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February 6, 2012
Tags:
education, black history month, civil rights movement, African-American education
Photo: http://trendsupdates.com/ the-us-civil-rights-movement-fighting-for-acceptance-in-a-judgemental-society /
Recently, when the New York Times asked teachers how they teach the civil rights movement, many indicated that the subject receives little to no attention in their schools and school districts. Those who do incorporate this topic into their curricula said that they often found it necessary to shorten the time given to other topics in order to put this one in context. While still others simply relegate civil rights to a cursory examination during their Black History Month lessons. How is it that a movement that still resonates with significance today is overlooked entirely or given short shrift in contemporary classrooms?
While civil rights encompasses everyone, with particular emphasis on the rights of women, minorities, religious groups, and people with disabilities—just to name a few—its spotlight tends to shine on the civil rights movement of the 1950s and ‘60s that ushered in a new era of equal rights for African Americans. Courageously stepping forth to overturn Jim Crow laws enacted in the wake of slavery, the luminaries of the civil rights movement included Rosa Parks, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. , Medgar Evers, Fannie Lou Hamer, Malcolm X, Viola Liuzzo, the three civil rights workers murdered together in Mississippi — Goodman, Schwerner and Chaney — among so many others. Yet many of today’s students know only of Rosa Parks and Dr. King — sometimes of Malcolm X — and even then only in a superficial way. Clearly, our schools can and should do better.
As we once again commemorate Black History Month, it’s time that we accorded the respect due to all who gave their lives to see equal rights for all. Transcending solely black history, this is American history. Honoring those who endured the inhumanity of having dogs unleashed on them, the indignity of fire hoses assailing them and the injustice of being beaten nearly to death simply for seeking liberty — let’s tell our children of these great Americans, black and white, who stood up for what was right in the face of all that was wrong.
Standardized exam preparation may be the goal of the day, but in the long run, it is the values and beliefs instilled that children will retain. Recounting the struggles of the civil rights era pays homage to those very American values of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The civil rights movement will always be relevant.
January 30, 2012
Tags:
education, technology, technology and teachers
Photo: http://www.anniesullivan.org/sitebuildercontent/ sitebuilderpictures/TeachersPlay1994_edited.jpg
Back when I began teaching, technology in the classroom was limited to a telephone—and it didn’t even have an outside line! We’ve certainly come a long way since the 1980s. Now, with the ubiquity of technology, teachers are incorporating every form of it into lessons, from the internet to white boards to social networking sites used for schoolwork. Some of these classroom additions have added a new dimension to education, making it a more vibrant and dynamic process for students. Others are just a way for educators to say they've used technology, without actually benefitting either themselves or their students.
As you review your current use of technology, some forms of it have probably proven to be so invaluable that you can’t imagine teaching without them. Others have likely gone by the wayside. With all this in mind, which technology has become so beneficial that you wouldn’t even consider doing without it?
January 23, 2012
Tags:
education, education study, middle school, academic success, k-8 schools, grade configuration
Photo: http://www.migdale.com/db/0785/MIGDALE0785082.jpg
As parents and teachers alike can attest, children of middle school age are at an awkward point in their development. No longer little kids, these pre-teens and early teenagers vacillate between childish whims and a desire to grow up seemingly over night. Now comes a study that indicates that this period in their lives may be fraught with more difficulty than anyone realized. (more…)
January 16, 2012
Tags:
education, academic interventions, pregnant teens, female dropouts, dropout prevention
Photo: http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2010/300/7/d/ pregnant_silhouette_by_angelztears-d31n93m.jpg
Among the problems that parents most fear as their children approach the teen years are those surrounding drugs, alcohol and sex. Now, more and more school systems are attempting to address the outcome of that last issue: teen pregnancy. Despite the teen pregnancy rate having been in decline for quite some time, the U.S. still has the highest rate of teenage pregnancies of any industrialized country and it is the reason cited by nearly half of teenage girls for dropping out of school. It’s for this reason that schools are devising methods intended to stem this tide. (more…)
January 9, 2012
Tags:
education, academic interventions, education study, academic performance, education and exercise
Photo: http://blogs.bmj.com/bjsm/files/2011/07/Children-Exercise.jpg
With all the efforts to reduce childhood obesity, this is reason enough to encourage children to exercise. Now, analysis of fourteen different studies reveals an additional reason for students to increase their exercise: higher grades. Results of a compilation of studies done primarily in the United States — as well as one in Canada and one in South Africa — reflect a strong positive correlation between physical activity and academic achievement. Who knew that exercise had this additional benefit?
Published in the January issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, (more…)
January 2, 2012
Tags:
education, middle school, academic success, college preparation, education study
Photo: http://www.sdfsc.esc2.net/Images/students_ms.jpg
Do you remember what was important academically when you were in sixth, seventh and eighth grades? What used to be called junior high school, and is now known as middle school, was once a place of preparation for high school. Students were immersed in acquiring literary skills, diagramming sentences, and learning pre-algebra. Well, not any more! With the Education Department’s new focus on college- and career-readiness, more and more middle schools are preparing students for college, instead. In fact, studies show that middle school is the crucial time to ready students both academically and emotionally for the rigors of college. (more…)
December 26, 2011
Photo: http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/ payphoto/payphoto1110/payphoto111000072/10944504-abstract-enjoy-your-break-time.jpg
No blog post this week! Enjoy Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa . . . and the pleasure of taking a break!
December 19, 2011
Tags:
education, parents and education, parents' role in education
Photo: http://www.anniesullivan.org/sitebuildercontent/ sitebuilderpictures/TeachersPlay1994_edited.jpg
Although the prevailing belief in society seems to be that teachers are solely responsible for the way children ultimately turn out, this belief completely overlooks the role of parents. As the primary caretakers of their own children from birth, the ones who instill familial values and societal standards, parents have a huge investment in their children. Of course, parents also have a deep concern about how their children progress—physically, emotionally, academically.
Since these areas overlap with education, teachers need to find ways to draw parents into the education process, to make them an integral part of their children’s education. For me, in addition to maintaining e-mail contact (and telephone contact before the advent of e-mail), I maintained a website where parents and students could remain abreast of all assignments, handouts, test dates, etc. No parent would be able to tell me that he or she was unaware that there was a project to complete, a homework assignment due or a test coming up. This gave students ownership of their own educational progress and parents insight into everything occurring in the classroom.
What do you do to involve parents in their children’s education?
December 12, 2011
Tags:
education, academic alternatives, Dyker Heights Intermediate School, qualities of principals
Photo: Evan Sung for the New YorkTimes, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/07/ nyregion/ madeleine-brennan-principal-of-dyker-heights-is-honored.html?_r=1
Pale blue walls, gleaming marble staircases, halls in utter silence during class — does this remind you of the junior high school you attended? Profiling the principal of Dyker Heights Intermediate School in Brooklyn, New York recently, the New York Times detailed a school atmosphere very reminiscent of another time. Principal Madeleine Brennan, who has led this school for 48 years, insists on ties for all male teachers, no jeans on any adult in the school, strict discipline accompanied by consequences that are always enacted and, of course, a pristine building. With 1500 students — 2/3 of whom are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch — this school receives an “A” rating and sends many students to elite city high schools every year. (more…)
December 5, 2011
Tags:
education, education and technology, smartpens, smartcasts
Photo: http://images.businessweek.com/ ss/09/09/0904_total_recall/image/007.jpg
Remember when a pen was only for writing? And do you also remember when students who couldn’t write fast enough to keep up with the notes were just plain out of luck? How 20th century! Smartpens have 21st century technology enabling them not only to write, but also to record and play back the information. This is not technology just for technology’s sake; it’s a brilliant concept!
(more…)
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