DIOCESE OF TOLEDO TEACHERS’ BULLETINOCTOBER, 2007
FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT:
As we find ourselves well into the school year, we may have already come to the point of being overwhelmed. The following is a reflection from the book The Teacher’s Calling by Gloria Dudek, Paulist Press, 2002, that reminds us of our need to take time to pray and reflect in order to feed our spirits and keep ourselves energized as we strive to be teacher-ministers to our students:
ALL OUR LIFE IS
“When we ponder and pray over the meaning of our life, we spiral deeper in its mysterious circle. And if we are graced, as I believe we are, we become increasingly aware that the communion we seek is all around us. We understand that deep inside of every student, indeed, of every person, is some sense of wonder of life and a longing to give thanks for it. We see that every person reaches out for transcendence and goodness that always eludes complete fulfillment but never ceases to beckon. This basic hunger for goodness makes claims on us as teachers and lures us to teach what is more than conceptual knowledge or emotional skills, namely, how to live well. We realize that we do what we do because we feel called to do it. And we give thanks for it.”
DIOCESAN EDUCATORS PRESENTING AT OCEA:
Thank you to our twenty-five educators who are sharing their experience, knowledge and skill with participants at the 2007 OCEA Convention. Because of you, Catholic schoolteachers will be renewed, refreshed, and better prepared to serve the young people entrusted to our care. You make the difference!
CLASSROOMS OPEN FOR VISITATION:
Some of our Catholic school educators have been working on
the best practice model as presented in the Innovative Educators Program for no
less than 5 years. These teachers have agreed to open their classrooms to
visitors this school year. A list of these teachers, their school, grade
level, and contact information can be found on CYSS.org at http://www.cyss.org/Schools/Innovators/Innova.html
. Principals are asked to encourage their teachers to take advantage of
this offer by calling the school and setting a date for a visit. The
teacher should leave his/her name and number and the call will be
returned. Questions: Contact
COSI:
Schools in metro-Toledo are aware
that COSI-Toledo will have a levy on the ballot in November. Passing this
levy will be critical to the future of COSI. Without the funds generated
by the levy, COSI will have to close. In order to promote COSI and get
the vote out, COSI is appealing to schools and families. With that in
mind, a “Family Night and Rally for COSI” will be held on October 23 from 6:30
to 8:00 pm. This is scheduled specifically for students, parents, and
teachers from Catholic schools. Admission is FREE. (Another similar
evening will be scheduled for families of
Building principals have copies of
fliers and additional information for teachers and parents.
COLLEGE LOAN FORGIVENESS PROGRAM:
The following information
was received from the “Council for Private Education” (
The newly enacted federal
college loan forgiveness program for public servants, including persons who
teach in religious and independent schools, could save some teachers over
$100,000 when it comes to paying down college debt. The program enables
graduates to take jobs they would otherwise pass up because of being saddled with
high debt. It also enables schools and other public service agencies to attract
high-caliber applicants they would otherwise lose to higher paying positions.
The
October issue of “
Because this program is so
important to teachers, the October issue has been made available to private
school educators free of charge. The issue can be downloaded as a PDF document
by visiting
BUILDING COORDINATOR
MEETING SCHEDULE:
Here are the next three meeting dates and times for the Building Coordinators:
If there are any questions regarding this, please contact
419-244-6711 ext 620 or e-mail tkwiatkowski@toledodiocese.org
FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
Reticular Activating System
What’s that? Educators know that “setting the stage” for what is about to happen arouses learner curiosity. This focusing is important because the huge amount of incoming information results in overload. How does our brain know what to focus on? In fact, it is only due to an amazing process in the brain that we are able to sort through the chaos of incoming stimuli and locate the key bits of information we are seeking. Scientists call this focusing mechanism of the brain the “Reticular Activating System.”
In response to this information, students benefit when
teachers arouse curiosity by beginning a lesson or unit of study with a
creative, useful or emotional attention getter. The use of a specified
number provides a framework, i.e., “Four primary factors led to the decision.”
Learners benefit by knowing a number in advance. Other frameworks inform
students of when a specific action is going to happen, i.e., “In 30 seconds
when I say go…” Allen, R. (2002) Impact Teaching.
Helping Students Value Learning
Do rewards and punishments lead to productive well-behaved students? Do incentives and threats lead to students that value learning? Alfie Kohn’s book, Punished by Rewards, believes these approaches are self-defeating. “When you say, do this and you’ll get that, you devalue the 'this'.” One unintended consequence of using a reward program is that it fosters the expectation that leaning is always accompanied with an external reward.
What you can do instead:
· Remember all students are motivated from the inside out
· Help students build an internal picture of themselves as hard-working and successful
· Help student see the relevance of what they are learning
· Emphasize your confidence in students ability to do high-quality academic work
· Develop positive relationships with students
For more information on this topic, teachers may want to
read, Activating the Desire to Learn, by Bob Sullo,
ASCD,
INFOhio Free to
Efforts to prepare students for the 21st Century
increasingly involve the integration of information technology with classroom
instruction. The major goal of INFOhio is to
use technology to enhance curriculum and instruction in information literacy by
providing greater access to resources for
The INFOhio web site is:
~organized by grade levels K-5, 6-8 and 9-12
~provides “toolkits” and “training opportunities” for classroom teachers’ reference
~provides aligning resources to the Ohio Academic Content Standards
A few of the many resources available are:
~ Digital video collections
~ Lesson plans
~ Britannica Encyclopedia Online (in English and Spanish)
~ SIRS Discoverer
~ American National Biography
~ A.D.A.M. Health Illustrated Encyclopedia
~ OH!Teach
~ Learning Express Library
~ LandSat (Satellite Image Server)
~ Arts Collection
~ Literature online
These resources can be
accessed by
eTech – ONLINE
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:
Online courses are available for teachers’ professional
development through
http://www.etech.ohio.gov/programs/elearning/
AREA TECH CONFERENCES:
·
SOITA – December 4-6, 2007 in
o https://secure.soita.org/conference.aspx?cid=42
·
MACUL – March 5-7, 2008 in
·
eTECH – February 4-6,
2008 in
o http://www.etech.ohio.gov/conference/index.jsp