Sometimes it happens at the beginning of the year. Or one January or May morning, the disembodied voice on the intercom announces you have a new student coming up to join your class. Then, there he is. That child, is usually a boy, stands at the door, assessing the class. You send up a silent […]
Current Events in Education
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, From the Front Lines, Uncategorized
Teaching: The Card Game
In the spirit of “War” and “Old Maid,” I present a card game called “Teaching.” (Note: there is something inherently icky about symbolizing students with numbers or, in this case, playing cards. I didn’t create this game to imply that students are merely numbers or that some students are “worth more” than others. Rather, I […]
Posted inCommon Core, Current Events in Education, From the Front Lines
{Editorial} A Teacher's Experience with PARCC in Tennessee
By Jon Alfuth In my sophomore year of high school, my AP European History teacher gave us a test on ancient Rome in week two of the course. The problem? We hadn’t learned anything about Roman history! To this day I still don’t understand her decision, but the experience left me with a strong distaste […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher, Classroom Management, Current Events in Education, From the Front Lines, How to Fix Education, New Teacher Bootcamp, The New Teacher Chronicles
Reminders for the New Year for Teachers
The excitement of break and holiday fun is over. Snow has come and gone and may come again. But everywhere across the United States, classes are starting back for teachers and students. In elementary classrooms it is generally back to business as usual. We don’t have class changes or a new group of students. Here […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, From the Front Lines, Social Studies
Is Social Media Imperiling American Civics Education?
Guest Post by: Jeremy Adams In many ways, the job of a high school teacher now encountering the first fully digitalized student generation has been tossed on its head. No longer are we teachers the depositories of information in civil society. No longer are we the keepers of important knowledge and insight. Students can access the […]
Posted inCommon Core, Current Events in Education, Featured, From the Front Lines, Uncategorized
The Tyranny of the Datum
Data is a big deal. A great deal of innovation is happening right now in the field of data collection, storage, and management in the field of education. There are some well-documented fears among parents and teachers regarding these trends. Who will control the data? How will the data be used? Will my child’s data […]
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 […]
Posted inCommon Core, Current Events in Education, Featured, From the Front Lines, How to Fix Education, School Improvement, Uncategorized
The Wizards of Ed- The Conundrum of Education
There is a conundrum facing American K-12 education. It is the same conundrum that has always faced American K-12 education. How do we educate “those” kids? “Those” refers to the kids who are dealing with any (or all) of a host of disadvantages. They are from the “wrong” side of the tracks. They are from […]