Posted inOpinion, The Unemployed Teacher, Uncategorized

The School Zone: Keeping In Touch With Teaching

This is that marvelous time of the school year when teachers can begin to see that (sometimes desperately) needed break coming in December.  Some schools even get an entire week off for Thanksgiving, and that’s right around the corner!  Often parent-teacher conferences happen around this time of year, and there are grading days to get […]

Posted inFrom the Front Lines, How to Fix Education, Instruction & Curriculum, Opinion, School Improvement, Uncategorized

Data-Driven Politics

One of the driving forces behind the advancement of bubble-test tyranny in our school systems today is the concept of data-driven decision-making. Back before we tested every student in every subject on almost every day of the year, cigar-chomping school administrators just pulled decisions out of their backsides and hoped they worked. They threw the […]

Posted inElementary School, Featured, Opinion, The Unemployed Teacher

Substituting – The Not-Quite-Teaching of Teaching

One of the new adventures I’ve embarked upon since my layoff in 2011 is substitute teaching.  Many unemployed teachers I’ve spoken to have been substituting for a very long time, sometimes half a decade or more, waiting to get back into a permanent position.  Substituting can be one of the worst – or best – situations in which an […]

Posted inOpinion, Uncategorized

Unreason on the Throne of American Thought

Conspiracy theories have long enjoyed a quirky place in American public life. We’ve questioned whether there was a second shooter when President Kennedy was assassinated, whether the moon landing actually happened, whether Elvis really died, and whether 9-11 was an inside job. Conspiracy theorists alleging UFO cover-ups have been with us for years. Alternatives to the official […]

Posted inOpinion, The Unemployed Teacher

Education Myths that Eliminate Good Teachers

Teachers are among the many casualties of this faltering economy, especially young, motivated teachers.  So many promising educators –who have chosen a career path of little financial reward because they want to help growing young minds — are waiting in the wings, wondering when they’ll get their opportunity.   Those new teachers now must compete with […]