March 2010
19 posts
“Jaime Escalante has left a deep and enduring legacy in the struggle for academic...”
– Gaston Caperton, former West Virginia governor and president of the College Board, which sponsors the Scholastic Assessment Test and the Advanced Placement exams.
And the winners are...
Race to the Top announced it’s winners yesterday. The apparent underdogs (Delaware and Tennessee) won! Delaware will receive approximately $100 million and Tennessee $500 million to implement their comprehensive school reform plans over the next four years. As with any federal grant program, budgets will be finalized after discussions between the grantees and the Department, and the money...
“In a recent study of fifth grade students in the Netherlands, most never...”
– Mark Moran, Forbes
Holla it's Hat Day
Today we were raising money at school, and kids could wear a hat for a quarter (yes, I believe a total of $10.75 was earned). The most darling kindergartener has been coming into my room to use our computers. He knows the password is “student” but has no idea how to spell it. Anyway, today’s deep conversation revolved around hat day. He wore this large cowboy hat with a huge...
Can Corporate Hardball Save Chicago's schools?
Here’s a highly recommended article on Chicago Public Schools. Some urban school systems are turning to the tough tactics businesses and law enforcement use to improve employee performance. The sometimes-contentious approach, known as performance management, has yielded promising results in Houston, New York and some other districts. In Chicago, it’s forcing city educators to embrace a...
India or Indian?
It’s hard for me to remember having the vivid imagination and lack of world knowledge that many of my students have…and speaking with the conviction they have that their stories are real. Lately, my only white student has been having an internal conflict over whether she’s from India or an Indian (Native American). She’s been checking out books from the library on the...
From the Mouths of Babes
Culturally responsive teaching in action…
Me: Am I saying your name correctly? Is it Angel or Angel?
Student: Miss I am Mexican and American. That means you can say it either way and it’s right.
——————
Student: Miss, how you not know Alesha and I are cousins?
Me: Sorry, I had no idea.
Student: But we’re the only two black kids in...
The Power of Grammar
As an editor, in my former life, I’ve always been a bit of a grammar nazi. In my first placement, I was in a classroom where it was all about feelings and making connections. Now, in a more traditional classroom grammar is taught, practiced and enforced. I really struggled with the idea that because standardized tests rarely take off points for spelling/grammar it wasn’t necessary to...
“Unless we take action — unless we step up — there are countless children who...”
– President Obama - In the proposed dismantling of the No Child Left Behind law, education officials would move away from punishing schools that don’t meet benchmarks and focus on rewarding schools for progress, particularly with poor and minority students. Obama intends to send a rewrite to...
Puppy Love = Adorable
Student: Miss I have a secret to tell you. Pinky promise you won’t tell?!
Me: Hm…ok?
Student: Before today my life was horrible, but now I’m in LOVE.
Me: Love?
Student: And he’s right over there!!! (Squeals and points into classroom across hall.)
“Consistency is the only way for success in this area. Just because a rule...”
– Author of “When Children Test Your Limits”
What Teachers Want
Supportive principals more than higher salaries.
Digital media more than textbooks.
Evaluations based on how much their students learn, rather than principals’ observations.
Those are a few findings from what’s thought to be the largest-ever survey of American public-school teachers, sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Scholastic publishing company.
Kansas City to Close Nearly Half Its Schools
The NYTs reported that The Kansas City Board of Education voted to close almost half of the KC’s public schools. This was a wide reaching and contentious plan to shrink the system in the face of dwindling enrollment, budget cuts and a $50 million deficit.
When I first read this shocking headline I was feeling both shocked and confused by how the district would get by. Then, I read further and...
“I have EVIDENCE.”
– 3rd Grader on why she hasn’t recorded any books on her reading log.
1 tag
“In education as in so much else, high standards are important - far too...”
– by Jeff Jacoby in Why one-size-fits-all education doesn’t work
Capture Your Audience
A colleague of mine compared his mentor teacher to an actress who liked to “bring the drama.” Her kids bought into it hook, line and sinker. They would do anything for her and believe whatever she said. I believe that some people have those engaging personalities…and for the rest of us, we can hope for expert advice on How to Capture a Crowd. In this article, Mary Civiello, is...
Back in Action
So, it’s been a few weeks since I’ve written. I’ve been in a weird place and not quite sure how to articulate it. I’ve been feeling fairly unsuccessful and was actually moved classrooms. This week I found myself surrounded by some 3rd-5th graders in a classroom set up for special skill targeting. As I started my week, I was tentative. I felt nervous about screwing up and...