After An Educator's Journey
Out of the classroom & into the universe
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Once upon a time, I taught 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders. Now I’m retired and working on new ventures.
Tag: education
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Two stories from the education world caught my attention this week, and I feel that both are worth the time to read. The first story, Why Teachers Quit by Liz Riggs, is a cautionary tale from 2013 about teachers and burn-out. The second, Silicon Valley Courts Brand-Name Teachers, Raising Ethics Issues is by Natasha Singer…
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Is STEM the only thing? I’m asking for a friend. It occurs to me that in the rush to turn out worker bees for business sectors, the focus in education is more than a little skewed in favor of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Yes, these are all important studies and part of a well-rounded…
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This past Tuesday, June 6, 2017, Secretary Betsy DeVos gave testimony in front of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies. An overview of Secretary DeVos’ testimony can be found on mlive here. The presidential version of the 2018 budget details a whopping $10.6 Billion in cuts to…
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This morning, the New York Times carried the story of the decision by several Public Schools in New York City to suspend traditional homework. The disagreements that have ensued have largely been by parents of students with very different viewpoints on this topic. This is definitely worth a read if only to broaden the lens with…
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Yoga serves. But you have to show up. -Adriene Mishler Yoga with Adriene There is something both beautifully simple and truthful in that statement. What are you invested in? Physically, mentally, intellectually. Show up for that. It really is that simple. After a year of some minor, mainly annoying, challenges that come with the advancement of…
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Huffington Post published a blog entry by Gay Groover Christmus recently that resonated with me as a retired educator who taught pre-NCLB. The article, “4 Things Worse Than Not Learning to Read in Kindergarten” is well worth the read time for anyone wondering about the current state of education policy, and I would encourage you to…
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Within the past week, our United Teachers of Lowell organized and hosted a FirstBook “Books on Wheels” event where over 2000 students and their families received free books. As we sorted and organized 40,000+ books, we heard about a fire in a near-by Lawrence school, the Bruce School, and the impact of the loss on…
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It is back-to-school time here in the City in which I taught for nearly 30 years. You can sense the anticipation in the breezes that flow down the Merrimack. There is an almost unidentifiable change to the air. We are changing seasons; we are changing routines. I loved the first day of school when I was…
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School Committee Meeting, 17 August 2016 All present This was a lengthy (2-3/4 hours) meeting due to not only the summer schedule of monthly meetings, but the financial topics that became the focus of discussion. Apologies in advance for the delay in getting notes out; I also presented information about First Book to the Committee…
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An English vocabulary word tossed around education today is “rigor”. As the Common Core standards became de rigueur, teachers were told to teach with rigor. We’ve been encouraged to raise our expectations of our students by raising the “rigor”. “Rigor.” Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 25 July 2016. I’m not sure edu-experts know exactly what rigor is. Harsh inflexibility, strict…
After An Educator's Journey 