Utes

XA ute

A baby every 4 seconds

A couple is reading the paper, the wife says: This article on overpopulation of the world says that somewhere in the world there is a woman having a baby every four seconds! Her husband not to appear uninterested said; I think they ought to find that woman and stop her!

Seven Brilliant Things Teachers Do With Technology

by Doug Johnson

Here are seven technology practices that just make me marvel and feel proud to be part of the profession:

1. Empower kids with technology. Technology is an amplifier of natural abilities. Brilliant teachers see that good writers become better writers, good debaters become better debaters, good French speakers become better French speakers, good mathematical problem-solvers become better mathematical problem-solvers, and so on, by helping their students harness technology. They do not see technology as a crutch, but as a propellant. Brilliant teachers have experienced the empowering power of technology themselves. Brilliant teachers use good assessment strategies to rigorously determine the quality of technology-enhanced projects.

2. Creatively find and use resources. I can't believe the technology found in some of our teachers' classrooms. And it was neither provided by our department nor stolen (I don't think). Through personal purchase, through parent-teacher groups, through grants, through business partnerships, through parental contacts, through fund raising, and through classroom supply budgets, brilliant teachers amazingly amass digital cameras and clickers and sensors and classroom computer labs. One of our brilliant teachers MacGyver-ed his own document camera out of an old camcorder, plastic pipe, and duct tape. He calls it his Grover (not his Elmo).

3. Make conferencing real-time. Brilliant teachers don't wait until scheduled parent conferences to communicate with homes. Through e-mail, Web sites, online grade books, blogs, wikis, and, yes, even telephone calls, technology gives teachers the ability to make parents partners who help assure students' timely, quality work. They post newsletters, spelling lists, assessment tools, assignments, grades, calendars, discussion lists, and tips. They read and respond to parent e-mails. Most parents want to be involved, but they like knowing how.

4. Put kids in touch with the world. The classrooms of brilliant teachers have no walls. Those teachers "get" the flat world challenge, understanding that tomorrow's citizens and workers will have an advantage if they can work successfully with other cultures.

5. Accept the role of co-leaner. One of the best signs of intelligent people is that they tend to willingly admit when they don't know something. Brilliant teachers not only accept the dismal fact that they will never know all there is to know about technology, they also turn that condition into a classroom advantage by having their brilliant children teach them how to do something techie now and then.

6. Use the kids’ own devices to teach them. Brilliant teachers understand the old Arab proverb, "It's easier to steer the camel in the direction it is already heading." Students are increasingly and unstoppably bringing in personal communication devices -- cell phones, cameras, game devices, iPods/mp3 players, netbooks, laptops, and PDAs. Brilliant teachers know how to use cell phones to poll their classes; create podcasts of lectures for later review; use games to teach difficult concepts; and make "Google-jockeys" of student wireless laptop users.

7. Delight in the discovery, the newness, and the fun technology holds. It's not about technology; it's about finding out and doing "cool" things. We knew that ourselves as kids. Brilliant tech-using teachers have never lost the thrill of doing something new and interesting with these electronic Tinker Toys. They are pleased with their tech-using students and pleased with themselves. Brilliant teachers use technology's engagement (not entertainment) power. Technology is not "just one more thing," it’st a vital experience that brings discovery, excitement, and even fun to the classroom.

Technology won’t make a poor teacher a good one. But it can make a good teacher even better. And it can help make great teachers the ones that students remember for the rest of their lives. I hope you all know teachers who make brilliant uses of technology. What do you see them doing?

Utes

The limited production 4x4 XY ute

How much?

A little boy asked his father, "Daddy, how much does it cost to get married?"
The father replied, "I don't know son, I'm still paying for it

Should I Let Them Fail?

By Laura Reasoner Jones, Teacher magazine. February 11, 2009

I’ve spent the last week agonizing over my after-school advanced robotics program. How can I prevent what is turning out to be a train wreck in progress? At least two of my five teams of 5th and 6th graders are not going to be able to present anything at our final parent demonstration event, and I need to decide what I am going to do about it. Am I going to let them experience the natural consequences of inaction, or am I going to intervene and fix things? In the heat of the moment, I feel like everything I have ever believed in as a teacher or parent is at stake.

Let me set the stage: I have 11 kids in the advanced robotics program—an after-school club with the goal of exposing kids to Lego Robotics using my grant-funded NXT kits. I did this last year for the first time, and had 18 kids, but only eight of them came back (our school is cursed with extremely high mobility). So I recruited three girls from last year’s Pico Cricket programming class and hoped they would catch up. As a result, my current group consists of eight 6th grade boys from last year and three new 5th grade girls.

I had originally scheduled six after-school sessions of two hours each. But we were all having so much fun that, at the kids’ request, I extended both the length of the sessions and the number. We ended up meeting 10 times, in three-hour chunks, with a final demonstration for parents and anyone else we could scare up. That’s where we are now—coming up on the big demonstration showcase, with two of our five small teams having virtually nothing to show for all this time and effort.
Blame Game

Is this their fault? My fault? I just want them to have something to show, so that they feel good about the experience and leave robotics thinking they might want to explore engineering someday. But I guess I also want to assign responsibility. I feel as if I have met mine. I gave these two teams all the resources they needed—sample programs to use, plenty of time, good food to eat, and two real engineers as mentors (who were very hard to find). So did these kids live up to their responsibilities? No, and that is the problem.

They were supposed to build a robot, any robot, and program it to do something of their choice. Is this so hard? I didn’t think so, based on their performance last year, and the performance of the kids on the other teams around them. But they just could not get it together. They spent weeks playing with the software but would not use any of the canned programs that are great starting places. We (the mentors and I) could not get them to see that you just start with a canned program and then modify it to your heart’s content—there is nothing wrong with that.

When they finally got a robot built and found they could not get the program to work, they were unwilling to either tinker with it or start over, and the time just dribbled away. So, now it is the last week before the demo, and they have nothing. Nothing!!!

A Teacher’s Dilemma

How can I allow them fail? I cannot in good conscience let them stand back and watch all of their friends be applauded and praised by staff and parents. That is not what this after-school program is about. It is about personal success, whatever form that may take. I think about my goals for this project. I want each child to build and program a robot, learning that he/she can do new things and stretch his/her brain into new fields without fear of failure. I want each child to see herself/himself as an engineer, a builder, a creator. And above all, I want each child to feel pride in his/her work.

But personally, as a mother and as a teacher, I also want each child to learn from mistakes, to take risks and experience the consequences of risk-taking. I don’t want to rescue kids. I want them to learn to rescue themselves. In this situation, my two sets of goals have come into direct conflict. I am going to have to rescue them to have them experience success. Not fun. I also think about the goals of the kids who enrol in this program. I think they want to have fun; they are not looking for career experiences. They also want to be able to say that they were “chosen” for robotics—there is a certain cachet to belonging, because they are the “advanced” kids. And, deep down, I think they want to do well—doesn’t every child? So, all of our goals are in conflict with each other. But the only ones I can control are mine, and I have to resolve this conflict today.

Teacher With a Plan

I give this deep thought in the car, at the gym, in the shower, and unfortunately in bed at night, losing sleep over it. But I come up with a plan, one that depends on the goodness of the mentors. Because it is the mentors who are going to do the rescuing, preserving some of my pride, and maintaining the illusion that the kids did it themselves. That way the kids won’t look at me every day in technology lab with the thought that I’m there to rescue them.

Here’s how it plays out:

1. I grab the mentors as they arrive and tell them that their job today is to get these two teams functioning. I remind them that we have one week and if they can help the kids get the robots built, we can get the programming done between now and then. They are in perfect agreement, having watched these teams flounder.

2. I leave them to pump up their teams, and I’m quite impressed at how they handle it. One engineer who has never worked with kids in his life says to them, “Our deadline is here. It is crunch time. Let’s do it!” And the kids just jump up and start to work. Ah, the power of an outsider!

3. While this is happening, I go to each of the other teams and simply ask them if they will help another team when and if they are asked. I am gratified to see faces light up, and to hear assurances that “of course we will.” Even though these kids have set up elaborate forms of competition, with points for how much of each other’s robots they will destroy, they are great kids at heart and want each other to succeed.

It is going to be OK. I can feel it. The two teams build their robots and develop a (rescue) plan. We set times for completing the programming, and they leave bouncing. Life is good again.

Now, if I can just keep them from destroying the robots completely in next week’s competition…

Utes

XR van

Sinning

At a party the hostess served a guest a cup of punch and told him it was spiked.
Next, she served some to a minister. “I would rather commit adultery than allow liquor to pass my lips!” he shouted.
Hearing this, the first man poured his punch back and said, “I didn’t know we had a choice!”

The Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Cups of Coffee

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee. A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed. "Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things---your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favourite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else---the small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.
"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."


One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled and said, "I'm glad you asked." The coffee just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

Utes

XP Ute

Completion

A man is incomplete until he is married… then he is finished.

Quotes from a recently replaced United States President

'The vast majority of our imports come from outside the country.'
'If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure.'
'One word sums up probably the responsibility of any Governor, and that
one word is 'to be prepared'.'
'I have made good judgments in the past. I have made good judgments in the
future.'
'The future will be better tomorrow.'
'We're going to have the best educated American people in the world.'
'I stand by all the misstatements that I've made.'
'We have a firm commitment to NATO, we are a part of NATO. We have a firm
commitment to Europe . We are a part of Europe '
'Public speaking is very easy.'
'A low voter turnout is an indication of fewer people going to the polls.'
'We are ready for any unforeseen event that may or may not occur.'
'For NASA, space is still a high priority.'
'Quite frankly, teachers are the only profession that teach our children.'
'It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in
our air and water that are doing it.'

Utes

XL Ute

Q&A

What's the good thing about having Altzeimer's?
You get to meet new people every day!

Passing of an old friend

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: knowing when to come in out of the rain; why the early bird gets the worm; life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault. Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition. Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

He declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Aspirin to a student, but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion. Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home without the burglar suing you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot, spilled a little in her lap and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents Truth and Trust, by his wife Discretion, his daughter Responsibility, and his son Reason. He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers: I Know My Rights; I Want It Now; Someone Else Is To Blame; and I'm A Victim.
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing

Utes

If there is one Australian motoring legend, it is the ute.

The nickname for, and shortening of, the term ‘utility’, the Australian ute has been around since there were cars in Australia and the need to carry a hay bail or two around the farm. In 1934, Ford Australia were the first company in the world to offer a Coupe Utility vehicle, and are justifiably proud of the fact. These were never available in the U.K. and represent a lesser known and fascinating aspect of Ford products worldwide, the adaption of one country’s product to the market of another.

With the introduction of the Australian built Falcon, Ford offered a ute version from the outset and continue to offer ute versions of their Falcon cars right up until the present day. Every ute has been a version of the current car line, with the intriguing exception of the XG and XH.

Between 1988 and 1998, the Falcon car line consisted of the ‘E’ series, the EA, EB, ED, EF and EL, but the ute and van versions comprised the XG and XH series, which were mild styling and mechanical revisions of the XF ute. Ford indulged in this strange policy due to the evaporation of the local competition, the need to satisfy emission regulations for a car based ute rather than a commercial vehicle based ute, the availability of a spare plant which could continue producing the already developed chassis without affecting the new model car range and the inherent ‘rightness’ and popularity of the product. No doubt, there were sound commercial and money saving aspects too, but the XG and XH utes remain unique.

Ford also produced a range of vans based on the car. The initial vans of the XK - XP model were panelled in versions of the estate car, but all later versions became high top versions. In the mid seventies, with the popularity of sport and recreational vanning, Ford even sold customised vans with extending roofs and interior appointments with exciting names such as Surfsider or Sundowner.

Over the next few weeks I'll post images some of the utes and vans through the years.



XK ute

Random family images

I'm listening

A man asked his wife what she'd like for her birthday. "I'd love to
be eight again." she replied.
On the morning of her birthday, he arose early, made her a nice big bowl of Coco Pops, and then took her off to the local theme park. What a day! He put her on every ride in the park: the Death Slide, the Wall of Fear, the Screaming Monster Roller Coaster, every thing there was. Five hours later she staggered out of the theme park.
Her head was reeling and her stomach felt upside down. Right away, they journeyed to a McDonald's where her loving husband ordered her a Happy Meal with extra fries and a refreshing chocolate shake.
Then it was off to the movies: the latest Star Wars epic, a hot dog, popcorn, all the Coke she could drink, and her favorite lolly and M&M's.
What a fabulous adventure!
Finally she wobbled home with her husband and collapsed into bed exhausted. He leaned over his precious wife with a big smile and lovingly asked, "Well, Dear, what was it like being eight again?"
Her eyes slowly opened and her expression suddenly changed. "I meant my dress size!!!!!!!

The moral of the story: Even when a man is listening, he's gonna get it wrong.

Random family images

Importance of Walking

Walking can add minutes to your life.
This enables you at 85 years old
To spend an additional 5 months in a nursing
Home at $7000 per month.

My grandpa started walking
Five miles a day when he was 60..
Now he's 97 years old
And we don't know where he is.

I like long walks,
Especially when they are taken
By people who annoy me.

The only reason I would take up walking
Is so that I could hear heavy breathing again.

I have to walk early in the morning,
Before my brain figures out what I'm doing..

I joined a health club last year,
Spent about 400 bucks.
Haven't lost a pound.
Apparently you have to go there.

Every time I hear the dirty word 'exercise',
I wash my mouth out with chocolate.

I do have flabby thighs, but fortunately my stomach covers them.

The advantage of exercising every day
Is so when you die, they'll say,
'Wow, she looks good doesn't she!'

If you are going to try cross-country skiing,
Start with a small country.

I know I got a lot of exercise
The last few years,......
Just getting over the hill.

We all get heavier as we get older,
Because there's a lot more information in our heads.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it..

AND

Every time I start thinking too much
About how I look,
I just take off my glasses and
I look just fine.

Random family images

Lost causes?

Superweapon

The Army has been experimenting for years to come up with a liquid that will eat through anything and they finally did it. It eats through glass, stainless steel, iron,and all kinds of metal, rock and granite. Now if they could only find something to put it in.

Random family images

Are Your Students High-Maintenance?

Tracy McCalla, Education Magazine, February 4 2009

May I throw this away?
Do we have homework?
May we use pen?
What are we doing today?
Do we need our books?
What page did you say we need to turn to again?
What did you say we should do when we are done?

As a classroom teacher, does this sound familiar? My five sections of 8th graders were draining me with the number of questions asked on a daily basis. No matter how clear my directives were, five minutes later students were asking questions concerning what they should do next. In addition, no matter how many times I told them they did not have to ask permission to throw something away or use my stapler or tape dispenser, students continued to ask.

During sixth period one day in November, I counted 19 questions in nine minutes. I realized that I needed to change my students’ behaviour. I told them the truth. They were one of my favourite groups of students whom I had taught during my 21 years of teaching. I loved their personalities, their work ethic, and their behaviour, but I had one complaint. They were high-maintenance.

There are three categories of high-maintenance questions, I explained.
1. Non-listening type questions: For example, I have previously stated what you are to do when you are finished but you ask, "What do we do when we are done?"
2. Functioning-type questions: For example, "Can we use pen?" "Can I use your stapler?" "Where should we put our tests?" The answers have always been the same to these questions, but they continued to be asked.
3. Future-type questions: These are questions that I am eventually going to answer if you are patient. For example, "Are we getting our tests back today?" "What are we doing today?"

Sensing a fierce competitive nature in my 8th graders, I had an idea. "Let’s start a contest and see which of my classes can ask the least number of high-maintenance questions in 12 weeks. The class who wins the contest will get a two-day holiday from social studies. Instead, they will get to watch a movie and have snacks." I was correct; my students were competitive, and they were eager to start the competition and win. Two days later, after I proposed the idea to my other four sections, we were off and running.

For 12 weeks, I kept track of high-maintenance questions by class periods on the chalkboard. Most of the time, I said nothing but turned around and made a mark under the appropriate class period. Within days of initiating the contest, the number of high-maintenance questions dropped dramatically. On day three, a student called out, "Where do we put these when we are done?" and loud groans permeated the classroom. The positive use of peer pressure was incredible. Students thought before they asked because they did not want to be responsible for giving their class a mark. Listening skills were enhanced; I only had to give directions once.

Students also began to rely on one another to answer questions. Early in the competition, we established the rule, "Ask three before you ask me." With this rule, students could ask other students a question as long as it caused little disruption. It turned out to be the perfect motto for our high-maintenance competition. Although my 8th period class ultimately won the competition by having the least number of marks, all classes made tremendous improvement in reducing the number of high-maintenance questions.

Not only did I see a change in my students’ behaviour, but I also saw a change in my own. I learned that I do not always state my directions or objectives as clearly as I think I do. On various occasions, I heard a student whisper to another student, "She did not tell us what we should do after finishing the last step. Does anyone know what we should do next?" I began to pay more attention to my directives to make sure that I was being precise. Additionally, it caused me to reflect on the directives that I give at the beginning of the year. Perhaps I had helped create high-maintenance students during the first few weeks of school, by not giving specific instructions with constant reinforcement. Next fall I will be more specific with my directives and objectives, and if that doesn’t change their behaviour, we will start the high-maintenance game much earlier in the year.

Random family images

Lost causes?

Random family images

Discovery

In a Classroom the teacher asks; Maria, go to the map and find North America
MARIA: Here it is.
TEACHER: Correct. Now class, who discovered America?
CLASS: Maria.

Random family images

The Little Things Make the Difference

by Bob Proctor

It has often been said the line which separates winning from losing is as fine as a razor's edge. One person "just about" starts a project, the other person starts it. One individual "almost" completes a task, the other does complete it. One person sees an opportunity, the other acts on it. One student "nearly" passes the exam, the other does pass it - and although the difference in their marks may be only one percentage point out of a hundred, it's that one point that makes all the difference.

In 1947, ARMED - the first race horse in the history of United States' racing to win over one million dollars in prize money over the duration of his career - had earnings of $761,500. But the horse which finished second in earnings that same year - a horse which often lost races a mile long by only "a nose" - won only $75,000.

Now, if one were to look at their winnings alone, it would appear that ARMED was thirteen times better than his closest competitor. However, when you compare "the times" that were actually registered by those two horses in their races, you discover he really wasn't even four percent superior!

Think of how your results would change if you improved your performance by just one or two percent.

Random family images

Lost causes?

Random family images

Cooking

Two bachelors, Larry and Frank were out to dinner. The conversation drifted from office, sports to politics and then to cooking.
“I got a cook book once” said Larry. “But I couldn’t do anything with it.”
“Too much fancy stuff in it, huh?” asked Frank.
“You said it, Larry replied, nodding. “Every one of those recipes began the same way: “Take a clean plate…”

Random family images

'Virtues Project'

'Virtues Project' encourages students to find the good in themselves
Baltimore Sun, By Arin Gencer February 4, 2009

In a skit on the day's highlighted virtue, honesty, Shayna Falwell (second from right) plays a dishonest salesperson with other Kenwood High ninth-graders (from left) Alex Mehall, Walter Scott, Zuryna Smith and Stevie Slaughter. (Baltimore Sun photo by Amy Davis / November 26, 2008)
Standing in a locker room at Baltimore County's Kenwood High School, the teenage girl kept her cool when one of her peers passed by and hit her with a book bag. "Under normal circumstances, that would have been a major fight in our building," said teacher Nancy Hanlin, recounting the incident. Instead, Hanlin said, the girl told her classmate that she would have hit back "if I wasn't working on my virtues."

The fight that wasn't illustrates the changes that school officials say they are seeing at Kenwood, where a new character education initiative called the Virtues Project has begun altering the way teachers, administrators and students communicate with one another. The "virtues" are 52 good character traits, such as truthfulness, patience, responsibility and self-discipline.
"Our kids are so used to all of us telling them what they did wrong," said Hanlin, who, along with physical education and sports science chair Tammy Jackson, suggested trying the project. "Instead of looking at the behaviour, we're actually looking at the kids." Teachers use the virtues to acknowledge, guide and correct students, said Dara Feldman, director of education initiatives for the project and a former Montgomery County teacher who used its principles in her classroom.

Teachers might take a moment to thank someone for his honesty in returning a missing item or suggest a teen consider what traits she needs to call on to deal with a crisis, according to Jackson and Assistant Principal Allison Seymour. The State Department of Education encourages, but does not mandate, character education. Such initiatives vary throughout the state, and even within districts.

"We want students to become good students, but we also want them to become good citizens," said Paula McCoach, an education specialist in the state agency's youth development branch. "Character education ... has influences on the climate of the building and the school itself." Kenwood appears to be the first Baltimore County school to adopt the Virtues Project. Feldman has also trained educators in Anne Arundel, Howard and Montgomery counties and in Baltimore City, she said, but Kenwood has taken "a holistic, excellent approach."

The school draws students from the Essex and Middle River areas, which have many struggling families, said Paul D. Martin, the principal. Students come from "a tough environment," Hanlin said. "They just want to survive in their neighbourhood. They bring that into our building." Still, fighting at Kenwood has declined over the past several years, Martin said, and the project has helped even more.
"The virtues that are on that paper, all of us possess," Jackson said, referring to the list of character traits. "It just takes someone to verbalize that."

Among the educators' tools is a set of cards, each featuring a different virtue and providing a description of that trait. A virtue is spotlighted every month. "Basically, what it's all about is teaching social skills," said Tom Zirpoli, an education professor at McDaniel College who has written books about behaviour and classroom management and parenting.

Character education programs "teach kids, and they teach teachers, to focus on ethical behaviours - honesty, caring about other people ... judging right from wrong," Zirpoli said. Family involvement is key, he said, and such programs should be integrated throughout the curriculum. Yet implementation can be difficult at the high-school level, with so many other demands, such as tests and graduation requirements, said Lisa Boarman, coordinator of school counselling and related services for Howard County schools. There, dozens of schools use a framework highlighting 40 traits that are integral to success, she said.

In Anne Arundel and Carroll counties, and other areas, many schools follow a model called Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, or PBIS. Its goal is to promote safe and supportive schools and change behavior, said Virginia L. Dolan, an Anne Arundel schools facilitator on the state PBIS leadership team.

While schools in Baltimore County can choose their programs, the district is trying to "bring a more consistent character development program in our buildings," to ensure that everyone is "speaking the same language," said Glenda Myrick, coordinator of the office of safe and drug-free schools.

Random family images

Lost causes?

Random family images

Medical marvels

An Israeli doctor says: "Medicine in my country is so advanced that we can take a kidney out of one man, put it in another, and have him looking for work in 6 weeks." A British doctor says: "That is nothing; we can take a lung out of one person, put it in another, and have him looking for work in 4 weeks."
A Canadian doctor says: "In my country, medicine is so advanced that we can take half a heart out of one person, put it in another, and have them both looking for work in 2 weeks."
A Nigerian doctor, not to be outdone, says: "You guys are way behind...... We just took a man with NO brain, made him President, and now the whole country is looking for work.

Random family images

Change

"They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself." - Andy Warhol, American artist