Monday, September 3, 2012
IBG YBG
Hence, another way the mission of this book comes back to our role as teachers. Although we have little influence in this arena, we must try to be as ethical as we can, and to demand it from our students. How big is the problem? Not sure. I think many teens are sneakier than ever--they lie easily and often. But I also know many who are idealistic, and are like the entrepreneurs in the book--they are eager to help the planet and make the world a better place. (I know some who are a little of both.) Let's hope there are more of the latter than the former!
Authentic Assessment
One thing I've learned over the years, and at conferences, is that the advisers who get the best results are the ones who do the least. We train the kids well, step back and let them own the process, make the decisions and problem-solve. I think this bears thinking about as we embark on a new year, and after four days of planning how to improve our instruction. I think there's been a trend in education that as the more things spin out of control (not making AYP, etc.), the more we try to control, and that translates as doing more work. We continue to work harder and harder than our students, and I contend that it's handicapping them.
That is one of the many reasons we struggle with critical thinking. Kids can't think critically when everything is spelled out for them. There is a great TED Talk about this for those who are interested--it's given by a young math teacher of the year. If you can't find it and want the link, let me know. I think it applies to all areas of teaching.
In-Service
This past week was disheartening. Outside of the mention of critical thinking in the CEWs session, not much really moved us forward in any of the ways suggested in this book. And the morale is so low at this point, I highly doubt anyone is gearing up to assign more challenging reading and writing--the most important pieces of critical thinking skills we are losing. Instead, we will continue to devote more time to passing state assessments, and making sure we toe the line of the new state evaluation system.
Third Party Candidate
So....can we get a serious independent (or new party) candidate? With over 40% of Americans now registered independent, I think it's a time. I don't know if it will work, but my goodness, we have to do something.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Hope Springs!
I tried to get Thomas Friedman to join our blog; sadly he never did. I wanted him to read the insightful comments you made about what actually goes on in our classrooms. As depressing as this book was to read at times, I was heartened by all of you--you represent all that is good in public education. Thanks again for your contributions.
I plan to keep the blog open so you can "catch up" should you need to do so.
Mary Ellen
Friday, August 24, 2012
Shockingly, I am posting late on the last day possible. . .
The one idea that always fills me both with hope and dread is that “of all the variables under a school’s control, the single most decisive factor in student achievement is excellent teaching.” This quote, which I’ve seen before, is in the section on teachers and principals. I believe this quote to be true, and yet when I see our PSSA scores jump and crash as they do, when most of us are teaching the same classes but to different students, I have my doubts. How can what I do work so well one year and then fail so miserably they next? I know I am tweaking things each year, but not so much as to contribute to such fluctuations. Yes, the students are different each time, but that is the way the game is played and I’ll have to learn to play it better, especially with more and more emphasis being placed on test results.
The good news is that with each new school year we do get the chance to start again. I know of few jobs that have the “do over” aspect that a new school year has for teachers. Sport is the only other thing that comes to mind. If you or your team has a bad year you can rededicate yourself to the cause, try to identify your weaknesses and, if possible, eliminate them. You start the next season 0-0, with a clean batting average, and just as much a chance to win as anybody. That optimism, the hope that fans and players alike share in the pre-season of each year, is the same I feel at this time of year. Some of you have been doing this longer than I have and many of you are more secure in what you do. I’ve always known that I have real room for improvement - just look how this is being completed in the last hours of the last day for submission. Unfortunately for me, that’s typical.
So now we are here at the start – the chance to make it better, to make it perfect, to raise the good to the great, to squash the comfort of “average” and to make the difference in our kids lives. We will do it by what we help them know and by what we make them feel.
This quote reminded me of one of my favorite quotes that I had taped to my desk in the first school that I taught and always try to remember.
“I've come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It's my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child's life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or de-humanized.”
Dr. Haim Ginott
This quote helps me keep things in perspective. I know on any given day the most important thing we can teach may have nothing to do with English. It may just boost someone’s confidence to make them feel better about school or learning in general – to decide to give a bit more effort or to relax just a bit when they are unraveling under stress.
Here’s to a year where the students want to learn, the teachers are inspired and our country finds itself closer to realizing its potential.
Creative Creators or Routine Servers
As we get closer to having the students return I am thinking of the theme of this book more as it relates to them and less to the US in general. I often think how well the skills I teach in my classroom prepare students for next year, for college and for life outside of education.
One part that I find interesting, important and concerning is the section when the authors talk about the future of jobs. In short it seems they see jobs in the future becoming secure for those who add value and unstable for those who can be replaced due to technology, globalization or downward economic trends. In the years my brothers and I spent working in retail (late 60’s to mid 2000’s) I saw this happening all the time. If you worked in a union supermarket in this area full time you could easily make forty to forty-five thousand dollars a year as a general clerk (cashier, stocking shelves, etc.) with full health benefits for you and your family. They gave you an extra thousand dollars to attend college. No real skills were needed, just be reasonably friendly and work reasonably hard. The companies at this time had solid profits and for about 20 or 30 years things were pretty good. People started out in the lower socioeconomic levels and moved into middle class. I know hundreds of kids who went to college on supermarket salaries. Looking back from today’s point of view it seems almost ridiculous. How could shareholders allow a company to pay that much more than they had to? They eventually wised up.
As time went on I saw many changes that allowed much more work to be done by fewer and fewer people. The one most easily recognized is the replacing of cashiers with the kiosks where customers check out their own groceries. I worked in stores that had these for about 5 years and they never really caught on. They were confusing, they were prone to malfunctioning and they allowed for easy shoplifting. I don’t think the companies saw the return they were expecting and now I know that some stores are replacing these machines with human cashiers. A happy ending? Not quite. These cashiers have nothing like the salary or benefits their predecessors had. Today you start at a lower rate, top out at a lower rate and pay for whatever benefits you want. Almost evry new hire is part time to help company flexibility. No hours are guaranteed. If business falls off, you get hours cut back, sometimes to 8 hours a week. Nobody is sending his or her kids to college on a “new” supermarket salary.
They discuss this polarization between those at the top and the rest of us in part II section 4 on creators and servers. If anyone has heard the NPR interviews with Bartett and Steele, the investigative reporters who used to write for the Inquirer, whose book I hope to read soon, they paint a very scary story in which the US middle class isn’t just shrinking, it’s being purposely destroyed by those who no longer see a need for it. In 1914 Henry Ford doubled the salary of his workers to 5 dollars a day, which went a long way in securing an American middle class. He stopped the turnover in his company and he enabled his own employees to be able to purchase his products. It was a win-win.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t happen today. The creators, those near the top with a seat on the board, no longer need a strong American middle class to buy their products. The middle classes in China, India and Brazil are a much more tempting and lucrative market. The potential profits in these countries far surpass that of our own. We are all servers who will mind the machine and be replaced by others who will work cheaper and expect less. As long as we have working class people who obsessively think that lower taxes are the key to their prosperity, those at the top will win.
So, do I try to get my students to be creative creators and not be merely routine servers or do I try to get them to rise up and overthrow the system? I think I know what choice the school board wants me to choose, and I doubt sticking it to the man will help us raise our PSSA scores. So, how to get them to be more innovative, more entrepreneurial, to add value to whatever they do, even if they do end up being a server? To be honest, I’m not sure, but I think there will be opportunities, in their research papers, our class discussions and the literature we analyze. Perhaps all that will be needed is for me to recognize the opportunities as they present themselves, and then to impress upon the students how critical this is to their future.
Final thoughts
Despite that, Friedman and Mandelbaum and many of us were able to still see the potential for change. Even at H-H, changes such as the grad project class, have shown me that we can educate the creative creators that will lead us. I hope that the coming school year gives me the opportunity to spark these students and maybe convince other students that "average is over".
Is there a strong 3rd candidate?
I looked at a CNBC site to see which companies still offered retirement benefits. Some of the companies are gas/oil companies, some are health care companies and others are technology companies. The name that stood out to me was Microsoft. What Bill Gates did with his company and continues to do with his charitable endeavors and innovation lead me to think that he is the type of person the United States needs to run for President. If Bill Gates does not have the magnetic personality, there has to be someone that is within his inner circle that can lead this candidacy. Maybe it is Melinda.
No matter who the person is, I am in agreement with the authors that a strong third party will help return the U.S. to a more balanced political situation. Too bad it won't happen in 2012.
Is this what America needs?
|
On the one hand, American universities have been accepting international students for many years, and the relationship has benefited the universities and students. However, if American universities create campuses in places like China, do both parties still benefit? Will American students apply to Duke Kushan University or UNC Bangalore? More importantly, will American students be accepted to these universities? If not, have we lost our creative advantage?
The other part of me feels a sense of pride. For years, international students have been willing to move to learn in American colleges. If Duke and other schools open campuses internationally, is there an opportunity for American students to spend a semester/year of their college experience at an international branch of their college. Studay abroad is touted as a great social learning experience. But, will an undergrad at Duke go to Duke Kushan for a year and create connections and learn what the "flat" world is really all about? If that happens, this can only help that student be more marketable in the global economy.
As I said, I am not sure how I feel about this but I think the old ways of thinking about education are being challenged and some entities are willing to take risks. Time will tell which risks pay off.
Can't we all just get along?
What a surprise is was when members of both sides came together this year to save the oil refineries in Philadelphia and Delaware county. This article was published in the Philly Inquirer back in July, and now hundreds of refinery workers are back to work. The quote below detailed how both sides of the political spectrum came together because saving jobs and keeping oil prices down were important goals for everyone:
The War on Math
However, one of the most damning statements in this book was written by Alan Binder in Dec. 2010 when he wrote, "The nation took leave of its fiscal senses, and simply stopped paying for anything during President Bush 43's eight years." As a young adult during that time, I can remember buying my first house during this time and my wife and I were astonished at how much some banks were willing to lend us to buy a house. Thankfully, we did not push our spending as far as the banks would have allowed. However, we know people our age that did and took 5/1 ARM mortgages that simply became too expensive for them to afford. This small example makes me think that this is what happened on all levels of spending in the US from 2000-2008.
I do not know if Pres. Obama has helped this situation at all in the last four years but I am sure that information will be presented in the next 3 months. After reading this book, I believe that fiscal responsibility will become a large factor in who I vote for in the upcoming election.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Colorado's system of evaluation
If Gov. Corbett and PA legislators are determined to alter evaluation for teachers and principals, maybe they should be partnering with teachers' unions and principal representatives rather than making decisions without their support. If change is going to occur, collaboration and communication should be steering the decisions rather than relying on test scores and student surveys.
How do we support three C's
If the State does eliminate the requirement of a graduation/culminating project, we would be short-sighted in eliminating these types of activities taking place at Hatboro-Horsham. If we really want to prepare our students for the 21st century, we should be looking for more opportunities to emphasize the three C's in all of our courses.
The Worldview of our Students
I love telling people about my job, "Oh, I'm only preparing my students for jobs that don't exist yet."
In order for us to foster the creative-creator or creative-server within our students, we better have an understanding of what their worldview is, because it is a lot different than ours. I wanted to share the annual Beloit College Mindset List--a gentle reminder for college professors that first year students see the world differently.
"This year’s entering college class of 2016 was born into cyberspace and they have therefore measured their output in the fundamental particles of life: bits, bytes, and bauds. They have come to political consciousness during a time of increasing doubts about America’s future, and are entering college bombarded by questions about jobs and the value of a college degree. They have never needed an actual airline “ticket,” a set of bound encyclopedias, or Romper Room. Members of this year’s freshman class, most of them born in 1994, are probably the most tribal generation in history and they despise being separated from contact with friends. They prefer to watch television everywhere except on a television, have seen a woman lead the U.S. State Department for most of their lives, and can carry school books--those that are not on their e-Readers--in backpacks that roll."
I find it incredibly insightful that these students--who I had in my classroom two years ago, are facing their future with doubts. Wasn't college suppose to be a time of blissful optimism? It makes me wonder if I should be sending the message to my students that college degrees are paramount. Should I instead be telling them that creating the job you love is paramount, the degree (and debt) can wait.
Here are some of my favorites on the list....
#63 The Twilight Zone involves vampires, not Rod Serling.
#60 History has always had its own channel.
#27 Outdated icons with images of floppy discs for “save,” a telephone for “phone,” and a snail mail envelope for “mail” have oddly decorated their tablets and smart phone screens.
#28 Star Wars has always been just a film, not a defense strategy.
#11 The paradox "too big to fail" has been, for their generation, what "we had to destroy the village in order to save it" was for their grandparents'.
It's All Politics
Ready to Kick Some Butt
Inspiration
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Don't hate me because I'm a woman!
It's bad enough that Americans have to suffer the election campaign circus, but why has the fair sex been bullied, slandered, and insulted by the politicians who also seek our votes? I will be amazed if any female Missouri voters cast a ballot in favor of Republican Representative Todd Akin. When he finds himself losing the Senate seat, maybe he can enroll in a human sexuality class and get his facts straight. Or maybe ask his wife if she has been blessed with the superpower to "shut that whole thing down."
Just when I thought the Republican party was out to get me and my reproductive organs, I found a glimmer of hope in That Use To Be Us. Friedman and Mandelbaum ask us to recall Bush Senior, an avid supporter of women's reproductive health: "In George H.W. Bush's two terms as a Republican congressman from Texas, he was such an enthusiastic proponent of Planned Parenthood, and organization in disfavor among most Republicans today, that he earned the nickname 'Rubbers.'"
Did you read that? Rubbers! They weren't even talking about Bill Clinton!
With this bit of information, those ornery, curmudgeons who make the Republicans look sexist should be reminded that one of their own knew well enough to win the female vote by supporting reproductive health care.
The other glimmer of hope I read simply reaffirmed what I already know to be true about Americans, and also validates why I, a Democrat, can have pleasant table conversation with my Republican parents... "While the political views of Republicans and Democratic activists have pulled apart, those of Americans in general have not changed much, and that the public's views skew closer to the center of the political spectrum than the beliefs and preferences of the officials they elect." In other words, the population is relatively moderate, despite the fact that the politicians we elect are extreme in their views. My parents and I can actually AGREE on social issues because, hey, this affects everyone, not just Democrats or Republicans. The drawback to having a population of moderates is that "The political system does no offer [us] moderate choices." So we are forced to vote for the less crazy of the extremist.
I can hear the backlash already... "Don't hate me just because I'm a politician!"
Will the US face a food shortage?
Is it possible for the US to face a food shortage crisis? It is hard not to project this doom and gloom scenario onto our own lives, having witnessed this recently during the Arab Spring. Friedman and Mandelbaum discuss the inner loop that occurs when food prices become too high: “In December 2010, the FAO Food Price Index hit its highest level...those rising food prices were one factor, perhaps the last straw, that sparked the political uprising in Tunisia, which quickly spread to Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, Syria, Yemen and aross the Arab world.” These political uprisings resulted in surging fuel prices, that lead to further increases in food prices. Friedman and Mandelbaum write, "The higher the food prices rise, the more political uprisings there will be. The more uprisings, the higher the fuel prices will rise."
Food prices have been a burden on working class Americans throughout the recession. I can't buy 14 oz of canned tomatoes for less than a dollar anymore... unless it's expired or dented--hello botulism. I don't believe the prices will decrease, because "This inner loop is being reinforced by another loop of steadily rising world population, plus steadily rising standards of living, plus steady rising climate change." I know that the scarcity of food and water in the US is hard to imagine—look at our nation's obesity and diabetes rates! But recent stories coming out of the American heartlands leads me to wonder if we are about to join the political uprisings we witnessed this year with the Arab Spring as a result of a shortage of affordable food.
Consider the following from the NY Times...
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/26/business/food-prices-to-rise-in-wake-of-severe-drought.html
- The government said it expected the record-breaking weather to drive up the price for groceries next year, including milk, beef, chicken and pork. The drought is now affecting 88 percent of the corn crop, a staple of processed foods and animal feed as well as the nation’s leading farm export.
- Cattle farmers in several states have already started selling off or culling cattle because the drought has ruined grass for grazing and the price for corn for feed has skyrocketed.
- Countries that import [from the US] substantial amounts of animal feed made from corn and soybeans will feel the impact the most.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-08-20/news/sns-rt-us-usa-drought-bargesbre87j0wo-20120820_1_vessels-river-traffic-freight-rates
- The U.S. Coast Guard said on Monday that 97 vessels were stranded by low water on the Mississippi River near Greenville, Mississippi... The worst U.S. drought in 56 years has left the river there at its lowest point since 1988, a year when a similarly dire drought also stalled commercial traffic on the major shipping waterway.
- The upcoming Midwest corn and soybean harvest could propel freight costs higher if river traffic remains severely restricted.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
The two party system - a must?
"Although political parties are not mentioned in the constitution, the belief that there should be two and only two of them has achieved quasi-constitutional status - that is, an arrangement with which it is unwise to tamper - in the eyes of many voters" (p. 335). I find this a fascinating idea and one to be true. I even had to admit to myself that my initial thought of a "new" party or less known party being thrown into our election process was that of it replacing one of the two currently playing the game, not being in addition to.
I was shocked at how difficult it is for a third party candidate to get onto the ballot in most states. Where is democracy? Why is it not the same process for all parties?
Being in the age of television and the Internet, a third party candidate needs to utilize the media in order to gain popularity. And honestly, I think it could be done if a third party candidate had enough fame to gain attention.
However, the most famous of our current third party presidential candidates, Roseanne Barr, is not exactly what I think Friedman and Mandelbaum have in mind!
In Ross I Trusted...Kinda
And so MM and TF take the circuitous route to 3rd Party town.
I have to agree with Joel Evans - it's not much of a pay off. On one hand, I certainly agree that the current "political system is stuck under the sway of special interests" and the "two parties are so sharply polarized that they are incapable of arriving at the deep, ideologically painful compromises that major initiatives...will require." In fact, recent political headlines do not focus on "Rediscovering America" and tackling cutting edge issues. Instead, the political machine is discussing derivations of the same old stories: Anti-Abortion, No Rape Exemption, Separation of Church and State. No matter your political affiliation, these topics constitute old business. They are the hackneyed issues that reverberate during every election season. Maybe the flavors vary a bit, but the meal is the same. And quite frankly, I'm full. Maybe even a little nauseous. Wouldn't it be nice if politicians "thought big" instead of rehashing the status quo in an effort to get elected or re-elected?
Nonetheless, there are aspects of the 3rd Party suggestion that may bear fruit. For example, TF and MM reminds us that a "third party succeeds not by winning elections, but by affecting the agenda of the party that does win." This was further reinforced by their mention of the 1992 presidential election where Ross Perot won "18.9% of the popular vote." Supposedly, this lead to Clinton's deficit reduction policy that resulted in "a budget surplus for the first time in several decades." If I take TF and MM at their word, then this certainly bodes well for the 3rd Party theory.
And I'll be honest: I voted for Ross Perot. Was it his southern twang? His short cropped hair? His laugh? In short, to quote Forrest Gump, "He had a way of explaining things so I could understand them." Ten bonus points to you if you read that with a "Gumpian" accent. Anyway, not only did he come equipped with charts and graphs, but he was not afraid to reveal some of the narrow-minded truths of the Washington machine. Unfortunately, his running mate, Admiral James Stockdale frequently looked like he'd just been struck by lightning and was prone to absent-minded outbursts or cadaverous silences.
TF and MM reference an October 2010 poll which states: "more voters identified themselves as independents (37 percent) than as Democrats (31 percent) or Republicans (29 percent)." A compelling statistic, which certainly validates their overall assertion that a 3rd Party could help bring America back to "exceptional" or at the very least commendable.
However, when they close out the book with an empty patriotic call to American History, I think it's a cop out. "The history books we need to read are our own." Really? The founding fathers had a common enemy while surging towards INDEPENDENCE. Today's politicians manifest new "enemies" every week. Terrorists. Wall Street. Illegal immigrants. Police officers. Fire Fighters. Teachers. Until that stops, we go nowhere.
Not a debate for younger people
This struck home to me because I find there are a lot of political hot button issues (for example, gay marriage), which are (for the most part) not debates. It makes me wonder how many political debates will be solved merely with the passing of time. However, I know many issues cannot wait for the next generation to be solved.
No incentives to use cleaner energy
Global warming: No wonder we continue this debate
How can anyone make an educated opinion with such conflicting information out there?
Going Forward
New Reality TV Show: President Wars
Monday, August 20, 2012
Global Weirding
I really like this term "Global Weirding" the writers use because it "is a more accurate way to describe the climate system into which the world is moving... Global warming... it sounds so cuddly. It will be anything but that."
Critics of climate change might cite the recent snowfall in South Africa earlier this month as proof (evidence even!) that global warming isn't happening. South Africa Snowfall Stuns Johannesburg "If it's suppose to be global warming, how come it's snowing in Africa." But that's the point, it's not suppose to snow South Africa. It's weird. And weirder still is that this isn't scaring enough people into demanding changes in how we use our planet.
Investing in the Future and Urban Planning
In no place is this lack of investment more obvious than the poor urban planning decisions made by Philadelphia leadership all those years ago when the potential for prime waterfront real estate was paved over by I-95 and the Schuylkill Expressway. When elected leadership fails to recognize the potential for long term development, we end up with poorly executed fixes for immediate needs. Today, the city is paying for those hasty decision because there wasn't a visionary speaking on behalf of the next generation of Philadelphians. We can never calculate the loss of business opportunities, residential development, or cultural renaissance as a result of these highways.
While this is just one example of "deferring maintenance on the formula" (and arguably not as important as other issues like global warming and economic failure) it is glaringly obvious when comparing Philadelphia to other cities who supported urban planning visionaries.
In July, I traveled with my husband to San Antonio, Texas, and felt what I can only describe as waterfront envy. Running through the heart of the city is the San Antonio river, which has been fully incorporated into the urban planning and design. The Riverwalk is a beautiful oasis for tourist and locals looking to escape the Texas heat. The skyscrapers line the river's edge with water level retail and restaurant space that welcome pedestrians. On street level there is an additional opportunity for retail and restaurant space for each of the buildings, which ensures a thriving retail and tourist economy. This project did not happen overnight, it came about in 1929 as a way to prevent frequent flooding. It was a vision that depended on the next generation to continue the project. Today, the city has something valuable because someone decided to invest in something important for the next generation.
While we can't go back an rip up the highways that choke the waterways of Philly, we should invite visionaries to collaborate on projects that serve as an investment in the future economic success of the next generation.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
I Don't Want to Be "Nice"
More on the 5 Pillars
The End
The Countdown
#3 - More money goes to prisons than to schools (232). The scary thing about this is that there are probably more adults in jail than there are children in schools. This is a backwards approach to me. If more money goes to schools, then kids would have the knowledge and skills to stay out of jail and then less money would have to be pumped into the prison system.
#2 -"69% of US public school students in the fifth through eighth grade are taught mathematics by a teacher without a degree or certificate in mathematics" (232). How is this possible or legal? I wouldn't think that a school would hire an unqualified person, but apparently I am wrong.
#1 - "75% of young Americans, between the ages of 17 and 24, are unable to enlist in the military today because they have failed to graduate high school, have a criminal record, or are physically unfit" (221). This quote covers three major issues and I don't know which one is more disturbing: our education system, our crime rate, or our overall health situation.
They Just Didn't Get the Word
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Bad Teacher
I have had teachers that I thought were "bad" when I was in high school. Teachers that gave difficult tests covering material that I swear we never learned or a grading system that I thought was too harsh, or nuns that would embarrass you if your shirt wasn't tucked in just right. But my main goal was to get good grades and not let anything sway my focus. So I worked harder, found study buddies, and made sure my uniform was always in place. Usually when I thought I had a "bad teacher," I ended up doing better in the class because I worked harder and pushed myself.
Colorado State Senator Mike Johnston says that teachers are the "single most important variable determining the success of any student" (113). Teachers are only ONE important variable in the education equation. We all take our job very seriously. We revise lesson plans to meet the students' needs, we participate in professional development, we collaborate with co-workers, and we take grad classes....all to make us more effective teachers. But where do the students factor into all of this? They are yet another important factor in the equation. We can take our jobs seriously and revise and collaborate and learn all we want, but if a student is not invested in his/her education, then our job becomes ten times more difficult.
I think students label teachers as "bad" when they don't do well on a test or aren't given a certain break that they are looking for with an assignment. The students don't consider the amount of time or effort that THEY put in to studying or working on an assignment. I think for the most part students need to accept constructive criticism as a positive thing and not expect to always be praised for work that may be mediocre or done at the last minute.
Friday, August 17, 2012
Should we be afraid of China?
Thursday, August 16, 2012
A Nation of Indian Chiefs?
Six Things
Today in education, it seems that teachers are often the first to be blamed when anything goes wrong. As we hear more and more about teacher accountability and what changes are coming down the road, I keep thinking back to the other five pieces of the equation. While most of the country is willing to admit that changes need to occur and improvements should be made, I agree with the authors when they say, "Our education challenge is too demanding for the burden to be borne by teachers and principals alone" (p.109). Although teachers and principals are often scrutinized, I just wonder how different education might be if everyone involved was truly dedicated to doing their part.
Misplaced Optimism
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
TGIF in Beijing???
I think the line we've all heard; "You want fries with that?" perhaps needs to be translated and put on a bulletin board. The one factor I always knew I could change and control was education in my life. My Dad went through undergrad in night school and worked hard as a reservist to get through school. He instilled a belief in me that through education all things are possible. But are they? Does that still apply today?
The notion that negative adds on both sides could destroy the category of politics in this section could closely parallel the idea that the debate among politicians and educators could be destroying the category of education. Look at the attitudes we are finding more and more in our students that this doesn't matter... that regardless of how well they score it doesn't change their stripes. (painting with broad strokes here...stay with me) Is this the attitude of the next generation? Will an online education be as good or better than one in the classroom? Debate over private or public. All these notions combined seem to distract students from the belief earlier generations held that hard work and education really do pay off.
If we could hit a restart on everyone and get our nation to unite under the umbrella of an education for your FUTURE we could start a wave to break some of this bureaucracy. We need to get them young and keep them.
Anyone in favor of reading sections or parts of this book to our classes this fall...?
A bit of optimism
As for the third-party candidate idea, I will echo the sentiment of some others who have posted that this would probably only lead to very gradual, if any, noticeable change. However, the logic, in my opinion, is valid, and I appreciated the fact that the authors offer some sort of solution after spending chapters and chapters dissecting the problems. As someone who is sick and tired of political crap (for lack of a better word), I would actually enjoy seeing a third-party candidate who could possibly get both major parties to move their views a bit more towards the middle. The point we keep coming back to is the speed at which our world is changing. If everything else is changing, maybe it's time for some change in our political system too. I won't hold my breath though.