Really, Congress can’t regulate? Maybe not directly, but certainly indirectly they have! To backtrack: the Common Core State Standards are not federal standards. After all, the U.S. Constitution gives Congress no authority to fund or regulate schools or control curriculum, standards, or policy. But at its annual fall meeting in 2008, after previous informal discussions, …
Isn’t it sad that we can all identify with the chart paper PD? That’s right. This isn’t just your average “show up for a few hours and write on chart paper”-type training event. ”Apple Cores” as we call them, are put through an intense experience of collaboration, sharing, and even….*gasp*…failing. This is one that so …
Not a bad idea with election season coming up: The program to reward high-performing teachers with salary stipends is part of a long-term effort by President Obama to encourage education in high-demand areas that hold the key to future economic growth — and to close the achievement gap between American students and their international peers. But this …
I saw a flag on the car that pulled out in front of me. It was one of those flags that you close into your window, but this one wasn’t to support a certain team. It was an American flag and as it blew in the wind, it reminded me of my grandparents’ car. They …
An incredible analysis of what is means to be a writer: Part of finding your own voice as a writer is finding your own grammar. Don’t spend your career lost in a sea of copycats when you can establish your own set of rules And yet, we don’t teach students this. Ever.
In teaching my second set of students in the Social Media conference, I encountered two unique situations. The first was that another adult entered the classroom and told the students that they needed to put up their cell phones and pay attention. It took me a couple of seconds to respond, but then I looked …
There’s something magical about a morning run before the rest of the world wakes up. There’s something magical about the dimness and fog that surrounds you with hope with what this day could hold. There’s something magical about the rustling in the woods that could be an unexpected morning encounter. There’s something magical about the …
I learned early on when I began to blog with students that if you allow too much time to pass between the experience (whether that’s reading, a guest speaker, a field trip) and writing about the experience, then students’ writing becomes stagnant and lifeless. To truly capture their voices, students need time during the experience …
After one day of my Sexting, Facebooking and Tweeting seminar, I am shocked and amazed, as I always am, by how astute students are. We began our discussion by asking, “Why do teachers/adults feel like they need to limit access to devices?” They responded with nice, safe answers like “because they want us to be …
Maybe working with students isn’t about what we want: Yet many teachers are not comfortable with their student’s media: they don’t listen to the same genre of music; they don’t play video games; they don’t watch the same TV shows or movies which appeal to their students. But they should. Allow me to elaborate. When …
