The kind of day we live for

This is absolutely beautiful.
This is what it's all about.
This is what it looks like/sounds like when kids are REALLY learning.

http://larrycuban.wordpress.com/2012/06/27/the-miracle-and-the-moment-michelle-kerr/#comment-11928

good news, PPACA is safe. bad news, so is SB1070

We can breathe a little easier about our health insurance now. Unfortunately, the police state is about to get worse with the 'show your papers' provision preserved. It means the other states with similar laws will get bold- Alabama, Georgia, Utah, etc.

Yong Zhao comments on Common Core

Is it possible to 'minimize the damage'? I wonder.

http://zhaolearning.com/2012/06/17/common-sense-vs-common-core-how-to-minimize-the-damages-of-the-common-core/

Oh, good grief! what do you mean, no sunscreen?

This is absolutely asinine. I would never dream of telling a kid they can't use sunscreen if we're going to be outside. In fact, I keep telling them they NEED to use it. Who thinks it's ok to be responsible for a sunburn? Stupid, stupid, stupid. Read the article here: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/story/2012-06-27/sunscreen-policies/55877080/1

Charter schools becoming the new private schools?

Nashville has denied a charter company's application. They were invited in by parents in 'middle-class' neighborhood. Why not put the same effort into supporting/improving your local public school that you put into supporting an outside operator, who doesn't know you or your kids?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304830704577493100202784044.html?KEYWORDS=education

employers' manners

Not surprising, I'm testing the job market in hopes of changing my circumstance.Was really hoping to move to another school in the district. Frustrating part is, even within my own district, the principals just don't bother to respond to my contacts by phone/email. I had a chance to talk with others recently, and it seems to be a common issue. One person even had an interview and didn't get any feedback afterward. Not even the courtesy of a drop-dead note. I can't get a thanks/no thanks from anyone. It's really a downer. Doesn't exactly make me want to stay here, though I'm committed for another year.

if it doesn't pay, should we pay for it?

Gosh, my liberal arts major is definitely not a cash cow. Guess I shouldn't have wasted my time learning research, writing, analysis, critical thinking... none of those are 'marketable' skills. Meanwhile, what are the "10 Hardest Jobs to Fill"?
http://www.forbes.com/sites/petercohan/2012/05/29/to-boost-post-college-prospects-cut-humanities-departments/

they aren't all at school- some are in the fields

I've taught kids whose parents worked the fields. Don't know if there were other kids out there that we never met. It's shameful that this is tolerated.
http://www.statesman.com/opinion/harrow-children-of-the-fields-2399637.html

"assessment" in arts, PE

Oh, for pete's sake. This is idiotic on its face. Do we really choose to learn something for a score? In that case, test the football players to see if their knowledge of the game has 'improved'. If not, either cut them or disband the team. Only logical, right? Aren't we supposed to follow the data?

http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2012/06/standardized_tests_for_the_arts_is_that_a_good_idea_.single.html

Raising Latino Achievement Seen as 'Demographic Imperative'

It's about time someone paid attention to this. A whole other kind of 'achievement gap'.

Raising Latino Achievement Seen as 'Demographic Imperative'

Galvanic Skin Response as a measure of "engagement"

And of course, no one would think of manipulating this measurment scheme, by say, using outrageous materials or tactics in the classroom? By the way, why pay big buck for this, when you can make your own for 25 bucks (less if you don't use the kit)

http://dianeravitch.net/2012/06/10/a-flaw-in-the-galvanic-response-skin-bracelet/
http://dianeravitch.net/2012/06/10/this-teacher-knows-how-to-game-the-grs-bracelet/ 
http://dianeravitch.net/2012/06/18/is-it-hysterical-to-worry-about-those-gsr-monitors/

Galvanic Skin Response Kit

and a response/defense" http://www.forbes.com/sites/luisakroll/2012/06/13/gates-foundation-responds-to-gsr-bracelets-controversy/

#5The Teacher Report: 7 Crazy Things People Say to Teachers (and How to Respond)

The Teacher Report: 7 Crazy Things People Say to Teachers (and How to Respond)

Love #5.

Years ago, after I'd spent a half hour showing a parent how her darling had failed a 10-question multiple choice test, item by item, she looked at me and said (with a straight face), "So tell me, does he really have to know all this?" Forgive me, but there's only one good answer to that: "Actually, as long as you don't mind him living in a cardboard box under the expressway, he doesn'thave to know any of it."
What do you think?

Latinos' School Success: A Work in Progress

Latinos' School Success: A Work in Progress

Glad to see it being acknowledged, but really, isn't all school success a "work in progress"?

Texas man without hands barred from roller coaster

Links to the articles below. Now, I recently visited a Six Flags park. There were many disabled patrons out an about. Even more than those, were the patrons riding without the use of their brains.Ever seen the ones who clearly are not using the gray matter? You can see it in their behavior. they don't buckle up, or they undo the belt after the ride starts moving. Nobody stopped them from having a good time. Hmmm.

Texas man without hands barred from roller coaster - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/06/12/12184692-man-without-hands-not-allowed-to-ride-roller-coaster?lite

Why I Decided to Become a Private School Teacher - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

Amen, Nadia. I'm almost ready to do the same. For now, I'm looking for a new job in a different subject area.

Why I Decided to Become a Private School Teacher - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

Notorious P.H.D. - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

Notorious P.H.D. - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

Coming to a school district near you- the devaluing of higher education!

Notorious P.H.D. - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

Notorious P.H.D. - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

Coming to a school district near you- the devaluing of higher education!

Technology transforming public education?

Larry Cuban's new post is about integrating technology in the classroom. He describes a few approaches, and then points out:

What technology enthusiasts, however, forget, neglect, stumble over—pick a verb–are the multiple purposes of tax-supported schools in a democracy. They and many others futurists err—my choice of the verb—in equating access to information with becoming educated. Even worse, these very smart people ignore the crucial and historical purposes public schools have served in a democracy.

 Wow. Talk about hitting the nail on the head. We all feel like we are so well-informed, educated even, because we have access to all this information at our fingertips. But what good is that if we don't know what any of it means, or how to use it? Without the ability to evaluate the information and its usefulness, it's just so much noise and clutter. Much like the piles of data that may or may not inform decision-making, piles of information may or may not become an education.

Not just college students

This applies to the middle school kids I teach, too.
http://www.startribune.com/local/156812385.html

On the dangers of using data

Here's a really nice explanation by Jonathan Gray's Data Blog on the Guardian, spelling out five cautions for use of data in decision-making.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2012/may/31/data-journalism-focused-critical

And here's an example of why data is bullshit. You can't measure this program with an end of year test. In fact, there are lots of things you can't measure that way.
  http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2012/06/maker_faire_and_science_education_american_kids_should_be_building_rockets_and_robots_not_taking_standardized_tests_.html

And when you ignore data showing that what you do doesn't work, here's what can happen. http://www.startribune.com/local/156812385.html

On grade inflation

From today's online edition: http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2012/06/04/are-colleges-handing-out-as-like-after-dinner-mints/?cp=2#comment-204147
Includes an excerpt from this MN article: http://www.startribune.com/local/154595855.html?page=all&prepage=2&c=y#

Of course, some folks hand out As like candy. It's the nature of the beast. I took grief over grades, as if I had some control over the quality of the work done, or not done, as the case may be. If evaluations will include student serveys, as we've been told, it will be even worse.
Here's more on the subject: http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/14/the-history-of-college-grade-inflation/
The first graph is most telling, I think. Around 1970, As began to climb and Cs dropped off in a trend that continues today. The private/public comparison is also quite interesting.

"Free To Choose" (1980) a TV Series by Milton Friedman: PBS TV Series "Free to Choose" by Economist Milton...

There's a pbs program called Free or Equal that references Friedman and Smith frequently. I don't totally agree, as I don't believe either Smith or Friedman could have ever imagined the WalMart economy, where the (mostly p/t) workers can't even afford to buy the products they make/sell. What a contrast with Henry Ford, who set out to make a product that his employees would be able to buy...

BTW, I love the Blog This! button.

"Free To Choose" (1980) a TV Series by Milton Friedman: PBS TV Series "Free to Choose" by Economist Milton...: The legendary PBS TV series "Free to Choose" (1980) by Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman is now availabl e on Google Video for fr...

Parent gets back at school official with porn site

Parent gets back at school official with porn site

Wow, this must be helicopter parenting on crack. Your kid's dvice goes missing, so you retaliate with identity fraud. When caught, you try pinning it on the kid. How about dealing with the real problem?