An archived stack of papers: January 2006
Ask And You Shall Receive
In a stack of papers called Reform.
- Jan
- 21
- 2006
My friend Rushton and I traveled up to San Francisco to visit a KIPP school called San Francisco Bay Academy. From reading this blog, you should note my unhappiness with the current system, yet unwillingness to believe that another prepackaged solution is the way to go or the prime thing to contribute to success. Since I am at... read more
No Boundaries; A Classroom Anthology?
In a stack of papers called Unorganized.
- Jan
- 20
- 2006
Respond to the following five questions:
What have you been doing well so far this year? Looking back on where you were at the end of last school year, what has been the most significant change in your reading and writing skills? What else do you think you need to change in your reading and writing skills? Are you satisfied with your work so far this year?... read more
No Such Thing As Forced Empathy
In a stack of papers called Unorganized.
- Jan
- 19
- 2006
I posted yesterday about the basic composition problems that are plaguing my juniors and seniors. Laurie wrote a comment that I’ve been thinking about ever since, but I don’t really know how to do it. How do we create writing prompts that students care about in response to texts that they don’t? And don’t give... read more
Still Problems After All These Years
In a stack of papers called Unorganized.
- Jan
- 18
- 2006
I find myself shocked that I have to remind juniors and seniors about things as elementary as underlining or italicizing titles of plays; that a play is not a novel or book; that the title of your essay needs to say something about the essay content; that, no, a handwritten version of the final draft is not acceptable; that, no, it’s not ok for me to print your essay on the day of the final. This... read more
PBS Rocks
In a stack of papers called Unorganized.
- Jan
- 17
- 2006
As I mentioned before, I watch PBS whenever I can and I’m always seeing shows that could be perfect for classroom use: discussion, debate, writing, expansion, etc. Videos are not a common occurance in my classroom, but I think videos can be effective in a way that written text cannot with today’s generation (maybe this has always... read more
Improvements To The System
In a stack of papers called Reform.
- Jan
- 16
- 2006
I didn’t take a single course that really focused on adolescent psychology during the time I was in the credential program. In fact, no such course was required then, nor is it required now if even offered.
There’s been a lot of writing lately about George Will’s ideas in regard to abolishing all ed schools. While I... read more
I’m Sick
In a stack of papers called Unorganized.
- Jan
- 15
- 2006
…and I know that if today was a school day, I would have had to call in to the substitute service before 6:00 or the call would go out to all available substitutes (it’s an automated phone system that dials the numbers in the substitute database until someone accepts the job). The worst part of calling in for a substitute teacher isn’t the phone call, though it’s a pain to have... read more
Writely: A New Tool
In a stack of papers called Connections.
- Jan
- 14
- 2006
The Site
Writely - The Web Word Processor
This looks like such a cool thing, making documents that you choose open to a variety of people. There must be a way to use this in education.
A Flock Of Accounts
Hmmm… Do I need to have each student create an account with this? Should I, then, provide an email address for each student?... read more
Who Knows The Job Best?
In a stack of papers called Instruction.
- Jan
- 13
- 2006
If a school is in a farming community and those in the community see farming as a terribly important subject, should that school’s focus be on farming as a response to the community’s values? Or should those that have studied education and learned the ins and outs of how education systems work be entrusted with creating a focus for such a school?
In a sort of response to a blog entry... read more
Opinions Are Like… Ideas And Problems: Everyone’s Got ‘Em
In a stack of papers called Technology.
- Jan
- 12
- 2006
Last week, we finished off the week in English 3 with a sort of discussion about some quotations that I’d handed out at the beginning of our Crucible unit (or is it “at the beginning of our The Crucible unit”? oh, the things that drive English teachers crazy). We didn’t huddle our desks together and go round robin with everyone’s response to the five most... read more