Disqus - Latest Comments for GilMattos

Re: New Ken Robinson Video from TED - Bring on the Learning Revolution!

GilMattos — Mon, 24 May 2010 23:14:33 -0000

In a word - FANTASTIC! Thank you so much for sharing. This is a must watch, a must keep.

Re: 10 movies every teacher should see together with students

GilMattos — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:43:24 -0000

I simply love your list and I would like to add 2 movies (my 2 cents-lol): "Facing the Giants" (The scene the coach motivates one of the players to give his very best is unbelievable) and Yentl (A masterpiece about the love for learning and the endless possibilities we all have if we dare leave our comfort zones or simply ask "why").

Re: Cool Cat Teacher Blog: Message to Educators: I Believe in You, Be An Angel of Kindness

GilMattos — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 22:11:27 -0000

Hi there...
The song along with the timeless words by Fernando Pessoa:

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

Re: Cool Cat Teacher Blog: Message to Educators: I Believe in You, Be An Angel of Kindness

GilMattos — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 17:47:58 -0000

Good Lord! Another A-ha moment as Oprah would put it. I simply adore this song and last Thursday I sent it to a colleague who said her life had simply changed completely after she listened to the song and thought carefully about the lyrics. There is this youtube video with the same song and an awesome text by Fernando Pessoa. I don't know if you can understand any Portuguese BUT the main idea of the poem is accepting the fact that we go through different phases in life and we must be prepared to recognize that some of them are past and gone and we MUST let them go so we open the doors for new stuff. I'm in a hurry now (as usual) - on my way to the church but I'll be back and I may share the link to the video. Thanks again for being an inspiration and I feel so good to know we do have a lot in common AND it'd be impossible to know it if it were not for technology / web 2.0 .
Regards from Franca-SP_Brazil

Re: Motivation and teacher's attitude

GilMattos — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 14:02:06 -0000

Great Gladys...
I could not agree more and the "funny" thing is I was talking about it with this friend of mine yesterday - the fact that both boredom and enthusiasm can really contaminate us. Thanks for sharing.
Regards from cloudy Franca-SP-Brazil

Re: Cool Cat Teacher Blog: If you could achieve 1 goal in 24 hours

GilMattos — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 08:43:06 -0000

I guess pay off all my credit card(s) debt - lol. Professionally speaking...I'd love to be a successful presenter. You said you'd like to have your first book published and I love writing too but I'll stay with the being a successful presenter - traveling around, giving workshops...
Regards from cloudy Franca-SP-Brazil.

Re: Edmodo 3.0 has launched

GilMattos — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 11:53:02 -0000

Joined you guys last night on USTREAM. Thanks for the great job.

Re: Cool Cat Teacher Blog: Your Professionalism as a Teacher: The Hope Diamond in Your Pocket

GilMattos — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 22:42:21 -0000

Fantastic, as usual. I am so glad to know I am not the only one who happens to spend a few sleepless nights just wondering what I could possibly do that might make a difference in my students' lives. I have just come from a seminar held in a Binational Center here (Casa Thomas Jefferson) and it was also a great opportunity to meet so many enthusiastic educators doing nothing but their best to open horizons for their students. It's almost midnight here in Franca-SP-Brazil (really early for us, right?) but I must try to get some sleep as I start early tomorrow morning.
You are really an inspiration!

Re: Cool Cat Teacher Blog: School Daze: Recovering the Teacher Within

GilMattos — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:02:16 -0000

Really good, Vicky. Even though we are coming to the end of the first semester down here in Brazil, I kind of relate to what you say. I finished teaching a special course 3 weeks ago for students who were preparing to take the Michigan ECCE Exam. We had started last October and went until the second week of May. It was hard work as I would spend the Friday afternoons locked into our auditorium teaching 3 different groups - from 2:00 to 7:00. The "funny" thing is even now I am still "intoxicated" with it. More often than not I catch myself thinking "Oh..If I were still teaching them, I'd be about to start the second group now..." . That's the fact. People who are not into teaching may not understand what it's all about. It's really comforting to read from you and everybody who's been posting their experiences here. Once again I have this feeling "OK..I'm not alone on this journey - they can make it and so can I".
Regards from chilly Franca-SP-Brazil.

Re: Cool Cat Teacher Blog: School Daze: Recovering the Teacher Within

GilMattos — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 17:47:06 -0000

Hi Vicky...
Impeccable, as always. As you know we shall have a break in July here in Brazil but right now we're on the way to the end of the 1st semester. I can relate because three weeks ago I finished teaching a special course to prepare students for the Michigan ECCE Exam and that was really tough. I had to teach 3 large groups the whole Friday afternoon. I'd get into our auditorium at 1:30 p.m and only live the place at 7:00 Exhausted is not the word to define how I felt although I really liked the course, most of the students and all that. The "funny" thing is I am still "intoxicated" with the overwork. Yesterday I took a nap after lunch and when I woke up the first thing that came to my mind was "Gosh - if I were still teaching that course , I'd be about to start the second class - how could I survive that for almost a year? " Another thing - ever since I finished the course it seems I "allowed" my body to go sick. I had 2 kidney stones, which had to be lazer broken and now I have this bronchi infection. I say I now allow myself to get sick because before I simply couldn't - I was too busy to get sick. Isn't it crazy?? As others have said it's comforting to read from you and see this seems to be common - it doesn't matter where you are - teachers do share this situation.
Hope you really enjoy your break and make the most of it.
Regards from cold Franca-SP-Brazil.

Re: Cool Cat Teacher Blog: Keeping the Poison Pen from Making You Sick

GilMattos — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 11:01:06 -0000

Dear Vicki...
Words will certainly fail me to express my gratitude for this post. You are one of a kind. I've just commented with a colleague it's "funny" (there must be a better word) the way we connect with someone who is so far away... I've been going through this kind of difficulty and there a number of phrases I literally used last weekend and you put them here. You say you sometimes don't know why you are writing something but you believe there might be someone out there, somewhere in need of your wise words. Keep up the awesome work - it's priceless and I feel a lot better now.
Thank you so much!
Cheers from rainy (another thing in common) Franca-SP-Brazil

Re: Cool Cat Teacher Blog: Do yourself a favor

GilMattos — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 13:37:38 -0000

Great post, as usual. I believe we should all try it as often as possible. Many times, for one reason or another, we end up wasting precious time and forget to do such basic things to our own benefit.

Re: 2009 Watchphrase: Be a Teacher and a Reacher

GilMattos — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 11:00:00 -0000

Wow! What a touching story - what a priviledge to get to know it - as they say - "better late than never". Thank you so much. I do believe this should become food for thought for so many of us who actually intend to be better teachers and influence our students the best way we can.