Seeing Brighton in a Different Way

All summer I have been training for the Susan G. Komen Michigan 3 Day Walk which just commenced yesterday!  Walking a total of 60 miles throughout towns including Walled Lake, Novi, Northville, Plymouth, Livonia, and Dearborn, I had to spend much of my summer prepping for the the walk.  Living out in Hamburg Township, I had a lot of great roads to train on for the shorter miles, but as I got into longer walks, I decided it would be best to have access to public restrooms.  Therefore, in July I began using Brighton for my training walks. While walking, I spotted many things I have never noticed before.  There are streets that I have drove down hundreds of times in the 15 years I have lived here, and yet, it was like I was seeing things for the first time.  It showed me the importance and the joy of slowing down and taking sights in!  

As Brighton is gearing up to celebrate its 150th Birthday this Sunday, I thought it would be neat to show you some of the things I found neat during my walks!

Learning About and Celebrating Brighton’s Past

To help celebrate the 150th Birthday, there are images of some of interesting people from back in the day, and each one includes information about the person!  It has been so cool learning about them as I walked around around town.

The Taste of Brighton

I was able to stroll down Main St. before the Taste of Brighton opened up, and I got to see all the hard work that went into making it such a wonderful event for our community!  I also walked through the streets when the festival was in high gear.  It motivated me to have a date night with my husband there later on that evening!

The Brighton Farmer’s Market

I sing in the worship band at Brighton First United Methodist, and I tracked down one of our band members (who is heading into his senior year at BHS) at the Farmer’s Market.  It was such a treat to see his talents shared with the folks shopping from tent to tent!  Great job Parker!

The Charles and Albert Parker Families Nature Preserve

On this particular day, I started and finished my walk in the Target parking lot.  On my way back down Charles H Orndorf Dr., I noticed the sign below.  I was so curious about it, as I had never noticed it before.  The sign states that you need to authorization to enter, so I followed the rules and just peeked in.  However, upon extra research on the web, I found out it is open to the public and owned by the Brighton Library! My husband and I took the trail on one of my last training walks, but I wasn’t able to go all the way through, as I didn’t want to get my shoes mucky in the marsh. Maybe next time!

Mill Pond Manor

In the past couple of years, Brighton First United Methodist has adopted the residents of Mill Pond Manor apartments.  For the life of me, I never really knew where it was.  I kept thinking about apartments right near the Imagination Station or somewhere in that main area and never could quite picture it.  I am embarrassed to say, it took me walking down 2nd St. several times to make the connection that it was there!  On the walks previous, I was always noticing how much property Corrigan Oil had and also how they have expanded into other areas of expertise outside of the propane world. When I finally went on the opposite side of the street, I noticed a cute gazebo, and only then did I notice the sign saying Mill Pond Manor Apartments. Glad I know where it is now!!

Brighton State Recreation Area’s Penosha Trail

My family and I took a hike at the Brighton State Rec Area’s Penosha Trail on 4th of July weekend.  The Penosha Trail is around 5 or 6 miles, so it makes a great 2-3 hour hike!  We were able to stop at Bishop Lake and check out the new Jump Island.  Along the trail we enjoyed looking at the wildflowers, and my kids enjoyed finding a lean house!

Though my 3 Day training has come to an end, I still hope to keep up my explorations of Brighton.  We have a wonderful community, and I look forward to finding other treasures along the way! Happy 150th Birthday Brighton!  Thanks for being a big part of my #Mi3Day journey!

Ending the Year with Passion

I have integrated Innovation Days and Genius Hour into my classroom for several years.  This past year, I haven’t been able to have a  consistent time for the kids to work on developing their passions, but I have done a lot of great things involving choice, makerspaces, and STEAM. Even with that, it didn’t feel right ending the school year without having time for passion projects, so I decided to have the last full week of social studies spent on American History Passion Projects.  The students could choose to learn about anything involving American History and create a project about it.  

I tell you...it’s the magic recipe for ending the school year with engaged learners eager to come to school!  I have enjoyed seeing the kids come alive with curiosity and excited to learn.  Teaching three sections of fifth grade Social Studies, each class got 4 hours to work on their projects, however, many decided to work on their projects at home and even during recess.

Interestingly, there were several projects that were themed around September 11. An event that is still so vivid in my mind, was an event they had heard about, but didn’t know many details about.  It was hard to find appropriate information for kids, but we did find a great resource with the 911 Memorial page. Many of my students were interested in learning more about the Twin Towers.  It just so happened that I great up with Minoru Yamasaki’s grandson, Jesse.  I contacted Jesse and asked him if he would video conference with us. He happily agreed, and we had a wonderful time connecting with him over a lunch and recess last week. The kids were able to learn a lot about Min, as his grandfather was commonly called, and the wonderful building her designed...right down to the art he commissioned throughout the building and the 10-foot model that was created when preparing for the build.  Here are some of the projects that were created:

I had the chance to video some of the projects.  Here are our videos.  Enjoy!

On the second day of presentations we did live presentations.  Here is one of the plays that were performed by 2 of my students...believe it or not, these are two of more reserved students.  It brought me to tears to see the risks they took with their comedic performing skills!

If you are interested in ending the year with kids eager to come to school and be engaged, I highly recommend putting the control into their hands. I noticed better behaviors while we were working on the projects, and I enjoyed walking around and seeing the joy in their minds and hearts!  

BloomBoard: A Great Resource for Teachers

After teaching third grade for the past 14 years, I made the switch to fifth grade this school year.  I am truly enjoying getting to know a new curriculum and feeling rejuvenated.  With that being said, I have also spent a TON of time searching for resources to support my curriculum and build background knowledge. As with most things, when you have a question or need ideas, what do you do?  I bet you Google it, which also means, you are probably on a mini-scavenger hunt to scan and search for quality resources.  I recently found out about a great resource for educators that is a huge timesaver!  BloomBoard is a place for educators to learn, share, and discuss educational topics, resources, and ideas!

Instead of digging around the web for quality sites, games, articles, videos, etc., BloomBoard has collections created by educators that focus on topics relevant to education.  There are content-specific categories with awesome resources, but what drew me in even more, was the focus on broader topics like: Educating the Whole Child, Maintaining Professional Happiness, Building Strong School Culture, etc. What’s even cooler is that you can follow certain topics of interests, save and share resources, and even earn micro-credentials, which some school districts are using for PD credits.

I created a collection on Formative Assessment called “Formative Assessment Can Be Fun” highlighting two of my favorite tools, Plickers and Kahoot, as well as several articles and videos showcasing ways students can have fun while being assessed.  Here are some of the highlighted tools.

• If your students don’t have access to devices, Plickers is the tool for you.  Also, they just launched an amazing new feature with Scoresheet, which makes data collection far more flexible and user-friendly!
• Kahoot has been a student favorite for several years. My students are now creating their own Kahoots to quiz fellow classmates, as well as lead book club discussions.
• C. Ross Flatt and his sixth-grade students were featured in an Edutopia video highlighting game-based assessment.  He not only showcases the fun way assessment can be administered, but he also has links to his game for teachers to print off from the main blog post.
• David Wees, a formative assessment specialist, shared a presentation with 56 ways to assess, complete with visual examples.

Overall, my collection has many great resources featured that will help you in finding the formative assessment tool(s) that are right for you!  Like many of the BloomBoard collections, you can find resources to help you everyday needs in education, connect with like-minded educators, and help improve your practices.

Check out the BloomBoard blog. You can check it out to get links to the blogs that that have already been featured, as well as check out the schedule of featured bloggers for next week that will be posted on Monday. You can also follow along daily on Facebook and Twitter.

Tomorrow's featured blogger is Jennifer Gonzalez. Jennifer Gonzalez is a National Board Certified Teacher, a former middle-school language arts teacher and college-level teacher of teachers, and the creator of Cult of Pedagogy, a website devoted to helping teachers do their work better.

ISTE 2014: Thank-You for Valuing Teachers!

I am a blogger that blogs when I am excited about things.  After 5 days in Atlanta for ISTE 2014, my head is full of blogs that I can’t wait to write. However, I also have 2 young ones that haven’t seen their mom in a while.

Though I would love to spend all day composing my thoughts while they are fresh, the reality is, I need to transform from the EdTech Cheerleader to Mom. Ideally, I am going to try and take a few moments out of each day to work on my blog posts, but I also know the holiday weekend is here, which also means family time and fun! So here is my first ISTE 2014 blog post with hopefully more to follow.

One of the greatest things about ISTE is meeting the founders of the apps and digital tools we use in the classroom. When I meet them, I can’t wait to talk to them and let them know how they have impacted my classroom. They are like celebrities to me, as I am so impressed with their innovation, risk-taking, and impact on education. I would like to take this time to highlight a few of them that impacted my ISTE 2014 experience.

Write About This:

One of my great EdTech friends that I met years ago at EdCamp Detroit is the creator of Write About This and Tell About This, Brad Wilson.  If you haven’t checked it out, it is one of my favorite tools to use in my third grade classroom.  Not only can children respond to tons of high quality prompts, but students and teachers can also create their own prompts.  This has been great to use when writing reflections, taking notes during science experiments, and responding to our reading. It is EASY to use and my kids love it!

2 of my students wanted my iPad while we were waiting to be called into the Michigan State Board of Education meeting.  Instead of playing a game, they chose to use Write About This! 

Remind:

Another Michigan connection, as he graduated from MSU, is Brett Kopf , co-founder of Remind (formerly Remind 101).  I had the wonderful opportunity to meet him at my first ISTE, which was in 2012 in San Diego. After that I got to know both Brett and his product manager, Christine Garland very well while visiting conferences! They were, and continue to be, so great at grassroots marketing, and in reflection...one of the best I have witnessed!  Smiles can be found on their faces wherever they are, and I am so proud of their growth as a company.  They have expanded their team, and I have enjoyed getting to know the wonderful staff members they have added.  This ISTE I was able to get to know Clara Galan better over a coffee meet-up with others, which was a treat! If you see the Remind team out and about, definitely take the time to say hi.  They are a welcoming crew and truly have great minds and caring hearts!

Plickers: 

In March I came across Plickers, and I was soooo excited about it, I jumped on my computer to write a post about it right after school! (Click here to read it and learn about Plickers.) In Atlanta, I saw some people walking on the streets with Plicker shirts, and I was going to approach them, but I was also running late, so I decided to wait.  After the EdTech Karaoke party, I ran into a young man with the shirt on.  When I asked him, “Are you the Plickers guy?” He said, "Yes," and I squealed with delight, as I love, love, love the tool and the quality technology that it includes.   In short, you can print off ½ sheet QR codes that are numbered for your students.  Each side of the code as an A, B, C, or D. When you ask a question, students make sure the side that is the answer they want points up. Using the camera on your device, you can scan the class and the results will be recorded and even graphed instantly...while you are still viewing your kids through the screen!  It is AWESOME! Plickers only has to be on 1 device, so if you are a teacher with no wifi, but have a smartphone or a teacher that lacks a 1-to-1 environment...this is the tool for you!

I was so excited when I first used it, I ran and got my wonderful co-worker, Jennifer Bonkowski, to have her demo it!  

Nolan Amy is the founder of Plickers, and he was just as excited to meet me...something I had not encountered before.  Then I was able to meet Jenn Kim, another team member of Plickers. They were awesome!  I used Plickers in my Digital Tools for Formative Assessment session at EdCamp Detroit, and Plickers was a hit.  I am a true fan, and I can’t wait to see them grow in the educational world in the near future! The icing on the cake was we figured out that we were in the same hotel...and right next door to each other!  ISTE Neighbors! What are the odds?

Padlet: 

It was surprising to me that founders of apps and websites are equally excited to meet teachers.  In fact, sometimes even shy and intimidated to approach.  That is crazy to me, as I would think it would be the other way around.  Hanging out in the Blogger’s Cafe prior to the closing keynote, Nitesh Goel, the founder of Padlet (formerly Wallwisher) introduced himself. Again, when I found out he was the creator of Padlet, I was honored to be in the presence of such an amazing app developer.  Not only that, but I had no clue he created Wallwisher as a college project!  Wow! What an impact he was able to make at such a young age! (I found this interview which tells his story.) I shared the ways Padlet has been used in my class...and even during Vacation Bible School at my church! He was so excited to meet me, which again, was crazy! I am not a teacher that has thousands and thousands of followers on Twitter.  Having the last name of Bond, as you can imagine, is a fun conversational piece. On my daughter's birth announcement DVD, I even joked that she liked her bottles "Shaken not stirred." However, I had never really taken a Bond photo until I met Nitesh.

Meeting the people behind the digital awesomeness of these companies is one of the things I love about educational technology.  Their stories are amazing, their impact in education is inspirational, and they also have something in common...modesty.  Though they may not be giants in the educational world, they have made a great impact in my life, and they are well on their way to growing by leaps and bounds.

In April of 2010, I was an early adopter of a digital learning platform that changed the culture of my classroom.  I shared my love for it at conferences all over, including my very first ISTE!  4 years later, I am still one of their biggest fans!  Edmodo had my heart when they were just a toddler in this EdTech world, and through the years they have grown into a huge company impacting millions of educators and students around the world.  Despite their growth, I have remained connected and truly feel part of the Edmodo family.  I feel valued and appreciated...something that I don’t always feel in my normal life as a teacher in this educational world.

Edmodo Cheer at my first ISTE! Notice the handmade bow complete with puffy painted icons! 

So thank-you Write About This, Remind, Plickers, Padlet, and Edmodo...thank-you for making me feel like I matter!  It means a lot! For those of you who have opportunities to meet the faces behind EdTech tools...go for it!  They can be a wonderful member of your PLN!

#MichEd-modoCon Party!

I have been a huge Edmodo fan from the beginning, as I have been using it in my third grade classroom since April of 2010.  I was introduced to it by Steve Dembo at MACUL 2010, and I have been an active user ever since.  I was fortunate enough to be a presenter at the very first EdmodoCon in 2011 and presented how Edmodo could be used in elementary. It was my first web presentation, and I quickly realized that I prefer live, face to face presentations!  It was difficult to just keep plugging away at the presentation without seeing head nods, expressions on faces, and the typical questions that pop up throughout live presentations. If you are interested in watching it, here is a link.  One of the highlights to the whole experience was having the ability to be part of a live television interview on Channel 7!

Throughout the years I have gotten to know the Edmodo team well.  I have enjoyed working with them and watching Edmodo expand and improve through the years. I have presented Edmodo at several conferences around Michigan and even at ISTE 2012 for a BYOD session and at ISTE 2013 at the Edmodo booth!  Being the EdTech Cheerleader, I even created a custom Edmodo bow for my hair! It's fair to say...I love Edmodo!

I would love share my Edmodo spirit and invite #MichEd and #LivEd (Michigan Educators and Livingston County Educators) to my EdmodoCon Party! If you are interested in coming to Brighton, MI for the day on Wednesday, August 7 from 9:30-5:15, I am hosting a party!  I have a pool, so if the weather cooperates, we could have a great summer party and have fun learning more about Edmodo! Below is a form that you can submit to get an official invite/RSVP! I hope to see you there!

We Are Family...I've Got All My Techies with Me!

Last year, when I attended my first ISTE, I was amazed that I was able to come across people that I already had met at all points of the conference experience. In a sea of 15,000 attendees, it would not seem possible to regularly cross paths with acquaintances, yet I continually ran into people all over San Diego. How could I be at such a large conference, in a large city, and actually feel at home? (To read my blog post about Home Sweet ISTE click here.)

You could say that Twitter and social media are the reasons I feel at home at tech conferences. I am not a twitter superstar, as I just went over 1,000 followers during ISTE this past week. Yes, being on Twitter helps people stay connected. Yes, Twitter is one of the best ways to share information, neat lesson plans, innovative ideas, and student projects. Yes, participating in chats on Twitter allows people all over the world to discuss topics that can impact education and beyond. Reflecting on the ways I met many of the people I consider my Techie Family, Twitter had little to do with it.

Photo courtesy of @TechNinjaTodd!  Thanks Todd!

Steve Dembo (@teach42), one of my all-time favorites, has been a regular presenter at our state technology conference in Michigan referred to as MACUL (Ma-Call). I have interacted with him several times at our conferences. I owe him credit for mentioning Edmodo in a session in 2010, and I have been hooked ever since, leading to many awesome opportunities! Our conversations have ranged from an Iron Chef Technology Competition years ago to parental balancing acts and applying to be an ISTE presenter, to the pride he felt for his best friend Adam Bellow, after delivering the awesome ISTE 13 Closing Keynote.

Enjoying lunch in Greektown during the MACUL 2013 Conference. Photo via Erin Klein

 

Rushton Hurley (@RushtonH), another one of my favorite MACUL speakers, has become a great friend. After delivering the keynote at the Teaching and Learning in the Cloud conference in Holland a few years back, he attended my session on Edmodo. Having him there increased the pressure I put on myself, but he was so positive and laid back, I was able to view him as a normal conference goer. Since then, we have regularly connected at conferences, and he even included me in a FETC dinner he hosted this past January. I completely enjoy his passions for technology, education, and people! He has the best educational newsletters out there!  Make sure to go to www.nextvista.org and sign up to receive them!

Rushton is the founder of an awesome educational resource...www.nextvista.org

 

Nick Provanzano (@thenerdyteacher), I first met when I attended EdCamp Detroit, in which he founded. In 2012 I joined the EdCamp Detroit Organization team. It was great connecting with him and helping out EdCamp Detroit. When I attended my first ISTE in 2012, I was able to meet Mayim Bialik and during the autograph session, she and I took a finger stache photo for Nick and Tim...the Edubros. I was even able to get her to sign a personal photo for Nick, which he absolutely loved...until someone stole it.

The EdCamp Detroit Team

 

I also met Erin Klein (@KleinErin) while working on EdCamp Detroit. She and I clicked, and at ISTE 12, we spent a lot of time together. I was so thankful to have her there, as I traveled alone to ISTE. Throughout this past year, Erin and I have grown closer, presented together, and I was even able to visit her classroom during one of my breaks. She and I have children that are the same age, we teach similar ages, and we both share a passion for technology and creativity! I love staying in contact with her and feel fortunate to have her here locally.  

Having fun at MACUL 2013! Photo via Erin Klein

 

Joan Young (@flourishingkids) and I had not crossed paths until the Bammy Awards this past September. I was waiting in line at Starbucks, and she was stopping to get a coffee before a run around DC. I don’t believe the run ever happened, as we talked for a long time! (For those who don’t know me...talking is another passion of mine!)   I had not followed her on Twitter until then, as I quickly realized she was a great resource to have in my PLN. We were able to spend a lot of great times together at ISTE this year, from singing on stage together to enjoying a dinner on the Riverwalk.  I have a huge amount of respect for the work she is doing to impact education and admire her heart!

Having fun in the photobooth with Ashlie and Joan

Speaking of fun!  I met Ashlie Smith (@smithsciencegms) at MACUL this year, as she works with Erin Klein.  She went to her first state conference in March and attended ISTE in June...which has been quite a roller coaster ride for her.  She has been a blast to hang around with, and I am so glad to have her here locally!  She is doing great things with flipping her classroom and creating quality videos to teach science concepts.

Catching up with Autumn at the Mobile Playground

 

Last year while hanging out with my college friends in Chicago, we met up with my friend’s sister and her friends. One of her sister’s friends is Autumn Laider (@MsLaidler). Autumn and I go way back to the daycare in Collier’s Lanes...a local bowling alley in Oxford. Our moms bowled on the same league, and we went to the same elementary school, yet were 5 years apart. I hadn’t seen Autumn in years, so I wasn’t clued in that she was in teaching, but once we started talking... I quickly realized she was able to talk the same language as me...tech talk! I rarely meet people out socially that can talk the edtech talk, and I was so excited to start following her on twitter! This past March, I was part of #AppMadness13, which was a fun way to introduce apps to others and have them advance through brackets voted on by people. Brad Wilson (@dreambition) and Andy Losik (@mrlosik) were the creators of it, and they asked me to join them. We needed another person, and I mentioned having Autumn join. It was so much fun! I hope we can do it again! Autumn attended her first ISTE this year, and I enjoyed connecting with her and catching the end of an awesome session she did with @MsMagiera.

Thank-you Adam!

 

While Erin, her husband, and I were waiting for our ISTE 12 flight home, we sat with Adam Bellow in the airport. We were able to pass the time along, by reflecting on ISTE, chatting about EduClipper, and just hanging out. This past year I have seen Adam several times from the Bammys to FETC and MACUL to the highlight of all highlights, ISTE 2013, where he was the closing keynote. When walking to lunch with him on the Saturday during HackEd, I learned what it must be like to be friends with a celebrity. Our group was stopped many times by either people Adam knew or people that wanted a photo with Adam. One, because he was wearing his Google Glass, and two, because he is Adam Bellow. The best part of it was, Adam was always the guy that I met hanging out at the airport...there wasn’t and isn’t an ounce of arrogance in him. When a woman said, “Adam Bellow...I have heard that name before,” he could have referred to his name and photo being everywhere, since he was the closing keynote, but he did not. He was very humble, and said, “Perhaps we have met before?” He’s one of the most genuine people I have met! 

 

Again, these are the people that I met the good old fashion way...face to face.  We began our relationships by starting conversations in line for coffee to having the guts to approach the keynote speaker to a simple introduction by an acquaintance to being on a committee together.  Our relationships have continued to be fostered through social media, but the true connections are when we share the physical space and time with each other!  Cheers to ISTE 2013 and my #EduFamily!  

 

 

 

The Governor's Education Summit

   

Gov. Snyder was present and active throughout the entire conference.  

    

         I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Governor’s Education Summit, a conference held in East Lansing yesterday. I was unaware that this conference even existed, until a month ago when I was attending the MACUL Conference.  The documentary, Look I’m Learning, was a part of the conference, and my classroom was a part of the film, focusing on BYOD in elementary classrooms.  Bruce Umpstead, the Director of Educational Technology, is the Executive Producer for the film, and he invited me to join the Summit. 

            I have to be honest, I had my doubts prior to attending the conference.  The agenda was sent out a few days before, however we did get an email to review the Economic Summit’s Report from the March conference a couple of weeks before.  I was a bit surprised to see that a panel on the importance of Early Childhood Education lacked an Early Childhood teacher or even a preschool director.  It did include many prominent people, but I was a bit offended that they wouldn't have invited someone that worked on the front lines.

            The conference ended up being a motivating and inspiring event.  It blended business, non-profit, University, and K-12 Educational leaders together, and we had fabulous discussions on the strengths and challenges we have in our education systems around the state.  It was wonderful to be in groups that were so diverse.  From a Deputy Superintendent from Wayne-Westland to the Chief Learning Officer for the Henry Ford, we were able to be on the same page.  Throughout the conference, it was nice to hear different perspectives on education, whether it be from a teacher in another district or the President of a bank.   

The conference was set up to allow for collaboration.  After the morning keynote we broke up into regional groups.  We discussed the strengths, challenges, and opportunities in our region.  It was difficult to be on the same page, as our region included Oakland, Wayne, and Macomb.  The challenges that I have in Walled Lake are vastly different than the challenges I learned about in Detroit and Southgate.  Even though, it was great to get different viewpoints. In the end, we shared our ideas and created a regional chart.  Our conversations were eventually shared at the closing keynote panel, with representatives from all of the regions.

The Strengths and Challenges of Region 10

We enjoyed a sit down lunch, and again, I enjoyed hearing different perspectives.  I sat with 2 men that represented Christian School Leadership, a Director of Membership in the Detroit Area Health Council, and  2 men from the city of Grand Rapids, one of which I found out graduated from Oxford High School…9 years after I did.  I enjoyed catching up with him on some of the teachers we shared and how his experiences compared. 

With so much to share, I decided to break up this entry into two parts!  I hope you will look forward to reading Part 2, where I discuss my thoughts of Governor Snyder, Early Childhood Education, and 2 other Oxford High School connections that also attended the conference!  

You Know You Had an All-Star Teacher When...

48 former students and many of their family members travel from around the state to celebrate your 70th birthday with you! 

    Today I was blessed to be able to celebrate my high school choir director's 70th birthday with him at his church in Ludington, MI, where he is now the music director.  I can't imagine many educators have had this experience.  But it's not the first time Mr. Wilson has been able to get a large number of people to come and sing with him again...years after they have had him in the classroom!
     In 2010 a secret Facebook group was created in hopes to surprise Mr. Wilson on his birthday and sing with him.  Summer schedules were hard to coordinate, so it ended up being postponed to October 2010, and it transpired to be quite an amazing experience.  The end result was that roughly 100 former students from all around the US came in for a weekend to sing with Mr. Wilson once again for the Wilson University Alumni Concert.  Rehearsals for several hours on Saturday and a concert for several hours on Sunday. You see, this wasn't a retirement celebration or any other routine recognition type event...it was purely just to sing with him again and fill a place in our hearts that have been dormant since high school.  
      To scan the choir that was formed that weekend and see all ages being represented was amazing.  For me it was even more amazing to see how each and everyone of them looked at Mr. Wilson the same way I did.  I had him towards the end of his choir directing career, so I was one of the younger members of the choir.  You would think that those who had Mr. Wilson in the early 70's would feel less connected, but that was far from reality! The love for Mr. Wilson was timeless.  Each one of us was a better person for having him...regardless of the time in his career he impacted us.  (FYI...there were even some students from his student teaching experience in the audience!)   It was magical!  It was emotional!  And we just had to have more of it!

Our version of Mr. Holland's Opus...The Wilson University Alumni Choir. (Photos from Wilson Alumni Page)

The Wilson University Alumni Choir at the Oxford Tree Lighting.

        With the success of the Wilson University Alumni Concert, the town of Oxford asked the choir to sing at the lighting of the park for the holiday season.  I was unfortunately able to attend, as I was acting in Scrooge the Musical with our local community theater.  You see, Scrooge was the musical that Mr. Wilson directed every Christmas season.  I was fortunate enough to be accepted into it as a sixth grader, and I spent 7 years making Scrooge a part of my holiday tradition.  One part that I always wanted, but never got casted for, was Mrs. Fezziwig.  When I saw the audition advertisement in our local paper, I just had to try out, even though I had never participated in community theater. I was casted as Mrs. Fezziwig, along with some other roles, and I was able to relive a bit of my youth in a different way!  There wasn't a practice or performance that went by that I didn't think of Mr. Wilson and the students of Oxford that played those roles.  I was sad that I couldn't attend the tree lighting, but I knew I had my own piece of Mr. Wilson's magic with me on stage that night.
     
     Earlier this summer I got an email from Mr. Wilson asking me if I had received any information about July 8.  I replied no, and then he sent me an email with the details for his 70th birthday celebration.  Being the music director at Ludington First United Methodist, he invited us to come and sing for the worship service and attend a luncheon afterwards.  It was a no brainer...of course I would attend!  It was the same night as our lake's firework show, but fireworks come every year...this was a special treat!  My husband chose to stay with the firework celebration, so I turned it into an opportunity for a girl's weekend with my mom and daughter. We were able to enjoy a day in Manistee, MI and then we went onto Ludington to stay at  Ludington House Bed and Breakfast, which was a wonderful treat!
   
       Sunday morning we woke up and had a yummy gourmet breakfast before we departed for the church.  Mr. Wilson had arranged for people to arrive around 9:30 to allow time to go over the songs.  I wasn't quite sure how many people to expect to see there, as I knew it was part of the holiday weekend.  When I walked into the choir room it was nearly full.  Again, Mr. Wilson's magnetism pulled people from all reaches of Michigan to honor him for his 70th birthday!  48 total students spanning the Oxford High School's classes of 1973-1996 were represented. The music was shared with the members of the church, as well as choir family members that came to share the moment as well. We sang, we cried, we laughed, and we celebrated a wonderful teacher!

(I apologize for the end...but you can still enjoy the sound!)

      As an educator, I have often tried to analyze the power of Mr. Wilson and how I could translate that to others...as our education system needs more of these types of teachers. As a student of Mr. Wilson's, I knew that Mr. Wilson was always there for his students.  He would come very early to school to help students prepare for competitions, to lead extra ensembles, and to give all that he could to benefit his students.  Weekends were spent sometimes fundraising for choir trips.  He would give students every opportunity to earn money to go towards our spring trip, which some students wouldn't have been able to go on without his help.  Mr. Wilson would let students borrow the performance tuxedos for the their senior pictures if they needed a fancier outfit.  He stayed after school to work on small groups or to rehearse for the musicals.  Mr. Wilson was always there.  He was also a school counselor, and I can only imagine that he did some shifting in schedules of students that may have needed a community to belong to.  And the Oxford High School choir room was just that...a large community of singers that shared one heart. The music flowed through the room with such awesome tones because of Mr. Wilson and model of respect he created in his room.  He shared a love for music, high expectations, and unconditional love.  He gave everything to his students and it was only acceptable to give everything you had in return.  That still lies with us today, and we will continue to give him everything we can.
   

Mr. Wilson and I

      If you are reading this and you are an educator...do you think your former students will come and celebrate your 70th birthday with you?  Have you given your students everything you can?  Time...it is a precious, precious gift...one we often don't have enough of.  I often hear, "How do you have time to do all the things you do?" I admit, I am crazed most of my days, running here, there, and everywhere, but I will always take time to create special moments for my students.  I have high expectations for myself as an educator because of the models set forth by teachers I had growing up.  Mr. Wilson was an exemplary teacher with a heart big enough to fit 40 years of education and hundreds of students in.  I just read the article that was written when he retired, and I found a quote that is ever so fitting.

 "I always tell (the kids) there's always this one door for everybody and it says 'fast food'," he said. "I think my purpose is to show them that if they work hard in school, they will have more than this one door."

-Lew Wilson

    Are you a teacher that will take the fast food door or will you let your children have gourmet experiences with you?   Work hard and you will open the doors to your heart for your children to walk through for the rest of your life!  

Thank-you Mr. Wilson for making me a better educator and better person!

Cheers!