In Part I of this collaboration, some of the sources of teacher stress are described. The growing obligations, the expanding roles, the duties assigned to/taken on by/falling into the laps of teachers are growing. At the same time, respect for the profession and the people committed to it needs to be renewed and reinforced. Here […]
Dan McConnell
Husband, father, and teacher. Hoping to earn full redemption through the written word and shaping the dangerous young minds of tomorrow.
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Pokemon Go Learn
I have always let my kids do things and play games that I wouldn’t generally suggest for other children-but it’s with a guided purpose. In fact I encourage my children to get into those games and discover what happens when you push conventions, rules, and the boundaries of those virtual worlds. So when my daughters […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Colin Kaepernick: Education vs Indoctrination
I am surprised at the attention Colin Kaepernick sitting for the National Anthem is getting, but it prompted some reflection: How should I react if a student refuses to say the pledge, stand for the anthem, place his /her hand-over-heart…or participate in any one of the rituals that are supposed to indicate unwavering patriotism and love of […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
ThatQuiz: A Great, Easy to Use Resource
ThatQuiz is a great resource for teachers and students! Here’s a quick breakdown of what it can do for a classroom teacher: Create quizzes of various types. Maintain a class/student list to track progress. Students are able to use independently and access outside of school. Grades and averages for the quizzes are kept for you. You […]
Posted inBack to School
A Teacher Prepares for that First Month
That first month of school Some of those reading this have already gone “back to school.” I am a teacher squeezing the last bit of summer out of the break from my regular school year work, and as soon as I’m home it is “game on” again. But don’t let the well oiled machine of […]
Posted inHow to Fix Education
Parents have Rights. Really!
Parents have rights. In their efforts to promote charter schools, some education reform activists couch their advocacy in language describing “choice,” parent rights and even sometimes suggest that traditional schools and teachers pose a danger to students while going virtually unaccountable. This skewed and theatrical view of reality may be a reason many parents have […]
Posted inSeries
Rural Schools Journal- Entry 2
Mr. McConnell’s Rural Schools Journal Entry 2 (7/14/2016): A look from inside the school My first “Rural Schools” journal entry described a slice of our country- America and how the last few decades have impacted that quaint little world. It ain’t quite Walton’s Mountain, but it might be the closest thing you’re going to find […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Accountability Conversation
I am interested in educators taking back the conversation regarding education. Of course, we need to always be “developing” (sorry about the HEDI reference), and the vast majority of us always are partly by nature of the lifelong learner, but also because of what our nation is doing to it’s most vulnerable. We, teachers, aren’t […]