Which is the more noble task? Generating the idea or carrying it out?  Action without thought is ineffective, but thought without action is useless.  The dichotomy reminds me of James' warning in the Christian Bible's New Testament.  He reminded early Christians that ''faith without works is dead.'' For two millennia, Christians have debated the ...

Once upon a time before NCLB, I actually taught government. Then I was told I didn't.  Just that simple(in a related twist Turner was told he did).  The details of why are sealed among the corners of my mind but I was  reassigned and not because of anything I did.  It was a result of NCLB language.   As a younger teacher it takes time to build a ...

I haven't touched base with my Teaching Underground partner too much this summer break so far, but before the last day of school, we struggled a little trying to figure out what the Teaching Underground would look like over the break. The online community is fickle. We've noticed that a catchy title will generate traffic and a reference to ...

Twice in the same week, John Stewart and the Daily Show address education issues.  This time by interviewing Diane Ravitch.  Nothing new from her in this interview, but it's great to see her arguments reaching a wider audience outside of the education world.  It is also great to see a national television show cover this side of education.  It's ...

“Diana Virgo, a math teacher at the Loudoun Academy of Science in Virginia, gives students a more real-world experience with functions. She brings in a bunch of chirping crickets into the classroom and poses a question:” So begins a story related in the book “Made to Stick” by Chip and Dan Heath. They applaud the teacher for providing a concrete ...

In the debate over current school budgets the ''average class size'' statistic has become increasingly significant. The statistic is misused and covers some disturbing trends that directly affect the quality of what I am able to do. Admittedly most concrete data and studies indicating benefits of smaller class sizes exists at the lower grade ...