Category: Uncategorized
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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: “How are they going to […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 . . .
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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 […]
Chase Mielke 