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TGIF!
Friday, February 29, 2008

You've made it through another week. It's time to rest your brain, have some fun, explore some new resources kick back and start your weekend off on a light note!

THIS WEEK @ EDUCATION WORLD

Dozens of new postings this week, same as every week! Among the great resources you'll find this week

Joe Martin: The Educator Motivator
As a teacher, are you focused on whining or winning?

Aspiring Principals
Have you ever thought about becoming a principal? If so

Twenty-Five
A quick and easy-to-play card game to exercise your students' math skills

For more practical content, explore this week's updated Channel pages:
Lesson Planning      Administrator's Desk      School Issues
Professional Development              Technology Integration
Be sure to visit our partner Web site too: SchoolNotes.com



Do pairs or groups of people in your school get together to purchase lottery tickets?
Yes
No

IN THE NEWS

Not a Bad Payday!
We all know that teachers aren't in it for the big paycheck. But a group of teachers at one New Jersey school hit it big recently in that state's Mega Millions lottery. For many years, staff members at Morris Knolls High School in Denville have been pooling money on a weekly basis to buy lottery tickets. In December, their effort paid off bigtime! The staffers held one of two winning tickets for a jackpot of more than $160 million. "Before we were winners, we were members of the Morris County educational community," one staff member told The Star Ledger. "We're grateful for all the attention, but we're going to quietly go back to doing what we do best -- preparing the young men and women of our High School to become the community leaders of tomorrow." This lottery win offers proof that lightning can strike twice: back in 1994, 22 workers in the school split a $6 million jackpot. (Read more)

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

You still have a couple weeks to send in your students' entries in the Dream! Reach! Succeed! Essay Contest sponsored by the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) and The Hershey Company. The contest encourages students to consider the accomplishments of Milton Hershey and to model his example as they set goals for themselves. Students in grades 3-6 are eligible to enter the contest. So, teachers, inspire your students to think about their futures and have them sharpen their pencils and get writing. Click here for complete details. The deadline for submissions is March 14.

CAUGHT ON THE NET

If you're looking for a way to make spelling fun, the Word Builder game on the Web site of Harcourt Brace Spelling is a neat tool to use. The words in this interactive game are culled from the company's spelling program, but that shouldn't stop you from sharing it with your students. Just click a grade level at the top of the page, then choose a Unit Number from the dropdown menu. When students click on the worker in the Word Builder factory, he provides a scrambled word for them to spell. Students drag the letters into position, then click the worker to learn if they're correct. Add some f-u-n to your spelling program with Word Builder!

EducationWorld has reviewed thousands of sites of interest to educators. Be sure to visit our Site Review Archive. You might also visit our Site to See themed listings.

FROM THE LIBRARY SHELF

Language may be a teacher's most powerful tool. Every day the words, phrases, tone, and pace you use have the power to help students develop self-control, build their sense of belonging, and gain skills and knowledge. The Power of Words: Teacher Language That Helps Children Learn, a new addition to the Responsive Classroom library, will help you recognize the influence your words have on the children you teach. It will show you how to use language more skillfully, building a classroom where students feel safe, respected, appreciated, and excited about learning. Full of practical tips, The Power of Words offers specific suggestions for using language to help children envision success; present open-ended questions that stretch children's thinking; listen and use silence skillfully; provide meaningful, specific encouragement; and much more. A valuable tool for beginning and veteran educators alike. Buy the book.

UPCOMING CONFERENCES

Maybe Monday will be a good day to approach your school or district leaders about attending one of these upcoming conferences put on by well-known national associations.

Literacy Grows Families and Communities
The annual conference of the National Center for Family Literacy will be in Louisville, Kentucky, from March 30 - April 1, 2008.

Leadership and Learning for the Next Generation
The National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) presents its annual conference in Nashville from April 4-8, 2008.

Touch a Life: Teach Music
The bi-annual conference of the National Association for Music Education (NAME) will be in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from April 9 - 13, 2008.

Becoming Certain About Uncertainty
The annual conference of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) will be in Salt Lake City, Utah, from April 9 - 12, 2008.

If your national non-profit organization's conference should be listed here, send an email to [email protected]. We will be happy to include it in our rotation so long as it is open to all educators and/or administrators (not only members).

LEAVE 'EM LAUGHING

"An abstract noun," the English teacher instructed her students, "is something you can think of, but you can't touch"

"Can anyone give me an example of an abstract noun?" she asked.

"Sure," a teenage boy in the back of the classroom piped up. "My father's new car."

Now go and enjoy your weekend!