I would like to challenge CEOs and education policymakers, and anyone else who thinks they know best what teachers should do, even though they have never been in a classroom, except perhaps for a few photo opts, to take the teaching challenge. Spend at least a semester teaching in a poor public school, which now, […]
The Republican Debate: Did YOU Hear Education Mentioned?
I did not remain glued to the screen when the debate was on last night, so when I stepped away, maybe it was then that they mentioned education and public schools. I must have missed it. Yes. I’m sure that was it. My guess is that they thoroughly discussed, at some point, the backbone of […]
Nine Reasons to Look Down on Think it Up
I missed the Think it Up glitz the other night. But I have seen some of the video. So what’s wrong with the wealthy wanting to crowdsource Americans to donate to student/teacher projects that will change the world? Anthony Cody writes a piece about Think it Up on his blog “Living in Dialogue,” and I […]
Aristotle in Kindergarten—What Do Children Miss?
When I read in The New York Times about Matthew Levey, a Columbia alum and former McKinsey consultant, who is setting up the International Charter School of New York, I was stunned! The school is starting out with 70 kindergartners and first graders and will eventually go up to fifth grade. Mr. Levey starting a […]
IEPs for All—Or Something Else?
Some of us imagined a public school system that would drop special education labels and look at all children individually and collectively for their strengths and what they need to learn. We thought of it as Individual Educational Plans (IEPs) for everyone. You will likely hear about “IEPs for All” in the future, if you […]
The Black Hole of Gifted Education and the What Ifs We All Live With
In 2008, I lost my only brother, six years my junior, to pancreatic cancer. A day doesn’t go by that I don’t remember his warm smile and how he could make me laugh. While out and about, I sometimes spot the back of a head and a body built like his, when he was healthy […]
Student Socialization in Public Schools
Socialization you could say is how a child interacts with their peers. There are many definitions, but in school, socialization mostly involves how children play and get along with each other. We think of recess when considering socialization. We wonder how much socialization children miss when they don’t get recess. Public schools can go a […]
Teacher Concerns about Age Discrimination and the Teacher Shortage
Many teachers raised concerns about age discrimination relating to the current teacher shortage after a recent post. I gathered what I had learned and I have added additional information. I also provide links at the bottom to other important articles about this topic. It is important to state that older teachers want to encourage young […]
Destroying Special Education through Common Core Testing and Funding Cuts
How are things going with these special education cuts after time has gone by? I’m looking at what’s happening currently. Let me know of any program cuts in your school district and I will write about them. This was originally posted August 25, 2015. ___________________________________________ Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and […]
School Choice v. Local Control—Oil and Water!
Republican Presidential candidates claim to be for choice, including vouchers, charters and opportunity scholarships, and they also claim to be for local control of schools. But school choice and local control are like oil and water. You must choose one or the other. For example, Brandon Wright, in “Donald Trump Quotes about Education” from The […]