Hello Friends,

This month in WinkWorld, I am sharing a few interesting sites/thoughts, which have emerged in class this past month. Enjoy.

Teachers Make a Difference
http://www.taylormali.com/index.cfm?webid=51
You will recall that last month, I shared the poem by Taylor Mali; various versions of it are making their way around the 'Net. I am including for you the site, with his original work. In addition, the students in a class are sharing the information, which they discovered on what teachers make for salaries.

Median annual earnings of kindergarten, elementary, middle, and secondary school teachers ranged from $41,400 to $45,920 in May 2004; the lowest 10 percent earned $26,730 to $31,180; the top 10 percent earned $66,240 to $71,370. Median earnings for preschool teachers were $20,980.

According to the American Federation of Teachers, beginning teachers with a bachelor's degree earned an average of $31,704 in the 2003-04 school year. The estimated average salary of all public elementary and secondary school teachers in the 2003-04 school year was $46,597. Private school teachers generally earn less than public school teachers, but may be given other benefits, such as free or subsidized housing.

Teachers can boost their salary in a number of ways. In some schools, teachers receive extra pay for coaching sports and working with students in extracurricular activities. Getting a master's degree or national certification often results in a raise in pay, as does acting as a mentor. Some teachers earn extra income during the summer by teaching summer school or performing other jobs in the school system. Retrieved February 26, 2007 from http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos069.htm#earnings

National Women's History Project
2007 Honorees
http://www.nwhp.org/whm/honorees.php

What is learning?
http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/whatlearn.htm
ATHERTON J S (2005) Learning and Teaching: What is learning? [On-line] UK: Available: http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/whatlearn.htm Accessed: 26 February 2007.

NEA's Position on NCLB, and Our Shared Responsibility for re-authorization of ESEA http://www.nea.org/esea/posagendaexecsum.html

Educator's Roundtable
http://www.educatorroundtable.org

U of A Children's Literature Conference
litconf@email.arizona.edu Presentations will be posted as of March 12.

University of Alabama
http://www.midsouth.info/

Leave behind a bad idea: Even if it is "fixed," No Child Left Behind would be horrible for education accountability.
Fort Wayne News Sentinel, 5 March 2007
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/16837849.htm

Research Studies on What We Really Know about NCLB
http://www.elladvocates.org/nclb/nclbstudies.html

The Real World
In my real world, the logic board on my computer failed me. I have to send it back to the manufacturer - the minute I finish this WinkWorld. However, also in my real world, I was in Las Vegas this month, where I had two great experiences with friends.

First, I visited IICSN, which is a charter school initiated by Le Putney, my colleague/friend/co-author of A Vision of Vygotsky, and Connie Malleck. After watching Le and Connie jump over the many institutional hurdles the last couple of years in order to create this school, it was thrilling to spend time with active, involved students, who are thriving in this dynamic approach to teaching and learning. My congratulations to the entire group.

Innovations International Charter School of Nevada
www.iicsn.org
Thank you to Dr. Le Putney of UNLV of sharing the following paragraph.

IICSN is a school as resilient and diverse as its faculty and administration, staff, students, parents, and community partners. We are a state funded K - 12 public school with an inclusive educational program that incorporates bilingual education with an interest apprenticeship we call our Global Curriculum. We specialize in forming a unique learning community by relating learning to real life, providing opportunities for students to develop responsibility for self and community, and enhancing collaboration with community members, parents, business people, and institutions of higher education. We are committed to promoting academic and personal success and ensuring our school is a pivot point of collaboration and community pride.

Second, while in Las Vegas, I had the unbelievable experience of attending a Barry Manilow concert with a group of Fabulous Fanilows-who knew life could be so much fun. ;-)
http://www.barrymanilow.com/
http://www.barrynet.com/

To Reference This Web Page Wink, J. (2007, March). WinkWorld: March 2007
Retrieved ,
from www.joanwink.com/newsletter/2007/news0307-intro.html.