#kcmschat

[teachfromhere]

RT @KatieKinder1: Truth. I tell students this too #beyou #oklaed #kcmschat choose kind anyway #pcsrocks https://t.co/jAWcm6eVow

Truth. I tell students this too #beyou #oklaed #kcmschat choose kind anyway #pcsrocks http://pic.twitter.com/jAWcm6eVow

— Katie Kinder (@KatieKinder1) September 15, 2017

from Twitter https://twitter.com/TeachFromHere September 16, 2017 at 08:07AM via IFTTT

[teachschnurr231-blog]

Today we voted on who from our first unit should go on our American Heroes wall. This is my regular unit wrap up activity, where the students look at a list of all the people we studied in the unit and categorize them as either heroes, not heroes, or both, backing up their opinions with evidence. Then they pick one to put up on the wall, and the top two get posted. The enthusiasm and debate reminded me why this is one of the best lesson ideas I ever invented for my class. Our first place winner? The Revolutionary War poet and slave, Phillis Wheatley. It was a powerful moment in my seventh hour, when most of the students, largely students of color, raised their hands for her, and one girl said determinedly, “We’re gonna put a black girl up there!” Anyone walking into the classroom at that moment would have thought I had lost control of my classroom, but if you listened carefully to the tumult, they were all arguing about whether or not you can vote for someone just because of their race or their gender. #representationmatters

[teachfromhere]

RT @KatieKinder1: TY @oksde I'm honored #oklaed #pcsrocks #tlap #kcmschat #edtalk #elaok https://t.co/usyjotVo0U #thisisteaching

TY @oksde I'm honored #oklaed #pcsrocks #tlap #kcmschat #edtalk #elaok https://t.co/usyjotVo0U #thisisteaching

— Katie Kinder (@KatieKinder1) July 10, 2017

from Twitter https://twitter.com/TeachFromHere July 10, 2017 at 11:26AM via IFTTT

[teachfromhere]

RT @KatieKinder1: See my story: 2016-2017 Cooper Is Family #SparkMade playing with apps #oklaed #kcmschat https://t.co/kdB7dkUBkC

See my story: 2016-2017 Cooper Is Family #SparkMade playing with apps #oklaed #kcmschat https://t.co/kdB7dkUBkC

— Katie Kinder (@KatieKinder1) May 20, 2017

from Twitter https://twitter.com/TeachFromHere May 19, 2017 at 08:37PM via IFTTT

[teachschnurr231-blog]

For six days, the angry young man talked back to me. For eight days, the angry young man sat silent and angry. Yesterday, for the first time he smiled at me. Today he gave me a marble

[teachschnurr231-blog]

A Hard Nut To Crack

I have a student who is new to our school and is, simply put, a total mess.

The first week of school she came late every day and racked up disciplinary consequences for noncompliance and disrespect.  All her teachers were saying the same thing, J***** is a mess. 

(I should say that problem cases aren’t rare at my school.  It’s a Title 1 school, mostly free and reduced.  It’s not under the same amount of pressure as some other Title 1 schools, yes, but our clientele are needy kids for sure.)

Her mom got mad at me for writing up her daughter and demanded a parent meeting.  Most everyone at the school connected with her child, including some of her other teachers, agreed and we set up a time.  But the mom didn’t show up.  (Maybe she had her reasons...)

Since we were all there though, enjoying the comfy chairs in the conference room, we teachers and her administrator read through the behavior plan from her old school.  Suddenly a bigger picture opened up, of loss and and disappointment.  We were realizing that this is a girl who sees something hard, has no faith in herself, and gives up.  She’s lost loved ones--recently--violently.  Her IQ and skill tests say she is capable of doing the work, but at age 13 she’s given up.

So in that brief meeting, after school and beyond contract hours, we had a conversation about positive reinforcement and ways to motivate this young woman.  And the next day when she flipped out in my class, instead of writing her a referral and putting her in ISR  for a few days (making her even further behind and more frustrated), I asked her administrator to organize a meeting with just the three of us.  He and I showered her with care and positivity and second chances, and so today... well, today she was wonderful in class. 

I don’t think that this will magically cure all J*****’s problems, but I do think that if she gets positively reinforced and supported by 10 adults a day all year long, her life could change.

And that’s why it’s time for #appreciation.  Because even with all the stuff we have to do, working 10 or more hours a day every day, the culture at my school is that we take time to think about that one kid.  We talk about what that kid needs on a deeper, logical, pretty much psychological level. And to have an administration that is willing to take time to have “positive reinforcement” time when a teacher needs it? I really can’t stop appreciating.  We figure them out.  Even the hard nuts to crack.

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Miley Cyrus – "Something Beautiful." And, oh yes, mission accomplished.

Miley Cyrus' "Something Beautiful" is a 52-minute album that is both emotionally rich and sonically adventurous, representing one of the most intimate chapters of her career. By blending vulnerability with bold artistic experimentation, this album doesn't seek radio hits; rather, it strives for emotional resonance. Across thirteen tracks, Cyrus offers a meditation on themes such as healing, fame, femininity, grief, and the complex yet painful nature of love.

The Visual Film

"Something Beautiful" is a musical project that also includes a film inspired by Pink Floyd's "The Wall," co-directed by Cyrus. Set for release in the U.S. on June 12 and internationally on June 27, the 55-minute film blends performance, fashion, and abstract vignettes into an emotionally charged journey. I can't wait to see it.

"Something Beautiful": The Sonic Experience

The album is a cohesive pop masterpiece that blends disco, soul, synth-pop, rock, and electronic styles. Each genre shift reflects a change in mood, whether it's a heartfelt piano ballad or an upbeat dance track, keeping the emotional impact front and center.

The title track, "Something Beautiful" is an introspective ballad that showcases Miley Cyrus at her most tender. Embracing vulnerability, the song features a haunting sincerity that feels both timeless and modern. With minimal yet rich instrumentation of piano and soft synths, her emotive vocals take center stage.

The lyrics paint a picture of someone caught between disillusionment and hope. There is a deep yearning to find meaning amid chaos, to hold onto light in the darkness. Lines like "Tell me something beautiful, yeah, about this world. When I'm in your palm, I'm like a pearl" reveal a quiet desperation that's relatable and poetic without being overwrought. Cyrus doesn't dramatize; she confesses.

"End of the World" – Euphoric Realism

With a beat that feels ready for a late-night drive or a glitter-drenched dance floor, "End of the World" is about love in the face of impermanence. It imagines the final moments of life as an excuse to live fearlessly and love harder. It is absolutely fantastic.

"Let's spend the dollars you've been savin' on a Mercedes-Benz.

And throw a party like McCartney with some help from our friends.

Let's go down to Malibu and watch the sun fade out once more

Show me how you'd hold me if tomorrow was coming for sure.

Let's pretend it's not the end of the world."

"More to Lose" – The Emotional Core

At the album's heart is "More to Lose," a gorgeously minimal track built around piano and strings. It's a lament for a relationship slipping away, full of restraint and resignation. Miley's voice cracks in all the right places —raw but never uncontrolled.

"I stay when the ecstasy is far away

And I pray that it's comin' 'round again

And you say it, 'I wish it wasn't true, oh'

I just thought we had more to lose."

"Easy Lover" – Nostalgia Meets Vulnerability

"Easy Lover" features a disco-infused groove and contemplative lyrics. Originally conceived during the "Plastic Hearts" era, it has been reimagined with emotional restraint. The rhythm is bright, but the sentiment is bruised.

"If I gave it all too easy, would you stay or disappear?

I'm not made to be an easy lover, but I still let you near."

"Walk of Fame" – Fame's Illusions

In "Walk of Fame," Cyrus examines the emptiness of celebrity culture, utilizing sharp synth-driven production and haunting harmonies courtesy of Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes. Her vocals occasionally remind me of Jimmy Somerville from Bronski Beat, which is a good thing!

"Every step I take is a picture, every breath a scene

Walking on this concrete stage, no one sees between

Glitter in the gutter, and I'm smiling through the shame

Every day another echo on the Walk of Fame."

"Every Girl You've Ever Loved" – Fluid Identity

This hypnotic, house-tinged track plays with persona and projection as Miley positions herself as every woman a lover has ever idealized. It's equal parts vulnerable and confrontational—a challenge to the idea of the "perfect" woman.

A major highlight is the appearance of supermodel Naomi Campbell, whose iconic voice delivers spoken-word lines like "Pose" with poised, icy elegance. Her presence transforms the song into something strangely theatrical — a commentary on femininity as both power and performance.

"I'm a little bit angel, I'm a little bit not

Come get under the one that you've been dreaming of

I'm every girl you've ever loved."

The result is one of the album's boldest moments: a hypnotic anthem that blends a disco confessional, a fashion fantasy, and a feminist critique.

"Give Me Love" – A Poetic Finale

Closing the album, "Give Me Love" is a haunting ballad that blends spiritual longing with earthly desire. Cyrus crafts a mythical landscape filled with temptation, her voice soaring over orchestral swells and a delicate guitar, pleading for connection.

"I imagine a place at the dawn of creation

A cityscape we paint in the dark

There's a tower that's made of risqué, rude temptation

Behind the curtain, terror awaits."

The repetition of the chorus — "Give me love, give me love, give me love" — feels like both a prayer and a surrender. It's a fitting end to an album that's as much about seeking as it is about finding.

Final Thoughts

"Something Beautiful" is not tidy. It's not perfect. I could do without the two one-minute "Interludes." But I won't complain to her over Instagram. 

What it is, is honesty. There's beauty here, but it's tangled in pain, performance, and ambiguity. Cyrus doesn't deliver answers — she offers emotions in motion. Her voice, now a gravelly yet expressive instrument, anchors the entire experience.

This album marks the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. By embracing imperfection, Miley Cyrus sounds more complete than ever.

Love it.

Chris Garrod, June 2, 2025

8.5/10

Source: Miley Cyrus – "Something Beautiful." And, oh yes, mission accomplished.

[teachschnurr231-blog]

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YqehGlg6m8)

Happy Leif Erikson Day today! (and Indigenous People’s Day tomorrow)

[teachschnurr231-blog]

Some days I come home and I'm just too tired to live. I think to myself that what I do keeps me from having any sort of life, and that 60 hours of work a week for 36,000 a year isn't worth it. Other days I come home and think through my day. Within 12 hours I've seen a massive art project come to fruition from kids' hands, I've seen a room full of 12 year olds completely engaged in learning economics by using technology, I've had kids give each other a spontaneous round of applause during a debate about African Americans serving during the Revolutionary War, and I've counseled frightened teens on what to do if they encounter a scary clown (truth). Now I'm home drinking tea and about to eat pizza, and I'm thinking about how much I love my job. A day like today doesn't cancel out a day like yesterday. I don't know what the answer is and what I should do long term. But I do know that today was a good day.

[teachschnurr231-blog]

Exit ticket time!

[teachschnurr231-blog]

And now the school week is over... time to relax, listen to some records, drink some wine, and read. :)

[teachschnurr231-blog]

Check it out! Students who master all the standards on a unit test get a nerdy locker dec :)