Author: Mr. Heyer

I am an eighth grade language arts teacher at Goodson Middle School in Cypress, Texas.
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Cables Aren’t Cheap

… but they should be. I have often been asked where I get good deals on tech, so here’s my tip for cables:

I have no affiliation with MonoPrice.com, but I do shop there whenever I need a cable.

Most cables you buy (for pretty much any electronics) are way overpriced — especially in “brick-and-mortar” stores. I have also found good deals at Amazon.com and on NewEgg.com, but MonoPrice consistently has the best price and is just as reputable as Amazon or Newegg.

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Crumbs of my Philosophy of Education

These are small parts of my overall philosophy of education. Very disorganized, not secret, and need a place for me to refer back to them.

  • My top classroom rule (stated positively) is: Always Allow Learning.
    (negatively: Don’t interrupt/prevent learning)
    Permutations follow:

    • Your [talking/other-behavior] isn’t allowing learning.
    • You [not being ready] isn’t allowing learning.
    • [Listen] to allow learning.
    • [Wait your turn] to allow learning.
    • [Be ready on time] to allow learning.
  • Try to push for the Maximum level for each student.
  • Reach at least a Minimum level for all students.
  • When doing Co-Teach, present a Unified message as much as possible.
  • State feedback positively at least 4:1 (pos:neg).
  • “Hate” the behavior, not the person. (who said this?)
  • Quotes
    • Kathleen Kryza, Inspiring Middle and Secondary Learners
      • This is a risk-taking, mistake-making classroom.
      • Fair is not everyone getting the same thing; fair is everyone getting what they need to be successful.
    • Albert Einstein
      • Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new
  • Don’t get mad; call home.
  • Call home, call home, call home. (inspired by the technology mantra, “backup, backup, backup”). Middle school students don’t want parents to know their “bad” behavior, and don’t get enough told to their parents about their “good” behavior.
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MLA Language Map

MLA map

“The MLA Language Map is intended for use by students, teachers, and anyone interested in learning about the linguistic and cultural composition of the United States. The MLA Language Map uses data from the 2000 United States census to display the locations and numbers of speakers of thirty languages and three groups of less commonly spoken languages in the United States.”

This map, and the chart below it, would be great for helping students “to understand and respect diversity of dialects” and languages. It’s interactive and visual, so students will want to play with it, leading to authentic discoveries about language.

Now all I have to do is figure out how to fit the activity of viewing this map into a lesson where viewing will help meet the learning objective.