Kansas State University - Hause Creativity (updated with Video)

The 3 KSU Grads showing our school spirit!!!

The KTOY Team visited the Kansas State University College of Education Thursday. Being a KSU graduate, it was so great "going home" again. A lot has changed since I have been there...a new parking garage, an updated library, a new football stadium...the list goes on and on. (I think I just showed by age there). However, the one thing that remains the same is the commitment of the College of Education to the students. Under the leadership of fantastic people like Dean Michael Holen and Associate Dean Janice Wissman, our future educators are getting quality preparation for their careers. Just one example of that is the Hause Creativity Lecture which is part of their Education Symposium.

The students giving us "crinkles" a little scarf advice!

The Team put quite a few hours of preparation and thought on how and what to say. "Lecturing" was not really an option, so we tried as best as we could to involve 500 students....yes that is right....500! Since the theme was "Creativity - Making Connections" we had a big job in front of us. We started with a definition of Creativity: "Randomness with a purpose." And then we were off and running! Marilyn microwaved soap, Walt threw old hamburgers at them and talked about Progressive Era, Mary brought up a student to speak to us in a foreign language for us to practice listening and what it must be like for ELL students, Julie was her creative self with her tool boxes, Mary Martha kept us in stitches using humor, Cindy Venard showed us how to use Quantum Learning and movement in class, I gave some activities to build class culture and relationships (it was fun watching students untangle themselves -they were great!), and Jennifer dazzled them with her rhythmic respites.

Jennifer rocks "the Hause!"

I am not sure who had more fun - the students or us! I even walked away with some "scarf tying" tips....I love TEACHING - I am always learning something from students! We were so jazzed from talking with the students, we stayed and visited with each other for another hour...and played around for quite some time!

Here we are playing around after the Symposium.

The Symposium is named after the late Dr. Richard Hause who was a professor at KSU. I had the privilege of meeting his family...and after meeting all of them - I truly hope we did his memory justice in our presentation. If he was anything like his amazing family, I would not want to disappoint him. It truly was an honor to meet so many people dedicated to providing the best possible preparation to a generation of future teachers. When I looked out on all of them, I know my future (I hope a distant future) grandchildren are in good hands. Speaking of being in good hands - pictured below are two previous students of mine who I hope someday will teach my grandchildren....Shelby Sasse and Ashley Regier.

Pearson Foundation

The STOY's take Manhattan - and our "namesake!"

Linda Smerge, Illinois, Derek Olson, Minnesota, and myself outside of Jersey Boys.

I arrived in New York City today - courtesy of the Pearson Foundation. They are sponsoring a digital workshop for all the STOY's this week. Since I have never been to New York City, I am definitely showing my "tourist" side. I was actually walking through Times Square taking pictures as I am walking. For anyone that has visited NYC, you probably are nodding right now knowing what I am talking about! We arrived at the Flatotel which is on 52nd and Broadway...WALKED to the Theatre District to Jersey Boys and then went to Carmine's for a supper sponsored by Pearson.

This week the STOY's have been collecting money to send home with the American Samoa TOY, Murali Gopalan. His island was hit by a tsunami the day after he arrived at the conference. We raised $1,250!! Pearson Foundation heard of our efforts at supper tonight and agreed to match what we had raised. We presented Murali $2,500 to take home with him to help with the the recovery.

Adam from Pearson Foundation presenting the money to Murali at supper tonight.

I am so lucky to be an educator. Not only are they the most giving, caring, and loving people you can possibly be associated with but we are surrounded by professionals like those at ETS and Pearson who support our efforts. Thank you, Pearson Foundation, for caring.

Educational Testing Service - Princeton, NJ

All the above pictures were taken at the Grounds for Sculpture

I have been in Princeton, NJ for the past two days at the Next Steps Conference at the Chauncey Conference Center. This is for all State Teachers of the Year and the last time we will all "officially" be together. ETS has been an unbelievable host to us and facilitating what Teacher Leadership, Teaching Leadership, and Learning Leadership looks like for each of us. It was a proud moment for me as ETS used some of the Teacher Leader Standards from Kansas in their presentation. After listening to different speakers, I have had to answer tough questions in my "home room" with Mary Beth Blegen (NTOY 1996)on what my Next Steps are as KTOY. What is a teacher leader? How can I help my principal? What are my dreams? What are my goals? Where do I go from here? These are NOT easy questions for me or for most of my STOY friends. I DO have goals and dreams and visions of what education should/can/could look like in the state of Kansas but not sure what role I will play in all of it - if any. I would love to see the Kansas Exemplary Educators Network grow and be used as a resource for policy makers. I think it would be great if a teacher served on our State Board of Education as a resource. I dream of the day when EVERYONE put children first.

This has been a time of reflection and goal setting for me. I am not sure yet what all those goals hold as I am still just worried about making sure a student who hasn't been doing well in my class gets caught up...and then there is the student that can't get back into their home to get books and belongings. I have yet to get the whole story about it and am worried about them. It is hard to think long-range when I have so many other things to think about!

I have been learning though from some great people at ETS...Jeremy Burrus, Associate Research Scientist, Kurt Landgraf, President and CEO of ETS, Katherine Bassett, Director of Educator Relations, and Eleanor Horne, VP of ETS Social Investment Fund. We have also heard from 5 previous National Teachers of the Year, who have been guiding us all through this journey. We even had a surprise visit from the editor of Chicken Soup for the Teacher's Soul, Amy Newmark and CEO of Chicken Soup, William J. Rouhana -also her husband! (pictured at left) Every 2009 STOY is contributing to the next edition of the book due out in February. She even brought the book cover to share with us.

This evening we took a tour of Grounds for Sculpture and ate at Rats Restaurant. The place is amazing! J. Seward Johnson has his studio there (which we got to tour). I wish I could explain all the art I saw but there was SO MUCH that I can't do it justice. The restaurant on the Grounds, Rats, was conceived from J. Seward Johnson's vision. He wanted visitors to feel like they have stepped into a village of French impressionist Claude Monet's town of Giverny. It is simply beautiful. We didn't just eat...it was a 5 course meal - complete with different wines to complement the course being served. AMAZING!

And - for those wondering if I had any cheesecake....the answer is YES! Just since being here I have had 4 slices of cheesecake! (pictured left is 2 of them - pumpkin cheesecake and apple cheesecake)

I am going to end with my favorite quote from today:

"We don't see things as they are, we see things the way WE are."