To sell an idea, promote a product or further a mission, one must craft the perfect sales pitch. Getting someone to purchase something he really does not need or want, takes persuasion, persistence and probable cause. Our company mugs are lovely, but who needs another mug? It’s what the mug represents, the purpose for funding and the delivery of the sales pitch that will make or break the sale. Want to buy a mug?
Blog
I Get It!
For years, teachers have engaged in taking running records to assess reading progress. Teachers analyze mistakes, determine strategies to help students correct mistakes and create an instructional plan of next steps to help students become proficient readers. When used correctly, this tool can provide great insight into teaching and learning in a profound way.
The first week of school, my former colleague, Ellen Bloom, came to my class to teach students how to monitor their own reading progress by administering running records. Why should the teacher be the sole proprietor of the assessment tool and the process through which students learn to be better readers?
As students learn to monitor their own progress and the progress of their peers, they better understand themselves as readers and for the first time, can unlock the meaning to the printed words on the page. The words come to life. It all begins to make sense.
Since Ms. Bloom’s visit in September, my students have persevered in their efforts to become proficient readers. They coach one another and provide unsolicited assistance and support for fellow readers. When we turn over the responsibility of learning to our students, they do not disappoint.
A Rainy, Introspective Morning
Though the sky was spitting wetness and the damp, cold air was uninviting, it didn’t keep us in. Parked under the overhang of the school entrance, we sat in the stillness. We let our pencils guide us as we poured our thoughts and feelings onto paper.
The Domino Effect
Before attending our school choir and band concert last week, I knew it was important to discuss “audience etiquette.” So, as we do in teaching many concepts and ideas, we presented a metaphor to help us better understand our significance as members of an audience. Each company member took a domino and gently placed it on the carpet, standing up right, one next to the other. I asked the class how these dominoes represent us. A discussion ensued. Then, someone tapped a domino and the rest fell in succession. I asked again how these dominoes represent us. The discussion continued and all came away from the conversation thinking a bit more about how one affects the whole. The next day, we revisited this theme and wrote what we were thinking. If we could harness these thoughts and keep them tucked inside us as reminders of how everything we do affects someone else, our actions might be different and our world would certainly be.
Why You Should Hire Me
As we move through the hiring process and prepare contracts for each company member, we ask the essential question, Why should we hire you for a job in the opera company?
This question serves to enlighten and inform our decisions as to whom will be best suited as electricians, performers, composers, writers, public relations officers, costume and makeup designers, set designers, stage manager and production manager. Where do we see the most interest? In which job will the student grow most? What skills and abilities does the student exhibit that will contribute to the collaborative work of the specific job group? Individual student interviews not only give children an authentic experience as eight year olds, but also a sneak preview of what to expect as adults in the work world.
Mask Making
In order to truly take off our masks, we first need to design and make a physical representation of our metaphors. Nina Muys, retired art teacher, led the company in a session of mask making that taught not only the artistic process of creating an actual mask, but also the care and respect the artist must give his subject. Company members carefully prepared short strips of plastic craft and gently placed the wet strips on their partners’ faces to create the perfect shape, texture and mold. The manner in which students demonstrated care and concern for one another was absolutely beautiful. Each made his partner feel comfortable and secure in the process. As the masks hardened, company members delighted in the ceremonial removing of the masks.