“All that is human must retrograde if it does not advance.” –Edward Gibbon Audacious barbarians at the gate do not always foretell a civilization’s decline. No, sometimes the changes are small and unspoken in a culture, manifesting themselves in the most surprising of places. Bemoaning a hollow cult of celebrity or decrying the perpetual […]
Current Events in Education
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
15 Years after 9/11: Days of Infamy & Memory as History
This week was the 15th Anniversary of 9/11. It has been filled with people remembering where they were and what they saw on September 11, 2001. This ritual will most likely repeat itself for many more years to come. There is finally a memorial and a place where the event is commemorated in New York City […]
Posted inTeacher Leaders
Teaching Outside Your Classroom
In my last article “Teaching Class (with Class),” I explored the varied definitions of class: one a group of students we teach, another a way to uphold one’s self with students (and the public, in general). This week, we’re going to explore methods on how to move the public pendulum outside of school with these […]
Posted inOpinion
A Letter to My Students On First Amendment Rights
Dear Students, You have – or will soon learn about – the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America. Adopted just prior to Christmas 1791 as the first part of the Bill of Rights, it reads: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Colin Kaepernick: Education vs Indoctrination
I am surprised at the attention Colin Kaepernick sitting for the National Anthem is getting, but it prompted some reflection: How should I react if a student refuses to say the pledge, stand for the anthem, place his /her hand-over-heart…or participate in any one of the rituals that are supposed to indicate unwavering patriotism and love of […]
Posted inHow to Fix Education
Parents have Rights. Really!
Parents have rights. In their efforts to promote charter schools, some education reform activists couch their advocacy in language describing “choice,” parent rights and even sometimes suggest that traditional schools and teachers pose a danger to students while going virtually unaccountable. This skewed and theatrical view of reality may be a reason many parents have […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Teaching Civil Discourse in Toxic Political Times
It is impossible to ignore the downward spiral of discourse and debate in American politics over the last year. Teachers pay special attention to public discourse because they know that what happens at the higher elevations of society always trickles down to their students. How adults in leadership speak to and about each other will […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
Can Teachers Really Be Excellent At Everything?
Imagine this: You’re a beginning teacher, fresh out of college. You’ve done a few weeks (maybe a semester) of teaching on your own. You’re thrilled to be hired to teach in your own classroom. You can disregard the low starting pay and the multiple subjects you need to prepare to teach every day. This is […]