Articles written by Curt Jeffryes

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About me - Curt Jeffryes

Curt Jeffryes
Johnston, Iowa

For the past twenty-five years, I have worked as a professional developer and instructional designer in the area of education. In my current position I facilitated the re-design of the Heartland Area Education Agency Professional

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Creative Writing > Humor Humor: Maturity: 1 of 13

Now that I am in my mid-fifties, I have noticed that my perspectives on life have changed. For example, when I was in my twenties, I never gave a second thought to passing a rest area while traveling on vacation. You could get in the car and drive for hours without the need to stop. Now, I never miss a rest area and I am ver...
Education > Special Education Assessments for learning disabilities: How to identify an LD: 1 of 10

If you are just beginning your journey on understanding learning disabilities, then it would be wise to dispel some common misconceptions. First, learning disabilities are not a form of mental retardation or a sign of lower intelligence. People with learning disabilities are more often than not of normal intelligence but han...
Education > Teachers & Administrators What makes an effective teacher?: 6 of 23

I have had the opportunity to work with teachers for the past 35 years. During that time, I have observed many teachers with a variety of teaching styles. I have seen poor teachers, good teachers, and masters of the craft. There are clear and distinct differences between teachers who are extremely effective (master educators...
Education > Education (Other) Should the education system allow teachers and principals to "hit" students if they are misbehaving in class?: 10 of 37

I have been in education for thirty-five years as a middle school teacher, coach, and professional developer. As a student, I was on the receiving end of more than one swat from a teacher who was intent on shaping my behavior through the re-shaping of the seat of my pants. I will have to admit that assuming the position' did...
Home & Garden > Gardening (Other) True gardening stories: My most inspiring garden experience: 27 of 82

I grew up on an acreage in a small rural town in southern Iowa in late 50's and early 60's. Like many families, gardening was a necessity and our only means of having fruits and vegetables to eat throughout the year. Our garden, even by rural Iowa standards was huge! In it's hay day it was almost one and a half acres in size...
Creative Writing > Humor Humor: Job interviews: 17 of 33

In my role as a supervisor, I have had to hire a good number of people over the years. Our policy was to put together teams who would read and rate job applicants and then another team who conducted interviews and made recommendations for hiring. Like most organizations, we developed a series of standard questions that each ...
Creative Writing > Humor Humor: Dogs: 40 of 58

Everyone ought to have a dog like Austin, or maybe just the opportunity to experience a pet like this 100 pound black lab. He was purely one of a kind' and he was definitely a complete piece of work' by anyone's standards. He seemed to have a knack for doing some of the most unbelievable things. It would be impossible to chr...
Education > Special Education Causes and risk factors for dysgraphia: 2 of 2

This article has been classified as "Causes and risk factors of Dysgraphia." However, it is difficult to isolate this particular learning disorder or disability from other learning disorders/disabilities. Understanding learning disorders/disabilities as a whole seemed to be the only logical path for this paper. Dysgraphia wi...