Recess for children is such a simple concept that some adults don’t know how to deal with it. Edutopia is talking about a “right way” to do recess in order to “optimize” it. This stems from a report that is supposed to “help” with recess. They want to manipulate how children play and how we […]
Schools, and a Country’s Children: Remembering a Gentler (Not Perfect) Past
This is our land. These are our children. We’re all in it together. ~Brochure for the Van Buren Intermediate School District, Project NOMAD (Needs and Objectives for Migrant Advancement and Development), 1972 and 1973. In the early seventies, as a young college student, I became an aide for two summers, in the Michigan Migrant Education […]
Alternative Routes vs. Growth Mindset: Shouldn’t School Be Like a Map?
Maybe you are planning a trip over the summer. Are you going to tackle the Grand Canyon? Perhaps you’re going overseas to Italy, or some exotic place that has always been on your bucket list. Maybe you will stay home and enjoy relaxing in the backyard. Why don’t we tell children that school is like […]
22 Education Issues That Make Us Go “Well, Duh!”
There are certain issues in education that should no longer take a major study or a Ph.D. to understand. And yet some Americans seemed duped into believing there’s need for proof. For example, Chalkbeat just informed us that students who take tests in hot rooms don’t get good test scores. Does this shock anyone? Here’s […]
On this Memorial Day: Remembering Protectors of Children and Public Schools
On this day, Americans rightfully remember those who fought and died for our freedom. Maybe they will have a barbecue. Perhaps they will make use of the sales and go shopping at the mall. But when they hang the flag, they will thank those who made our country safe, so we can say what we […]
Bellwether: The Sheep Who is Leading Teachers, Children, and Parents Off the Cliff!
Long ago, it was common practice for shepherds to hang a bell around the neck of one sheep in their flock, thereby designating it the lead sheep. This animal was called the bellwether. ~Mirriam Webster Dictionary Bellwether Education Partners is one of several nonprofits working with school districts around the country to determine how to […]
In DeVos Interview, Lesley Stahl Went Where Few Journalists Go
It’s been a long time since any journalist has defended public schools with the kind of punch we saw with veteran journalist Lesley Stahl. It was refreshing to say the least. Stahl has a book out about being a grandmother, so maybe she’s got the children of America on her mind more intensely these days. […]
Worries about Tech and the Chan/Zuckerberg $30 Million Support of “Reach Every Reader”
Reading is essential for learning, yet students across the U.S. are completing elementary school with inadequate reading abilities. So begins the announcement in The Harvard Gazette telling us about the new $30 million grant Chan/Zuckerberg will hand over to Harvard’s School of Education and MIT’s Integrative Learning Initiative (MITili). Learning to read, all of us […]
Class Size and Its Impact on Inclusion
Parents want teachers to address their child’s individual needs. Teachers want this too. They want to be able to work with and understand the students they teach. They especially want to help the students in their classes who have exceptional differences. This is difficult to do when class sizes are too large. If elementary teachers […]
America’s Students are Brilliant! The Cynics Can No Longer Claim Otherwise!
Beyond the sadness over the terrible event at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas, still unimaginable, there was something that stood out last week. America’s kids are smart! Really smart! They’re smarter than the school reformers who have said ugly things against them for years! President Trump referred to public schools in his Inaugural Address as an education […]