A friend of mine told me about STEM preschools the other day. At first I thought she was kidding. But I didn’t have to look hard. They’re everywhere! It seems that if parents are intent about making sure their children understand Science, Technology, Engineering and Math all they have to do is sign up for […]
You Can’t Trust Alternative Teaching Programs
The flim-flam report National Council of Teacher Quality (NCTQ) just reared its ugly head again. Those who follow education news know the report is bogus. Many bloggers have been justly slamming the report. You only need to look at the NCTQ Advisory Board and Board of Directors to understand what they are up to. Most […]
New Website Entries
Back in August I passed the two year mark since I started this blog! Today I would like to draw your attention to many wonderful blogs, websites and books about education which I have been collecting like rare coins for the last year. I already listed many others when I first started this crusade. Check […]
Higher Ed for Higher Standards and Common Core Yakety Yak
Higher Ed for Higher Standards is a relatively new group funded in part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (of course) to advertise the importance of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). They have another similar group, Complete College America, where they also point to poor student performance of beginning college students. Bill Gates […]
Happy Father’s Day to Dads Who Speak Out: Keep Up the Great Work!
As a teacher, I once arrived at my classroom early in the morning to find a father of one of my students quite upset. I shakily ushered him into the classroom where he proceeded to lecture me about what his son had missed out on in school, up to that point, and what he believed […]
Can You Hate Tenure and Love Your Teachers?
The Los Angeles Superior Court has struck down teacher tenure and protections in Vergara v. California. This, by the looks of venomous comments in newspapers, seems to delight some people. Arne Duncan, who represents the Obama administration’s viewpoint, apparently loves it too. See here. Great isn’t it? That the President of the U.S. thinks so […]
The Educator Called Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou, the educator’s voice rang out loud and it rang out clear. Though not a credentialed teacher, she educated all of us about life’s challenges and the ability to overcome life’s difficulties. She was an inspiration to all of us. She left us with so much that can be used to teach young people […]
Common Core Camps of Confusion and Strife—What’s For Dinner?
There has been a lot of confusion and controversy over different camps and what they think about Common Core State Standards (CCSS). While everyone is posturing and arguing who is right and which political group is shaking hands with which other group, or who we shouldn’t shake hands with, students continue to be tested to […]
Butterfly in the Sky? Educational Programs for Children
There has been a lot of buzz over Levar Burton’s Kickstarter campaign, here, to bring Reading Rainbow back as an app. Sorry for you folks who don’t have access to Netflix Streaming, iPad, iPhones, Xbox, or computer internet TV. There will be no butterfly in the sky returning to PBS. If you are lucky, and […]
Au Revoir NOLA Public Schools
They can call charter schools public schools all they want. They will never be public until they accept ALL children and hire credentialed teachers, led by actual school administrators who understand children and how they learn. How sad for New Orleans. How sad for a country that was conned into thinking charters were going to […]