This may be the last place on the Internet to get around to mentioning the amazing feat that NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) pulled off in landing Curiosity on Mars. JPL engineers have become celebrities. Ridiculously amazing and stupendously glorious photos have been beamed back from the red planet by Curiosity. A tricky, nail-biter of…
Continuing Education
Cage’s Rules for the Classroom
Visionary composer John Cage and educator Sister Corita Kent developed a list they titled “Some Rules for Students and Teachers” back in the late 1960s. And as upper grades students and teachers prepare to head back into the classroom, I think it’s an inspiring document worth considering. Here, then, courtesy of The Essential Whole Earth…
Style: We All Have It
What do you have in common with Philippe Petit? Well, first you have to know who he is, I suppose. Philippe Petit is the famous French high-wire artist who, on August 4, 1974, famously walked 200 feet between the two buildings of the World Trade Center on a 55-pound rope strung 1,368 feet above the…
And that’s the way it was…
The evening news. Growing up in my house, watching it was part of the day’s rituals. Despite whatever was happening in the world—including Vietnam, Watergate, and long gas lines—watching Walter Cronkite was how my father spent his time digesting dinner. As someone who idolized his father, I watched and listened to Cronkite too. A few…
Play Ball?
Like quality, I Love Lucy, and clean drinking water, kickball never loses its popularity. As a teacher, I managed to field several all-star quality homeroom teams that either won school-wide championships or played in the finals. It was a group effort that culminated in daily post-lunch recess games that united my students in ways I…
857 Is 857 Too Many
One topic that elementary school teachers don’t have to contend with is dropouts. Either a child is getting to school or she isn’t. By and large, the same goes for middle school. Elementary and middle school students are not legally allowed to make their own decisions about their schooling. Parents and guardians do that. I…
The Student Teacher at Your Desk
Several millennia ago, not long into my first year as a classroom teacher, my principal called me into her office one early morning. She said she had a question for me. Honestly, I was expecting her to ask, “Just how long do you think you can keep up this charade?” The first few weeks of…
Surefire Study Skills
People who have known me for more than a few years won’t be surprised to learn that my study skills prior to college were what experts call “atrocious.” And, as long as I am in a confessional spirit, I should probably extend an apology to my students. I don’t think I was at all good…
One Crazy Summer Professional Development Post
As long as we’re talking about summer—and who isn’t?—let’s talk about your plans for professional development. When I was a teacher active in the classroom, I was privileged to be living and working close to Boston, Massachusetts. For those of you who don’t know, there are about 714 colleges and universities in Boston (or so…
What Is the Shape of Your Summer?
You know what I always wanted to do? Teach summer school. Despite the trials, tribulations, triumphs, and trickery of teaching an entire, standard-length school year, there was a sizable chunk of my addled brain that wanted to teach summer school. In fact, a few times I had constructed entire designs for a special summer academy…