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.
Category: classroom management
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Driven by an $18 million advertising campaign, those in favor of lifting the current cap on charter school seats have launched an all-out effort to increase the number of seats allocated to charter schools. This ballot initiative is one of several state-driven mandates, ruling, issues – whatever you choose to call them – that is spurring Lowellians to…
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Superintendent’s Proposed Budget Presentation, April 25, 2016 5 present, Mr. Gendron absent. There have been many reports that this budget season is going to be a tight one. Although the City has committed to increasing their contribution by $1 million, the school department had recently floated a budget total with an additional $1 million deficit gap. Dr. Khelfaoui…
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School Committee Meeting: Wednesday, March 2, 2016 All members present. This meeting, the first since February 3 due to the Winter vacation week cancellation, was extra lengthy – 37 items. The highlights are posted below. Special Order of Business: Spotlight on Youth Mental Health First Aid This new program was funded through a $100,000…
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If you’re inside Education, you’ve probably got a good idea or at least name recognition for Pearson Education. And if not, well to paraphrase Lowell’s own Bette Davis, “Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.” Pearson is a prime example of the corporate take-over culture that infects business today. Corporate giants adhere to a business model…
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Our local CBS affiliate posted a public opinion question this morning. The “No Nonsense Nurturing” is rearing its ugly head once again because teachers and schools using this program (see link ) have gained some news cycle traction: teachers are being told not to use “please” or “thank you” with students. As Amy Berard, former Lawrence…
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School Committee Meeting: Wednesday, December 2, 2015 Five members present, Mr. Gendron was absent. This meeting again featured a public portion and an Executive Session. Most of the agenda items were dealt with quickly with little discussion. Motions There were two new motions, both made by Mayor Elliott. Agenda Item 5 (2015/453) addressed some concerns…
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Nancy Carlsson-Paige, Lesley University Professor Emerita, recently stated the following during an acceptance speech for the Deborah Meier award. Dr. Carlsson-Paige cites a statistic from the DOE Department of Civil Rights which reports that 8,000 Preschool students (!) were suspended at least once in a school year. “There is a connection, I know, between these…
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Here’s a quote attributed to Governor Baker’s testimony during the hearings to lift the cap on Massachusetts charter schools: We should celebrate their success and build on it I could not agree more. Surely good practice and innovation needs to be celebrated and built upon. However, I wonder who the Governor is referring to with…
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Recently, a local FB group had an interesting discussion about cafeteria food and time allotted for student lunches. Most of the comments noted amount of food wasted, what was consumed, and how long students had to eat. Full disclosure: I retired from teaching in June and, while I no longer observe these things first hand, I am…
After An Educator's Journey 