tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88588549848104668802024-02-19T03:58:09.678-08:00Balance (National Teacher of the Year, Michael Geisen)Thoughts on education and life from the 2008 National Teacher of the Year, Michael Geisen.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08959830766560167654noreply@blogger.comBlogger116125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858854984810466880.post-2602661732229398302009-06-14T20:00:00.000-07:002009-08-08T12:55:36.207-07:00Book 'Em, Dannie<!--StartFragment--> Denver, CO When I first got selected as National Teacher, my friend and colleague, Dannie, was laughing pretty hard. “They’re going to make a movie out of you!” she chided. She was referring to The Ron Clark Story, which I had never heard of. (Incidentally, I hadn’t heard of Teacher of the Year, either.) Of course, he was the Disney Teacher of the Year, so that’s a Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08959830766560167654noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858854984810466880.post-14136117210371544442009-06-14T14:00:00.000-07:002009-08-03T16:14:02.975-07:00Educated PeopleMedford, OR Graduation season is coming to a close, and I just gave my third commencement address. This one was for my alma mater, Southern Oregon University, in Ashland, where I earned my Masters in teaching in 2001. It was a grand day out on the field with about 900 graduates and a few thousand visitors. By this date, all the graduation rhetoric and clichés have been used, and as the Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08959830766560167654noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858854984810466880.post-82626182590253130962009-06-11T12:30:00.000-07:002009-08-02T14:59:43.973-07:00StorytimeSt. Cloud, MN Last night I had dinner with Jerry Wellik, a gem of a fellow who is a professor of education at St. Cloud State University, about 70 miles outside of Minneapolis. He grew up in a little town in Iowa near where the National Hobo Festival has taken place for over a hundred years. (It’s located at a site near the RR tracks, incidentally.)As you might imagine, the festivities Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08959830766560167654noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858854984810466880.post-88922727887558119422009-06-10T06:00:00.000-07:002009-06-25T23:21:04.239-07:00Fer Bummer, and Fer Neat!Redmond, OR Happy Anniversary! Exactly fourteen years ago, Jen and I said, “we do.” And we did. And we have. And we are! And we will. In other news, Aspen and Johanna had their last day of school yesterday, so today is their first day of summer break! Anniversary… First day of summer break… and where am I? Flying to Minnesota, don’tcha know. But Aspen and I looked over our Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08959830766560167654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858854984810466880.post-79947989084191601182009-06-06T06:30:00.000-07:002009-06-11T17:13:22.678-07:00ExploraVisionWashington, DC What a grand couple of days in DC… a ride on the secret Senate subway, hanging out with Toshiba executives and old friends from Japan, cocktails with Bill Nye, flirting with exotic women (she was almost 2), and the possibility of laptops and other technology for my classroom next fall. This was the 17th annual Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision Awards!Oregon was represented among the Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08959830766560167654noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858854984810466880.post-7218060332186610032009-06-02T06:00:00.000-07:002009-06-10T07:47:17.880-07:00Solo Mio<!--StartFragment--> Redmond, OR I hope I don’t pull a muscle. It’s been nearly two weeks since I’ve given a presentation (not counting our high school graduation ceremony… gotta love country music blaring at the football stadium!) I’m now officially on my own. I no longer have “people” in DC to book all my arrangements, iron out the details, and tie up all the loose ends. I’m Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08959830766560167654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858854984810466880.post-41351477169217693812009-05-21T11:30:00.000-07:002009-06-08T12:36:13.680-07:00It is Finished! (emphasis on the "ish")<!--StartFragment--> Los Angeles, CA In the words of Jesus: “It is finished!” Of course, after he said that, he died. And even then, he kept working. For a couple thousand more years. I have a feeling my job will continue to linger on like this, too. But it’s important work, so that’s okay. It’s just nice to have passed this major milestone. Actually, we’re still on the runway,Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08959830766560167654noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858854984810466880.post-49075094472372477252009-05-20T16:30:00.000-07:002009-06-06T14:52:07.702-07:0024 Little Hours<!--StartFragment--> Redmond, OR Well, this is it. My last official trip as National Teacher of the Year / Slave-to-Whoever-Wants-Me. It seems like just yesterday that I was… ah, hell with it. It’s been a looong year, and I have made one heck of a journey. I wish I was feeling more reflective, but I’m not. At least not yet. I still have another 8 or 9 events scheduled for June, and a Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08959830766560167654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858854984810466880.post-33430052986031547402009-05-13T17:00:00.000-07:002009-06-03T20:54:03.192-07:00De Belt<!--StartFragment--> Reno, NV I’m either getting rusty or I’m getting weary. I’ve been through how many TSA checkpoints this year? And now I have finally set off the beeper. Culprit: belt. Dang. Must have been the mild seizure I was experiencing from all the flashing slot machines in the airport. Ah… Nevada. <!--EndFragment-->Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08959830766560167654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858854984810466880.post-30193138846380115192009-05-12T11:30:00.000-07:002009-06-02T15:15:58.696-07:00Winding down<!--StartFragment--> Redmond, OR Things are finally starting to wind down a bit. Now that the 2009 National Teacher of the Year has been announced and the school year is starting to wind down, my schedule is finally beginning to ease. Only a few more engagements in May and my official reign will be over. (Then my lucrative career as an inspirational speaker, best-selling author and, of Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08959830766560167654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858854984810466880.post-69570552339771196532009-04-28T12:30:00.000-07:002009-05-18T18:58:41.460-07:00My HeroesHartford, CT I finally got to see two of my heroes teach! Yesterday: Mike Flynn, 2008 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year. Today: Joan Hurley, 2008 Connecticut Teacher of the Year. (The 2009 Connecticut Teacher of the Year, Anthony Mullen, was just announced as the 2009 National Teacher of the Year! I’m old news now. Finally.) Mike is a 2nd grade teacher, but this year is a teacher in Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08959830766560167654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858854984810466880.post-81649415875226654862009-04-23T16:30:00.000-07:002009-06-10T07:58:01.828-07:00Neck and Neck<!--StartFragment--> Salt Lake City, UT It’s neck and neck! (Strange expression.) My numbers of glasses of cranberry juice, bars of soap liberated from hotel rooms, and thank you cards written are all in the high 150’s. If I add up all the presentations, talks, and interviews I’ve done, they’d be in a close fourth place. All of this record keeping to say that I fly too much, am goneMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08959830766560167654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858854984810466880.post-54099922435045851992009-04-21T18:30:00.000-07:002009-05-13T19:36:38.639-07:00An Open Guitar Case<!--StartFragment--> San Diego, CA I spent the day today with people whose primary function is to give away money. (No, not the federal government.) It’s an organization of small, mostly family-based, foundations whose philanthropic interests include education. I was there to kick off the day with an overview of public education from a teacher’s perspective. I left my guitar case open, butMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08959830766560167654noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858854984810466880.post-74064126690305968602009-04-20T16:30:00.000-07:002009-05-12T14:04:57.632-07:00Weather or not<!--StartFragment--> Redmond, OR Mid-80’s in central Oregon today! Feels like summer! (Snow a few day ago, though. Felt like winter.) What cracks me up is when people look at their thermostat and say “yep, global warming!” Or even better, when it snows: “Those liberal scientists don’t know what they’re talking about! Global warming?!? It’s snowing in April!” Of course, both Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08959830766560167654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858854984810466880.post-65284253890248739112009-04-18T10:30:00.000-07:002009-05-05T09:47:49.327-07:00The Not-So-Friendly Skies<!--StartFragment--> San Antonio, TX Somebody didn’t get enough sleep last night! And I’m not talking about me (although I didn’t, of course.) Our flight attendant woke up and put on her grumpy pants this morning. My first flight was delayed this morning because the crew got in late last night and federal regulations stipulate a certain amount of rest for them. I suppose that’s a good Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08959830766560167654noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858854984810466880.post-2948011108925576882009-04-16T06:30:00.000-07:002009-04-28T09:09:38.093-07:00Was It Worth It?<!--StartFragment--> Redmond, OR As we were hiking yesterday, a good friend of mine asked me about the pros and cons of this past year. “Overall, was it worth it?” My answer: “I’m not sure.” It has been a year of ups and downs, of incredible opportunities and tremendous pain. It has led to personal growth, and hopefully some good in the world of education. But it has taken it’s Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08959830766560167654noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858854984810466880.post-46924562598032598742009-04-12T16:30:00.000-07:002009-04-26T21:43:55.916-07:00The Ceremonial BlanketLas Vegas, NV I got to hang out with Robert Kelty, the 2008 Arizona Teacher of the Year this weekend in Flagstaff. My family was able to join me for a few days there also, since I had a bit of a break after a couple of events there, and Jen’s sister lives in Flag, too. It was the mini-spring break we didn’t get this year. ‘Twas nice. Robert came to education via Teach for America on his Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08959830766560167654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858854984810466880.post-65754706001769351242009-04-05T12:00:00.000-07:002009-04-27T20:43:54.603-07:00March Madness and the Final FourDetroit, MI Each year, the NCAA Rules Committee produces a nearly 200 page document of the rules for college basketball. It is a somewhat cumbersome attempt to account for the complexity of the game we have come to love. But the committee is planning to make some major changes for the 2009-2010 season. Just this week, Rules Committee Secretary Ed Bilik released a statement that due to the Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08959830766560167654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858854984810466880.post-78610862039502589232009-04-03T11:00:00.000-07:002009-04-08T13:15:31.024-07:00Haiku<!--StartFragment--> Redmond, OR Amazing scheduling anomaly! My next three gigs are all west of the Mississippi river. (This is a bit like the fact that on a multiple-choice test, there are always three of the same letters in a row somewhere on the test. It’s statistically unlikely, but it always seems to show up.) Tomorrow morning I’m at the National School Board Association’s annualMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08959830766560167654noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858854984810466880.post-60284255294404209012009-04-01T14:30:00.000-07:002009-04-05T22:13:01.424-07:00M-i-s-s-i-s-s-i-p-p-iJackson, MS When I was in 4th or 5th grade, I did a report on Mississippi. I remember only two things about the state (the fact that Jackson is the capitol isn’t one of those things.) First, I remember the shape of the state, and especially it’s coastline. I made a pretty nice looking map of Mississippi and Alabama, and remember the rough symmetry between them. And I seem to recall Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08959830766560167654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858854984810466880.post-19136527671297511502009-03-30T15:00:00.000-07:002009-04-04T22:49:23.619-07:00Monday mornings<!--StartFragment--> St. Louis, MO Mental note: try not to accept speaking engagements on Monday mornings. Especially in large gymnasiums with hard chairs and bad sound systems. I might have been more popular if I had simply inserted pliers into people’s mouths and started pulling. Perhaps Mondays should just be cancelled. But then, Tuesdays would be Tuesdays. Kind of like if babies Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08959830766560167654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858854984810466880.post-12911036366330062172009-03-27T16:00:00.000-07:002009-04-03T13:18:16.207-07:00When I grow up...<!--StartFragment--> Jacksonville, FL I had another chance to speak to “Future Educators” this morning. These are middle- and high-school students who have expressed interest in teaching as a career. That wasn’t me at that age. I worked through a few career options ranging from graphic design to geology before finally settling on a major in Forest Resource Management. Teaching wasn’t Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08959830766560167654noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858854984810466880.post-41822081534548434962009-03-26T06:00:00.001-07:002009-04-01T09:16:13.659-07:00Improv in the Zone<!--StartFragment--> Redmond, OR Oh, I hurt. Went skiing on Tuesday with Jen, my brother (David), and another friend (Troy). This was my third ski day this year, which is two or three times more than I usually get in a year! I’ve managed to space them out perfectly, though, so my muscles re-atrophy between each outing, ensuring a few days of good pain to remind me of the fun I had. There Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08959830766560167654noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858854984810466880.post-57677631810146683172009-03-21T13:00:00.000-07:002009-03-29T05:43:49.657-07:00Procrastination<!--StartFragment--> Chicago, IL Got some much needed rest my first night in Chicago. Slept in until 11am. Back to my normal 3 ½ hours last night, though. I have this pesky habit of procrastinating the preparation of my presentations until the pm previous. (Holy alliteration, Batman! Didn’t mean to do that until halfway through, at which time there arose a moral imperative to plow Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08959830766560167654noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8858854984810466880.post-60297457356400383132009-03-19T15:00:00.000-07:002009-03-27T11:43:47.732-07:00On Weariness<!--StartFragment--> Columbus, GA Must… sleep… Too many events, too much jet lag, too much Southern food. Must… sleep… I feel like I’m going soft, though. I did three speaking engagements and a forum yesterday, and two more talks this morning. And I’m beat.True, it’s about 4am in Japan right now, and I’ve been up way too late working on some new ideas, but shoot, I should be able Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08959830766560167654noreply@blogger.com1