Joberts Blogger of the Year 2014 - 2015

Last JBOW of this school year!

Vote for someone who has a consistent AHW habit all year long from the start of the school year until now. Their writing should have inspired you in a powerful way. Explain why you nominated them below. Choose one 5th and one 6th. This person may or may not have won JBOW at some point throughout the year.

JBOW 6.1 to 6.7

Vote for someone who has a consistent AHW habit - at least five AHW posts per week! 

Previous Winners 6th - Ania, Ryan, Sam, Danial X, Tate, Megan, Shin Be, Vivian, Aria, Jake L, Nia, Jordyn, Sebastian, Jane, Jacob P
Previous Winners 5th - John, Alex B, Ty, Zoeya, Quentin, Jude, Ellie, Braeden, Mike, Kevyn, Sophia, Evan, Kris, Colette, Ainsley

5.25 to 5.31

Vote for someone who has a consistent AHW habit - at least five AHW posts per week! 

Previous Winners 6th - Ania, Ryan, Sam, Danial X, Tate, Megan, Shin Be, Vivian, Aria, Jake L, Nia, Jordyn, Sebastian, Jane, Jacob P
Previous Winners 5th - John, Alex B, Ty, Zoeya, Quentin, Jude, Ellie, Braeden, Mike, Kevyn, Sophia, Evan, Kris, Colette, Ainsley

JBOW 5.18 to 24

Vote for someone who has a consistent AHW habit - at least five AHW posts per week! 

Previous Winners 6th - Ania, Ryan, Sam, Danial X, Tate, Megan, Shin Be, Vivian, Aria, Jake L, Nia, Jordyn, Sebastian, Jane, Jacob P
Previous Winners 5th - John, Alex B, Ty, Zoeya, Quentin, Jude, Ellie, Braeden, Mike, Kevyn, Sophia, Evan, Kris, Colette, Ainsley

JBOW 5.11 to 5.17

Vote for someone who has a consistent AHW habit - at least five AHW posts per week! 

Previous Winners 6th - Ania, Ryan, Sam, Danial X, Tate, Megan, Shin Be, Vivian, Aria, Jake L, Nia, Jordyn, Sebastian, Jane
Previous Winners 5th - John, Alex B, Ty, Zoeya, Quentin, Jude, Ellie, Braeden, Mike, Kevyn, Sophia, Evan, Kris, Colette, Ainsley

JBOW 5.4 to 5.10

Vote for someone who has a consistent AHW habit - at least five AHW posts per week! 

Previous Winners 6th - Ania, Ryan, Sam, Danial X, Tate, Megan, Shin Be, Vivian, Aria, Jake L, Nia, Jordyn, Sebastian, Jane
Previous Winners 5th - John, Alex B, Ty, Zoeya, Quentin, Jude, Ellie, Braeden, Mike, Kevyn, Sophia, Evan, Kris, Colette, Ainsley

JBOW 4.27 to 5.3

Vote for someone who has a consistent AHW habit - at least five AHW posts per week! 

Previous Winners 6th - Ania, Ryan, Sam, Danial X, Tate, Megan, Shin Be, Vivian, Aria, Jake L, Nia, Jordyn, Sebastian
Previous Winners 5th - John, Alex B, Ty, Zoeya, Quentin, Jude, Ellie, Braeden, Mike, Kevyn, Sophia, Evan, Kris

JBOW 4.20 to 4.26

Vote for someone who has a consistent AHW habit - at least five AHW posts per week! 

Previous Winners 6th - Ania, Ryan, Sam, Danial X, Tate, Megan, Shin Be, Vivian, Aria, Jake L, Nia, Jordyn, Sebastian
Previous Winners 5th - John, Alex B, Ty, Zoeya, Quentin, Jude, Ellie, Braeden, Mike, Kevyn, Sophia, Evan

JBOW March 23 - March 29

Vote for someone who has a consistent AHW habit - at least five AHW posts per week! 

Previous Winners 6th - Ania, Ryan, Sam, Danial X, Tate, Megan, Shin Be, Vivian, Aria, Jake L, Nia, Jordyn, Sebastian
Previous Winners 5th - John, Alex B, Ty, Zoeya, Quentin, Jude, Ellie, Braeden, Mike, Kevyn, Sophia, Evan

JBOW March 16-22

Vote for someone who has a consistent AHW habit - at least five AHW posts per week!

Previous Winners 6th - Ania, Ryan, Sam, Danial X, Tate, Megan, Shin Be, Vivian, Aria, Jake L, Nia, Jordyn
Previous Winners 5th - John, Alex B, Ty, Zoeya, Quentin, Jude, Ellie, Braeden, Mike, Kevyn, Sophia, Evan

JBOW 3.9 to 3.15

Vote for someone who has a consistent AHW habit - at least five AHW posts per week!

Previous Winners 6th - Ania, Ryan, Sam, Danial X, Tate, Megan, Shin Be, Vivian, Aria, Jake L, Nia, Jordyn
Previous Winners 5th - John, Alex B, Ty, Zoeya, Quentin, Jude, Ellie, Braeden, Mike, Kevyn, Sophia

Cowboys Curtail Cubs

Well, the Cubs fought and fought but just could not overcome the mighty Cowboys of Western International High School yesterday, losing 58-49 at Calihan Hall. Western’s Josh Colley was a dominant force, hitting high-glass lay-ups over 6’9” Ike Eke and making 8 of 9 free-throws. U of D was dealt ahuge blow on the first play of the game when 6’10” Greg Eboigdan went down with an elbow to the face. Greg was slow in getting up and wound up with a broken nose. He never played after that, and left the game after halftime.

The Cubs will face the Cowboys in two weeks in the state quarterfinals if all goes as it should, based on the two teams’ district and regional draws and their performance throughout the season up to this point. With a healthy Greg and a dominant Cassius Winston, the Cubs could beat Western, but the Cubs truly would have to play A-grade basketball. If Western advances to the final game, they would have to get past Muskegan and Deyonta Davis, a Mr. Basketball hopeful.

Cubs vs. Cowboys

I am so psyched for what is a historic match-up today at 2pm between the Cubs of U of D Jesuit and the Cowboys of Western International High School. Both schools are located in the city of Detroit, and their basketball teams will be playing in the Operation Friendship City Chmapionship game. The teams have never met before during the refular season in the istoiry of the two schools, I am almost certain.

Another cool thing is that Western is ranked #1 in Class A and is undefeated going into the game. UD is ranked #3, and will need to bring their best skills today to defeat Western. Furthermore, if each team plays well in the state tournament, they should meet each other again, back at Calihan Hall in two weeks for the quarterfinal game. I am excited that so many factors havwe converged to make this an exciting event.

My friend, Bill Bowles, is a media specialist at Western. I met Bill on my trip to Saudi Arabia in 2007. He and I live two miles apart, but we met in Houston, before going to KSA. Bill and I will be cheering on our schools. Zack and Chris will be there, as will my friends John and Bill, with whom I graduated from UD back in 1986. Go Cubs!

JBOW 3.2 to 3.8

Previous Winners 6th - Ania, Ryan, Sam, Danial X, Tate, Megan, Shin Be, Vivian, Aria, Jake L, Nia
Previous Winners 5th - John, Alex B, Ty, Zoeya, Quentin, Jude, Ellie, Braeden, Mike, Kevyn, Sophia

JBOW 2.23 TO 3.2

Previous Winners 6th - Ania, Ryan, Sam, Danial X, Tate, Megan, Shin Be, Vivian, Aria, Jake L
Previous Winners 5th - John, Alex B, Ty, Zoeya, Quentin, Jude, Ellie, Braeden, Mike, Kevyn

Eulogy for a Friend

Eli reads

Rick reads

Good afternoon! My name is Elizabeth Cook. And my name is Rick Joseph. We are speaking this afternoon on behalf of the 5/6 Teaching team at BCS as Karen’s colleagues and friends. One of Karen’s favorite authors is Patricia Polacco. In the book, Thank You, Mr. Falker, Polacco recounts her struggles with dyslexia and how she was bullied for being unable to read or write until she was almost 14 years-old. Polacco eventually becomes literate with the help of her teacher, who is honored in the book. At the end of the story, the author mentions how she saw Mr. Falker at a wedding 30 years later and thanks him for inspiring her to become a writer. Our eulogy today thanks Mrs. Fitz for serving children and colleagues every day throughout her career.

Thank you, Mrs. Fitz. As your students, we thank you for always believing in us. We thank you for fighting so passionately for us every day and for your sense of humor. We love how you were able to laugh at yourself – eventually at least – when our furry little friend found his way into our classroom and skittered across the floor, sending you – and us – screaming and shrieking, on top of the tables. We quickly realized why you were more suited to teach language arts instead of science.

We thank you for your high expectations and your tenacity. You taught us not to be afraid,  to stand up tall, and to speak out loud. You taught us the value of hard work and the importance of having an attitude of  “we” instead of “me”.

Thank you, Mrs. Fitz, for letting us take turns on the “cush”. Thank you for your disciplined approach to life, whether in the pool or the classroom.  Thank you for teaching us to notice snapshots in our daily lives and capture them in our writing, for valuing our thoughts, and going outside to notice the world around us. Thank you for getting us into the main hallway to observe you, and to explode a moment with detail and description. Thank you for reminding us to avoid the first person when we write essays and to always pay attention to your list of “No-no’s.” Thank you for reading The Watson’s aloud to us and for helping us understand that even a character like Byron can change.

Thank you for letting us drive the bee project. You and Mrs. Brown were a perfect pair to champion Colony Collapse Disorder – as long as no mice were involved. Thank you for giving us the freedom to run with this project in any direction we wanted to take it. Thank you for showing up in shorts, a t-shirt, and your springy shoes, with your huge sun hat because the protective suit was too hot. Thank you for always reminding us that you were an expert at seating charts & sandwich making.Thank you for teaching us to fight and struggle, to laugh and smile, and enjoy every day. Thank you for helping us understand what life is all about, and just like the song  Good Riddance, that you liked by Green Day:

It's something unpredictable,
But in the end it's right
I hope you had the time of your life

Thank you, Karen. Your sense of humor always reminded us, your colleagues, not to take life too seriously. You reminded us to sit down and enjoy lunch instead of wandering the halls at school or standing in our classrooms choking down mouthfuls of food. Thank you for taking an interest in everyone throughout the building, giving us your time, and making friends on every teaching team. Thank you for being so flexible and for your willingness to roll with last-minute changes.

Thank you for your generosity, and for sharing everything from books to pencils to your crazy food at the drop of a hat. Your boisterous laugh always brightened the room and helped us to access that little devil inside all of us, even when you spit water across the table from laughing so hard. Thank you for the quirky way you would order your Greek salad at Leo’s Coney Island, making sure everything was chopped according to your liking.

Thank you for appreciating the learning needs and strengths of your students. Thanks for seeing the kids who struggle in math and science and finding their gifts in Language Arts and Social Studies. You made kids feel good about themselves. Thank you for reminding us to honor our families and the moments  we have with them, as you always did with Mackenzie and Erin.

Thank you for enduring camp over the years, despite driving yourself to the hospital in two completely different parts of the state and for driving your own vehicle to rescue us in case the “bus broke down.” Thank you for bringing an amazing team of walkers together, Team Fitz, to support you in your fight. Because of you, we have a bond that will last forever as we learn to truly celebrate each day we are blessed to enjoy. Thank you for never giving up on love and for helping us know that whether we have a day or a lifetime that love endures forever.

Patricia Polacco writes words of wisdom in another of her remarkable books The Junkyard Wonders. Karen imparted this wisdom to her students and colleagues on a daily basis.

In this part of the story, the teacher, Mrs. Peterson is addressing her students. Polacco writes:

Genius is neither learned nor acquired.
It is knowing without experience.
It is risking without fear of failure.
It is perception without touch.
It is understanding without research.
It is certainty without proof.
It is ability without practice.
It is invention without limitations.
It is imagination without boundaries.
It is creativity without constraints.
It is...extraordinary intelligence!

I want you all to write the definition on the blackboard. Post it on your mirrors. Look at it every day. Memorize it! The definition describes every one of you.

Thank you, Karen, above all else, for knowing how to make work fun. You brightened our every day, and as Pauline Roberts would say, “Bollards, we’re gonna miss you, Karen!”

JBOW 2.9 to 2.22

Previous Winners 6th - Ania, Ryan, Sam, Danial X, Tate, Megan, Shin Be, Vivian, Aria
Previous Winners 5th - John, Alex B, Ty, Zoeya, Quentin, Jude, Ellie, Braeden, Mike

JBOW 2.2 to 2.8

Let's celebrate the power of great writing!

What a Gift!

Another one! Wow. I have been a teacher for 20 years and I can only think of two other years when we had back-to-back snow days. How awesome! I certainly can find a million things to do with this extra time at home, and today I am going to do something truly important. I am going to write a eulogy for Mr. Fitz.

A eulogy is a speech given at a funeral in honor of the person who died. Mrs. Cook and I have been asked by Mrs. Fitz's husband, Malcom, to deliver the eulogy on behalf of the BCS community at Mrs. Fitz's funeral on Friday. This is a high honor, and an example, yep, you guessed it, of teh power of writing. Our eulogy will make people laugh and make them cry. Remember, these are "merely" words!

Eulogies help people grieve, which basically means deal. Deal with the death of a friend or family member. Mrs. Fitz has been my friend for 12 years and will always be my friend. Her eulogy will help people remember that she will always be with us.

No Better Day than a SNOW DAY!

Woo-hoo! It's the first one of the season, and we had to wait until February to get it, but we finally got a snow day. Hooray! This is the best kind of snow day, of course for several reasons. First of all, it's on a Monday, which extends our weekend. Second, we found out about it early the night before, so we had plenty of time to plan for what we would do with our day off. Third, it came the day after the Super Bowl, so people can stay up late watching the game and sleep in. What an amazing day! I am happy to be in my house when I'm not usually supposed to be here, which is a really cool feeling all by itself. Now, I do have to shovel some snow, but that is certainly a small price to pay...for a snow day! Plus, if the boys are up for it, I will take them sledding later this afternoon, which is a snow day ritual in our family. How exciting! Can you tell I love snow days?

The only thing better than a snow day, of course, are two snow days. Will it happen again tomorrow?

JBOW 1.26 to 2.1.15

Explain your nominations!

Kroger Arts Contest and Henry Ford Creative Writing Contest

Click here. for the Kroger Arts Contest. Read about your area of interest. Think about what you would like to enter.

Click here for the Henry Ford Creative Writing Contest. Think about some ideas.

Mid-Year Reflection

1. What aspect of your reading habit are you most proud of? Explain.
2. What could you do to improve your reading habit? What goals can you set for the third quarter?
3. What aspect of your writing habit are you most proud of? Explain.
4. What could you do to improve your writing habit? What goals can you set for the third quarter?

JBOW 1.20 to 1.25

Vote and explain your reasons for nomination.

JBOW 1.12 to 1.19

Vote with reasons

On Being a Dad

Being a dad is a blessing
The chance to help
to support
to love
to give

Being a dad is a blessing
to say
How are you?
What's up?
How's it going?

Being a dad is a blessing
that grows
We all learn
We all grow up
Long after we become adults

Being a dad is who I am
I accept the role each day
I learn to love
I develop relationships
with Zack and Nick that

Get stronger every day
Who are you becoming?
Who am I becoming?
We are of the same flesh
but different you and I

You will always be yourself
No matter how much you look
or talk like me
Your life is yours to live
Your love is yours to give

Being a dad is a blessing
It is a chnce to give gratitude
to thang God for who and what I am
to struggle every day
That is the great blessing

 

JBOW 1.5 to 1.11.15

Vote, Vote, Vote!

Remember, no explanation, no counted vote.

Time for the To-Do List

Time seems to fly on vacation. And for some reason it seems to go faster at the end than at the beginning of the break.

I know that there are 60 seconds in every minute, 60 minutes in every hour and 24 hours in every day. I also know that our holiday break is the longest of the school year. Two weeks. I am not complaining.

I just know that the time sure seems to go faster now that we are wrapping up the break and will be back at school in 48 hours.

I always have a list of things I want to accomplish, and I never seem to get them all done. Is that a question of time? When we are on summer break, off school for 2.5 months, I always end up the break in the same way, with unfinished things to do on my list.

So, what does this all mean? Do I need to make a smaller to-do list? Do I need to allocate my time better so that I get things done each day, instead of thinking, "I'll do it tomorrow?"

Ultimately, in my limited wisdom, I've realized that I have to do as much as I can while still honoring those important relationships in my life - family. I need to spend time with the people closest to  me, the ones I barely see during the school week. If I don't get everything done on my to-do list, then that's okay. If I am enjoying time with my wife and kids, then that is the best way to spend my time, on vacation or any day.

Attitude of Gratitude

Gratitude is soimething I try to give every day. I am so thankful for everything I am, everything I have and everything I do. I know that when I maintain this attitude of gratitude, I am a happier person. I let go of my fears and anxieties, breathe deep, and relax. I smile. I feel a greater sense of peace and calm.

Anyway, at the beginning of 2015, here are just a few things for which I give gratitude:

• My life
• seeing
• hearing
• smelling
• tasting
• touching
• my family
• my pets
• my friends
• my students
• my colleagues
• all the people I've ever met (They all cross my path to teach me something)
• my job
• my church
• all the places I've ever been to school
• all the places I've ever visited in the world
• my food
• my house
• my city, state, country and the world
• the opportunity to be a conduit for love

This is a list of which I need to constantly remind myself. I am extremely blessed. It reminds em of the quote above the door in Room 504: "To they whom much has been given, much is expected."

I need to get to work :-)

New Year, New Beginnings

The beauty of anything new is just that, it's "new". Whenever something is actually new to someone there is the possibility that new ways of being will emerge. New relationships. New ways of living. New ways of seeing the world.

The coolest thing about any and all things new is that we don't have to wait for New Year's Day for newness to occur. I have the ability to create newness at any time. I can start things over, remake something about myself, or start a new habit right now. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

On the Joberts team, we strive to live a daily reading and daily writing habit. If we are living it, great. We try to make it better and stronger. If we're not living it, we try to start it by removing the obstacles in the way. There is no doubt that it's a good idea to read and write every day, we just have to find the way and then get started. We will start and start again as many times as necessary. Happy New Year!