me, writing is exploration; and most of the time, I'm surprised where the journey takes me.
Jack Dann