For twelve long years of school and after, he contends with a situation for which he can find no satisfactory solution. When schoolwork becomes insurmountable, the child has few alternative resources. An adult dissatisfied with his job may seek a position elsewhere or find solace outside of his work; he may even endure these difficulties […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Social Studies, Technology
Week 3 of Rollout 1:1 iPads: Cede Control
The transition to a 1:1 digital classroom is a means for lessons designed around seamless cooperation between students and teachers to set common goals and outcomes. This week was a lesson in letting go of total classroom control. I spent the weekend rereading, How to Give Effective Feedback to Your Students, by Susan Brookhart. I […]
Posted inFeatured, Opinion
A Valentine for my Students
To My Dear Students, Past and Present: I know you don’t like mushy sentiment. You probably wouldn’t associate that with me anyway (I suspect that is one of the last things that come to mind if you think of me!). But I’m writing you a Valentine anyway because this is the week for it. So […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, How to Fix Education, Uncategorized
The Experiential Illiterates
I try very hard–and often unsuccessfully–to avoid hyperbole and straw men in my argumentation on behalf of the American institution of public education. My bias is clear, and there is no preventing it from seeping into my writing and speaking and thinking. There’s no getting around it. I have friends both in real life and […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Opinion
Olympic Lessons
I always get really excited when the Olympics come on TV. It gives me a chance to see sports on TV that are not usually shown and the amazing back stories about the athletes are always appealing. This year I mentioned the Olympics to my students and the universal reply was that they had no […]
Posted inOpinion
What are the 7 Goals of Education?
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! I was flipping channels on television the other evening when I came across an interviewer discussing education with two women. I stopped to listen. Two things struck me. The first was that the women she was interviewing were not educators at […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Opinion
The Top 5 Things That Teachers Think (To Themselves) But Do Not Say (Out Loud)…
There are many skills that must be acquired if one is to be a truly great teacher. But what every teacher knows is the art of holding one’s tongue. How many times has something biting, vituperative, but honest, popped into our consciousness as we go about teaching our classes or partaking in teacher meetings and […]
Posted inHow to Fix Education, Principals' Corner, Series
10 Ways to Fix Education: Stop the Revolving Door of Administrators, Teachers, and Students
By: Lori Rice & Jake Miller In our previous installments of 10 Ways to Fix Education, we focused on providing teachers more teaching time. For quality work to occur quality planning and reflection are an important part of the process. Today we’re here to talk for the need to stop the revolving door. Just like […]