No matter your viewpoint on the coronavirus, for those who care about democratic public schools, our fears merge when it comes to worrying that technology will replace teachers and end those schools. Covid-19 is the perfect storm, and Prenda micro-schools are the prototype. These are schools that focus on commercial tech programs without real teachers. […]
24 WRONG Reasons to Reopen Schools
The reasons for returning to school might sound good, but those reasons always bump up against the enemy, the coronavirus. Here are concerns that deserve attention, but they are the wrong reasons for schools to reopen. 1. President Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos say SCHOOLS MUST OPEN IN THE FALL! Neither the President or […]
Happy 4th! Celebrating America’s Teachers, NOT Chromebooks!
Americans miss their public schools, their universities, and their teachers. On this 4th of July we owe much to the frontline hospital healthcare workers who save lives. Also give thanks for America’s teachers. They stand by their students and are trying to navigate uncertainty concerning Covid-19. Back in March, many believed the virus would be a […]
“Reimagining” Teacher Appreciation in 2020: Pushback on the Takeover of America’s Schools
Teacher Appreciation has taken on new meaning in 2020. This week is supposed to be a time to celebrate teachers with 20% off coupons, candy bars, notes, and thank you trinkets. A scrawled homemade card, laboriously designed by a student with learning difficulties, these are the keepers that bring teachers joy. There’s more gratitude for teachers […]
Disaster Capitalism, Online Instruction, and What Covid-19 Is Teaching Us About Public Schools and Teachers
The last few weeks have been surreal as we learn about the Corona Virus and how to protect ourselves and our neighbors. One of the largest disruptions has been school closings in order to contain the virus. No one knows when schools will reopen. While Covid-19 is of utmost concern, parents and educators, who’ve worried […]
How Dwindling Human Interaction in Public Schools Hurts Us as a Society
Look at the picture above. Is the boy going to pick on the girl, or will he invite her to play with the other children? In today’s impersonal school climate, how do students learn about those around them? When there’s no chance of bringing students together in school, how will children better understand their peers? […]
What’s Behind the Chan Zuckerberg (CZI) Push for “Brain Science?”
It doesn’t matter how much trouble Mark Zuckerberg might appear to be in with Facebook, he and his wife still find time to mess with education and give elitist advice to teachers. Their latest initiative is to claim teachers need to learn brain science. They’re donating $1 million to Neuroteach Global, an online PD platform created […]
Personalized (Online) Learning Fails at Classroom Dynamics and Socialization
Let’s get together, yeah yeah yeah Think of all that we could sha-are Let’s get together everyday Every way and everywhere And though we haven’t got a lot We could be sharin’ all we’ve got Together ~Haley Mills, From Walt Disney’s The Parent Trap The public school classroom is a sacred community. How students socialize in […]
Betsy DeVos’s Tour Questions Are About Tech Transformation
Betsy DeVos is gearing up for another tour, this time in the South. Chalkbeat shared the questions she is asking about schools. Here I try to interpret her questions with answers to what she is really getting at. I believe her questions are related to technology and “disruption” in education. The drive is to transform […]
School Transformation Double Talk Threatens Students and Teachers
It’s easy to be confused by what is said about schools today. We are told one thing, when quite the opposite is taking place. We are told that with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), education will involve local decision making. Simultaneously, the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation is giving $44 million to affect state […]