January 2010
24 posts
“In the 21st century, one of the best anti-poverty programs is a world-class...”
– President Barack Obama, 2010 State of the Union
“By 1990, the female-male breakdown was 55 percent to 45 percent. The gap widened...”
– The Washington Post reports that the college ‘gender gap’ favoring women stops growing
1 tag
Texas Skipping Out on Race to the Top
Why would a state as large as Texas skip out on a windfall of national funding to help fuel it’s schools? According to Texas Gv. Rick Perry (R) and Brook Dollens Terry of the Texas Public Policy Foundation there were a few holes in the Race to the Top.
Education has historically been a state issue, with power in Texas delegated to the Texas Legislature and the State Board of Education;...
From the Mouths of Babes
Me [to random kindergardener I’ve never seen before after lunch]: Have you eaten yet? Where’s your class?
Kiddo: Yup. Can you pick me up?
Me: No.
Kiddo: Can I have a kiss?
Me: No.
Kiddo [now clinging to my leg]: HUGS!
I think we may have been speaking two different languages!
Gates Says it's All About Teacher Effectiveness
All of the studies say that when it comes down to getting a good education it’s all about teacher effectiveness. To support this mission, The Gates Foundation is giving Denver Public Schools $10 million dollars. Let’s keep our eyes on Denver to see how this changes the largest city in the state that has the least funding for public education (ok, 49th for funding, but when you’re...
“There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love.”
– said Martin Luther King Jr.
- This is my truth. Today, tomorrow and always.
1 tag
“But we shouldn’t have the pursuit of money be a blind stampede to...”
– said Tom Dooher, president of Education Minnesota, that state’s largest teachers union. Dooher calls Race to the Top “coercive.” He says superintendents are telling teachers that they should go for it because it may be the only money they get for years.
I Need My Ed News!
The Washington Post comments on the report that during the first nine months of 2009 “only 1.4 percent of national news coverage from television, newspapers, new Web sites and radio dealt with education.
Do you feel like Jay Mathews and think it’s misleading information? OR, do you want more school news?
1 tag
What Makes a Great Teacher?
“The most valuable educational credentials may be the ones that circle back to squishier traits like perseverance. Meanwhile, a master’s degree in education seems to have no impact on classroom effectiveness.”
The Atlantic is covering the Race to the Top. I’m trying to learn as much as I can about this. From what I can tell it will significantly impact my career and ability to...
1 tag
From the Mouths of Babes
[Scene: Kindergardener licking snow.]
Me: Honey, do you know where that’s been?!
Kiddo: [puzzled/scared expression]
Me: I’ve been stepping all over that snow. Would you lick my shoe?
Kiddo: EWWW! BLAH!!! [spitting]
Me: Ok, let’s stay away from that. [wink]
Kiddo: You’re cute.
Hm…I can honestly say that’s the first time a five-year-old has told me I was...
Student Quote of the Day
Me: “That’s a smart seat you chose.”
Kiddo: “I chose it because I can’t make shadow puppets from here.”
Me: (wink) “Good choice.”
“As School Exit Tests Prove Tough, States Ease Standards”
– New York Times…telling us how the United States will rise to meet education standards and increase our footing on the international stage…or not.
It's Not Personal, It's Business: The Trickle Down
Kiplinger is finally commenting on the “gap” in education. When the education gap affects business, will people finally take notice?
Here’s what they are saying:
“A persistent racial and ethnic gap in scholastic test scores poses trouble ahead for employers as the labor force becomes increasingly diverse.
White children consistently score higher than Hispanic and black...
1 tag
“Only 33 percent of black males in the state (Michigan) complete high school. In...”
– According to UMs Black Male Project
Fall into the "Gap"
One of the major reasons why I chose to transition from the corporate world into education is because of the education gap. If I haven’t said it before, I’m saying it now: I believe that all children deserve an equal education regardless of their zip code. A new study, released last week and reported in the New York Times, reveals that white students are no longer a demographic...
“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in...”
– Nelson Mandela
Naughty Neighbors=Crabby Teacher
I have to share the latest story about the neighbors. My husband and I bought the condo we had rented for three years last summer. We loved every square inch of the unit…and somehow overlooked the neighbors upstairs.
They are in their early 60s and the friskiest couple I’ve ever had the displeasure of knowing. Like many Americans, during the economic downturn, they seemed to have...
Substitutes
I haven’t had the best impression of substitutes. They seem to be a different breed. I’ve been offered Mary Kay products, heard racial jokes, etc. etc. etc. I understand the difficulty of being placed in a classroom where you know none of the rituals and routines, but this article really exemplifies the problem of substitutes in schools. I definitely do NOT agree with the...
SMART Goals
I love the idea of students taking responsibility for their own goals. In the school I work at students know what “level” they are reading at and set a goal for their growth at the end of the year. There are two checkpoints where they determine what their growth has been and what they need to do to get better. It allows the class to celebrate each other’s learning through...
My Dream
It’s easy to get distracted by the day to day. Classroom management was a huge teaching focus for me and I really lost focus of why I wanted to teach. Specifically why I wanted to teach in an urban school. I was discouraged and had lost my confidence. I questioned my abilities. I’m reminding myself in the New Year that my dream hasn’t changed, but my skills are changing.
I...
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
– Nelson Mandela