Happy Weekend!!!

Enjoy enjoy enjoy.

Thanks for great presentations as usual. 

Go read!

Love and Light,
Beltran

Today's Song: "All-Star" Smash Mouth

Another Fantastic Day

Thank you for another glorious day...I so very much appreciate it.

SAS tomorrow.

Love and Light,
Beltran

Today's Song: "Classic" MKTO

Today

Just.
No.
Words.

WOW.

We will continue tomorrow.

Love and Light,
Beltran

Today's Song: "Locked Away" R. City, Adam Levine

We Need To Talk About An Injustice

Hiya, Lovelies -

I love Bryan Stevenson's TED Talk mainly because it makes me think.  I hope it prompted some thought in your brain, too. Here's a little NPR piece on Mr. Stevenson.  Feed your brain if you dare...

If you're interested, a gentle reminder that Just Mercy and The Sun Does Shine are both on our First Semester Book List and available for check out.  Anthony Ray Hinton's story sounds fictional but is sadly very, very true.  But be forewarned...once you read the books, you will see the world differently.

Tomorrow your letters are due for presentation so be ready.  If you'd like to volunteer, just let me know when you get to class.  Also, don't forget to email me your 2nd Six Weeks grade request. 

Go be kind.

Love and Light,
Beltran

Today's Song: "Don't You Want Me" The Human League

Welcome Back

Four weeks, Lovelies.  Let's make them amazing. 

As you hunker down for the next month, keep in mind the following:

• Who Do You Need to Thank Letter due WED. 11/28
• Email me your 2nd 6 weeks grade request by WED 11/28 at midnight.
• CS 1.0 due FRI 12/14
• CS 1.0 Sign ups being posted outside my classroom THIS FRIDAY
• Basket Contest/Random Acts of Kindness starts today and goes through FRI 12/14 - submit entries that include your name, class period and a description of your Random Acts.  I'll have a box to enter them in tomorrow.
• Drawing held WED 12/19 at the beginning of lunch.

TED Talk tomorrow!

Love and Light,

Beltran

Today's Song: "Come On, Let's Go" Ritchie Valens

Have a GREAT Break

Just all the love and light.

Thank you for the best Friday SAS ever.

Beltran :)

Today's Song: "no tears left to cry” Ariana Grande

My Favorite Day

Dear Lovelies -

A thousand thank you's to the fun of today.  I hope the activity brought a little joy to your day.  Just watching you write and then read your Post-Its brought a ton of joy to me.

If you'll be in class, come prepared with an SAS for tomorrow.  :)

Love and Light,
Beltran

Today's Song: "Celebration" Kool & The Gang

Gratitude

Lovelies,

Your job is to brainstorm either a person, experience or thing/object to which you'll write a letter of gratitude.  The letter (I prefer typed) should include a visual and is due for PRESENTATION in class on Wednesday 11/28 - two weeks from today.

I shared a few examples of letter/expressions in class.  One was from Story Corps.  Access it here.  And the others were letters to Acrylic Nails, a dog, a sprained ankle and even the IRS (some classes heard different ones).

I'll see y'all tomorrow.  BRING YOUR POST-IT NOTES!!!

Love and Light,
Beltran

Today's Song: "Twist and Shout" The Beatles

Lollipop Moments

Lovelies -

Thanks for watching (or trying to watch - I see you period 5) the TED Talk for today.  Each of us has the potential to be a leader in big and small ways to positively impact other people.  As Gabe said today, I am absolutely "indoctrinating" you.  I want you ALL to question, to consider, to come up with your own opinions and to be kind.  Make no mistake, though.  Kindness is not weakness and it doesn't mean staying silent in the face of wrong.  I also hope I am absolutely transparent when it comes to my biases - READ, READ, READ.  It broadens your world and you'll never regret learning.

Come to class tomorrow with open hands. 

See y'all then.

Love and Light,
Beltran

Today's Song: "High Hopes" Panic at the Disco

Enjoy

Enjoy your three day weekend.  I hope you have fun, relax, and get to do things you want.

Thanks for a great SAS and congrats to the class periods that finished their first round of presentations.

The Counseling meeting scheduled for Friday 11/16 was cancelled so be ready for SAS before Thanksgiving Break.

AND...CHECK THIS OUT!!!

If you're interested in applying to give an actual TED Talk on a TED stage.  Thanks to RK for the link.

Love and Light,
Beltran

Today's Song: "Take on Me" A-Ha

Thank You

Thanks for listening to the little life lesson today about listening to your instincts.  It's easy to dismiss your gut, but be mindful of your inner compass.  It's there to help you and alert you when something's a bit off.  You can always apologize later.  And in my humble opinion, we as people are so, so, so conditioned to be "nice". 

Don't BE NICE.  Be kind. 

And the first kindness starts with you. 

Thanks also for working in your groups today.  It seems some went better than others but one of the other life lessons we all need to learn is how to work with people we normally wouldn't.

Tomorrow we have SAS.  If you haven't yet presented, please be ready.

Love and Light,
Beltran

Today's Song: "Let's Groove" Earth Wind and Fire

Maya Angelou

Hi, Lovelies -

Happy Wednesday.  If you were absent (physically or mentally) from class today, watch a little snippet of Dr. Maya Angelou offering her sage life advice.  And then reread her essay "In All Ways A Woman" from her 1993 book Wouldn't Take Nothing For My Journey Now.  You are expected to be able to:

1) articulate Angelou's purpose, thesis, subject and audience and
2) discuss how this text connects to Fadiman's + Brady's essays

Love and Light,
Beltran

Today's Song: "Bohemian Rhapsody" Queen

If I Should Have a Daughter - Happy Election Day

Dear Lovelies,

Sarah Kay is one of my favorites.  Rewatch her TED Talk HERE.  And don't forget that second semester, I will be checking your TED Talk notes...if you're coasting along enjoying the ride (and not doing the work), I'd rethink your plan.  Second Semester starts on Monday, January 28th.

Tomorrow make sure you have what you need.  I assume if you're reading this you know what's up so perhaps consider helping others. 

The rest of the week looks like this:

Wed - Maya Angelou research, reading and small group chats
Thurs - Putting "it" all together
Fri - SAS

And next week will be glorious and I CANNOT WAIT.

Love and Light,
Beltran

Today's Song: "I'm Yours" Jason Mraz

Happy Creativity Monday

Thank you, Lovelies, for a good day of creativity.  I think Angela will be stoked. And remember the value of gratitude...

Make sure you check out last Friday's Announcement Post.

It's got important information.  Please help each other out, too.  You know some people don't check the blog.

Have a great rest of the day and gear up for a fabulous TED Talk tomorrow.

Love and Light,
Beltran

Today's Song: "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher & Higher" Jackie Wilson

A Preview of Next Week

Happy Friday, Lovelies. 

I hope you are being kind to your substitute.

As a courtesy, I am posting some announcements for class next week.  See below.

I'll see y'all Monday.

Announcements:

• You need a hard copy of THIS DOCUMENT. No need to annotate ahead of time.
• For Monday, we are doing a little something that involves creativity so if you have colored pencils, markers, crayons, etc....please bring them to class.
• I need you to also bring some Post-Its to class on Thursday 11/15.  I'd prefer pretty ones, not yellow but do your best.
• SAS resumes next Friday 11/9 so...
• Counselor 1:1 Meetings on Friday 11/16

Love and Light,

Beltran

Judy Brady Part 2

Happy November, Lovelies -

Thanks for appearing today....quite the quiet campus with so many missing.  If you weren't here, we grouped up to work on "The Strategies" (page 591).  Use those answers and all your other notes for class tomorrow. 

I won't be here so the work is as follows:
-Be kind to the substitute.
-Have your Readings for Writers
-Write a Rhetorical Precis for "I Want a Wife" and include your answer to either Q1 or Q2 under "The Issues"

For Monday, please have some creative supplies - any you have - like markers, colored pencils, etc.  And look for some Post-It's - the regular size, but avoid plain yellow.  I like color.  :)

Love and Light,
Beltran

Today's Song: "Bad Mama Jama"Carl Carlton