2020 TOP 10 MOST POPULAR POSTS OF THE YEAR + THE TOP 8 MOST POPULAR " THIS WEEK POSTS" OF 2020 #REDFORED #tbats #newyear #BestOf2020

 TOP 10 MOST POPULAR POSTS OF THE YEAR

Big Education Ape: ‘Slaying Goliath’: Diane Ravitch argues in new book that public education advocates have beat back efforts to privatize schools - The Washington Post - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/01/slaying-goliath-diane-ravitch-argues-in.html

Big Education Ape: The real story of New Orleans and its charter schools - The Washington Post - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2018/09/the-real-story-of-new-orleans-and-its.html

Big Education Ape: COVID-19 "CARES Act" Bankrolls AI Post-Human Education | Dissident Voice - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/05/covid-19-cares-act-bankrolls-ai-post.html

Big Education Ape: A Rap About Betsy DeVos: RESIGN BETSY | Diane Ravitch's blog - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/05/a-rap-about-betsy-devos-resign-betsy.html

Big Education Ape: Covid-19 response offers profound civics lesson - The Washington Post - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/05/covid-19-response-offers-profound.html

Big Education Ape: Save Our Schools From Coronavirus Budget Cuts | gadflyonthewallblog - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/05/save-our-schools-from-coronavirus.html

Big Education Ape: New York to work with Gates Foundation to 'reimagine' schools: governor | News | 1450 99.7 WHTC - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/05/new-york-to-work-with-gates-foundation.html

Big Education Ape: Coronavirus (COVID-19) - Health Services & School Nursing (CA Dept of Education) - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/03/coronavirus-covid-19-health-services.html

Big Education Ape: Covid-19's Devastating Impact on Our Children - LA Progressive - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/06/covid-19s-devastating-impact-on-our.html

Big Education Ape: Oakland school board votes $18.8 million in cuts, up to 100 layoffs; hears pleas to cut police force | EdSource - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/03/oakland-school-board-votes-188-million.html

THE TOP 8 MOST POPULAR " THIS WEEK" OF 2020

Big Education Ape: TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 3/7/20 #REDFORED #tbats - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/03/top-posts-this-week-3720-redfored-tbats.html

Big Education Ape: TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 6/6/20 #REDFORED #tbats #ICantBreathe #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd #justiceforfloyd #BlackLivesMatter - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/06/top-posts-this-week-6620-redfored-tbats.html

Big Education Ape: TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 5/9/20 #REDFORED #tbats - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/05/top-posts-this-week-5920-redfored-tbats.html

Big Education Ape: TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 8/8/20 #REDFORED #tbats #COVID-19 #REOPENSCHOOLS #BIDEN2020 #BidenHarris2020 - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/08/top-posts-this-week-8820-redfored-tbats.html

Big Education Ape: TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 9/12/20 #REDFORED #tbats #COVID-19 #REOPENSCHOOLSSAFELY #BidenHarris2020 #SAFETYFIRST - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/09/top-posts-this-week-91220-redfored.html

Big Education Ape: TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 7/11/20 #REDFORED #tbats #EducationVotes #COVID-19 #REOPENSCHOOLS #edJustice #DEMOCRACY #BIDEN2020 - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/07/top-posts-this-week-71120-redfored.html

Big Education Ape: TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 11/14/20 #REDFORED #tbats #COVID-19 #REOPENSCHOOLSSAFELY #COVIDOUTBREAK #BIDENWINS #46 #Election2020 - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/11/top-posts-this-week-111420-redfored.html

Big Education Ape: TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 11/21/20 #REDFORED #tbats #COVID-19 #REOPENSCHOOLSSAFELY #COVIDOUTBREAK #BIDENWINS #46 - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/11/top-posts-this-week-112120-redfored.html

Big Education Ape: TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 12/19/20 #REDFORED #tbats #COVID-19 #REOPENSCHOOLSSAFELY #COVIDOUTBREAK #BIDENWINS #TOPBANANAHEADLINES #edsec - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/12/top-posts-this-week-121920-redfored.html

Teacher Tom: This Cursed and Blessed Year

Teacher Tom: This Cursed and Blessed Year

This Cursed and Blessed Year

Just before Christmas last year, we discovered that the company from whom we rent a storage locker had lost all of our stuff. The good news is that most of it probably should have been thrown out years ago, but among the things we'll never see again were all of our holiday decorations, including ornaments I'd been collecting since I was a little boy. So, for the first time in our 34 years of marriage, and for the first time in our daughter's 23 years of life, we celebrated against a backdrop that did not include a tree, stockings, or any of the other ritual trapping of our holiday. Fortunately, our Christmas Day tradition also involves gathering with my parents, my siblings, and their children, which went off as usual, which, in the parlance of Hollywood, "saved Christmas."

This year, we don't even have that. Indeed, there is nothing "traditional" in our celebration at all: no gathering, no shopping, no decorations, and no gift exchange except what will amount to a symbolic one between the three of us. Tonight, I'm cooking a pared down version of my Thanksgiving supper since we missed that this year as well. Tomorrow, we're relying on the delivery of Chinese food. We'll probably spend the next couple days watching movies and talking over reality shows. The holiday traditions we've built together as a family are asunder leaving us with . . . What?

Of course, a version of this experience is being played out by CONTINUE READING:  Teacher Tom: This Cursed and Blessed Year

A teacher’s list of the worst and best education news of 2020 - The Washington Post

A teacher’s list of the worst and best education news of 2020 - The Washington Post

The positively worst and best education news of 2020 — as viewed by a teacher

It has been an annual tradition on The Answer Sheet for veteran teacher Larry Ferlazzo to assess what he sees as the best and worst education news of the year and then make predictions about the coming year. Here is his installment on the news of 2020 (and his predictions for 2021 will be coming soon).

Ferlazzo teaches English and social studies at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento. He has written or edited 12 books on education, writes a teacher advice blog for Education Week and has a popular resource-sharing blog. He has written pieces for The Answer Sheet over the years, including one on how teachers can help students motivate themselves and this one, one of my favorites, titled: “NEWS BREAK (not breaking news): Teacher asks students to grade him. One wrote: ‘I give Mr. Ferlazzo an A at being annoying.’ ”

NOTE: As in the past, Ferlazzo says he does not presume to suggest that the following compilation is all-encompassing, and he hopes that you will take time to share your own choices in the comments. He starts this piece with what he thinks is the best education news of 2020 and then the worst — although the items in each category are not in any order of importance (except for the No. 1 event listed in both).

Ordinarily, Ferlazzo starts out with the best news, but this has been such a bad year, it seems more appropriate to recognize the worst first:

The worst education news of 2020

• I doubt that there will be any dispute on this one: The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted education for tens of millions of students (along with the lives of their entire families). The deaths of educators, the 1.2 million child coronavirus cases, and the countless numbers of family members and friends affected by the disease covid-19 have contributed to a tragedy of unimaginable proportions. Although it’s still not clear how this year’s changes will affect most students academically, it is a safe bet that our most vulnerable populations, including students with learning challenges, English-language learners, and those who were experiencing academic challenges before the pandemic, are taking a significant “hit” to their learning and to their mental health. In addition, many of their families have suffered huge blows to their financial well-being, and research has documented how economic insecurity can affect CONTINUE READING: A teacher’s list of the worst and best education news of 2020 - The Washington Post