Sometimes I worry that if I go to the beach, some muscle-bound guy carrying the latest awesome smartphone and a sleek new tablet PC is going to kick sand in my face. In a voice that sounds like it was carved from granite by union laborers in mud-caked overalls, he would say, “What’s the matter?…
Author: Todd Savelle
Small Victories and Delicious Canned Luncheon Meat
We do a fair amount of rationalizing in our day-to-day lives. You know, I may have forgotten to stop at the grocery store on my way home, but when else were we going to eat that Spam? It’s a great way to turn small triumphs into large victories. We may have lost to that team…
Are You Blinding Them with Science?
Life’s a funny thing. When we asked our Facebook followers when they knew they wanted to be teachers, an astonishing number responded that they knew quite early, when they were young children. When I was a young child, I wanted to be a firefighter, mainly because of my love for dalmatians. I’ve wanted to be…
Jimmy Dislikes Eggs
While you learn something new every day, you may not learn something new every day that changes your life. For example, you don’t learn addition every day. You don’t learn the first law of physics every day. You don’t learn Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs every day. Some days you learn something simple, like Jimmy dislikes…
Sailing the Internet Ocean
Shortly before I set about writing today’s blog post, I came across several articles on the Internet about technology in the classroom, a favorite topic of mine. There was a particular angle to all of these articles (which came from three very different sources), and that was high-speed Internet access in our schools. We may…
An Oscar to Your Students?
It’s that time of year when veteran teachers everywhere keep their eyes glued to their televisions and entertainment magazines. Why? To scan for the names of former students when the Oscar nominees are announced. Or am I the only one who does that? To be honest, I didn’t employ nearly as much dramatic play or…
Happy Birthday, John Hancock
Here we go again. Todd’s going to write about handwriting. How long has it been since he last did that? A week? A month? But I have a reason! Is it a good one? Of course. I wouldn’t dream of wasting your time. Exactly one week from today is John Hancock’s birthday. He of the…
Quick Poll on Clean Off Your Desk Day
Welcome to Clean Off Your Desk Day 2014. In a previous life, my desk was not a very tidy area. It often had more in common with the Leaning Tower of Pisa than a so-called work surface. Yet, while it is not exactly spotless or clutter free in 2014, I’ve come a long way, baby….
The Correct Answer According to You
Smaller class sizes. I can’t argue with that one. In answer to the question Which of the following ideas do you think would do the most to improve the quality of public education in America (or the nation in which you live)?, most of you chose smaller class sizes. Of course, your choices were somewhat…
Shivering in a Winter Wonderland
I don’t ever remember the school bus being a particularly warm place in the dead of a New England winter. Sure, it was better than walking, but I think we were warmed mostly by our own youthful sense of excitement about going to school or going home. Later, of course, it just wasn’t cool to…