My last post listed reasons why many children don’t learn to read. Poverty was behind many of the items. Poor students attend poor schools where they miss out on the arts, a whole curriculum, even qualified, well prepared teachers. Students might end up in “no excuses” charter schools with only digital learning. But, next to […]
The Sad Impact of Corporate School Reform on Students with Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities
We have a lot of troubled kids. As of 2016, approximately 1 in 5 youth aged 13–18 (21.4%) experiences a severe mental disorder at some point during their life. For children aged 8–15, the estimate is 13%. HERE. Schools should be on the front line to assist children and adolescents with mental health difficulties. But […]
The Lost Joy of of Putting On a Play: What Children Miss in a “No Excuses” World
How many elementary school plays do children get to perform in? Do schools have time for plays anymore? Do children ever get to act out dramatically? Drama can’t be tested. So plays might become a burden for teachers forced to worry about school accountability. Since NCLB, and no excuses for poor test scores, became popular, […]
Teacher Appreciation: It’s More than a Free Burrito
The official Teacher Appreciation Week starts tomorrow. If you celebrated it last week—celebrate again. In fact, celebrate every day! Teacher appreciation can’t be captured in one week. Here is my 2015 list and my 2016 list of why we should appreciate teachers. If you think of something I left out let me know. Chipotle gave […]
Learning & Brain Conference Alert! Making Kids “Happy” in “No-Excuses” Schools
Teaching children to be happy and resilient, to have grit, in a “changing and chaotic world,” and telling parents their children will now need skills “well beyond good test scores,” raises serious questions when you consider the no-excuses schools so many students now attend. I am referring to the upcoming Learning & the Brain conference […]
What’s Scary to Kids: Having Dyslexia and Being Held Back in Third Grade!
You thought I forgot Halloween because I posted earlier today? No. Here is an old post that is unfortunately still relevant today. There is no point in rewriting what is already said. Happy Halloween! Have fun and stay safe out there! ___________________________________________________________________ With certain states jumping on the retention bandwagon, even though we know retention […]
12 Reasons Why Digital Personalized Learning is Not Special Education
A recent article in Business Insider describes how Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg got their idea for digital personalized learning from special education. A light bulb lit, and they realized that students placed according to their academic level online is needed for every child—not just students with disabilities. They liked the way special education teachers […]
Who’s Teaching Your Student? Questions to Help You Find Out
It’s hard to believe that it’s time for school to start again. As parents and children visit schools with anticipation, parents might want to ask their student’s teachers about their instructional backgrounds. School districts used to be fairly vigilant about ensuring teachers had the right state credentials. That may no longer be the case. But […]
The Manufactured Shortage: Driving Teachers Out of the Classroom
Those in charge of public schools and politicians are hypocrites when it comes to the rhetoric surrounding a teacher shortage! School districts around the country are describing hundreds of classrooms they can’t seem to fill with qualified teachers. This has been a manipulated ploy to get rid of veteran teachers and employ alternative, revolving door […]
Today’s School Reforms and the Destruction of Invention
Currently, school reformers impact schools in such a way that little is done to assist students to be inventors. To teach young people to invent means looking at them as individuals with interests and uniqueness—hopes and dreams. It means providing experiences that foster those interests–introducing them to new ideas. Schools need to encourage and trust […]