Quote of the Day

Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are. -John Wooden

CJSF Central Region Spring Conference

California Junior Scholarship Federation

Founded in 1967, CJSF fosters high standards of scholarship, service and citizenship in the Junior High School grades.

The 2010 Central Region Spring Conference was held at Fresno Pacific University on Saturday March 27. The title of the conference was "A Day at the Fair" and included fair themed sessions and events at lunch.

A few of the sessions for the day included: "No Clowns Allowed! Make-up techniques and tips", "FPU Campus Tour", "Your Ticket to the Big Time: College Planning", "It's Magic!"

It was a great mixture of different activities. Lunch was in FPU cafeteria and then after lunch they had cotton candy, popcorn, and snowcones outside on the lawn. While they were serving the treats outside the students had the chance to play a few rounds of a cake walk game. My students walked away with almost all of the prizes from the cake walk. So we had treats to eat in the vans on the way back home after the last event was over.

The closing ceremony included a game of Brain Brawl between two High School CSF teams. My students loved watching that and commented about how they hope to do this when they are in high school. Then the CJSF Huhn nominees were announced. After all 15 nominees were introduced and a short bio read on each one then the five winners were announced. This was followed by the CSF Seymour Award winner being announced. It was then time to say our goodbyes and head home for the day. All the students agreed it was a fun day and the 7th grade students asked if we would be returning again next year. I said we would have to wait and see when the conference is held and were it is held next year but if possible then yes we would return again in the future.

Cake Walk Take

Tenor Giants

John Coltrane

John Coltrane was always surrounded by music. He started off playing the E flat horn and clarinet and then in high school influenced by the likes of Lester Young and Johnny Hodges he switched to the alto saxophone. He was called to military service during WWII, where he performed in the U.S. Navy Band in Hawaii.

After the war he began playing the tenor saxophone. His work with the Miles Davis Quintet in 1958 would lead to his own musical evolution. " Miles music gave me plenty of freedom," he once said. During that period, he became known for using the three-on-one chord approach, and what has been called the ‘sheets of sound,’ a method of playing multiple notes at one time. By 1960 Coltrane had formed his own quartet which included pianist McCoy Tyner, drummer Elvin Jones, and bassist Jimmy Garrison.

Stan Getz

In 1940 his dad bought him an alto saxophone for $35.00 when Stan was 13 years old. He moved on quickly to play all of the saxophones, as well as the clarinet. But he really loved the sound of the tenor saxophone.

Stan was hired by Stan Kenton and was able to play with his idol Lester Young. He worked with the likes of Lionel Hampton, Jimmy Dorsey, Benny Goodman and Woody Herman.

Check out this YouTube video of John Coltrane and Stan Getz

John Coltrane, tenor; Stan Getz, tenor; Oscar Peterson, piano; Jimmy Cobb, drums.

Julian "Cannonball" Adderley

Cannonball Adderley was a jazz alto saxophonist from Tampa, Florida (1928 - 1975). He moved to New York in the 1950's and it was at this time that his jazz career began. He joined the Miles Davis sextet in 1957 just prior to John Coltrane returning to the group. After leaving the Miles Davis sextet he formed a group with his brother Nat Adderley.

Check out this YouTube video of the Cannonball Adderley Sextet:

"Work Song" performed by Cannonball Adderley, alto sax and Nat Adderly, trumpet. Also in the group Yusef Lateef, tenor sax, oboe, flute; Joe Zawinal, piano; Sam Jones, bass; Louis Hayes, drums.

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Dave Brubeck

Dave Brubeck

Dave Brubeck is an American Jazz pianist best known for his West Coast Jazz style. In 1951 he formed the Dave Brubeck Quartet with long time partner saxophonist Paul Desmond.

In 1959, the Dave Brubeck Quartet recorded "Time Out", an album their label was enthusiastic about yet hesitant to release. It featured the album art of Neil Fujita. The album contained all original compositions and almost none of them were in common time; 9/8, 5/4, 3/4, and 6/4 were all used. However on the strength of these unusual time signatures it quickly went platinum. The album included "Take Five", "Blue Rondo a la Turk" and "Three To Get Ready".

The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced Brubeck as a Kennedy Center Honoree in September 2009. The Kennedy Center Honors Gala took place on Sunday December 6 (Brubeck's 89th birthday) and was broadcast nationwide.

Below is a Youtube Video of the Dave Brubeck Quartet playing one of their most famous piece's "Take Five"

Values

The Greatest Handicap - FEAR

The Best Day - TODAY

Easiest Thing To Do - FIND FAULT

Most Useless Asset - PRIDE

The Greatest Mistake - GIVING UP

The Greatest Stumbling Block - EGOTISM

The Greatest Comfort - WORK WELL DONE

Most Disagreeable Person - THE COMPLAINER

Worst Bankruptcy - LOSS OF ENTHUSIASM

Best Teacher - ONE WHO MAKES YOU WANT TO LEARN

Greatest Need - COMMON SENSE

Meanest Feeling - REGRET AT ANOTHER'S SUCCESS

Best Gift - FORGIVENESS

Greatest Knowledge - GOD

Greatest Thing In The World - LOVE

Habit

I am your constant companion, I am your greatest helper or your heaviest burden. I will push you onward or drag you down to failure. I am at your command. Half of the tasks that you do you might just as well turn over to me and I will do them quickly and correctly.

I am easily managed, you must merely be firm with me. Show me exactly how you want something done; after a few lessons I will do it automatically. I am the servant of all great people and alas of all failures as well. Those who are great I have made great, those who are failures I have made failures.

I am not a machine, but I work with all the precision of a machine, plus the intelligence of a person. Now you may run me for profit or you may run me for ruin. It makes no difference to me. Take me, train me, be firm with me, and I will lay the world at your feet. Be easy with me and I will destroy you.

Who am I? I am called Habit.

author unknown

No Child Left Behind

How Much Can Obama Screw Up Education?

During his radio address on Saturday Obama announced that he would be sending to Congress on Monday his blueprint for sweeping changes to No Child Left Behind. While I agree that changes need to be made in No Child Left Behind when I first read about the news of this today I was not jumping for joy until I heard what was in this blueprint. Will these changes be for the better or will they take a bad plan and make it worse.

Then I read the article in the LA Times and I must say I'm concerned about what this blueprint is going to look like because of a few things stated in the times.

Some teachers' union officials, who have previewed the plan to be unveiled Monday, said it could end up just rewarding the top 10% of schools. Obama did not detail Saturday how his proposal would affect teachers, but education groups were offering comments -- pro and con -- on the role it envisions for teachers.

In an initial review of Obama's plan, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said it made teachers the sole "scapegoat" if students' test scores did not improve -- much more so than principals, school administrators, parents and the students themselves.

"This blueprint places 100% of the responsibility on teachers and gives them zero percent authority," Weingarten said. "For a law affecting millions of schoolchildren and their teachers, it just doesn't make sense to have teachers -- and teachers alone -- bear the responsibility for school and student success."

Weingarten added that the federation was "surprised and disappointed" by the Obama plan and that the group plans to gather input from teachers around the nation before deciding how to officially respond to the proposals.

So if you think teachers are teaching to the test now, you just wait and see what happens if you are going to make the teacher 100% to blame and every thing based on test scores. There will be nothing happening in the class room except teaching what is on the test.

I will wait and reserve my full judgment until Monday when we have a chance to see what is really passed on to Congress. But the early report does not sound good for education.

Old Glory

A Cut Above

I am your flag. I have been kicked, trampled, burned, and shot full of holes. I have fought battles,but I prefer the untroubled air of a world at peace.

I am your flag. I represent the freedom of humanity, and I shall fly high, thundering in silence for the whole world to hear. My gentle rustling in the breeze sounds out the warning to all who would bury me forever that below stands a population dedicated to liberty.

For those who have perished for my right to freedom of flight, for those who will die, and indeed, for those who will live, I stand as a symbol of freedom-loving people.

I have been carried into battle in faraway lands, always for the cause of freedom. I am bloodstained, torn, and many times wearied and saddened by the thousands who have paid the supreme sacrifice. Do not let it all be for nothing. Tell me the brave have all died for a worthwhile cause. Be proud of what I represent, and display me for all to see.

Whether you call me "Old Glory", "Stars and Stripes" or "Star Spangled Banner", I shall fly forever as a symbol of your freedom, as I did for your ancestor, and as I shall be for your heirs.

I am YOUR flag.

Stand Up For Schools

• In the last two years, $17 billion was cut from schools and colleges.

• Entire art, music and PE programs were eliminated.


• More than 16,000 educators were laid off.


• And large California corporations enjoyed tax breaks.

In Exeter, CA the day started off with teachers, Elementary School Board Members, classified staff, and district office personnel all coming together to show their support and stand up for our schools. The next step is to put the pressure of Sacramento that they can not keep making the largest cuts in the state budget to education. In the last several years the largest percentage of the state budget cuts have come to education.

California is now ranked 46th in education spending, $2,400 below the national average. K-12 schools have suffered 60% of the state budget cuts - hurting an entire generation of children. Summer school has been canceled in districts across the state.

Education accounts for the largest part of the state budget so it is the easiest and quickest thing for the legislature to cut when time get tough. Well they have cut and cut and cut the last few years and it is time to find some place else to make those cuts.

It is also time to put someone up there in Sacramento at the top advising what is needed most for education someone that knows education best. Instead of it being some suite it needs to be a seasoned teacher up there that understands education and kids. Maybe then you will have that education reform everyone is always talking but we never get.

Quote of the Day

Albert Einstein said "insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."