I have become increasingly weary of kids asking me what is the least they can do to get such-and-such a grade; of administration telling kids to push for just a few more decimal points in their GPAs; of teachers spending literally months of Saturdays teaching kids how to take the SAT so that they can get a certain score, or if they don’t, then preparing them to take and retake it until they do.

I teach because I love to share thoughts and passions.  Kids don’t want that.  They want to know how they can get extra credit.  Administration doesn’t want that.  They want to be able to show progress on overall standardized test scores.  Parents don’t want that.  They want their kids to get into a “good” school.

So what then DOES it mean to be educated? 

The bad news is…I’m so distraught and confused and frustrated and just plain ARRGGGHHHH about everything surrounding the situation in Central America right now, that I can’t even put together coherent thoughts to share.  I have been hearing and reading the most ridiculously slanted “information” about the ousted (former) Honduran president, Zelaya, that I almost feel like I’m living in some alternate reality where evil has become good and where, because the pretty talking heads say it’s so, a virus of head nodding and finger shaking has swept the globe…much of it led by people I respect.  It confuses me and pressures me for the first time in my life to want to ask:  who’s passing the Kool Aid?

For now, I start with this article, which should be read and spread to help break this zombie-like trance the world seems to be in now:

Zelaya’s self-serving lawlessness was ignored completely by OAS leadership and, as far as one can tell, by every government in the region that now dares to pass judgment on Honduras’ constitutional order.

unless, of course, it gets printed on the day Michael Jackson dies.

Today not even Iran matters, much less some place called Honduras…

unless, of course, you happen to be in one of those locales.

So while “the world” gasps and comes to a screeching halt because of the passing of a pop icon…

the REAL world probably won’t be quite as affected:

Honduras Lurches Toward Crisis

Thousands March Against…

Does Honduras Need…

Still curious.  Still frustrating.  And concerning…obviously enough so to cause Hedman Alas to cancel bus services for that day.  And even more so, begging this question in my mind…does a country have to possess either oil or nuclear capabilities to have its crisis noticed?

At 8:20 as the church service started, so did the earthquake; like all good Central American dwellers, we waited for the shaking to stop and then moved on.

At 9:00, I listened to a message given to English-speaking Christian church-goers about how not to be gripped with fear while living in one of the most dangerous countries in the world, which incorporated the Islamic proverb:  Trust God, but tie up your camel.

At 9:45, I left church to see someone’s private security guard in the parking lot making sure that that someone could be inside listening to a message about not being afraid without being afraid.

At 10:00 I boarded a city bus to sit behind the military personnel posted there so that gang members might not attempt to kill the driver.

At 11:00, I participated in a protest for justice and listened to people around me chant:  “no tenemos miedo…no tenemos miedo”  (we are not afraid…we are not afraid) as a number of them were flanked by personal security.

Once I digest all that, I’ll have more to say about the protest itself…

Please peruse and use!!

How to Effectively Listen on Twitter:  Ok, this one isn’t so much a list of different things as it is tips presented in list form…still good enough to make The List List Part Deux!

80+ Videos for Tech & Media Literacy:  Any type of list by Alec Couros automatically makes my List List…Part Any!

PurposeGames:  Another disclaimer here…technically this is a whole site where you can both play and create educational games, but the games are then kept in lists… .  Either way…looks good!!

7 Habits of Highly Effective Twitterers:  7 Habits of Highly Effective Twitterers written by a “Social Media Strategist” … (I didn’t even know that was a job!)

9 Free Tools for E-Learning:  Like above…pretty much what it says…9 Free Tools for E-Learning

50+ Google and Yahoo Search Shortcuts:  Again…self-explanatory yet quite helpful!

Word Play: A huge list of sites that feature fun with words.  It’s a monster…but at least they’re all in one place!!

10 Awesome Flash-Animated Interactive Websites:  There are 1o…topics ranging from science, social studies, health, music, writing, and more!

8 Habits of Highly-Effective 21st Century Teachers:  Thank goodness for these descriptive and straight-forward titles!  This one from Interface Magazine

30 Twitter Tips for Teachers: You got it…30 tips…for teachers…in regard to the use of Twitter

Teacher Clicks: Twitter in the Classroom:  Now stick with me here…this is a list of lists and article about how and why to use Twitter (in the classroom .

100 Awesome, Free Web Tools for Elementary Teachers …

Keyboarding Games:  This is a gi-nor-mous list of games just for practicing keyboarding skills!

ICT Mindtools:  ICT tools that engage users in higher order thinking

8 Tips for Super Searching: How to search and get what you want when you want it!

Amazon’s 25 Software Bestsellers and Their Free Equivalents:  Haven’t looked through all yet, but am totally psyched about this one!!  (Just Say “No!” … to Microsoft that is)

100 Terrific Productivity Tools:  This one claims to be for the “bored or unemployed,” but I feel fairly certain there’s gotta be something there for everyone!

(Most of the above came courtesy of Diana Dell, one of my favorite follows on Twitter!  Thanks, Diana!!)