Education

A Thin Line Between Silence and Voice

Posted by charles kouns ⋅ May 19, 2013 ⋅ Leave a Comment

A few days ago, David Loitz, Imagining Learning’s Seed Steward, posted a rough cut of a new film he is making about the Voices of the young people (and some of the adults) who have been involved in Listening Sessions. In watching it, in listening to those familiar faces and voices that I met just … Continue reading »

Positive Spaces for Engaging Young People’s Voice.

Posted by dloitz ⋅ May 10, 2013 ⋅ 11 Comments

Today a video of student Jeff Bliss, a sophomore at Duncanville High School in Texas, went viral fast. In the video below we are privy to Bliss passionately speaking his truth. He knows that learning is more than packets to fill out, more than passively fulfilling simple and mindless tasks. You want kids to come … Continue reading »

A Letter to High School Seniors: Don’t Accept College Rejections

Posted by zoeweil ⋅ May 2, 2013 ⋅ 1 Comment

I wanted to share a recent essay I wrote for Care2.com, an online community for people passionate about creating a better world. Here’s an excerpt from “A Letter to High School Seniors: Don’t Accept College Rejections”: Dear High School Seniors, Over the past few weeks, many of you have received letters from the colleges to … Continue reading »

Yes Men say “No”. An accreditor tells the truth

Posted by educatedtodeath ⋅ April 30, 2013 ⋅ 1 Comment

Originally posted at educatedtodeath.com I was asked to sit on a panel of teachers to represent my school district during the accreditation process. I assume I was chosen because I am eager to speak in meetings and apparently speak well. This makes me think my administration has only enjoyed the sound of my voice and … Continue reading »

Teach for America: A Terrific Model for Expansion!

Posted by robinclane ⋅ April 14, 2013 ⋅ 3 Comments

Since Teach for America has been so successful at solving the problems of education in our country, I’m proposing we take their model and apply it to other failing systems and issues at hand. If the biggest problem in education is a lack of quality teachers, and we can provide those teachers and thus solve … Continue reading »

I’m Angry

Posted by robinclane ⋅ April 8, 2013 ⋅ 9 Comments

It’s Monday, and I’m angry. I’m angry because, after a weekend of careful planning, after differentiating an assignment for students who have mastered skills at different levels, after catching up on all of my grading, after getting my lesson plans in on time with the TEKS and the Reading Comprehension standards and the ELPS, I … Continue reading »

Changing Education (Guest Post by Youth Leader Arooj Ahmad)

Posted by dloitz ⋅ March 24, 2013 ⋅ 3 Comments

The need for a change in education is evident. But what’s the practical solution? It is easy to point out the flaws of the current system, but it is much more difficult to come up with relevant, applicable solutions. And it is even more difficult for policy makers to bring about change. But it has … Continue reading »

Meaningful Education: Not an App, Not Rote

Posted by Joshua Block ⋅ March 17, 2013 ⋅ 2 Comments

Pamela Paul has an opinion piece in today’s NYTimes about educational technology. She writes about “game-based learning” and characterizes “an underlying fear” that children won’t learn if it is not “superfun.” Her final thought is that students should play games (that is use technology,) “in their free time.. [O]nce they’re in the classroom they can challenge themselves. … Continue reading »

Commercialism is Kidnapping Our Brains Without Our Consent

Posted by zoeweil ⋅ February 25, 2013 ⋅ Leave a Comment

Every February the Banff Festival of Mountain Films World Tour comes to Ellsworth, Maine, near where I live; it’s a highlight of the winter for us. We love watching the best films of the several hundred submissions in Mountain Sports and Mountain Culture, and without fail, unless I am traveling for work, I attend all … Continue reading »

Not All Charter Schools are the Same

Posted by peterberg7468 ⋅ February 24, 2013 ⋅ 2 Comments

Are charter schools part of equitable educational choice? Do they and should they have a role in the educational landscape? There is a need for an honest, balanced discussion of charter schools. Charter Schools are tuition-free public schools, started by a variety of stakeholders for a variety of reasons. Charter schools have come under fire … Continue reading »

Taking Time to Practice Democracy #yearatMH

Posted by Sabrina ⋅ February 12, 2013 ⋅ Leave a Comment

originally posted at the IDEA Blog. Are we ‘school-year’ wise, but lifetime foolish? Immediately after finishing the first video chapter of “A Year at Mission Hill,” I went over to the school’s website and read their mission statement. I was first struck by just how beautiful it is; their care and dedication to “helping parents … Continue reading »

Good Morning: A less than bland way to talk about Arts Education

Posted by educatedtodeath ⋅ January 28, 2013 ⋅ Leave a Comment

Originally posted at educatedtodeath.com I have two dreams that I have been able to articulate in my life. One is for me and the other is seemingly more benevolent. As I get older I see they can be intertwined. The first is to work as a performer. I want to be a musician, a dancer, … Continue reading »

A broken Hallelujah, of sorts, but a warm one

Posted by educatedtodeath ⋅ December 24, 2012 ⋅ 1 Comment

Originally posted at educatedtodeath.com It’s Christmas Eve, or the start of it at least, and I can’t seem to stay asleep. I haven’t been able to really write for the past few months—not consistently. Things have been topsy turvy at best personally and professionally. As a teacher, I’ve been in a haze, as a human … Continue reading »

Learning to Think and Question (By Student Christian Isaac)

Posted by dloitz ⋅ December 4, 2012 ⋅ 7 Comments

The way we chastise or praise students at schools today is two laughs beyond hysterical. We’ve been raised to think that the most intelligent students are the ones who turn in their homework on time and fill in all the blanks on their notes. Society has gone so far, and has been so emaciated by … Continue reading »

Living with Pirates on Your Ship…and getting back to the teaching.

Posted by educatedtodeath ⋅ November 27, 2012 ⋅ 2 Comments

Originally posted at educatedtodeath.com I’ve written a series of depressing posts. Perhaps I’m in my blue period as a teacher. I certainly find the mess surrounding me depressing. My conversations with teachers at my school are similarly hopeless. But, we are not without hope. Before proceeding, the juxtaposition of my position, and the position of … Continue reading »

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