I get it. Reading scores are low in my district. And it’s not just the scores. Kids are struggling to read. They’re struggling to answer questions based upon what they read. They’re struggling to think critically about what they read.
Read MoreMatriculation and Metaphor: The Mother of All Core Skills
I had a lovely Mother's Day, thank you. A word root for "mother" is embedded in much language surrounding education: matrix, matriculation, alma mater. To begin to reflect on this phenomenon, one must retreat into a bit of metaphorical thinking.
Read MoreParents: Please Look Beyond the Snapshots to Look at the Core
In the past many months, I’m sure many of you who are on social media have noticed a certain brand of posts related to the Common Core. Most of them begin with a photo of a third-grader’s math homework. Usually,
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The Yard Sale
I knew it was time, over twenty years of teaching treasures. I was that teacher, the one who bought six copies of a book so I could use it for a small group reading activity or so more than one
Read MoreA Silent Testing Environment
Testing Day is silent, of course, but teachers are not even allowed to examine or discuss the state standardized assessments after the fact. I can’t see how this helps advance teaching and learning.
Read MoreTaming Godzilla, Preemptively?
Amethyst and Sandy Merz fail to truly disagree, but succeed in uncovering some compelling possibilities for Common Core Standards implementation.
Read MoreHow I Became a Teacher. A Webcomic.
How I Became a Teacher
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When Readers Can’t Own the Text
Online textbooks lead to frustration, and questions about reading pedagogy.
Read MoreWhat If? #4: What if teachers had it all?
How would your teaching change if you had all the resources you needed?
Read MoreThe Obstinacy of Hope
I endeavor to explain how I see hope as essential to a teacher’s job, and yet not quite the syrupy-sweet thing that many interpret from Dickinson’s famous poem. It’s more beaky.
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