Why, why, why does our education system look so similar to the way it did 50 years ago? Millions of students were failing then, as they are now — and it’s because we’re clinging to a business model that clearly doesn’t work. Education advocate Geoffrey Canada dares the system to look at the data, think about the customers and make systematic shifts in order to help greater numbers of kids excel.
Geoffrey Canada has spent decades as head of the Harlem Children’s Zone, which supports kids from birth through college in order to break the cycle of poverty.
SPREAD THE WORD AND REPOST!!! wake up the education system
New Report Challenges Beliefs About the Value of AP Classes
Enrollment in advanced placement courses has skyrocketed in recent years, and there are many reasons for this spike. Students often believe taking AP courses will give them an edge in getting into college, help them do better once there, and save them money by not having to take those classes again. And many believe AP programs enrich students’ lives because they’re taking part in a rigorous program of learning.
But a recent study found that research doesn’t unequivocally support those beliefs.
“The research is mixed,” said Denise Pope, co-founder of Challenge Success, a non-profit organization at the Stanford University Graduate School of Education. “There isn’t any clear research for any of those claims.”
What is Evolution?
Excellent video from Stated Clearly explaining just what evolution is … using great illustrations from Rosemary Mosco’s Bird and Moon comics.
This is a great video to share with friends/enemies/confused relatives that might have trouble accepting evolution and how simple it can be to understand.
I’d like to add one thing to this video. Single amoebas, pairs of parents and a few children are used in these evolution illustrations to simplify the concept of evolution, but it’s important to remember that evolution is something that happens to populations, not individuals. The changes within a generation are random. It’s only after those changes have been passed on for several generations that a survival advantage or disadvantage (followed by either more or less individuals carrying the trait) occurs. That’s where evolution happens, it’s not in the change itself. And sometimes even harmful traits can become frequent in a population, like we see in diseases that are prevalent among isolated ethnic groups.
Bonus: I’d also recommend Understanding Evolution’s “Common Misconceptions” FAQ for those who want to dig deeper.
How does a virus invade your body? With the help of medical animator David Bolinsky, Robert Krulwich explain step-by-step in this NPR video from 2009. There’s also more to read at Krulwich Wonders.
Another NPR favorite: Catching Up with the Flu. Or watch more videos about how bodies work.
Anybody who wishes to criticize teachers needs to experience a certain part of the school year.
It is the part of the school year where you have standardized testing, so teachers are on high alert the entire time they are in the building. Non-teachers, did you know we have to DOUBLE LOCK testing materials? If we don’t, we could potentially lose our jobs. It is the part of the year where kids kind of start to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and stop caring quite so much if all their work gets turned in. If your school grades for mastery, you can kiss most work completion goodbye, since classwork doesn’t earn a report-card grade. Unless you want to do a presentation for a huge grade at a time when attendance plummets. Meaning your failure rates go up ad your principal is in your doorway, wanting an explanation.
It is also a part of the year when students are just plain tired of each other. Something as simple as bumping a binder off a table can escalate into a fist fight, so don’t turn around to put attendance in the computer. Oh wait, get attendance done because we’re running truancy numbers this week! Work on that 20/20 backwards vision. But seriously, the kids are so ready for time away from each other. The smallest thing will set someone off into tears, into shouts, into slamming doors.
But if you are a teacher, you stay with it because in a few weeks, it will be summer break and you’ll get an email from a student saying, “Have you read this book? I just go it from the library and it made me think of you. Remember that time you…?” You’ll stay with it because of that one kid who is so painfully close to passing that he stayed in your room all day doing make up work and then asked to stay after an hour to get a little more work done before he goes home and can’t focus. You’ll stay with it because you care.
“I had incredible teachers. And as I look at my life today, the things I value most about myself — my imagination, my love of acting, my passion for writing, my love of learning, my curiosity — all of these things came from how I was parented and taught.
A video of the full speech can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7Jh3Z52KV0
Original Art of Learning upload:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=549288961769604Via Art of Learning
On my very first day of student teaching, my cooperating teacher gave me three pieces of advice: arrive early, don’t leave as soon as you’re contractually allowed to go, and leave with something in your hand every single day, even if you know you’re not going to do…
It’s interesting that this is the advice the OP’s CT gave them. Mine gave me the exact opposite advice. Granted, my natural MO is already to get there an hour early and stay several hours late so I didn’t necessarily need that ingrained in me. He’d yell at me to go home, to take a lunch break. He’d tell me that “the quizzes will still be there in the morning” that “all work and no play make you a very cranky teacher.” I think we all have a tendency to feel guilty for putting off work (since it’s all about our students and goodness knows we love ‘em) but really, if we’re not taking time to care for ourselves, what message is that sending our kids? They need to learn to put themselves first—in a constructive way—that the best thing they can do to take care of the people they love is to take care of themselves. This is still something I struggle with.
My experience is similar to Strangenewclassroom’s. I naturally like to show up to work an hour early (I feel I do my best work in the morning) and during my student teaching and the first semester of this year I stayed at work until 5ish. My mentor teacher last year would yell at me and tell me to go home or to sleep in, but I had trouble with and I still do.
I was lucky enough to get hired at the school I student taught at and I now teach in the classroom next to my former mentor teacher. He still comes into my room on Fridays and tells me to go home. One day he even packed my bag for me and walked me to my car and waited until I left because he knew if I didn’t I would have stayed until all of my grading was done.
I’ve been getting better about going home at a reasonable time, but it’s still something I struggle with. I feel guilty when I leave early, especially right after the kids leave. I do it occassionally, if I have an appointment, but generally I stay. After first semester I was really tired. Even during third quarter I was physically and emotionally drained. So I have started going home early and not taking as much work home with me.
My students have noticed. It’s taking them longer to get papers back, but I’m honestly happier (though some of them are not). A few students even came in the day after a test and asked if I’d graded them all. I explained that I hadn’t had time left, and he looked disgusted. He told me that I should have taken them home, because it’s my job to do so. Normally, I feel that my job doesn’t end at 3:30 or 4, but I explained to him that if I took home grading every night that I would never be able to leave work. That I would become cranky and upset and that it wouldn’t be good for him or the other students. He just shrugged at me. I don’t know if he understands, but I hope he does some day.
I love my job. I don’t want to get burnt out. So, some days I force myself to go home at 3:30 and to leave my work at school, and honestly I think I’m happier because of it.
This is a much needed message at this time of the year.
The amount of work and energy you pour into your work and our children is so astonishing, it is a crime that you don’t all make 150K a year. Since you couldn’t possibly do it for the money, we can only assume you love your job and love our kids. Can you understand how much we appreciate you?
I have been told by many if my colleagues that I am extremely patient when it comes to my students. I put up with a lot of things that other teachers would kick students out of the classroom for. Don’t get me wrong, I have boundaries and if a student is being disrespectful or disruptive there are consequences, but I feel the best place for the students is in the classroom, not the office.
Because I’m more patient and only boot students when I absolutely have to, I have developed a pretty good relationship with some of the more difficult 7th & 8th graders. Today, one the 8th graders came into my 6th period 7th grade English class. He had been sent into the hall to work because he was too disruptive.
He walked up to me and asked if I had a second to talk. He told me he needed help focusing. He was having a hard time working and didn’t know what to do. He doesn’t want to keep getting kicked out of class, but he also doesn’t know how to stay focused. He asked me if I would help him.
I know he gets distracted and angry easily. I gave him a few tips then sent him back to the hallway to work. I want to see him succeed. I know he wants to do better and I’m super excited to finally see him advocating for himself and asking for help.
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Student 1:
I know how you can pass that test, I found the secret.
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Student 2:
Shhhh. I'm reading Spark notes.
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Student 1:
I found that every time I read Sparknotes I failed the test so I decided to stop reading Sparknotes and read the book and now I pass everything! Can you believe it?
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Student 2:
A lot of good that does me when it is next period.
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Student 1:
Well, it works... but whatever.
