Author archive

Andrea Bumbrey

On Saturday morning,  I woke up somewhere between 2:00 a.m. and 2:30 a.m. I looked up and noticed the t.v. still on with Joel Olsteen peering at me. Although it was late and I needed to get up for church, I decided not to push the power button. Listening to the message, I soon grasped the essence of the message. “Be a Blessing”. Now although you may not believe in a higher being, the message simply means be kind to others. Each day we should do something nice for someone else. How about performing one random act of kindness a day? Just think of how you would feel if someone did something nice for you “just because”. What if this were a complete stranger?  Not only does this make you feel good but what positive effects would this have on the receiver? Will one act of kindness start a chain reaction?

Joel Olsteen gave an example. A customer went through Starbucks drive-thru. He bought his coffee and then gave the cashier enough money to pay for the coffee of this next person in line. As a result, the next person received a free cup of coffee and paid for the next person’s coffee. At the end of the day 80 people had recieved a free cup of because ONE person decided to pay for ONE cup of coffee.

At that moment, I decided to ”be a blessing” to someone each day. Beginning this week, I will begin journaling my daily acts of kindness.

Challenge: Perform one random act of kindness each day. If you get a chance, blog on my site your act of kindness.

Here are some ideas.

Kindness Ideas

Kindness Resources for Educators

Andrea Bumbrey

Over the past year, I have read several articles and heard news stories on the topic of cursive writing in elementary schools. With federal requirements for students being proficient in reading and math, do schools still include cursive writing in their curriculum?

When reviewing the Writing Common Core Standards, I did not see any reference to cursive writing. Interestingly 45 states and the District of Columbia adopted the the Common Core Standards (CCS). Virginia is one of the states that did not adopt the CCS.  Standards of Learning (SOLs) continue to be the curriculum taught by Virginia teachers. Guess What? SOL 3.8 states “The student will write legibly in cursive”. Coincidently, this is the first  year students take SOLS, not just one SOL but four (reading, math, history, and science). Although four content areas are being assessed, students are also taught writing and have an exporatory/specials class.

You be the judge.

http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-04-04/local/38274984_1_cursive-students-districts

http://pressrepublican.com/0100_news/x63033614/Cursive-writing-at-risk-in-U-S-schools

http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/04/08/cursive-handwriting-being-erased-public-schools

Andrea Bumbrey

As an assistant principal, one of my most time-consuming responsibilites is student discipline. Ironically, it is my least favorite task. I cannot count the number of times I have heard an adult say “hear comes Mrs. Bumbrey or do you want to go see Mrs. Bumbrey?”.  Although I am usually successful with persuading most students to comply with their teachers requests there are always students who are more difficult to encourage to make the right choices. These students are typically the repeat offenders. No matter what you say or do, they seem to always show up in your office again and again. “These students often have trouble regulating their emotions, become inflexible and have outbursts, and leave teachers feeling exhausted and incompetent.”  How do we manage these behaviors and lessen the number of students who have to be disciplined?

Nancy Rappaport, behavior specialist, and Jessica Minahan, a special teacher, have colloborated to provide a toolbox of preventive inteventions to assist educators with students who disrupt the classroom and eventually become repeat offenders. They have developed “The Fair Plan”. Some of the strategies are more appropriate for elementary school students but may be adapted for middle and high school.

Click the link below to read “The FAIR Plan”

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/oct12/vol70/num02/Cracking-the-Behavior-Code.aspx

Andrea Bumbrey

Where’s the snow?? We have been trying to keep warm for the last week and a half with temperatures hovering around 20 degrees. Recently, some of us were wearing our pajamas inside out, praying to snow buddhas, and doing snow dances. And why? For a snow day that MOST of us enjoy. Whether it is for a 3 day week or just a break in the middle of the week, MOST of us want a snow day.

Week before last, MOST of us got our wish!  Along with many others, I really enjoyed my extra day off. But as my husband and I rode through the Wal-Mart parking lot in our warm SUV, a thought occurred to me. How many of our students really wanted or needed to be at school? Some students probably did not have a warm house and bed.  Others did not get to enjoy the two  meals that are provided free to them at school. How many students did not go outside to play in the snow because they did not have the necessary attire to endure the frigid temperatures without getting frostbite?

Although I thoroughly enjoy my snow days off, I am sure there are children who would rather be in school even if it is only to be warm and be able to eat.

Andrea Bumbrey

How many times have you perused the internet to find books that would assist you as a school leader? The hunt is over.  The website Education World: The Educators’s Best Friend has a compilation of  ”Best Books”.  Some books may be familiar to you, others could be placed on your list of “must reads”.  Whether you are trying to address bully at your school, revamping your 3-5 minute administrative walk-thrus, or assisting a teacher with class management,  there is a resource for you!

Best Books for….

• School Leaders
• Educator’s Professional Development
• Students
• Classroom Teaching Themes

Click here:

http://www.educationworld.com/a_bestbooks/archives/parents.shtml