A Christmas Festival

A Grown Up Christmas List

Merry Christmas Darling

I have always been a Karen Carpenter fan. As a band director, I closed my first Christmas concert with "Merry Christmas Darling." Little did any of us know that Karen Carpenter would pass away shortly thereafter. Throughout my career as a band director, closing the Christmas concert with this beautiful selection became a tradition.



Update:
After posting this video and making mention of it on my Facebook page, I received this comment on that Facebook entry:

I love that song. Dawn and I were background singers on that recording, vocals on September 17, 1978 and video for the first Carpenter's Christmas Special on Sept. 24 (four days before Erin was born).

The comment was left by Dr. Brad Logan, a good friend from many years ago when he was choir director at the University of Montevallo. Brad has been the director of the Bemidji State University Choir since 1998. It's amazing how relationships intertwine. It is also amazing how much time you can spend face-to-face and then learn something new once you are separated by hundreds of miles.

The Daily Motivator

Automobiles get out of alignment. When this happens, left to their own devices, they drift to one side. Without intervention, the car is soon in the ditch. We would never sit by and simply let a car drift off the road like that. We make little corrections along the way, little corrections which bring the car back to the center of the lane.

People get “out of alignment” as well. The negative forces in our lives cause us to drift to the negative side. Pretty soon, the “ox is in the ditch.” We all need those stabilizing forces in our lives to move us back to the center and remind us of the direction in which we are headed.

Several years ago, a great friend got me hooked on The Daily Motivator. Both then and now, I never ceased to be amazed at how often its simple message is right on-point with a current real-life situation. This site gives me a slightly different perspective, and a more positive perspective.

Education is a "people" business, and when we are dealing with a variety of personalities, the possibility of veering to the negative side is ever present. Pretty soon, the ox is in the ditch. A proactive approach, such as the message of hope this site provides each day, helps keep us going down the center of the road.

I know there are those who say motivational sayings and talks don't last. Of course, neither does a bath. That's why you take one every day!

Galway Christmas

Google Sync and Outlook 2010

For Outlook users, Google Calendar Sync provides a superb way to view your calendar from any computer with internet access as well as a way to allow selected others to be able to view and even edit your calendar. I had written about the topic in this post.

The only problem is that those who have upgraded to Outlook 2010 found that Google Calendar Sync did not work with that version. That problem is no more. If you have Outlook 2010, read this post from Official GMail Blog which explains the solution.

Straight No Chaser 12 Days of Christmas

Straight No Chaser performs 'The 12 Days of Christmas' at their reunion show at Indiana University!

Crayons on the Dry Erase Board?

I had never thought of this idea, but would be interested to hear how well it works. Lifehacker recently posted Switch to Crayons for Always-ready Dry Erase Board Writing.

Has anybody tried this? How easily does the crayon come off?



  
Photo by laffy4k.

O Come, All Ye Faithful

O Come, All Ye Faithful, sung by the King's College Choir.

The Power of One

I saw this on Mr. P's Blog, authored by Tucson principal Steve Poling.



The video reminds me of the favorite quote of a very good friend:

Alone, we can do so little. Together, we can do so much.
-Helen Keller

Can you think of a time when someone has sparked this kind of team work in your organization? What were the results?

The Wexford Carol

"The Wexford Carol" played by James Galway, flute; Laurence Beaufils, harp

HARO...Help A Reporter Out

Those who write, and from time to time, need someone with specific expertise to provide input on their area. Some of us have expertise in certain areas, and our input would be valuable to authors whose work dips into our corner of the world.

Whichever your camp, HARO may be for you. Simply go to http://helpareporter.com and complete the free registration.

Every weekday, I receive three mails from HARO (one in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one in the evening). Each e-mail gives a brief sentence summarizing what a particular author is looking for. Clicking on the link reveals more information. The list of links are grouped by general topic.

When I was writing Organization Made Easy!, I used HARO to gather input on several topics within the book. I received more information than I could use, and what I was able to use indeed added to the quality of the book. So, whether you are a writer or someone with particular knowledge and skills in your own corner of the world, HARO may be for you. Give it a try.

Fantasia on Greensleeves

Enjoy Fantasia on Greensleeves by Ralph Vaughn Williams



For the younger readers, here is an activity which will give you more information on the piece and the composer.

The Economy and Our Children

If you ask Americans their #1 concern about our country at this time, the answer is likely to be "the economy." For our children, our concerns become their concerns. Our fears become their fears. That which stresses us ultimately stresses them.

The National Academy of Pediatrics has produced a sheet entitled "Talking to Children About the Economy: Tips for Parents and Other Caregivers." Click here to download that handout. The sheet provides some very practical suggestions that may help to lessen unneeded worry and stress on our young people.

What Should I Read Next?

You have just finished a book, really enjoyed it, and are looking for another good book. Need some help? You can ask the Book Seer!

This amazingly-simply site allows you to input the title and author of a book you enjoyed. It will return a list of recommended books for your next reading.

The Christmas Can-Can

"The Christmas Can-Can" is from Straight No Chaser's album, "Christmas Cheers!"

Lich'vod Hachanukkah -Chaim Nachman Bialik - Chanukah Song

Sleigh Ride

Enjoy this rendition of the Sleigh Ride performed by the Boston Pops.

How Delicious Helps Us Learn from One Another

I first explained the concept of Delicious in this post called Del.icio.us is Delicious. Later, we examined the concept of "tagging" in this post.

Today, we look at how Deli.icio.us can be used to make the teaching profession easier for all of us. To illustrate the concept, imagine you are a teacher who has a SMART Board. Little by little, you come across excellent Internet resources related to the SMART Board. How can you save these for later reference?

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Enjoy Bing Crosby in this old favorite.