The only things I love more than science itself might be mad scientists and evil geniuses. Dr. Emilio Lizardo, Dr. Moreau, Dr. Frankenstein (that’s Frahnk-uhn-steen), Dr. Joyce Brothers, Dr. Scholl’s, Dr. Strangelove. Mad, I tell you! But if none of these villains have done the job of motivating more young people to take an interest…
Common Core State Standards
What, Me Worry?
I may be a bit old fashioned when it comes to my philosophy on education. And while the jury is still out, I do remain uncomfortably curious about what a Common Core future means to young learners. My initial reaction sees a narrowing of the curriculum, and I feel like lodging complaints like an old…
A Quick Check-In
It’s time to do a seasonal check-in. Some of you have had your spring break. Others are still longing for it. Your students are either going stir-crazy from a long winter or they’re distracted by the onset of spring sports and warmer weather. (My apologies to any readers from the southern hemisphere who are enjoying…
The Rigors of Math According to CCSS
Regular readers know that math and I get along about as well as oil and water, or perhaps open flames and gasoline. However, I do find it fascinating that the Common Core State Standards have what is called the “Standards for Mathematical Practice.” These are eight types of math expertise teachers should look for in…
Logophiles Anonymous
Hello, everyone. My name is Todd, and I am a logophile. Now, before you go running off to demand an apology from The Mailbox for allowing such trash to be printed on the Internet (you, in the back, stop laughing), let’s agree to a definition of logophile: logo-, a combining form meaning “word,” from Greeklógos“word,”…
Have You Read the Latest?
I may be the last education blogger to write about the 2012 MetLife Survey of the American Teacher. But perhaps you haven’t read the latest results from MetLife’s yearly survey. You may be glad you haven’t. The survey results aren’t exactly a fountain of fabulous news. Here are a few tasty tidbits: Just 39% of…
Surviving Math No-Man’s-Land
At the age of 44, I finally understand just how beautifully simple it is to figure out the area of a triangle. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I thought it wasn’t beautifully simple before. It’s that I didn’t know how to figure it out before. I’ve had to teach myself math. Yes, I…
So Shiny and New
It was a marvel. A toy for teachers. But not just any toy. It was a toy we wanted to play with so badly we were nearly straining out of our shoes. As the salesman demonstrated its marvels, we felt a little like Ralphie in A Christmas Story; we wanted one of those fantastic interactive…
Happy Birthday to NCLB
Today is No Child Left Behind’s 11th birthday. And while that does not mean that we should also be singing happy birthday to the standardized test, it does mean that we’ve seen a lot more of the standardized test’s face around the classroom in the last 11 years. No Child Left Behind (NCLB) marked the…
This Year’s Must-Read Series
Another year, another popular series of books for young students. Whether it’s Harry or Katniss, Percy or Artemis, each school year seems to bring about another series of books some readers simply gobble up. And I have found that readers in Massachusetts may have fallen for a different collection than readers in Oregon or North…