This was pre-midterm week at school. Anxiety was indeed high among the students and also among the administrators within my building. This week, I took the opportunity to recap everything I possibly could with my students – stuff that we had learned in September all the way up to last week. I handed out study guides that my students […]
Current Events in Education
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, High School, How to Fix Education, Parents, Uncategorized
"But I WANT to Learn, Mom." An Unschooling Adventure Continues, Pt.2
I wrote previously about the introduction my 10-year-old son and I have had to unschooling this year. The first half of the school year was punctuated mostly by my own insecurities. I admit it, I’m mostly a traditional-style teacher, and fully believe in a free, universal education for all children. So it has been a […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Current Events in Education, Featured, High School, Opinion, Uncategorized
Charter School Diaries: The Sex Conversation- Episode 1
In an effort to help new teachers and to give a glimpse of what happens in the classroom, we are going to highlight one teacher’s experiences in a charter school. Recently, the Philadelphia School District has decided to provide many of its schools with condom dispensers due to what they call an epidemic. An impetus […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
High School in 2013 – These are Changing Times
About a month ago, Kelsey Sheehy wrote in US News & World Report that she expects three major changes for high school students in 2013: “Blended Learning,” “Flipped Classrooms,” and “Standards.” I think there may be some other, more stark realities for high school students in 2013, but I’ll comment briefly on her three predictions first. […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, From the Front Lines, High School, Social Studies
Our School Isn't ON with Service Learning on the Observance of Dr. King's Birthday
Inauguration Day falls on the legal public holiday for the birthday of Martin Luther King January 21, 2013. Whether this was coincidence or a conspiratorial plot,it is the second time that this holiday has coincided with a presidential inauguration. Do you remember President Bill Clinton’s inauguration in 1997? The observance of Dr. King’s birthday has been […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, High School, Opinion
School Shootings From The Eyes of a Student and as a Teacher
I was a sixth grader when a rash of school shootings began in the United States. Between January 1995 and March 2001, 21 multi-victim shootings occurred at schools around the country. I am part of a generation of Americans who learned to be wary of their peers and their schools, who looked for the way out of the school in […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, From the Front Lines, High School, Opinion, Parents
A Dream Followed: 5 Burning Questions About Running Your Own School
I have been running my own school for nine years now. As you can imagine I have had people asking me tons of questions throughout those nine years. I’ve taken those questions and compiled them into the top five that are always asked. I’m always open to answering questions about my school, how it started and what […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Middle School, Opinion, Parents
Turning a Dream Into Something Tangible: Starting Your Own School- Part 2
Want to know how I started my school ? Read part I here. The first five points of starting your own school checked out: it’s legal in your state, you’re not doing it for selfish reasons, you’ve been able to secure funding, you have a ‘business plan’ and you’ve decided what age groups you would like to reach. Great- […]