Like its sister-term, “accountability,” the term “reform” has had a few minutes of fame in education this year (see this swell piece by blogger-extraordinaire Nancy Flanagan). Here, Flanagan blatantly opens her piece with the statement, “Hello my name is
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The Damning of Intellectualism
Can we continue to hear the voices of our Founding Fathers, or will they forever be drowned out by the clang and clamor of the Damnation of Intellectualism?
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The Heart of Teaching
February brings many flutters and shudders for teachers. The flutters are connected to the chocolate, Sweetheart candy, and wonderfully-sappy cards that tell us how we’re the best teachers ever. The shudders come from a month full of test-prep and the emergence of
Read MoreA Hidden Curriculum
We may not be able to control the mental health care industry or the laws surrounding the purchase of guns in our state, but we can control the ways we create safety in our schools, with our own small gestures, each day with our kids.
Read MoreSo Few Students; So Much Time
Every single student, all 190 of them, have a 30-minute long, midyear conference to which they invite parents, guardians, peers, teachers, and other staff members. They share work from their portfolios, talk about their accomplishments and struggles, reflect on their growth in the Habits of Heart and Mind, and set goals for the short and long term. The advisor facilitates each conference, but the student is truly in the driver’s seat. It’s not strictly a time to show off, although that happens sometimes. The roundtable conference is a time for honest reflection and hard conversations too.
Read MoreCesar Chavez, Get out of my state!!!!!
For those of you who haven't heard, there was big news in Tucson this week! A local school district was accused of teaching a class that promotes the overthrow of the U.S. government. (Seriously.) A new law, HB 2281, went
Read MoreSymptoms of Failure
It’s a farce, and kids know it. When students ask in math class, “When am I ever going to use this?” let’s stop answering with references to calculating bank interest, prices per pound, and the cost of a sale item.
Read MoreWhy I Teach
by Alaina In a recent InterACT blog post, Kelly Kovacic gave a 90 second summary of why she teaches. In solidarity, bloggers in Washington and Arizona are posting blogs to pay tribute to why each of us teaches. Why do
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If I Had a Film Crew
I, rarely, watch movies about teachers – mainly because it drives my husband nuts when I yell at the screen because a teacher has pulled a karate move with inner city students, has placed chains on doors to lock out crime, or is connected
Read MoreElections, Squirrels, Teaching, and Shiny Things.
An old adage suggests that if one wishes to understand why something truly happens, the question“why?” must be posed at least five consecutive times. This allows the questioner to get below surface-level influences and arrive at the root cause. I
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