I have just finished grading final exams for high school sophomores, and I can’t help but wonder if I am guilty of cheating. Balancing high standards with opportunities for retakes shapes my approach to developing assessments. In my view, a student who fails one section of multiple choice should have the opportunity to write more […]
Current Events in Education
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, High School, Middle School, Opinion
Summer Slip Sliding Away — a Case for Year-Round School
Summer slide. Summer brain drain. All teachers know what it is no matter what you call it. Students forget over the summer. Math and reading skills will fall by the wayside no matter where you teach. How much the students lose does depend on where you teach. The lower the average income of the parents […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, High School, Middle School, Opinion, Parents
No End to the School Year for an Unschooling Child
The end of the school year — a time of celebration for students and teachers alike! For my son and I, it is a little different this year. This last year was his first school year as an unschooled kid. It has been quite a journey for us, and as I reflect on what we’ve […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, From the Front Lines, Opinion
The Ramblings of a Betrayed Teacher…Continued
In relationships, the balance of give and take is usually not 50-50. Sometimes you give your half and the other party doesn’t. Sometimes it’s the other way around. If you stay in a relationship with this imbalance, there is usually a reason; maybe not a good reason, but a reason nonetheless. With shame, I admit […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, High School, Literacy, Middle School, School Improvement, Teacher Branding, Technology
School is Out for the Summer – What is Next?
“What is next for me personally?” is great question. In its simplicity and sincerity this question has left me believing that someone actually cares about my answer. Our middle and high school have already begun its professional development for next year’s fall semester and a move towards implementing 1:1 IPads for students. Because this carries […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Opinion
The Assault on Teacher Pension Plans
All across the United States, there is an unprecedented attack on public employees’ rights and benefits, especially teachers’ pensions. Those of us in Illinois have felt, as has the nation, the impact of the 2008-09 financial crises. State policymakers have responded to this catastrophe, not by addressing the structural deficits that are a result of […]
Posted inCommon Core, Current Events in Education, From the Front Lines, The State of Education
The State of Education: State of Fear in Small-Town Tennessee
The area in which I teach can be viewed from the outside as your typical agricultural region: farms, tractors, cowboy boots, Southern accents, etc. Newcomers feel wary of the locals and of being treated like outcasts; meanwhile, locals feel wary of newcomers and of being treated like simpletons. Truth is, life is more complex than […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, From the Front Lines, High School, Middle School, Opinion
Take a Moment to Stop – And Enjoy the End of the School Year!
“Hey Jake,” Bill, our school custodian, stopped me as I sped down the hallway with a list of things to accomplish, “did you see the beautiful, blooming dogwood out in front of the school?” “Yeah, it looks great,” I said as I shrugged him off in ways only busy teachers understand. “I’m serious man, come […]