Picture an average teenage boy. Probably smells like stale sweat doused in a layer of Axe Body Spray. Atrocious haircut. Eyes glazed by the flashing images of Call of Duty blaring from the screen. Poster child of “whatever.” His parents, not wanting to raise a child into an adult pile of mud, want to see…
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The “L” Word: Education’s greatest disease (and no, it’s not Lupus)
Hundreds of yawning, red-eyed students are crammed in pairs, stretching the school gym. A dull hum, like distant locusts, murmurs the space as pencils scratch hundreds of little bubbles. It’s state-test day, and there is an air of anxiety among more than just the students. We teachers have one thought on our mind: “How are…
What Students Really Need to Hear
It’s 4 a.m. I’ve struggled for the last hour to go to sleep. But, I can’t. Yet again, I am tossing and turning, unable to shut down my brain. Why? Because I am stressed about my students. Really stressed. I’m so stressed that I can only think to write down what I really want to…
Why I can’t wait to fail
For well over three years, I’ve been wanting to blog regularly. It makes sense because I love to share ideas, I have a passion for Language Arts, and – true to my Millenial Generation-form – my ego needs the boosting that only social media can massage. Sure, I have posted a few times here and…
Boys will be boys . . . without jobs.
Boys are animals. Plain and simple. Anyone who believes otherwise has clearly never worked with the teenage variety of the so-called male species, nor seen them in their “raw” form. What’s fascinating to me, though, is that these animals are experiencing what many might call a crisis: Boys are failing academically at a growing rate…
How do we teach rock stars?
Henry Rollins is pretty bad ace — not solely because he rocks hard; he is one of those individuals who embodies life-long learning, a concept I am more and more convinced is the critical factor in personal and professional success. Here, he lays out thoughts worth listening to: http://bigthink.com/big-think-tv/henry-rollins-education-will-restore-a-vigorous-democracy Here’s what I gain from this…
Is that a nunchuck in your pocket, or are you just happy to goal set?
“I, Bruce Lee, will be the first highest paid Oriental super star in the United States. In return I will give the most exciting performances and render the best of quality in the capacity of an actor. Starting 1970 I will achieve world fame and from then onward till the end of 1980 I will…
Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc
A sampling of Daniel Pink’s synthesis of the research on motivation creates SO many questions and considerations for education — at the individual, classroom, and district-wide level.
Many thoughts to come about this . . .
Motivation: Ben Franklin
Fact: Ben Franklin helped shape America. Fact: He was also a bit of a cougar-supporter and creeper. Fact: The boy took personal growth seriously. Fact: He was not a president. With these facts established, I find no greater respect I can pay the man than to follow his lead. Arriving at Teaching Perfection Each month…
