The allure of the Pro-Standardized Testing Narrative is that on the surface, it seems to make sense. If you want to improve something, you measure it, work to make it better, and then measure it again to see if you improved. Right? Well, maybe if you are working with inanimate objects or factory-like processes. But Read More >>
Mr. Fitz’s new motto is “Teach Happy, Teach Right, Speak Up.” We need to Teach Happy because positive energy is at the heart of learning that stays with us. We need to Teach Right, because testing measures students, but doesn’t really investing in them. Teaching Right means investing in their Intellectual Bank Accounts, inspring their Read More >>
I hated gym class. I had a couple of good coaches early on, but by middle and high school gym had become a terrible, terrible experience for me. I lacked confidence, was kind of a klutz, and was absolutely terrible at team sports. When they did “choose up sides,” I was often the last one Read More >>
I ended my recent post about depression with this comic strip. Perhaps it seems simplistic, but I maintain that teaching happy is not just a good idea for teachers and their well-being. The idea of teaching happy is good for kids, too. To take it a step further, the converse is true, too. Teaching unhappy is Read More >>
In a great Calvin and Hobbes cartoon (they were pretty nearly all great), Calvin asks his dad where the wind comes from. His dad replies, “It comes from the trees sneezing.” Calvin replies, “Really?” His dad responds, “No, but the truth is more complicated.” Flash forward to Calvin and Hobbes walking through a windy landscape, where Calvin Read More >>
If you have children, think about them, and what you wish for them. If you don’t have children, but are a teacher, think about your students. If you don’t have children or students, think about your nieces, nephews, grandchildren, younger siblings, or at least hypothetical children. Think about sending them to a classroom where they Read More >>
It’s teacher appreciation week. Some days the idea of a “teacher appreciation” seems like a sad, ironic joke. It is easy to forget you are appreciated when politicians and millionaires vilify you and your profession. It is easy to forget you are appreciated when your very best, most creative efforts to reach children are seen Read More >>
Is teaching online just as good as teaching in class? Is it better? Will the students want to come back to class next year, or will they just want to stay online? Is online teaching the same as classroom teaching – just in a different format? I’ll get back to these questions in a moment, Read More >>
If we don’t hold their feet to the fire Keep up the pressure Ratchet up the stress They’ll do nothing. If we don’t hold threats over their heads Like swords of Damocles Or pendulum blades Or Looney Tunes anvils, They’ll be lazy And nothing will get done. If we don’t hold out carrots And threaten Read More >>
My curriculum map ended the year with a survival unit, and took it very literally: essays and texts about urgent, life and death situations. Good stuff, actually. But I wanted to make the survival unit part of my year-long unit on the purpose of education (which I’ll be writing more about later). Students often complain Read More >>