Education reform was conceived as a way to save the system from all the “weak” teachers out there. Okay, you know what? I’ve seen some “weak” teachers in my time. I think most of us would agree, weak teachers have some or all of the following traits: They simply assign and assess instead of teach. Read More >>
The strip above was inspired by an actual conversation with a student a few years ago – a conversation that has stuck with me. It took me a long time to figure out how to use it in the strip. The conversation with my real student happened after school one day. My student – “Roy” Read More >>
I wrote in my last blog about how I started my school year. I’d like to write this time about how I begin my classes on reading for the year. I am often afraid that if our goal is to create lifelong readers (and learners) we often go about it all wrong. We bribe them Read More >>
There are so many ways to start a school year: list rules and procedures and consequences, talk about yourself, give them a worksheet, give a diagnostic test… I guess how you start a school year depends on your model of teaching. The new model of teaching I see being promoted these days it this: List Read More >>
I have a lot of posters and a few bumper stickers hanging in my classroom. One of the bumper stickers simply says, “Speak up, even if your voice shakes.” I do speak up, and while you can’t tell because I draw and type my ideas, my figurative voice often shakes – a lot. And yet, Read More >>