Science - Religion

Science is a way of knowing system; whereas, religion is a belief system.

Who's More Fit? Dancers or Athletes

If you think athletes are more fit; you're wrong.

Here is the explanation.

Michael Leslie, physical therapist for the San Franciso Ballet, says that the specificity of dancer's training probably plays a big part in this adaptability. Athletes focus principally on their sport and train primarily with that in mind. Dancers, on the other hand, are taught a variety of skills. We have to balance on one leg while turning and go from moving very quickly to being completely still. This type of "cross-training" gives us, in Leslie's words, "the ability to do advanced things with a huge range of motion and extraordinary dexterity," which many athletes lack.

You can read more about this in September's issue of DanceSpirit; How Fit Are You? by Peter Brandenhoff.

Your Student's Bring Their Home Life Style Into Your Classroom.

You can gain insight into your student’s lives by watching reality TV programs. Trading Spaces, Wife Swap and Nanny 911 will give you a window into their lives. You will not be able to change what is happening at home, but you certainly will gain insight that will help you understand your students.

Watch enough reality programs and you will eventually see students like yours preparing for school in the morning from being awaken to being dropped off at school. You may even see their nightly activities before they go to bed. And, see them doing their homework, if any is being done as well as how they interrelate with their parents.

This window into the lives of students like yours will not be open long. Audiences get bored and producers will create something different. So, I suggest that you make the most of this opportunity while you have it.

South Park High

I got a note telling me that the Principal wanted to see me in his office. I had brought by class to assembly late and now I had to account for the error. His office had a large formal desk and windows facing the street that covered most of one wall. Mr. Burt was sitting behind his desk when I entered his office. He said, “You and your class were late for assembly.” I don’t recall much of what he had to say, perhaps because I was focused on the bullet hole in the window near his head. I wondered at the time if he had been sitting there when the shot was fired. Mr. Burt said, “My school doesn’t have any problems.” I didn’t ask, “How do you explain the bullet hole in your window?”

I watch only part of South Park High. It was too real and disturbing to watch all of it. I hope for your sake that you are not in a school like South Park High. If your are; well, then I wish you lots of luck and success in finding somewhere else to teach.

My first year teaching was in a school like South Park High. I did not return the following year.

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

This was written by Mitchell A Fleisher, MD and published in Vitamin Research News.

ADHD is a syndrome characterized by inability to focus attention and/or periods of hyperactivity, more commonly exhibited in children, but also affecting adults as well. The term "attention deficit" may be misleading, in that the current theories suggest ADHD patients actually have difficulty: 1) regulating their attention spans; 2) inhibiting their attention to non-relevant stimuli; and/or, 3) focusing too intensely on specific stimuli to the exclusion of what is relevant. Rather than diminished attention ability, many individuals with ADHD may focus their attention upon too many things at once, i.e., not "see the forest 'fore the trees," resulting in poor concentration, erratic thought processes and decreased intellectual productivity.

Our Shrinking Attention Span

Developing post .....

I've been asked not to write this, even though the site statistics indicate that the average time you visit this page is only 8 seconds [July there was 60 visits] ; hardly enough time to read what has been written or post a response. Could it be that you are like a fly at a picnic? I will continue to collect statistical evidence and will later draw conclusions based upon the statistics.

Teacher Baiting

Teacher baiting is when students create a situation that is intended to humiliate their teacher and then record it with a cell phone camera. The movie clip is then uploaded to YouTube for others to see the incriminating clip.

The consequence of this is that you will be evaluated by school administration and perhaps be disciplined. Even if you don’t get disciplined, the event will be in your record and used as part of your performance review. If you were being considered for the Teacher of the Year award, forget about it. It’s not going to happen.

What will your students be doing? They will be flocking to YouTube to see the movie clip, laughing and telling their friends to see the clip too. Some of these students will be doing the same thing to other teachers. I became aware of this about a year ago. I see now that it is proliferating.

The best way to prevent teacher baiting in your class is to stop students from having a cell phone in your classroom. Cell phones are not the only devices that have cameras. All recording that isn't authorized by the teacher must be stopped.

Remember, there isn’t any way to undo the damage after it has happened. So prevent it from happening.