Dania Borrero

5 Tips and Tricks to Creating a Curious Classroom There are many issues we, as teachers, face in light of teaching digital natives. In reading Wendy L. Ostroff’s “Cultivating Curiosity in K-12 Classrooms: How to Promote and Sustain Deep Learning” ( ASCD Book) , there have been key points that I can either relate to within my class, or new tips and tricks to try out. The book states that these are for K-12 classrooms, so there were some things that were relevant and usable in my 9-12 classes, however, some were not. Another issue I find that needs emphasizing is that by the time the students get into high school, their curiosity flames seem to have been extinguished, and when asking them to become curious, creative, or even have fun with what they are doing, school no longer is “fun” for them, and they see everything as a chore. It takes persistence and consistency to develop a curious classroom, and finally, when you think you have it down, it is the end of the school year and you

5+1 Tips and Tricks for a Weekend Vacay in Atlanta, GA My very dear friends introduced my husband and I to a great comedian. In hearing about his 2017 tour, we were scouring the web for tickets. We found close seats for the least price in Atlanta, GA. We decided to bite the bullet, make a weekend of it during Presidents day weekend, and explore Atlanta. We drove from Miami to Atlanta and stayed with gracious hosts that were my friend's cousins. We had an amazing experience and I wanted to share some of the neat things you can do if you visit Atlanta for a couple of days.  1. Top Golf: A mix of hanging out at the bar, lounging out on their outdoor deck eating and drinking, followed by hitting the golf balls as far as you can into circular targets for points along with eating and drinking. Atlanta is just one of the city’s where TopGolf is located, but if you have one near you, it’s a great experience for families with kids, friends for a night out, or a cool, differe

5 Tips or Tricks to Have People Put in Max Effort What a great feeling it is to see people take initiative and put forth maximum effort from your own guidance. I went on vacation with my friends to enjoy the wonderful world that is Disney. Before leaving, I had a conversation with my students on the expectations that I had of them while I would be gone, and upon my return today, I was in shock! The substitute said that the students worked on their presentations last class and that some were even recording their videos. I never thought that my students would take the initiative to actually put forth maximum effort and complete a task that was totally independent of me while I was not there. However, they did. I was floored when they came in before class already planning on what they needed and where they were going to go to record their video projects.  I actually wanted to ask my students:  I was wondering where my students where? Who were these clones? They came in ready to tak

5 tips and tricks to love your job Blogged while listening to 90's R&B in my backyard lounge.  Today's blog is inspired by my current feelings right at this instant and should not be taken as an exaggeration of an all-encompassing unhappiness for my job. While I am interacting with my students and coworkers, I am generally happy. However, there has been a creeping dislike for the direction and morale that is currently engulfing my place of work. In trying to self-reflect, I have put the blame on my Sagittarius qualities of having too many interests, becoming bored too easily, and a great need for challenges and growth opportunities. All of these qualities are surfacing and in my current state of emotions are not being placated by my job, to no fault of my job, of coarse. In an article of the Best and Worst Careers for a Sagittarius , teaching has always been a calling for Sagis. So one would think that I'm in my ideal situation, right? NOPE. I keep having to work a

5 tips and tricks to find what genre of books you'd like to read Blogged while stuffing my face with some good Sunday night pizza night pizza as my husband plays video games.  Today's post ties in to my 2017 reading goals . When I was younger, I loved murder mysteries/revenge/vampire novels. I remember reading Iris Johanson's "The Ugly Duckling"  in high school and loving it. I had decided that murder mysteries what genre I liked to read, and anything else was pretty boring. Give me a great Twilight series, and I'm in. I couldn't imagine reading someone's biography or a historical nonfiction novel.  BORING !!! As an avid reader though, sometimes it takes another person, or situation to put a great book in your hand to realize that there is so much out there. Who knew that I would love reading t ranscendentalist authors such as Emerson, Thoreau or Fuller, but after visiting Walden Pond in the stillness of its frozen covering, I immersed  myself

Long Lost Are the Days Where Students Go To School To Memorize Content 5 Tips and Tricks To Keep Focused on What's Important Blogged while watching #SummerHouse and SMH, giving more support on why we should be teaching our students what's important When I went to school we were required to learn content, memorize that content, take a test, and move on to the next. Being a teacher today though encompasses bringing in real world issues, relevant situations, technology management, student-centered instruction, with collaborative presentations and projects. It has been said that we are preparing students for jobs that still yet don't exist. Every year I reinvent my teaching style, incorporating different activities, technology, and focus of learning for my students. Being completely transparent and honest, it is exhausting and sometimes it is hard to notice if it's worth it. See my post on How to WOW Students with activities that I completed last school year. You c