Watching your child leave the security of your vehicle, walk under the hump of her backpack to the schoolhouse doors, and disappear inside is a leap of faith. I sat watching her form disappear behind the darkened glass of the … Continue reading
School – A Compact of Good Faith
Good “Yeah, Buts” Belong In School
It may depend upon who says “Yeah, but…” At the end of the day the consideration of a good “Yeah, but…” often causes us to find and select better options. Other times, what seems like a good “yeah, but” causes … Continue reading
Children Hiding In Plain Sight – No More
“Nothing, really,” is a chronic response to the legendary parent inquiry “What did you do at school today?” Nothing. Really? Seven-plus hours at school time and you did nothing? But, what if this response was true. Can a child actually … Continue reading
Plan For Listening If You Want To Be Heard
Descartes opined that when no one is in the woods to hear a tree fall there is no proof that the tree actually fell. Applied to causing learning, if a teacher is talking/teaching in a classroom and no students are … Continue reading
Relationships Created in September Cause Learning
September in school is all about relationships. Beginning with the moment that a child is told the names of her teachers-to-be and a teacher reads the roster of names assigned to her for instruction, the most essential educational agenda is … Continue reading
Readingless Children
Parents, this is on you! “What book are you reading?”, I asked a middle-school aged child. He said, “I don’t read.” And, returned his attention to his tablet where he was engaged in virtual gaming with friends at a distance. … Continue reading
The Teacher I Wish For You
(This is a letter to our grandchildren. Each of our grandchildren will be in a public school this fall ranging from third grade to tenth grade. Our grandchildren know their Gramps is “old school.” Old as in living in his … Continue reading
Start A New School Year? Restart Continuous Instruction!
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
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