There’s mindfulness for teachers and mindfulness for students. There’s mindfulness in the UK and mindfulness in the USA. You can find groups that will train teachers and students about mindfulness around the world. But is mindfulness being used to push students and teachers to be robotic? Is it meant to cover up the problems in […]
Recess and Behavior Problems Part II: How to Use Behavior Modification Caringly
So what do you do with the tough kid who drives the class crazy with their behavior when you can’t use recess as a carrot? When I say “behavior modification” a lot of people will run out of the room. There is something unsavory about the idea of controlling behavior. Most of us, for example, […]
Recess and Behavior Problems Part I: Attitude Adjustment
My recent post “If You’re a Teacher Who Denies Recess…” raised some questions about what a teacher could do if they couldn’t use recess as a bargaining chip to get students to complete their work and/or behave. I thought it was important for me to address these problems. My attempt here is to show that […]
If You’re a Teacher Who Denies Recess…
If you are a teacher in a school where children are lucky enough to get recess, please don’t use it as a disciplinary tool. Don’t deny students with behavioral issues recess for punishment. If you do, not only will you not be doing right by your students, you will risk looking like you know little […]
Michelle Obama’s Fight Against Childhood Obesity: Where’s The Recess—Etc.?
I’m going to fight until the bitter end to make sure that every kid in this country continues to have the best nutrition that they can have in our schools. First Lady, Michelle Obama We have a childhood obesity problem in America. Obesity can lead to diabetes, heart problems and sometimes even cancer. It can […]
Why Did Parents Ever Allow the Loss of Recess?
The Alliance for Childhood just printed Olga Jarrett’s research showing the importance of research http://www.allianceforchildhood.org/sites/allianceforchildhood.org/files/file/Recess_online.pdf. I admire the good work of Olga Jarrett. I even posted a tribute to her awhile back. There is a lot of other great research out there to show the importance of recess, along with books on the subject. There’s […]
Real Student Zombies by Next Halloween?
According to Wikipedia, the term “Zombie” figuratively applied describes “a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli.” Are students being turned into zombies in our schools? Think about this. The reformers want “rigor”—short for rigor mortis. Children are being over-tested.They’ve lost their recess. Children, who may […]
Breaking a Child’s Spirit—Twenty Harshly Negative Effects of Today’s School Reforms
Part I 1-10 These are not easy to read. But I’m sure you will find that many, if not all, have been used to negatively change public elementary schools in recent years. And you will recognize why they break a child’s spirit. Here are the first ten. I will post the others later. 1. Children […]
A Big Thank You to the Shelby County PTA
I enjoyed speaking to the Shelby County PTA and Administrators last Wednesday at their luncheon about my book. I would like to thank Terri Harris, Shelby County PTA president, for the invitation. I am impressed by how savvy parents are about the harmful reforms that are taking place. Parents are the real drivers of school […]
We All Know What Real Recess Looks Like
Lately there is a lot of talk about students getting fit after two decades or more of eliminating recess. With obesity, diabetes and ADHD on the rise, adults thought, hmm, maybe there could be a connection with inactivity. The conundrum is how to squeeze physical fitness in because no one wants to let go of […]