I love seeing brilliant kids being educated and expressing their thoughts, feelings, and opinions - rather than being dumbed down and handed another video game and bag of chips.
Akiane Kramarik, a young artist who was inspired by visions from God to paint from the age of just 4 years old. A brilliant young mind using her gift to inspire people.
I'm sorry we publicized so much of your private life on the Internet where total strangers could see stuff about you that only family should know. But I'm in Marketing, and you'll soon understand what that means.
I just bought "Songs For Japan" through iTunes on my iPhone. It's a fund raising album with 38 great songs for only $9.99 on my iPhone.
Passing this along, I hope other people will do the same.
Here is a list of the songs you get when you purchase it:
1. John Lennon, "Imagine" 2. U2, "Walk On" 3. Bob Dylan, "Shelter From the Storm" 4. Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Around the World" 5. Lady Gaga, "Born This Way" 6. Beyoncé, "Irreplaceable" 7. Bruno Mars, "Talking to the Moon" 8. Katy Perry, "Firework" 9. Rihanna, "Only Girl (In the World)" 10. Justin Timberlake, "Like I Love You" 11. Madonna, "Miles Away" 12. David Guetta, "When Love Takes Over" 13. Eminem (featuring Rihanna), "Love the Way You Lie" 14. Bruce Springsteen, "Human Touch" 15. Josh Groban, "Awake" 16. Keith Urban, "Better Life" 17. Black Eyed Peas, "One Tribe" 18. Pink, "Sober" 19. Cee Lo Green, "It's OK" 20. Lady Antebellum, "I Run to You" 21. Bon Jovi, "What Do You Got?" 22. Foo Fighters, "My Hero" 23. R.E.M., "Man on the Moon" 24. Nicki Minaj, "Save Me" 25. Sade, "By Your Side" 26. Michael Bublé, "Hold On" 27. Justin Bieber, "Pray" 28. Adele, "Make You Feel My Love" 29. Enya, "If I Could Be Where You Are" 30. Elton John, "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" 31. John Mayer, "Waiting on the World to Change" 32. Queen, "Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)" 33. Kings of Leon, "Use Somebody" 34. Sting, "Fragile" 35. Leona Lewis, "Better in Time" 36. Ne-Yo, "One in a Million" 37. Shakira, "Whenever, Wherever" 38. Norah Jones, "Sunrise"
I know you can get it through iTunes or Amazon.com (maybe more places too)
A teacher once told me it wasn't his job to teach, it was my job to learn.
While he was right about the second part, the first part made me shake my head and wonder why that man was allowed in a classroom. Sadly, not only was he allowed in a classroom... he'd been a teacher for over 20 years.
He sat quietly each day listening to the radio and reading his newspaper and he'd have us rotate each day between reading our text books and watching videos from the AV department.
Then once a week we would take a test. A test he did not write, and he did not grade. I learned later that because he did not grade the tests, nor did he even look at them I did not have to read my book or even worry about the tests.
On the tests he had other students grade we agreed to give each other A's and B's (so as not to draw too much attention). On the tests he pretended to grade I learned that he simply gave us a grade that was calculated by looking at our previous grades and using a curve based upon how much he liked us. If you were clean cut, an athlete, and dressed the right way... that helped your grade a LOT.
He would call us to his desk and grade the "important" tests in front of us. I was never so proud (for being sneaky) and so disappointed (in our educational system) than the day I received an A on a test in world geography which included my listing of the following countries in Europe... Greenland, Redland, Blueland, Orangeland, and Yellowland.
It was my most bold test of his incompetence and complete lack of caring for his students and his greatest display of both.
I wish the man in this video (Taylor Mali) would have met my teacher... and kicked his ass.
The problem with our education system today is teachers like the one I had. The solution is teachers like Taylor Mali.
- Thank you to all the teachers who give a damn.
- Thank you to all the teachers who care about their students.
- Thank you to all the teachers who realize the system is broken but you have a classroom that isn't.
- Thank you to all the teachers who realize their profession maybe the most important profession in the world... and they treat it that way.
I had a handful of those teachers growing up... and I thank God I did.