My improv troupe has been going through a time of transition. Â When I came back this summer after my school hiatus, there were a lot of new faces and a few old ones – and things had changed, not necessarily for the better. Every group goes through highs and lows. The first time I was […]
How to Fix Education
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, How to Fix Education, Instruction & Curriculum, Opinion
The Museum Trip – The Other Side
[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”] As a museum educator, I work with all types of learners.  Multimodal teaching is a phrase I hear on a consistent basis – and as a kinesthetic learner myself, I’m thrilled to […]
Posted inElementary School, Featured, How to Fix Education, Kindergarten, Opinion, School Improvement, Uncategorized
The Bandaid of Efficiency
This is a cross-post from EdGator.com. [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”] Argumentation today consists of little more than two people taking turns misrepresenting one another’s positions. Gone are the days of Socrates, when the point of […]
Posted inFeatured, How to Fix Education, Opinion, Uncategorized
Charters: They're not all KIPP
This is a cross-post from EdGator.com. Several recent articles deal with charter school applications that contain copied passages. Since one of the main tasks of a democratic education is to produce ethical leaders, I have a visceral reaction to questionable shortcuts, especially academic dishonesty like potential plagiarism, being employed in setting up a school. I […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, How to Fix Education, Opinion, Principals' Corner, Uncategorized
Circling the Wagons in Educational Reform
This is a cross-post from EdGator.com Several recent headlines have to do with the just-released MetLife Survey of the American Teacher. Reformers like Eduwonk are desperately trying to dissemble that the survey doesn’t hint strongly at the hostility of reform policies that are making tons of teachers love their jobs less and less. (Value-added ratings […]
Posted inBook Review, Featured, How to Fix Education, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Book Review: Vocabulary StrategiesThat Work: Do This – Not That!
[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”] In Vocabulary Strategies That Work: Do This-Not That! Lori G. Wilfong does an amazing job of bringing to light the importance of students actually learning vocabulary and making it useful instead […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, How to Fix Education, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Uncategorized
The Emperor’s New Clothes: There’s No Magic Answer in Reading
Let us face it- in education many of us are waiting for some fairy reading tales to come true. For instance, we may be hoping to meet Prince Charming and live in his magnificent castle. However, nobody wants to walk down the street without clothes, even in our nightmares. I contend that most commercial reading […]
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 […]