Minnesota Teacher of the Year

I understand that the financial crisis stands in the forefront of voters’ minds, but seriously, couldn’t education at least have made an appearance in the latest CNN Election Issue Tracker? Is it really buried in the 2% of the “Other” category? And education loses to illegal immigration? Sigh.

I’d be interested in seeing a poll that ranks voters’ top five issues. I would think that education could sit as a third of fourth issue in many voters’ minds. Education may very well get lost when voters only state their most important issue.

Graphic Source: CNN Election Tracker

I wanted to extend a special note of thanks to our local ING Investments office. A few weeks ago they sent me an email telling me that I had been selected to be the recipient of their school supplies drive for this year. It turns out that every year their office collects random supplies from staff, puts them all together, and gives them to one teacher for use in his or her classrooms. This year I was the winner.

Last week I stopped by our district office to pick up the supplies. There was an entire cart of stuff: backpacks, notebooks, pencils, crayons, markers, clips, paper, folders, etc. By the time I got everything to my car I had filled a half dozen grocery bags to the top.

Although teachers have a certain amount of supplies in school, we are always short of stuff for the classroom and for special activities. Some students often don’t have basic class supplies either, and it’ll be great to be able to help these students out. I’ll put everything that I’ve received to good use, and will be able to spread this generosity out to dozens of people. The big box of crayons that we received already was put to use this past weekend: we used them at a coloring table at a local Pumpkin Festival, where Japanese students had volunteered to man a booth of activities for children.

When I speak in public, I often emphasize the importance of breaking down our isolated schools and linking community, parents, and schools in a powerful triangle of support and learning. ING’s gifts are a perfect example of one way that an office or business can get involved in education and make a difference.

Thank you!

Kudos to the celebrities who took the time to be involved in this excellent public service announcement encouraging people to both register and vote. Nicely done, and spread it around…

Warning: Contains some swearing and strong language inappropriate for young children.

No matter how many years I teach, I always wake up well before I need to during the first week back to school. Last night I set my alarm for 6:00A.M., but this morning I snapped wide awake at four in the morning, ready to go. I sat there for an hour trying to fall back to sleep, then finally I just gave up and got up.

I’m sure this happens because I’m pretty much a big ball of nerves and adrenaline the first week of school. A lot of it comes from realizing the importance of a good start to the year, and from realizing how quickly students assess your effectiveness. A good September is the key to a good year, and the first week is critical for establishing the routines that will dictate the tone of the class. I feel like I set the tone, the pace, and the mood of the class in the first week, and if I can do things right then, the rest of the month has a good chance to go well. In many ways I suppose teaching a class is like raising a child: every year is important, but those early years are critical for development and learning. Likewise, the first week of the school year lays the foundation for the rest of the year, and that’s enough to freak me out in the middle of the night for a few days.

A few weeks ago I stumbled onto this video:

The piece speaks for itself, but it has to be one of the more uplifting things I’ve seen in a long time. It’s hard to look at the clip and not feel that somehow, some way, we’ll eventually get things right. I also think there are a few educational points to be made here, and I don’t want to pass them up.

I teach technology integration. In the course of my work, I often hear educators concerned that technology is invading our lives and taking away the human element. I think their point is in some cases justified, but I will also say this: if using technology in your classroom is reducing human interaction, you’re not tapping into the power of technology. Technology, done correctly, can bring people together in ways we have yet to imagine. Technology is a tool for enhancing and increasing communication, not dehumanizing our lives. The “Where the Hell is Matt” video is a perfect testament to this.

This is simplifying things, but the gist of the story behind this video is that Matt would make short videos of himself dancing in various places around the world as he traveled the globe, then post them online. After a while the word spread, and his little dancing videos became more and more popular. Eventually Stride Gum decided to sponsor his travels and dances. This latest video brings in people that heard about his dancing and simply wanted to join in on the fun. The whole thing started with one guy, one video camera, and a little web space.

Ten years ago, none of this would have been possible. The little videos of Matt dancing around the world would have been seen by maybe twenty people. There would have been no gum sponsorship. The final video would not have been made. There would have been no way to know of Matt, no way to spread the idea, no way to see it without the help of major television networks.

But in today’s world, Matt’s simple videos evolve into a project involving more than a thousand people from over 42 countries. As of this writing, it has been viewed 9.6 million times on YouTube and 2.6 million times on Vimeo, not to mention other video hosting sites. One person, making technology dance, inspiring and touching millions.

Video Information:
Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

For my first post I thought I’d start with my comments from the Teacher of the Year press conference:

I am honored and humbled to receive this recognition. I know that my path to this podium is a unique one. But perhaps that will bring focus, in a good way, to the fact that there truly is no one best “teacher of the year.”

When I think of the phenomenal nominees, mentors, and my amazing colleagues from whom I learn so much and who inspire me daily, I wish this award could be broken into pieces and shared with them all: For they are talented teachers who are passionately dedicated to their students, and deserved of recognition. And I thank them for their inspiration and encouragement.

I would also like to thank my friends and family, many who have traveled to be here today: friends for your support and family for your unconditional love (especially my wonderful children Kaija, Ben, and Anna, and my amazing wife Kris).

As wonderful as this recognition is, my greatest achievement as an educator will always be, simply each and every time I have the opportunity to impact the life of a child in a positive way: to watch them grow, to learn, and to love to learn, and to leave my classroom ready for what the world brings them. William Butler Yeats said: “Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire.”

My passion for teaching was ignited when I was a senior economics major at St. Olaf.  I had the opportunity to travel to Asia, and while there I spent some time in orphanages in Thailand and Hong Kong. I returned with haunting images of those children and ultimately realized that teaching children is the way I believe God has called me to impact our world. And I count it among my greatest blessings that for the past 18 years I have been able to work with the children of our community.

With all this in mind, I view being recognized as Minnesota Teacher of the Year primarily as a responsibility and an opportunity to be a representative for teachers, an ambassador for education, and ultimately, an advocate for children: my children, your children, Minnesota’s children.

Every year, Education Minnesota invites present and past Minnesota Teachers of the Year to spend some time at the Education Minnesota booth at the Minnesota State Fair. This coming Tuesday, August 26, is this year’s Teacher of the Year Day at the fair. Derek Olson will be at the booth after 4:30PM. I will be at the booth in the morning, from about 10:30AM to 11:30AM. Other Teachers of the Year from previous years may be at the booth at different times during the day. If you’re at the fair, please stop by and say hello!

While at the booth, you can have your photo taken and put on a free 2008/2009 school-year calendar.

The Education building is on the east side of the fairgrounds (section J-12 on the map). Hope to see you there!