A new school year is new because it follows a summer recess and has a different annual number than the last school year. That’s all. If we overdo the concept of “new” and the fresh start to a “new experience”, … Continue reading
Start A New School Year? Restart Continuous Instruction!
Retire Like You Worked – No Final Flurries
Important news for soon-to-be retirees. If you feel compelled to finish every task that you have been working on or to clear your desk of every item on your To Do List, don’t. Stop! Here are the reasons for leaving … Continue reading
Correct Learned Errors Or Live With The Consequences
Mulligans and do overs are feel good events. A do over means that a first attempt gone awry does not count – it never happened. One says, “There, that feels better” and progresses to the next opportunity to test one’s … Continue reading
Unabashed Recruitment of Future Teachers
How many teachers were valedictorians of their graduating class? Salutatorians? Top ten in their class? Being number one through ten in a graduating class is not a prerequisite for being a “top ten” teacher, but being an excellent student is … Continue reading
Unteach To Unlearn or Befriend Your Mistakes
“That’s wrong!” “Don’t do it that way!” “Stop! Don’t repeat that again.” Learning something new is a triumph. Learning, meaning the ability to internalize an idea so that one can recall, restate, compare and contrast the idea against other ideas, … Continue reading
Finding A Teacher
Teacher. A noun. The word means “a person who educates.” Synonyms for the word teacher include these nouns: abecedary, advisor, coach, disciplinarian, educator, faculty member, guide, instructor, lecturer, mentor, pedagogue, scholar, trainer, and tutor. Teach. A verb. The word means … Continue reading
Bring Your Cell Phones To Class, Please
“I read this morning that the 2018 hurricane season will bring one of the strongest cycles of storms in the last 50 years to the east coast. This caused me to wonder what I should tell my family who live … Continue reading
Cell Phone Use In School – Freedom and Responsibility
A student walks into a high school classroom. A ringtone sounds on her cellphone and she answers as she walks to her desk. Classmates take their seats and a bell rings signally class has started. Should she finish her conversation … Continue reading
When Safe Is Impossible, Safer Is A Better Place To Be
Safety is an illusive perception. When a person believes he is safe from danger, he remains vulnerable to the threat that he cannot conceive. When a person believes he is threatened by danger, while he is more sensitive to all … Continue reading
There is No Teaching License for Mental Health
As much as politicians and media want it to be otherwise, there is no teaching license, not expertise, that certifies teachers in the area of mental health. There is no major or minor in colleges of education for the certification … Continue reading