The year: 1980 Activists in education are needed now more than ever. I was thirteen years old when I saw this coming. A smug ex-actor with Brylcreemed hair dropped a condescending line in a presidential debate. That isn’t a big deal by itself, especially when you consider how low the presidential decency bar currently is. […]
Dan McConnell
Husband, father, and teacher. Hoping to earn full redemption through the written word and shaping the dangerous young minds of tomorrow.
Posted inAsk a Teacher
Your Students and Video Games: Adult Supervision Required
It’s important for students to be well-rested and prepared for each day of learning, but video games and excessive screen time can make getting that rest a challenge. It’s hard to avoid screen time these days. Cell phones and computers are ever more present in our daily routines. Some restaurants even take your order on […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
An Open Letter to Bill and Melinda Gates: What Students Really Need
Dear Bill and Melinda Gates, I’m not one to dismiss those willing to help, and I have a tendency to believe the best in people until proven wrong. You certainly use your money to do a lot of good, so I have to believe you want good outcomes for public school students. I’m just waiting […]
Posted inCharter Schools
The Importance of Public Schools
Public schools are a cornerstone of our communities, and help to shore up our society as a whole. Public Schools Week 2019 (March 25th to 29th) is seeking to spread that love and say it proudly. The week is almost over, but that’s no reason to either forget how important our schools are or that […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
This is Why Teachers Quit
Looking for a message about your value as an educator? Well then, an over-the-top active shooter drill is a perfect addition to the “reasons why teachers quit” list. Teachers know there are better ways to save lives. Subjecting children, schools, and teachers to the sick, sad theater of these drills is just one more trauma […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
For Teachers Looking for Summer Fun… Lessons From Teaching My Daughter’s To Drive
Are you a teacher looking to invite some extra excitement into your summer break? I have just the thing for you! Take on prepping two teenage daughters for their driver’s license road test. My number one (Charlie Chan speak for my oldest) is 19, and conventional wisdom would have most thinking that she should have […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
A School Boycott Isn’t the Way To End Gun Violence
On this suggested school boycott-let’s be serious. In The Atlantic, former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan  suggested a massive nationwide school boycott to pressure our leaders into action to address gun violence. But a boycott of schools is not the way to pressure unwilling establishment leaders for better gun laws, and it is a shame that people considered to […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
So You Want to Be a Teacher?
You need to really, really think about this. I’m not trying to scare you away; I’m just trying to prepare you. You can’t go thinking that liking kids, that kids liking you, that believing you can make a difference, that wanting to make a difference, that being smart-you can’t think that any of that is […]