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TEACHERS.NET GAZETTE
FEBRUARY 2001
Volume 2 Number 2

COVER STORY
Cheryl Ristow never thought her life would change so much with one click. This month's cover story tracks our own Aggie/CA from net newbie to published author!
COLUMNS
Effective Teaching by Harry & Rosemary Wong
Promoting Learning by Marv Marshall
Alfie Kohn Article
4 Blocks by Cheryl Sigmon
School Psychologist by Beth Bruno
Jan Fisher Column
BCL Classroom by Kim Tracy
ARTICLES
Read Across America
How to Excel as a Reading Specialist
Independent Learning
ADD and the Structured Environment
How Do I Manage a Class?
6 Traits of Writing
Indians for Mascots
Child Violence
The Unsinkable Sub
Visually Impaired and EC
Magic Slippers Poem
Becoming a Tech Savvy Administrator
The Killing of a Spirit
Bullying in Schools
Student Photo of Mars
REGULAR FEATURES
Web News & Events
Upcoming Ed Conferences
Poll: Weirdest Thing?
Letters to the Editor
New in the Lesson Bank
Humor from the Classroom
Help Wanted - Teaching Jobs
Gazette Back Issues
Gazette Home Delivery:


Send Us Your Web News...
Have a teacher news story or announcement you'd like to see published on our Web News column? Send it to us at editor@teachers.net and we'll include it in an upcoming issue of the gazette.


TOPT Preparation Course
The Gulf Language Institute offers a TOPT Preparation Course in the Spring 2001.

Objectives: To help teachers reach the advanced level of oral proficiency required to pass the Texas Oral Proficiency Test.

Description: The course is conducted in six Saturdays: 5 full Saturdays of instruction (9:00 am - 5:00 pm), and the sixth for review (9:00 am - 2:00 pm). Course includes preparation manuals and practice tests. Dates: February 10; March 3, 24; April 14; May 5; May 19 (review). Location: Castleberry ISD, Fort Worth, Texas.

If not taking the course, preparation manuals can be purchased from the publisher, VIC Languages (1-800-990-7981)

For details, please call 1-800-990-7981 or 903-886-1855 or visit their web site at www.the-gli.com.


National Kindergarten Alliance
The National Kindergarten Alliance was the result of a meeting of 37 educators from across the country who gathered in San Francisco almost a year ago. The desire to address concerns facing Kindergarten education motivated these men and women to begin to build an organization to act as a national voice for issues such as developmentally appropriate curriculum, class size, entrance age, full inclusion, assesment and reporting instruments. The Alliance now has an outreach roster of almost 200 educators. Some are individual members, others are representing associations and conference committees around the United States. For futher information about joining the National Kindergarten Alliance, you may contact Debi Nunez

The 2000 year was spent in organizational structure e.g. developing a budget, writing by laws, etc. Follow up meetings were held in Huntsville, Alabama and Providence, Rhode Island to insure that regional concerns were heard. The next meeting of the National Kindergarten Alliance will be held in conjunction with the Southern California Kindergarten Conference, Burbank, on February 25 & 26. Information about the meeting or the conference can be made by contacting Terry Eaton twoeatons@earthlink.net or Carol Nicoli dcnicoli@earthlink.net.

NKA has established a research committee. The initial topic will be "Common Threads of Exemplary Kindergarten Practices". Meetings are being held in July in Florida and California to gather anecdotal information from classroom teachers to add to the information gathered from research studies on record. The results of this year long study will be presented at a national symposium. The stand taken by NKA as a result of this comprehensive resesarch may be used by agencies and organizations across the United States to advocate for changes and improvements in strategies and environments for Kindergarten education.

If you have information that is applicable to this topic or wish to be part of the NKA research committe, please contact Research Chair Carol Gossett csgosset@psnw.com.


This Month's Cool Site
This month's cool site allows you to look up phone numbers for people and businesses around the world. With 555-1212.com, you can find people by name, businesses by type and location, search for maps and email addresses, even look up people by reverse phone number. This site is a great asset in your web search suite, so add it to your bookmarks at the top!

 



Directory information and MORE!

 
Teacher News & Events From The Web....
February Teacher News from the Web:


News From the Teachers.Net Community

Births

    Congratulations Ika!
    Jonathan Loh (7lbs 9oz)
    born January 12


  • nan, grandmother to be, February 14th
  • Shelley/Manitoba due in April
  • hana due May
  • kris/Australia due in spring
  • kdw due in spring
  • Melly due in spring
  • Stewart, father to be, in spring
  • Diet Coke/Ohio- due July 4th

    Birthdays
    2/01:  Chris/k/TX
    2/03:  Lydia,Tx
    2/05:  Cheryl
    2/05:  Gail
    2/09:  pa/hs/tch
    2/12:  Pat A
    2/13:  Nancy (Ga)
    2/15:  KarenW
    2/18:  Sarah Ellen
    2/20:  Fitzie/MO
    2/21:  CarpediemK
    2/22:  Anne
    2/22:  Laura/NJ/5
    2/22:  Deb/K/MI
    2/23:  Denise
    2/25:  CARI
    2/29:  Pam1-2OR
    3/01:  Randy/2/AK
    3/01:  Paula R.
    3/03:  Jack/pong/NY
    3/03:  Susan/2nd/NY
    3/03:  cj
    3/03:  Erika/6-8/CA
    3/09:  Jen/5/OH
    3/09:  Ron
    3/10:  Kristi
    3/10:  Marjie/CA
    3/10:  Terry/KS-ST
    3/13:  Phizzy
    3/14:  Carolyn/Tn
    3/19:  ~SEA~
    3/19:  Diane/MA
    3/20:  ~Niki~
    3/21:  ßårb~Tx
    3/24:  Jane/4/tx
    3/24:  Brann
    3/26:  Putter
    3/26:  Julie/K/IA/D2BT
    3/27:  Ratman
    3/30:  Valerie: S
    3/31:  Diane B
    3/31:  Linda/4/NJ

    Accolades
    Congratulations to Marie Blair for receiving the "Significant Contributions to Students" award presented by the University of Nebraska Parents Association and Teaching Council.The award has been in existence for 13 years, and Marie has won it 10 out of those 13 years.

    To announce your wedding, births, or other news to the Teachers.Net community, email the announcement to kimtracy@teachers.net.
     


    Timeforkids.com Announces Black History Month Resources

    This February, kids and teachers will have a new resource to help them study, teach, and draw inspiration from Black History Month: Timeforkids.com

    Time, Inc is launching a spotlight area on timeforkids.com that focuses on the African American experience in America, in coordination with Black History Month (http://timeforkids.com/bhm).

    This area will contain...

    • An interactive Black History timeline from Lincoln to Colin Powell

    • A 'Fight for Rights' trivia game retracing Dr. King's march from Selma to Montgomery

    • An activity profiling of famous black Americans

    • Downloads of famous speech excerpts

    • Black history-themed poll questions

    • A day-by-day look at Black history milestones from 2/1 to 2/28

    These activities will be complemented by Black History-themed reproducibles, activities, and lessons for teachers. The news, information, exploration destination for kids on the Web, Timeforkids.com is the cyber-sibling of TIME for Kids magazine,the classroom edition of TIME magazine. For more information about these activities, please contact Joel Schwartzberg, Editor of Timeforkids.com, at 212-522-0948.
     



     
    Online Guide for Learning Differences for Parents

    Learning problems such as dyslexia affect at least 10 million children, or approximately one in five students in first through ninth grades. While 15% of Americans have learning disabilities, many go untreated due to lack of diagnosis. With statistics like these, learning differences, learning disabilities, and special education are now part of general education issues, focus and discussion.

    The Schwab Foundation for Learning is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to "helping kids with learning differences be successful in learning and life."

    In January, the Schwab Foundation for Learning (http://www.schwablearning.org) re-launched its web site under its new name, SchwabLearning.org, and with a new emphasis on being "a parent's guide to helping kids with learning differences." The relaunched site includes a new design, new navigation, a wealth of content and a new "pathway" for readers to follow as they learn about LD.

    The new site, SchwabLearning.org, reflects what parents themselves say they need to understand the concepts and consequences of learning differences for themselves and their children.

    SchwabLearning.org contains more than 200 pages of content on learning differences and disabilities. On the site, parents can easily navigate between Identifying a Learning Difference, Managing a Learning Difference, and Connecting with Others. They draw upon the work of recognized authorities, current studies and leading institutions in the fields of learning, child development, education and psychology - but they have written and organized the site to be easily understood and accessible to parents. New features and content will be added weekly.

    In short, SchwabLearning's content and tools provide a roadmap to understanding the language and landscape of learning differences and disabilities. Their new site has been carefully designed to serve as the "trusted guide" that parents say they need in order to be effective advocates for their LD children.


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