I’m just as overwhelmed by the 2016 presidential election as any of the rest of our readers. The problem is we’ve already made up our minds – so we’re ready to vote and move on. According to Rasmussen, less than 2% of Americans are undecided on whom to vote for in this nearly infinitely long and […]
Opinion
Posted inCommon Core
We Need our Educators Now More than Ever
We desperately need dedicated educators willing to build a career around serving today’s learners and today’s communities-our tomorrow depends on it. Under the guise of “reform”, public education and teaching have been under a years-long attack driven by private interests in collusion with policymakers looking to profit from and gain control of a private education […]
Posted inOpinion
Homeschooling: Making Education Natural Again
This year has been one of change for me. In January, I left teaching to follow a dream and move with my family to an ecovillage in rural Missouri. Since then, we have been homeschooling our two kids. When we were telling my family about our decision to leave mainstream life behind, they were – […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Featured, Instructional Strategies, Opinion, Podcast
Podcast Review: Angela Watson’s Truth for Teachers
“Remember, it’s not going to be easy – it’s going to be worth it.” Blogger, consultant, and educator extraordinaire Angela Watson ends every one of her “Truth for Teachers” podcasts with this Art Williams quote – one that any educator would agree we know all to well. But the content of her podcasts do make the […]
Posted inOpinion
Let them Be Children
Today at a meeting we discussed the inhibition of children. Little children. Children who have not started school yet. The rawness of their play and emotions. Think about watching a young child play or react or do anything. They give 110% of themselves to the event. In play that looks like imagination and sounds and […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Six Reasons Why Tests Suck
I’ve probably given hundreds of tests during my career, but the truth is, if I had the choice, I would never give my ELA students tests of any kind. This is one of those things that has sort of snuck up on me over the years. For example, I used to give a test on […]
Posted inSeries
Stories of a New Administrator
A little over a year ago I took over as the Director of the small, private school I taught at for six years and attended as a small child. Need it be said that I was thrilled? My staff taught by my side for several years and brainstormed with me for nearly a year. I […]
Posted inOpinion
Religion Isn’t Dead in Schools
From time to time, I receive an email from a parent asking “how do you go about teaching religion?” They are afraid that learning about other religions or even Greek mythology will taint the family beliefs that they and/or their institution have taught. As a public school teacher, there’s really one answer – “I don’t teach […]