Crossed Connections

The other day I was diving into the bible for some inspirational reading. It is always refreshing and just a little builder-uper. However, this time that I cracked open the good book I was finding myself lulled into a melancholy state. I wanted to shake this feeling so I started to think. I wanted a stronger refresher. So, being the English study that I am, I turned to another version. The King James version.

I have experience this version before and it can be a real mind bender with the language usage. However, it was lyrical to me this time around. I love how the words flow like poetry and how they entice the reader. It was the refresher that I needed and since I was refreshed I got to thinking. Wouldn't this be fun to use in the English classroom?

I kept playing with the idea of poetry. Poetry is one of those tricky areas of content that students either love or hate. Besides using texts like "Where the Sidewalk Ends" which incorporate humor, why not use this version of the bible?

I took the book of Psalms and looked for poetic devices within the verses. As an instructor of the faith, this could make a real life connection to the bible. Students could pick out different poetic devices, illustrate the text (how they visualize the text), compare and contrast, and many more activities.

Since I revamped my faith again, I feel that it has yet again flourished and enhanced my classroom. I will continue to strive for a active faith and encourage others to do the same.

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

-Hebrews 11:1

Here are resources for these ideas:

http://www.chaparralpoets.org/devices.pdf

http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/

Love and Logic

It is a struggle often to establish classroom management. This struggle is amplified by the ever looming presence of individuals who are constantly making sure every intervention is “fair”, “appropriate”, and “reasonable”. This is an age of “everything is right, but some things are better.” Since everything is “right”, how do we help develop values within our students?

In all other areas the Christian seeks the glory of God and the welfare of mankind. Values are determined by the extent to which they achieve on or the other of these aims. This is easier said than done. What can we do as educators to help our students think and strive to seek the glory of God? Well, along with constant biblical exposure in the classroom, one positive management system can make a world of difference.

The program that I intend on using in my classroom is Love and Logic. This program I will modify to fit my own personal instructional style and also the learning styles of my students. However, the core ideas presented in this program are very positive and show great results.” Love and Logic does a number of things for an educator. Love and Logic helps educators, administrators, and counselors:

-Set limits in the classroom without anger

-Provide underachievers hope and willingness when the going gets tough

-Raise the odds for kids to stay in school

-Build strong connections between home and school

-Improve attendance

-Manage disruptive students

-Make teaching and learning more fun and productive

-Immediately handle disruptive students

-Get and keep students' attention

-Build positive student-teacher relationships

-Help students own and solve their own problems

-Bully proof children, diffuse power struggles, and handle difficult people

 It works because:

-When adults take care of themselves, they hand the problem back to the student who created it.

-When the student has to solve the problem, they have to think.

-When students have to think, they learn that decisions have consequences.

-When students have to deal with consequences, they learn to think.

-When we allow the student to deal with the consequences, they learn to think before they cause a  problem.

-When the student learns to ask themselves, "How is my behavior going to affect me?" they have learned self control.

This is a program that I would pass on to any educator. It is a great resource to help develop positive behavior and accompany the development of positive values. 

Love and Logic Site