The Seasons of the School Year—February—Digging In</h1> <article> <h1>The Seasons of the School Year—February—Digging In</h1> <p>Chip — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:56:13 +0000</p> Days have begun to have more daylight, the hint of spring to come. But in school, days often seem longer in February to students and teachers. A tedium can come with drab days, unpredictable weather, too much indoor recess and the flu. What to do? Nestle in. Productive elementary classrooms at any grade level in February [...] </article> <article> <h1>Part Three—Speaking Truth to Power</h1> <p>Chip — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:10:24 +0000</p> Parts One and Two of this blog theme—“Speaking Truth to Power”—spotlight respected voices in our profession speaking out about what Jonathan Kozol called “savage inequalities” in our country. Today there is a rising tide of voices, and many ways to join with others who care deeply, that education in America reach the point of providing true [...] </article> <article> <h1>Part Two—Speaking Truth to Power</h1> <p>Chip — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 21:00:25 +0000</p> I invite you to read this excellent article by Linda-Darling Hammond on the devastating impact that revisions to No Child Left Behind will have on children living in poverty. It is a courageous indictment of the flawed and failing policies of NCLB under both Republican and current Democratic administrations in Washington, acquiesced to by state and [...] </article> <article> <h1>Part One—Speaking Truth to Power</h1> <p>Chip — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:55:14 +0000</p> Sixty-five years ago, at the age of eighteen, Martin Luther King, Jr., wrote a short paper for his college newspaper on “the purpose of education.” (The Maroon Tiger, Morehouse College, January–February 1947). As we honor his contributions and sacrifice and teach our children about what he taught us, let us reflect on these words: Education which [...] </article> <article> <h1>The Seasons of the School Year—January—“Welcome Back”</h1> <p>Chip — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 17:01:54 +0000</p> It’s a simple act of hospitality—offered by teachers at their classroom doors the first week of January—and yet it holds enormous power, this friendly greeting. To be hospitable, Webster’s tells us, is to greet the stranger warmly and generously. In September, each student was, at first, a stranger, as was the teacher herself to her students. [...] </article> <article> <h1>Savor this Speech</h1> <p>Chip — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 16:12:44 +0000</p> On December 9th, 2011, at the National Opportunity to Learn Summit, Diane Ravitch delivered a clarion wake up call to all of us. To read what she had to say in full, click here. You’ll be glad you did. In fact everyone concerned about children and schools—teachers, principals, parents, policymakers—should read and discuss why this [...] </article> <article> <h1>Light in Hard Times</h1> <p>Chip — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 17:11:03 +0000</p> If you didn’t see 60 Minutes on November 27th, please take a few minutes to watch “Hard Time Generation: Families Living in Cars.” Scott Pelly and Nicole Young’s story of the amazing Metzger children and their dad and other such families in Seminole County, Florida, is extraordinary by itself.But there are also links [...] </article> <article> <h1>The Seasons of the School Year—December—Learning to Trust</h1> <p>Chip — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 14:53:38 +0000</p> Becoming our most productive selves in the school environment requires a level of trust sufficient to keep fear and crippling uncertainty from overwhelming our ability to learn. This is true for the teacher as well as the student. It is as true in a faculty meeting as it is in the classroom. Learning to understand (for [...] </article> </main></body></html>