The nose knows the past.
Sniffs, snorts communications
Like reading the news.

Guess who this poem is about?

Let's see how this works.

The holy grail of teaching is finding a student's "instructional match." If a teacher can match instruction to a student's level of readiness, if instructional materials fit a student's "zone of proximal development," learning can occur. I think technology can help with this endeavor -- that's why I am investing time this summer in developing my LibraryThing Wiki, a searchable index for my classroom library. For $18, I purchased a barcode reader called a Cue Cat from LibraryThing. Now, the process of entering books and creating tags is going smoother than expected -- a student or volunteer could easily make entries. Try the search using a key word such as "dogs" ... pretty cool, isn't it!



From a practical standpoint, matching materials to readiness levels is incredibly difficult, especially for a new teacher. It is not enough to have a classroom library -- a classroom library must be leveled so that students can choose "just right books." This is a lesson that I have had to learn the hard way. I've built a classroom library from scratch, guided by instinct and a get it done at any costs mentality. Despite my well intentioned efforts, the library has been essentially unusable.

I hope to resolve many of these problems using a combination of technology and sweat equity: 1. First, I'm using Cue Cat to add to my LibraryThing Wiki; 2. I'm cross-referencing my entries with a database of Lexile Levels(http://www.lexile.com/DesktopDefault.aspx?view=ed&tabindex=5&tabid=67); 3. Lastly, I'm also using Scholastic's Book Wizard to fill in the gaps.

The main problem with my classroom library has been a lack of organization. While I have tried to separate books by genre and have invested in tubs from Ikea (blue for fiction, and red for non-fiction), I've been unable to maintain any structure. Students have been unable to put books back in their correct bins. Thus, I've wasted countless hours and energy trying to reorganize the books. By using technology to catalog and tag books, I hope to make it easier for students to maintain the library. While trying to solve the "just right" book conundrum, I discovered Scholastic's new Book Wizard. What an amazing tool ... here's the URL:

http://bookwizard.scholastic.com/tbw/homePage.do

The script for a Google Widget to install the search on my Blog is imbedded below, but isn't working for some reason:

Sometimes, a child will reveal a little too much information in her writing. When a child reveals problems that involve illegal immigration, her father's legal troubles, how her family relies on the food bank, when she breaks down in tears nearly every day, what do you do? I wrote a poem which alluded to entries the child had made in her journal, and to the 23rd Psalm.

When you cross the river you can fly.
This, I’m telling you, is no lie.
When you’re baptized by the flow,
Nothing can harm you, this I know.

Who was it who raised you to the sky?
Who lifted your head above raging waters?
Who brought you to the land of milk and honey?
Don’t cry. No more tears. This too shall pass.

When the man unlocks these chains –
This bird will fly before it rains.
This, I must tell you before I go –
Where I’ll land I do not know.

You’ve already crossed the desert in the shadow of night –
Fear not.
Evil will flee before the wrath of your protector.
You will feast in the presence of your enemies.

You have a special gift, you may not know.
No turn of the sun can take that away.
No change in the season happens without a reason.
Like a phoenix rising, your season will come.

Greener pastures will be revealed.
When the moment comes, don’t look back.
Don’t look back as you are lifted.
Thunderous applause will flow from the river.

You are here to make a difference.
Don’t ever forget what makes you special.

Daniel Kurland, Poetic License

Here's a new Haiku:

Alex Ovetchkin
Red Russian wrecking machine.
Great 8 light the red!

When David Steckel scored the game-winning goal in overtime, Joe and I, who were listening to the game on 106.7 WJFK, erupted! Joe jumped and hollered. We hugged. We high-fived! Sidney Crosby's goal to tie the game, 10 minutes earlier, was deflating, given the Capitals defensive collapse 2 nights earlier. For several minutes of the third period, again, the Caps couldn't get the puck outside their zone. And there was Crosby, stationing himself in front of Varlomov, poking the puck through. Instead of folding, however, the Capitals responded like champions. Good luck tonight!

While walking through Lake Accotink Park with Mabel this morning (Parkhttp://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/accotink/), it suddenly occured to me that my dad will be 79 years old this Monday. A combination of guilt and other emotions suddenly crossed my mind -- guilt for all the headaches I gave him as a teenager, and guilt for not doing more to spread his message, which is a message of hope and rationality. I'm not sure exactly why I haven't helped more.

When I worked for Allied Plywood Corporation, where I worked for over 16 years, I felt terribly conflicted. On the one hand, I was loyal to my dad and to principles of Employee Ownership. On the other hand, I was loyal to management and enjoyed the benefits of earning a good living. When I left Allied in February of 2002, I gave a sigh of relief, and forged ahead not sure where I was going.

While I have done little to help my father promote his vision, he has never tried to make me feel guilty over my lack of involvement. That's the kind of person he is. If more people knew about his philosophy, many would be persuaded, not by force of guilt, but rather by force of reason and character.

With hope that one day his vision becomes viral (in a good sense), here's some amazing footage that I found on his website (http://www.cesj.org):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWDY7uVRI0g

Bluebells bask, beckon
from dappled Indian trails
below the beltway.

***
Commentary:
Yesterday, after dropping off "Brother" at Andrew Gause's Mountain Kim, "Sister" and I took the Bluebell Hike at Wakefield Park. Isn't it ironic that an old Indian trail remains unnoticed as millions of cars thunder past?

I was reminded of the theme of T.S. Eliot's "Waste Land," that grace rains down perpetually, but the crowds can't hear the knocking, knocking at their doors. Bluebells are like the upside down "towers tolling reminiscent bells." As John Donne questioned, for whom the bells tolled?

We, who know precisely how to bring back a baby mammoth, like Lazarus from the dead, seem increasingly disconnected. Eliot's epigram, which alludes to the Cumaean Sybil, reminds me of the information highway and the difference between knowledge and wisdom. A walk in nature with my favorite furry friend reminded me of the irony of April being the cruelest month.