The pandemic showed us that public schools are critical. Understandably, Covid-19 has been front and center. But the Biden administration glosses over or is silent on critical school issues. Sometimes these topics are front and center not in a good way in State legislatures or ignored altogether. Frustrated parents will seek alternatives, and there’s a […]
15 Strange and Scary Goings-On Surrounding Covid-19, Schools, and Teaching
How to handle a pandemic is a new territory for school officials and educators. Here are some observations of odd and downright scary practices surrounding the disease and school attendance. Adults online. Students are in-person. School board members meet online to discuss business. They’re worried about catching the virus, but they determine it’s best to […]
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 […]
Quit Using “Alignment” Referring to Children and Tests!
Alignment refers to a car’s wheels pointing in the right direction, or an orthodontist correcting a child or adult’s dental occlusion. Alignment is rigid. It’s right or wrong. Yet alignment has been used for years to describe how students learn in school. Children are not machine parts that need adjustment. What if consideration was given […]
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? […]
An ADHD Medical Device Again Raises Questions about Classroom Rigor and the Lack of Recess
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) says that 5 percent of American children have ADHD. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) puts the number at more than double the APA’s number. The CDC says that 11 percent of American children, ages 4 to 17, have the attention disorder. ~The A.D.D. Resource Center, Oct […]
How NCLB is Still Destroying Reading for Children
NCLB was a bi-partisan bill signed into law in 2002 during the Bush administration’s push for school reform. We now recognize how punitive the bill was, its troubling use of one-size-fits-all standardized testing to demonize and close public schools, the punitive AYP and “highly qualified” teacher credentialing changes, the unrealistic predictions that all children would […]
My Blogging Anniversary: How Has School Reform Changed in Five Years?
I recently passed the five-year anniversary of when I started writing my blog. What has changed? In this post, I analyze some of the issues I’ve written about over the years. Then, I thank you for your support. Change or lack of change in education can seem dark and foreboding, but there’s a great deal […]
Lessons From M. Mouse: Or, How I *BELIEVED* Disney Could Help Public Schools
A forest of thorns shall be his tomb! Borne through the skies on a fog of doom! Now go with the curse, and serve me well! ‘Round Stefan’s Castle, CAST MY SPELL! ―Sleeping Beauty’s Maleficent casting her spell to stop Prince Phillip In 1991, I obtained credit for renewing my teaching certificate by attending an […]
It Isn’t Over in Lee County or Elsewhere! And About Common Core…
The Lee County School Board has backed out and students will get tests and tests and more tests. But I know parents will not give up. I’m hoping they will hold their Superintendent accountable for stating that she wanted to devise a plan. This plan should include parents. Perhaps there are some parent lawyers who […]