John Strang

In a 1992 interview, Marian Wright Edelman was asked what she would like to tell her own children about how to find meaning amidst a world where we are bombarded with materialistic views. The list of values she shared over 31 years ago rings as true today as it did back then: • "My basic message to them first is that I just love them more than I can ever say. And there's nothing they can ever do or say that can ever take away that love." • "As they leave home, I go with them in my prayers and they are never alone." • "Despite the messages of this culture which say that life is about things, about acquiring, about fame, and about prestige that's not really what life is about. What's really important is caring for other people and trying to leave the earth better than you found it. It's about things inside that matter." • "Despite what they say about success, what success really has to be, what my father and mother taught me is about serving. That serving is the rent that everybody pays for living. Those with extra intellectual and material gifts have an obligation and a responsibility and a privilege of reaching back and helping others." –– Thought #1 As I watched this interview and listened to Edelman's speak, a single line in that last point stood out: "Serving is the rent that everybody pays for living." If we're not striving to serve others, to make the world a better place, to share our gifts, our talents, and ultimately give back, what's the point? To use Edelman's words, it's not only an obligation, it's a privilege. Bob Marley once said: "The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires but in his integrity and in his ability to affect those around him positively." –– Thought #2 As you go into a new week ask yourself: What gifts have you been given? How can you use them to lift up those around you, to teach others, to improve the life of someone else, and in turn your own? If you enjoyed this, follow me @blakeaburge for more.

#assessment winginstitute.org/effective-inst… Research recognizes the power of assessment to amplify learning and skill acquisition.

Teachers often hear we should begin class by stating #learningobjectives, often with a particular formula. ("The student will be able to...") This research, by @ProfFariaSana provides a useful refinement: LOs as QUESTIONS work even better... ow.ly/pMQk50EYmKD