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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Emergency services Medford man arrested after allegedly fleeing, striking officer with car door Bear cub captured in Ashland pharmacy Eagle Point might get on the bus Central Point police arrest man in alleged September vehicle assault Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services Medford man arrested after allegedly fleeing, striking officer with car door Central Point police arrest man in alleged September vehicle assault Medford police investigate gunfire report Man who fought police has punctured lung Politics and Elections Eagle Point might get on the bus Richardson accuses Kitzhaber of 'corruption' in final debate Green Party won't back its own candidate Jobs at core of Oregon House race Kitzhaber embattled as he seeks fourth term Education SOU student says free speech issue overblown SOU interim president leads in a different direction Medford school officials consider costs of full-day kindergarten Foundation kicks off ambitious 'Count Me In' fundraising campaign 100 hours and counting Environment Bear cub captured in Ashland pharmacy Work begins on Southern Oregon's first dedicated mountain bike trail Applegate Dam hydroelectric project dead in water Fear of orphaned cubs nixes new spring bear hunt Josephine County ballot measure would ban commercial and government pesticide use State news Nation - World Obituaries Robert Sherman Hathaway Sally Anne Musser Bob Owen Death Notices Marylen Agrell Kocks Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Sports Latest Stories Pistorius gets five years in prison Cowboys release Sam from practice squad Top teams in regular season still in Chase hunt Shaw shoulders blame for Stanford's slide Blazers look to build on solid foundation Varsity 541 College Sports Shaw shoulders blame for Stanford's slide As SEC rules rankings, calls of #SECBias rise Oregon inches way back into playoff race UO’s Dargan sets the tone for improving defense Mariota keeps touchdown streak alive Pro Sports Cowboys release Sam from practice squad Top teams in regular season still in Chase hunt Blazers look to build on solid foundation Steelers rally past stunned Texans 30-23 White Sox’s Abreu lands AL rookie honor Community Sports LOCAL EVENTS LOCAL RESULTS Business Latest Stories County OKs partnership to lead business recruitment People's Bank sees 64% net earnings gain New I-5 interchange puts south Medford on fast lane to fast food County's jobless rate unchanged in September SOU interim president leads in a different direction Real Estate News New I-5 interchange puts south Medford on fast lane to fast food Lithia buys Clovis dealership Rental vacancies increase Jackson County real estate sales, prices continue rebound Pallet Wine Co. expands in downtown Medford People In Business People in Business Transportation Frontier Airlines to end Eugene-Denver service Business Resource Fair has answers Erickson's Navy contract extended Lithia buys Clovis dealership Agriculture Hundreds look for work at Harry & David hiring fair Umpqua Holdings more than doubles net earnings Harry & David will hold hiring fair Thursday Ranchers offer livestock exchange 1-800-Flowers CEO: Labor shortage an issue for Harry & David Opinion Latest Merkley-Wehby race leaves us unconvinced Letters to the Editor, Oct. 21 Our View: Falls for sheriff, our picks for state House Granlund cartoon: Keene NH rioting Letters to the Editor, Oct. 20 Editorials Merkley-Wehby race leaves us unconvinced Our View: Falls for sheriff, our picks for state House Our view: Endorsements include Bates, Talbert, Hoppe Reversing course: Hoppe for judge Our view: With respect, our support goes to Bates Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Oct. 21 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 20 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 19 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 18 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 17 Guest Opinions Don't overlook importance of Jackson County commissioners race Measure 92 misleads rather than enlightens Oregonians have a right to know what's in their food Infill is the answer to growth issues Guest Opinion: Who’s really to blame for 2014 wildfires? 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Medford man arrested after allegedly fleeing, striking officer with car door ... Bear cub captured in Ashland pharmacy ... County OKs partnership to lead business recruitment ... Medford man arrested after allegedly fleeing, striking officer with car door ... Bear cub captured in Ashland pharmacy ... Dr. Elaine Heffner: Mining for good teachers By Dr. Elaine Heffner, 
More Content Now MailTribune.com By Dr. Elaine Heffner, 
More Content Now Posted Oct. 21, 2014 @ 12:01 am By Dr. Elaine Heffner, 
More Content Now Posted Oct. 21, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Social News Continuing the effort to define what makes a good teacher, I’m following the advice of my most recent informant, which was “ask the kids.” In answer to the teacher question, I was told about a science project developed by two teachers in an upstate New York middle school. In this school there is team teaching, in which two teachers take a class within a specific grade, divide them in half for some subjects and have them together for others. This was a joint project they called “Mining,” which seemed perfect since right now I am mining the terrain for good teachers.    The class was divided in groups of four, and the teachers provided four different brands of chocolate chip cookies, which were to be mined for the chips. The mining was to be done with tools consisting of several kinds of toothpicks, some stronger and some more flimsy. These tools were “rented” at different prices, which would count as part of the costs of the mining. The flimsy ones cost less but might break more easily, thus costing more in the end. Since the cookies themselves were the earth being mined for the ore (chocolate chips), the mining process required minimal damage to the environment. The outline of each cookie was traced on a sheet of paper to be compared to the end result of the mining. The chips themselves were put aside and given value depending on their size, condition, etc. This represented the gross income from the mining from which the expenses (tool rental) would be subtracted to determine net profit. At the end of the mining, the cookies themselves, which undoubtedly had fragmented to some extent, had to be gathered back into a condition in which they could again be outlined and any damage to the land assessed.  The students could also judge which brand of cookies was best for mining, in terms of the most chocolate chips and least crumbling. It is easy to see how such a project would capture the interest of eleven and twelve year olds. What is amazing is what children are learning. Math is obviously involved as various calculations have to be made, but judgment is also required. The cheapest tool may turn out to be the most expensive in the end if it keeps breaking and replacements have to be paid for. The children have been given a first-hand experience in the relationship between income, expenses, profit and loss. At the same time, environmental considerations are brought to the fore, including rules that must be followed for the protection of the environment. In this project, the earth disturbed by the mining had to be restored as closely as possible to its original form.  There were penalties for excessive disturbances of the environment during the mining process. One might also say that this project provided an experience in developing consumer discrimination. It turns out not all chocolate chip cookies are equal. Some have more chips than others and some chips are larger than others. Some cookies crumble more easily, while others are crisper and firmer.  The children engaged in this project found that appearances could be deceptive and that not all cookies were suitable for mining. In some, the profit from the ore mined was not worth the effort and cost of the mining.  It may well be that mining for the qualities that make for good teaching may involve identifying the soil that produces the ore. But what can be said about good teaching, was once said in another context, you know it when you see it. Ask the kids!  Elaine Heffner, LCSW, Ed.D., has written for Parents Magazine, Fox.com, Redbook, Disney online and PBS Parents, as well as other publications. She has appeared on PBS, ABC, Fox TV and other networks. Dr. Heffner is the author of “Goodenoughmothering: the Best of the Blog,” as well as “Mothering: the Emotional Experience of Motherhood after Freud and Feminism.” She is a psychotherapist and parent educator in private practice, as well as a senior lecturer of education in psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College. Dr. Heffner was a co-founder and served as director of the Nursery School Treatment Center at Payne Whitney Clinic, New York Hospital. And she blogs at www.goodenoughmothering.com .   By Dr. Elaine Heffner, 
More Content Now MailTribune.com By Dr. Elaine Heffner, 
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