I was recently discussing "themes" for the upcoming school year. We discussed that maybe a new theme wasn't needed. If last year's theme was so encompassing and broad, then there is just no way that we could be finished with it in just one year. That got my Spidey Sense tingling; something seemed half-hearted or lazy about this.

So, I've been giving that idea some thought lately. Do we need themes? Or more so, do we need to change themes?

My conclusion is that it isn't about themes; it's about message. What is the message that you are wanting to convey? Is everything you are pursuing directly tied into your message?

I'm currently reading Buck Up, Suck Up... and Come Back When you Foul Up by James Carville and Paul Begala. These two are political strategists who market political candidates. They say that a good politician will always ALWAYS tie back into their message. This seems like a no brainer for teachers.

My message is that I want to make learning accessible to children, especially in the realm of educational technology.

Is everything I do as a teacher directly tied into this goal? I'm getting there. Be it Kagan, Foss, Literature Circles, Socratic Circles, inquiry based instruction, my website, incorporating social networking, podcasting, or Living Museum projects, I have been trying to carve out my style of teaching.

I am entering a place in my career where there is a shift. I have had some great guidance from friends and colleagues who have helped teach me philosophy. I've read books and articles and had discussions on "what do you think about..." I've had some time to learn, grow, and form opinions. I can tell I've begun shifting from a more passive listener and learner to one who is more sure of his message, and I am going through some more specific and focused instruction.

I want to be a good teacher. I'm still learning. There is still a lot I need to learn, and there is still a lot that I am curious about. I've got a lot of work ahead of me, but I can tell that I'm getting someplace.

I've spent a big chunk of time this summer working on my big move to my new school in a new district. I'm so appreciative of the people at my new building being so accommodating during the whole process. I've been able to take my time and really be thoughtful in cleaning up the room, unpacking, moving furniture, and putting things just where I feel the right karma.

My new classroom space is really starting to take some shape, and I've begun to post pictures of my new digs on our website. While the pictures are taken in the rough stages of changing rooms, and they will be updated more thoroughly as I get everything done, I'm excited to be able to share my progress. Head over the parents section and click on classroom tour!

I'm in this book club. It's really more a meeting of the minds than anything else. We choose books based on educational topics we would like to learn more about. These have included books such as Diane Ravitch's The Death and Life of the Great American School System, which discusses, among other things, the implications of No Child Left Behind and her changed views of high stakes testing. Our latest book was How to Grade for Learning by Ken O'Connor, a book that really made me think about how I grade and how I assess my students.

I cannot and will not claim to be a great teacher. I'm still very much in a learning phase of my career. I've only been doing this for two years, and there's no way that I've got it completely right yet. But I often take what I read in these kind of books as gospel. I think that is an awesome feeling because I know that my philosophies are being shaped and I can really base how I act as an educator on these ideas.

These meetings inevitably get thrown off topic and we meander into more broadly the big ideas of how we can change the world. Surely David Levin and Mike Feinberg had these kind of feelings before KIPP. I get from this book club a sense of community that there are really people dedicated to education for the right reason of helping kids.

Here's the deal, though. Sometimes I'll sit at our book club discussions and think that all we are doing is whining. We're reading these fascinating ideas and we wind down into big overarching ideas, and I think the piece that is missing is the "and this is what I'm going to do about it" phase.

So today, I thinking about what I'm going to do about it.

A couple years ago now, I began a section of my website devoted to writing my own thoughts. This was to be my journal, and it was made mostly to model the kind of writing I wanted my own students to do on a regular basis. It has since fallen by the wayside. Some modeling, huh? Fast forward to now, when I am starting fresh with a new-to-me school with different families and, with each year, higher expectations for myself. I have resolved to be more vigilant in this blogging attempt.

So, why a blog? Between Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and the maelstrom of social media out there, I have discovered that I love to hear myself talk. What's more, I generally agree with everything I have to say. My wife would probably say that I think everyone else should listen to what I have to say as well. So, that said, here I am beginning an attempt to share my thoughts.

I'll be the first to say that I'm not an expert. I want to be a lifelong learner of education as a profession, and I have a lot of ideas. More specifically, I THINK I have a lot of ideas, and I am always looking to add more ideas. I have a lot of opinions of what is teaching, and I have a lot of opinions on what is NOT teaching. I am no expert, but I continually strive to be better.

So here goes my attempt.

Mr. Schrader's science classes are proud to present our living museum, Mr. Schrader's Class of Wax Museum. Our living museum project has involved each of the students in our science classes researching individual scientists. We want to share our findings with you as we go on display, recreate, and reenact the major events in their lives. Students, teachers, parents, and other individuals are invited to go though each of the wax scientist statues and learn about that scientist's life.

Please join us for Mr. Schrader's class on Wednesday, May 5, 2010 or Mrs. Juencke's class on Monday, May 10, 2010 at 10:10 AM in the multipurpose room of Meadows Elementary. It's a must see!

Sincerely,
Mr. Schrader's Scientists