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Nan got a new job. She is now going to use the master’s degree in social work which made her wayyyy over-qualified to be working in my room as a special ed assistant. I am happy for her, because it’s a great opportunity for her and she’ll
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The book is Sweating the Small Stuff: Inner-City Schools and the New Paternalism , by David Whitman, and it examines six schools that are succeeding, in part because they explicitly teach middle-class values. The Core Knowledge blog and Thoughts on Education
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As I said in this post last week, my principal (the Prince) really pushed back at me last week when I challenged him on our NCLB status and some other things. On Monday we had someone from the district come out to talk to us in very clear, positive language
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Yesterday at our mentor/master teacher meeting, we met Wonder Woman’s replacement, and at her request, went through our end of the year notes on what worked, what didn’t, and what we want to do differently this year. I was rather pointed in
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There’s a great article in the latest Newsweek about TFA and the problem of attracting and retaining the best teachers. As I said in my post about what policymakers ought to know, our schools of education need attention. Unfortunately, they don’t
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Splatypus’s comment about my last post got me thinking about the days when I taught kindergarten in one high-poverty school after another. Kindergarten can be high-stress for a teacher. And not just because her students are living in poverty and
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I’ve been tagged! This is the first time someone has reached out and tagged me to participate in a meme. Thanks, Science Goddess. This meme originated with Teacher in a Strange Land.
So, as a teacher, what do I wish ed policymakers understood? What
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I’m in this week’s Carnival of Education, over at The Chancellor’s New Clothes, and so is a great post on how to set up your classroom, from Michaele at Kindergarten 3 R’s. Check out her photographs and how well her classroom is
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People are starting to think about going back to school, and buying school supplies….And backpacks are one of the most important things that you buy for your kid. So here are some thoughts on backpacks from a teacher: Don’t buy those backpacks
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I’m reading The Canon, by Natalie Angier, for my book club, and it has got me thinking about the fact that I don’t do much science in my classroom. I don’t even have a science center, because I’ve never been able to figure out
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When I heard that Wonder Woman was moving on to a better school, I emailed the principal (let’s call him the Prince, shall we?) telling him my concerns and asking for some reassurance. That was a month ago, and no, of course he hasn’t responded.
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I have long been intrigued by KIPP schools and what they accomplish. As a public school teacher, I am chagrined by the way my school in particular — and my district in general — are failing our African-American and Latino students. KIPP schools
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She lives in my neighborhood. I saw her earlier this evening and after we chatted about vacations she asked, “how are things at work?”
So I told her. The whole truth – about our test scores, and good people jumping ship, and the principal
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Does your child need to go to preschool before kindergarten? Does every child need to go? What do kids need to learn before kindergarten, anyway?
I think preschool is great, but it isn’t necessary for everyone. If you are raising your child at home,
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I am back from a long vacation, the first part of which was spent at the beach with my husband’s family, and the second part of which was in a big city with my sister and her family. I had the opportunity first to observe my sister-in-law talking
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