It is not about reform. It is not about failing schools or AYP. It is not about charters and privatization. It is not about graduation rates or subgroups. It is not about NCLB or Race to the Top. It is not about parents or teachers. It is not about federal, state or local laws and policy. It is not about curriculum, pedagogy or instructional ...

1. We’re employed. Once taken for granted, a job in today’s economy is certainly a reason for thanks. 2. We’re teachers. That means that we’ve got more than just a job. It is as much who we are as what we do. 3. You Tube. Education, entertainment, social connections, and sharing. And, where else could you find something like this. 4. We’re ...

Three down, one hundred seventy-seven to go.  But who's counting? Here's what I will remember from the first week of 2011-2012: 1) Mold-  We've had several visits from the folks at building services this week.  After Mr. Lindsay reported mold growing on his desks and I found a little on mine they've been keeping tabs on our climate.  I don't ...

The embedded video above comes from NBC 29. It first appeared on June 7,2010. The video relates to the move from a seven to eight period academic schedule for students in Albemarle County High Schools. Woody Guthrie once said, ''Any fool can make something complicated. It takes a genius to make it simple.'' To say our division (at least the ...

I teach in the same school district as John Hunter, but I won't pretend to name drop, I have never met him so I can't pretend that we are any sort of colleague aside from shared geography and profession.  A documentary film (created by Charlottesville local, Chris Farina) features Mr. Hunter and a unique learning experience he created.  The film ...

In the previous post on the Underground, my colleague referred to Superintendent John Kuhn of Texas testifying before the Texas legislature regarding teacher evaluation and ''value-added'' systems of measuring teacher effectiveness.  Across the nation, we are moving toward systems that measure the effectiveness of students, teachers, schools, and ...