Teachers need to be held accountable for student learning. Teaching is a job and our job is for students to learn. Employees who work at McDonald’s are held accountable for putting a Big Mac together correctly. Workers at Target are
Read MoreCitizenship Starts in the Imagination
Yesterday, my community remembered the events of January 8, 2011. At a “Congress on your Corner” event held at a Tucson shopping center, a troubled man opened fire, seriously injuring thirteen people and killing six (including a nine-year old girl). Among the many public
Read MoreGuest Teaching as Civic Duty
Like jurors, substitute teachers should be drawn from the public as part of one’s civic duty, at least according to a colleague. Among other things, pulling subs from the public could create more awareness of life in our public schools, get
Read MoreSchool choice: An attack on traditional public schools
Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh! (recent election). Now that I have that out of my system, this is a blog post about school choice. Sometimes, I feel like I’m the only person who thinks that “school choice” is a bad idea. Public discourse is
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The Day I Met a Black Santa (A Childhood Memory)
I almost didn't post this, because it's more about ethnicity, race and culture than it is about school. However, I thought I'd share this childhood memory. I still remember what it felt like when I was a kid and I
Read MoreThe Changing Face of Inattention
A student who had been absent in algebra came in to make up work. She needed to create a reference sheet that showed the graphs of different kinds of functions. She was logged in and asked where to find the
Read MoreAn IDEA by Other Names
“The Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act” (IDEA) is a law ensuring services to children with disabilities throughout the nation. IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education and related services to more than 6.5 million
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Should I Join the Union?
I want to associate with groups that are transforming the profession and providing opportunities for me to develop my practice and leadership skills. I don’t want to associate with groups that preserve the blue collar, us against them, power
Read MoreWhen Did Revision Become a Bad Thing?
My students are often shocked when I tell them the reality of Memorial Day. When I ask them about the holiday, they tend to believe it had its roots in World War II, the same war that was fought, in
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