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.
Author: amybisson
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Sometimes what appears to be an inventive solution to a time-consuming problem slips into place without the thorough scrutiny that it needs. Enter Exhibit 1: ClassDojo. ClassDojo is an application which, according to the application website, “connects teachers with parents and students to build amazing classroom communities.” Who wouldn’t want to do that? As an…
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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…
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School Committee Meeting, 20 July 2016 All present Meeting once a month instead of twice means that monthly meeting is extra long – this one was 3 hours without the Executive Session. Next meeting will also be on the Committee’s Summer Schedule on August 17. Motions 2016/287, 2016/288, 2016/289, 2016/290 (Mayor Kennedy) All four motions requested…
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Put yourself back in elementary school and imagine your reaction to a classmate calling you a name or hurting your feelings through action or word. Would you speak up or would you allow that hurt to fester and grow into something more significant? Would you feel listened to? And if you caused the hurt would…
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Recently, the Boston Globe published a letter from Joy Robinson-Lynch positing that if Boston needs more available spots in classical education schools (like Boston Latin), the school department might consider creating them. After all, Boston Public Schools certainly know how to run a successful classical education institution – they’ve had years to practice and refine that. Framing that…
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The New York Times carried an interesting story about Kansas conservatives and the effort to demonize education even further through linguistics. The article “Public Schools? To Kansas Conservatives They’re ‘Government’ Schools“, really confused me for a bit. Don’t most schools – unless we’re talking about private schools, have some government oversight and funding? As it turns…
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Baton Rouge. Minneapolis. Dallas. If there is any doubt that this is a messed up world, the last 2 days should clear that up. It is undeniable that we live at a crossroads of how we, all of us, mean to treat each other. My childhood straddled the Civil Rights movement. In 1963 when Martin…
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Yesterday’s New York Times carried the story of America’s failure to educate students. Detroit’s schools are a glimpse into an education future that should never be allowed to happen. When educators warn about creating a two-tier or caste system of schools, the glaring example of this has to be Detroit’s schools. Detroit has created education choice, but the rush…
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WBZ’s I-Team recently broadcast a story of a 22-year-old college student’s experience with medical insurance that should be a cautionary tale for all. Reading Eitan Kling-Levine’s story and the subsequent price he paid with his personal health should shock you. And in case you think this would never happen to you, let me share a…
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Make no mistake about it. The new and improved testing that is coming at Massachusetts schools starting next spring is a debacle in the making. Thanks to Tracy Novick for making some of the details more apparent to those interested in trying to stay informed about the new requirements. Read her latest post (link in previous…
After An Educator's Journey 