-
American Amnesia
I happen to love “today”. Little Orphan Annie sang about tomorrow, but I’m a “today” fan. Big time. We only get it once. You see, today is one unique day in all the days that will ever be. And according to actuarial tables, I don’t have many left. I want today to be peaceful, tranquil, and filled with joy. But you know, folks, I find this polarized, divisive country we live in to be incredibly annoying and distracting. I’m constantly amazed at the length people go to find fault, hate, and spew venom. All this poison attempts to invade my “today”, and although I’m pretty good at keeping it at…
-
A ‘daunting, dark and difficult’ time: How a Brooklyn school moved forward after losing its leader to COVID
Alex Zimmerman, Chalkbeat New York Mar 12, 2021 7:30am EST High school student Etienne Musole remembered one of his first interactions with principal Dez-Ann Romain. She asked point blank whether he wanted to graduate. It was a high stakes question at a place like Brooklyn Democracy Academy, an alternative high school in Brownsville serving students who have struggled at traditional schools and are at risk of dropping out. After the 19-year-old Musole said yes, Romain never let up. “Every day she sees you from that point on, she’s going to be on you,” Musole said. For many students at the school, Romain was the first educator they felt they could trust,…
-
How Public Schools Are Failing Our Kids
I recently read this article about the problems public schools face, and while I agree with the majority of the points the author outlines, I took issue with one point: http://EzineArticles.com/?Life-Skills—How-Public-Schools-Are-Failing-Our-Kids&id=9765525 As a result of the problems public schools face, the responsibility for teaching life skills has shifted to parents. ************************************************************** I recently read this article about the problems public schools face, and while I agree with the majority of the points the author outlines, I took issue with one point: As a result of the problems public schools face, the responsibility for teaching life skills has shifted to parents. about the problems public schools face, and while I agree…
-
Mama, don’t let your baby grow up to be a snowflake…
I do not want to raise a kid that can’t do anything for himself. I want Alex to be able to function on his own when he goes to college in a few years, to do his own laundry-especially to get dirt stains out of baseball pants-and to manage his time so that he can study and also have fun. So far, Alex is learning most of the skills he needs, so now I am tackling the biggie-money management. One of the best lessons I did as a parent was during the summer when Alex was about 12 years old and he wanted to buy fast food all the time…
-
Why I teach math through knitting
Sara Jensen, Carthage College One snowy January day, I asked a classroom of college students to tell me the first word that came to mind when they thought about mathematics. The top two words were “calculation” and “equation.” When I asked a room of professional mathematicians the same question, neither of those words were mentioned; instead, they offered phrases like “critical thinking” and “problem-solving.” This is unfortunately common. What professional mathematicians think of as mathematics is entirely different from what the general population thinks of as mathematics. When so many describe mathematics as synonymous with calculation, it’s no wonder we hear “I hate math” so often. So I set out…
-
San Diego
I loved living in San Diego. I moved there in 1990 to begin my freshman year at UC San Diego, a school that I would probably never get into today if I applied! UCSD was perched on the cliffs of La Jolla, and if you had the right dorm room, like my friend Natalie did, your dorm room might even have an ocean view. I met my now husband, Greg, at UCSD in 1992. He’s from the Bay Area, but I did not hold that against him as long as he didn’t limit my paper towel usage. We are a mixed marriage-I’m Catholic and he is Jewish, he is a…
-
Last day of school!
Alex’s sophomore year ends today. No more pencils, no more Chromebooks, No more teachers dirty looks… He’s an upperclassman now.
-
Studies Show Handwriting Improves Memory
According to a recent study at Kent State University, the Association for Psychological Science (APS) and others, using pen and paper instead of laptops to take notes boosts memory and increases the ability to retain and understand concepts. Of course, in the past, handwriting was the only option for capturing key information. But if a pencil broke or the pen stopped working, important details could be lost. Then, along came the laptop and tablet, and taking notes seemed so much easier.But it turns out that taking notes by hand helps improve listening and cognition skills, and boosts the ability humans need to summarize information. The Journal of Psychological Science cites…
-
Perfect Attendance Awards
I think these student awards that are given out at the end of the school year are absurd. They are not based on academics, only that the student’s physical body is present in a seat. Of course, I am in no way trying to diminish the achievements of students who were not attacked by the various germs, illnesses and bacteria that float around school campuses waiting for a vulnerable host. Perhaps schools can find another way to recognize students instead of a school-wide award that seems only to highlight the students who either went to school sick or were lucky enough not to get sick in the first place. As…
