Does cursive handwriting have a place in today’s schools? That depends on who you talk to, but I say yes, it does. You may be thinking, “Typing skills are needed in the real world.” Yes, of course, but one skill
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Split Vision
In many ways, teachers are masters of split vision on a micro scale. Have you ever seen a first grade teacher successfully run independent literacy stations? What about an ELL teacher hold a Socratic Seminar? How about a middle school
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Teacher Prep & Title II
Retention, recruitment, preparation, access, and equity: all words tied to the state of education. The words transcend districts and state lines, and these words all connect to student impact. The choices being made at the very beginning of this educational
Read MoreImposter Syndrome or a Humility Check?
Are teacher leaders wizards or masons? The mason throws the mortar and trowels it smooth, lays the brick and taps it level. Each brick contributes incrementally to the wall, which defines the room, and room-by-room the house is built. The mason stands
Read MoreOur Glory. Our Darkness.
“You need to put more effort into your math,” directed the flustered fifth-grade teacher to the chatterbox student – who just happened to be me – and who was not chattering about math. In response to the lack of impact
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The Rising Tide: Certification
An education “reformer” floated a proposal to the Governor’s Classrooms First Council that would allow local education agencies (LEAs) to certify teachers independently. The Council agreed that local certification wasn’t a solution and would cause more harm than good.
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Grit Vs. The Virtue of Giving Up
Bill Ferriter, In a recent Tempered Radical post, The Poisonous Mythology of Grittiness, relates a recent conversation about grit that he had with John Spenser. The crux of their discussion was that grit is too often defined as working through set-backs and “buckling down and
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Evolve, Not Revolve
If you read my last post, you could see that I was ready for winter break. I gave myself to days of family time, reading non-school-related books and lots of hiking. This time was just what I needed because it
Read MoreDress Codes: A Life-Sucking-Stress-Inducer?
You know the expression, darned if you do, darned if you don’t. Maybe you’re familiar with a more colorful version of the line, but I’m not looking for controversy and often neither are school administrators. Regardless of such wishes, none
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The (Winter) Breaking Point
After teaching for sixteen years, I know teaching is both an art and a science. I practiced the art of teaching this past week leading up to winter break as I kept my students learning and focused with long-anticipated events
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