My family and I spent New Year’s Eve together, which may not sound like much, except that my three kids are 19, 17 and 14. I know they could have gone with friends, but they chose to stay home and ring in 2014 with mom, dad and grandma. I was so excited that they made […]
Posted inCommon Core, From the Front Lines, Uncategorized
Ed Reform's Atari Problem
My cousin, John Michael, had the first Atari I ever saw. Not long after, my cousin Philip got one. I went to their houses every chance I got, and while I was there I hogged their video game machines as much as I could. I still remember the spongy feel and new plastic smell of […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Uncategorized
Apple Ad Shows That Students Can Surprise You…
I teach English in a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) school, and that means that there is wireless for all kinds of devices: notebooks, kindles, laptops, and phones. Internet access is open along with social media sites, except Facebook, since many teachers use them for resources or to communicate with students. There is a school […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Uncategorized
Quitting in The New Year
Ancient Babylonians celebrated the new year 4,000 years ago in late March when the day had equal amounts of daylight and darkness. The Romans celebrated the new year in January honoring , Janus (January), the Roman god of beginnings. He was represented with two faces which allowed him to look back into the past and […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, How to Fix Education, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Coach Files, Uncategorized
Adventures in Coaching: Sometimes You Just Have to Teach
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] Last week I had the humbling experience of comforting a teacher after a bad evaluation from an administrator. As the teacher cried and “defended” their actions in class, it reminded me […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Featured, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Where I'm From: New Year, New Understanding Using Poetry
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] I remember watching “Gremlins” in the 80’s. When Randall is sold the Mogwai he is given three specific instructions: never expose it to bright light, never get it wet and never, ever […]
Posted inFeatured, Opinion
Different Ways of Educating
I was told by a high school counselor not too long ago that if a student couldn’t function in a typical high school setting, he would not be able to function in life. Her take on it was that a typical high school is a true population sampling of what types of people ‘real life’ […]
Posted inCommon Core, Current Events in Education, Featured, Principals' Corner, Uncategorized
Five New Years Resolutions for Public Education Supporters
2013 was a pivotal year for parents, teachers and students who support a free public education for American children. In California, Governor Jerry Brown refused to over-test the state’s students to satisfy bureaucratic demands for data, even in the face of federal threats to withhold Title 1 education funding. In Seattle, Jesse Hagopian and fellow teachers at […]