Drivetime Diaries

Are we "aging" slower now than we did in the past? What's the reason that 40 year olds in the 1990s (Think Steve Martin and Diane Keaton in Father of the Bride) looked older than we do now?I think some of it has to do with the way technology and streaming of media has made the past and present come together.What do you think?

I've had several videos on my social media this year that start out making you think they are describing Donald Trump (womanizer, adulterer, etc) that then turn at the end to describe King David of ancient Israel. My wife says she's seen NONE of these, so this illustrates the echo chamber I mentioned earlier this season, but the overwhelming point of the video is to remind you that God uses imperfect people to accomplish his purposes, I think. But is it a good analogy? Let's look further with a critical eye at the potential similarities between Trump and Kind David.

When you think of how we tell stories in our culture, or builds community, what is more important - the characteristics and experiences we have in common, or those that make us unique and different?Adam Conover from "Adam Ruins Everything" gave what I think is a great argumentagainst intersectionality in a recent YouTube video about the way we've shifted our cultural vernacular around time. (WHAT HAPPENED TO DECADES? -https://youtu.be/qo_EHY5jEX4?si=I4aMlR6FRKmX7kqn)TIMESTAMPS:00:00 - The Importance of Commonality vs Uniqueness6:07 - Intersectionality: Benefits and Drawbacks

There's a lot to think about innovative problem solving this week as Deepseek AI shakes up the market and Elon Musk and DOGE get to work on "inefficiency" in the federal government. Is this JUST what American needs, or is this going to be a disaster? And what can we learn about innovative problem solving from all of this? Timestamps: 00:43 - Innovative Problem Solving and Disruption 7:01 - DOGE and government efficiency 12:13 - Lessons from Deepseek

What's the *right* amount of time on social media? How do we avoid echo chambers as we build community online? How and why is it important to make sure we have differing perspectives as we navigate social media and consume news and entertainment? There's something here to make everyone mad, so I'd love to hear what you think!

While trying out a new Google AI tool today, Notebook LM, I put in my lesson plans for my GRC Podcasting class and besides summarizing my lessons into a clear unit summary, it also offered me an AI conversation discussing my notes - what a tool! Listening to other "people" discuss my lesson plans was really edifying and "their" feedback reinforced my conviction that this is going to be a great class! (Go subscribe now to hear my students' work! - https://open.spotify.com/show/5HaMDWgvVSL11e8IgEEnKh One professional development strategy deployed often in schools is a "lesson study," where a teacher presents an upcoming lesson with learning objectives, activities, assessment, etc., and then sits in the room as their colleagues discuss it and give feedback. Listening to this conversation felt exactly like that! What would you do with the ability to turn any text into an AI conversational recording? Is my hobby as a podcaster dead? Let me know what you think! IG: ⁠@mrcbakerislearning⁠ | ⁠@drivetimediary⁠ X: ⁠@chuckcbaker⁠

Its a commonly held assumption that public school teachers and administrators typically lean left politically, but why? Does the culture of "indoctrination" and professional development breed liberalism, or are left-leaning individuals simply more likely to go into education? What do you think of this nature vs. nurture scenario? Let me know what you think! IG: ⁠@mrcbakerislearning⁠ | ⁠@drivetimediary⁠ X: ⁠@chuckbaker⁠

I'm teaching a podcasting class the next 6 weeks on Saturday's with The Lou's very own Gifted Resource Council. Subscribe now so you don't miss any of my students' work - they're gonna be great! https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theloucast Let me know what you think! IG: @mrcbakerislearning X: @chuckcbaker

I'm back in middle school this year! teaching middle school, particularly gifted classes is special to me because my gifted class in 7th and 8th grade was a safe haven for me from the jungle of the rest of my schedule. We didn't always do things I liked, but it was always a space I knew I could fit in better - and everyone needs that! What about you? How was middle school? Let me know what you think! IG: @mrcbakerislearning X: @chuckcbaker

It's been said that teaching math in our schools is really just about problem solving - if that's true, why are we torturing kids with completing the square and geometric theorems? Isn't there SOME OTHER WAY we could find to teach problem solving? Let me know what you think? IG: @mrcbaker4math | @drivetimediary X: @chuckcbaker

It feels like lots of people I know were VERY into the eclipse this week (myself included) - are you eclipse crazy now, are is this "craze" we're observing more about having a shared cultural moment in time? Eclipses might have more in common with "where were you when the towers fell?" than only with science class. Let me know your story!

Did you know you can use AI to generate quizzes and self-assessments? I asked Chat GPT to create an ADHD self-assessment for me and then we chatted through my responses like talking to a therapist or an old friend! Obviously my results were to be taken with a huge AI sized grain of salt, but it was a helpful conversation! Let me know what you think! X: ⁠⁠@chuckcbaker⁠⁠ IG: ⁠⁠@drivetimediary⁠⁠, ⁠⁠@mrcbaker4math

In a kitchen conversation with my wife and one of my kids yesterday, I guess we figured out that I have neurotic tendencies! How would being neurotic affect me in the classroom? These episodes don't always feel like therapy, but I know this drive did! Let me know what you think! X: ⁠@chuckcbaker⁠ IG: ⁠@drivetimediary⁠, ⁠@mrcbaker4math

I have a NEW new job next year... transitioning to the "gifted teacher" classroom at our middle school. It's the same building, same front door, and same parking lot, but it's going to feel very different! Being a math teacher is a specific identity that comes with assumptions and co-identities and people make about you (and you also place upon yourself) - who am I as a teacher without all of that baggage? It's going to be another year of reflection and change!

In one of daily newsletters from NYT this week, I heard about the new "God Bless the USA Bible" being endorsed by former president Trump in a video he posted to his social media platform. The Bible is a leather bound King James Version translation of the Christian Bible and also includes the full texts of the US Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Pledge is Allegiance. It mostly had me wondering - who is this really for, and what's it say about that person's view of religious expression in society?

I had a moment of less than ideal action recently and it led to someone's car being stolen - and what if the stakes had been even higher and the perpetrator and been looking for more than just a joyride??

Do we reallyvalue free speech for EVERYONE, or just until your free speech makes me feel uncomfortable or is in tension with my free speech? It's a topic in schools and it's on my mind on today's drivetime.

I got an email from a student on the yearbook today asking me some questions for the spread they're doing on the new teachers for the yearbook, and I was not surprised by the questions about what did I think about the year what did I think about teaching at my school, but my interest was piqued by the last question. She asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I had a really good time thinking about it! The answer might surprise you!

What kind of tool/blade are you? Are you finely crafted to precision, made for professionals to craft masterpieces, or are you more of a versatile tool - slightly less refined to a specific job, but highly useful in a variety of situations? Let me tell you my story so you can share yours!

The worst best thing happened to me last week on a quiz I had to take in grad school. It was a pretty straightforward quiz that I should have gotten a hundred on because really I just had to read a document to answer the questions but I got one question wrong out of 20 which meant I no longer have 100% in that class. What that should mean for me is that I put less pressure on myself to be perfect and I enjoy my life more in the next two weeks. But how's that going? Listen to find out