I always envied my colleagues in art and music. They were experts in growing a child’s skills and understandings so that the child changed from an “I don’t know how to do this” to an accomplished “doer.” Time and again, … Continue reading
Tell Less; Collaboratively Demonstrate More
Rearview Mirror Time
Public Education as a Schmoo. If educators must conform to all demands, how can a school be anything more than a schmoo? Tony Wagner’s article in SchoolAdministrator, September 2012, asks the right questions and, when connected with Pasi Sahlberg’s article … Continue reading
Strategic Planning and Then?
A review of two works published in the 1990s indicates that strategic planning as practiced by most in public education may have strengthened a school’s public relations but may not have led to improvements in school performance, in particular in … Continue reading
The Downside of Keeping Score
This article will discuss a potential conflict between the performances indices of the School Report Card and the traditionally strong programs of a school. This will apply to all schools rated and ranked by mandated educational outcomes. It’s the American … Continue reading
School Reports – Where is the Care Factor?
School report cards recently were released by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Each school district and school house in Wisconsin now has an official, annual report card. Data, data everywhere and not a care to be found! Why? A … Continue reading
What Was I Doing?
Friedrich Nietzsche wrote that the thing people forget most often is the thing they are trying to do at the moment. Right now, you either know that this is a true statement because your mind already is thinking of something … Continue reading
Vocabulary! Vocabulary! Vocabulary!
“Käymälä.” Say what? “Käymälä.” I don’t know what this word means, and if a person speaking Finnish said it to me with deep anguish, I apologetically would not be able to help her. She might as well have said “sale … Continue reading
What would Curly say?
I recently read all of the posts on the Harvard Educational Review’s “Voice in Education Blog,” sat for a quiet hour and pondered. What would Curly say about this? Curly? You remember the Jack Palance character in “City Slickers” who … Continue reading