Teacher Tom: It's the Thinking

Teacher Tom: It's the Thinking

It's the Thinking

Nearly twenty years ago, there was a two-year-old in my class named Melissa who would regularly hit the other kids. Not when she was mad or when she wanted something they had, but only when they cried. The moment she heard a classmate cry, she made a beeline for them, then proceeded to methodically pummel them about the head and shoulders, which of course made things worse. She always seemed confused when we pulled her away from her victims.

My first concern was that this was somehow learned behavior, that this was how she, her siblings, or someone else in her life were treated when they became emotional. I imagined a putative parental figure, even as her actual parents struck me as kind and loving. I dug around there, talking with her mother and a few of their family friends. If there was anything to my theory, it was very well hidden. I studied the girl's behavior, looking for clues that might indicate abuse or trauma, but saw an otherwise robust, cheerful, curious little girl. 

We ruled out the possible influence of violence she had seen CONTINUE READING:  Teacher Tom: It's the Thinking

Hispanic caucus backs former teacher’s union chief for Education secretary - POLITICO

Hispanic caucus backs former teacher’s union chief for Education secretary - POLITICO

Hispanic caucus backs former teacher’s union chief for Education secretary

Latino lawmakers sent a letter to the Biden transition team Monday night urging the president-elect to nominate Lily Eskelsen García.

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus is lobbying President-elect Joe Biden to nominate Lily Eskelsen García for Education secretary, substantially boosting the pack of supporters who are stumping for the former president of the country's biggest teacher's union.

Led by Hispanic Caucus chair Rep. Joaquín Castro (D-Texas) and Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), Latino lawmakers sent a letter to the Biden transition team Monday night urging the president-elect to name Eskelsen García. The missive marks the Hispanic Caucus' first cohesive push for Eskelsen García, who is backed by a coalition of more than 40 Latino advocacy groups.

“Lily’s long record of accomplishments, working across the political divide, and building and maintaining constituencies would make her an excellent Secretary of Education," says the letter, first provided to POLITICO. "Her relationships in Congress also position her well for confirmation."

Eskelsen García is considered a top contender for the position, and the Hispanic Caucus endorsement comes as some members have expressed concern about the absence of a Latina in Biden’s Cabinet picks to date.

“... not only would President-elect Biden fulfill a campaign process to nominate an educator as Secretary of Education by putting Lily’s name forward; he would make history by nominating the first Latina ever to serve in this role,” says the letter, signed by 23 members.

Latino lawmakers have pointed to Eskelsen García’s experience in education, from her start as a school cafeteria worker to Utah teacher of the year, before CONTINUE READING: Hispanic caucus backs former teacher’s union chief for Education secretary - POLITICO

Lessons From Pandemic Teaching | Blue Cereal Education

Lessons From Pandemic Teaching | Blue Cereal Education

Lessons From Pandemic Teaching

We’ll soon hit a full year of trying to figure out how public education works (or doesn’t) during a pandemic. Some of the experience gained may be specific to 2020 – the social and political dynamics of which have not been even remotely encouraging (see what I did there?). I’d respectfully suggest, however, that many of the “lessons” learned along the way apply to most forms of remote, virtual, or online “education,” whatever the surrounding climate.

I’ve numbered them in order to make my observations seem more carefully weighed and thoughtfully considered. Seriously, doesn’t even the illusion of someone having a coherent plan and consistent ideology seem insanely comforting these days?

#5: States and Some Districts Are REALLY Committed to Testing and Pointless Paperwork

One of the most crippling aspects of long-distance learning is what it does to our ability to “connect” with students, individually or en masse. The thing most of us signed on for – that idealistic, touch-lives-and-help-kids stuff – has been reduced to the point of near-extinction. What remains strong, however, is the bureaucracy and nonsense we’d mostly learned to tolerate. It’s always been annoying, but it’s traditionally been overshadowed by the meaningful bits.

Not this year.

Many districts are plowing ahead with “virtual PD” and hoping that if they simply CONTINUE READING: Lessons From Pandemic Teaching | Blue Cereal Education

Teachers Who Make a Difference | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Teachers Who Make a Difference | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Teachers Who Make a Difference

A few years back, Mike Rose’s wrote a post about his high school English teacher. It was a beautiful piece that captures the ineffable moment 40 years earlier that Rose was ready–he did not know it, of course, at the time–to dig deeper into literature and the pushing and prodding he got from Jack McFarland, his young English teacher. McFarland’s teaching, Rose said,  changed “the direction of my life.”

Rose’s post reminded me of letters I had received from former high school students, those I had trained as teachers in Washington, D.C., and from doctoral advisees at Stanford. A glow of satisfaction would come over me whenever I read such  letters that asserted my influence in their lives. I suspect that Jack McFarland might have experienced such a glow when reading Mike Rose’s post. As I read the compliments and how much the student attributed to me in shaping his or her life’s work, however, a small doubt, surely no more than a speck, flashed over me. That doubt had to do with the tricks that our memories play on us in selectively remembering what we want to remember.

For example, I cannot forget many teenagers and young adults who I did not, perhaps could not, reach. That is, students who sat in class (or attended sporadically) and sailed through the course without ever connecting to the content I taught, the questions I asked, the projects I assigned. Seldom did any of those students write me a note years later. So I might have been a fine teacher CONTINUE READING: Teachers Who Make a Difference | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Choosing Democracy: No More Children Locked in Cages- Separated from Their Families

Choosing Democracy: No More Children Locked in Cages- Separated from Their Families

No More Children Locked in Cages- Separated from Their Families

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden has picked California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to be his health secretary, putting a defender of the Affordable Care Act in a leading role to oversee his administration’s coronavirus response.

Separately, Biden picked a Harvard infectious disease expert, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And he announced a new role for Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert.

If confirmed by the Senate, Becerra, will be the first Latino to head the Department of Health and Human Services, a $1 trillion-plus agency with 80,000 employees and a portfolio that includes drugs and vaccines, leading-edge medical research and health insurance programs covering more than 130 million Americans.

Biden’s selection of Becerra and Walensky was announced early Monday in a press release from the transition office. People familiar with the decision had confirmed the picks to The Associated Press on Sunday night. Biden also announced other top members of his health care team, though some posts remain unfilled.

Becerra, as the state of California’s top lawyer, has led the coalition of Democratic states defending “Obamacare” from the Trump administration’s latest effort to overturn it, a legal case awaiting a Supreme Court decision next year.

A former senior House Democrat, Becerra was involved in steering the Obama health law through Congress in 2009 and 2010. At the time he would tell reporters that one of his primary motivations was having tens of thousands of uninsured people in his Southern California district.

Becerra has a lawyer’s precise approach to analyzing problems and a calm demeanor.

But overseeing the coronavirus response will be the most  CONTINUE READING: Choosing Democracy: No More Children Locked in Cages- Separated from Their Families

“Coal Miner’s Daughter” Hawks Digital Learning | tultican

“Coal Miner’s Daughter” Hawks Digital Learning | tultican

“Coal Miner’s Daughter” Hawks Digital Learning

By Thomas Ultican 12/8/2020

The last Democrat and first woman to serve as Governor of North Carolina, Bev Perdue, has become one of the nation’s leading advocates for digital learning. She presents herself as a simple country girl from a poor family, but doesn’t mention that her coalminer father became a rich mine owner by the time she was in college. She is known as a powerful political and financial operative with connections that go all the way to the incoming Biden administration.

Creating a New Career

Governor Perdue does have a background in education. After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in History, she taught kindergarten in 1970-71, ninth grade 1971-73 and high school 1973-74. She then returned to school where in 1976 she earned a Doctorate in Education Administration. Her thesis was focused on education gerontology.

After earning the education doctorate, she worked in long term care and geriatric services. In 1986, she ran for the North Carolina House of Representatives and won. Four years later she won a state senate seat which she held for a decade before making successful runs for Lieutenant Governor in 2000 and again in 2004. This all positioned her to become North Carolina’s first female governor in 2008.

For Perdue, the wheels flew off the campaign bus in 2012. She was facing tanking polling numbers when members of her 2008 campaign pleaded guilty to finance violations. Greensboro businessman Peter Reichard, the finance director, pleaded to a felony and lawyer Julia Leigh “Juleigh” Sitton, a fundraiser for the campaign, pleaded to a misdemeanor in order to avoid a felony charge. Perdue soon announced she would not be a candidate for Governor in 2013.

The June following her exit from the Governor’s mansion, the Newsobserver.com reported, “Former Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue has recently CONTINUE READING: “Coal Miner’s Daughter” Hawks Digital Learning | tultican

Education Matters: Is DCPS hoarding money?

Education Matters: Is DCPS hoarding money?

Is DCPS hoarding money?

 Is DCPS hoarding err saving cash? I was told they were and have since asked the district how much of their budget they are keeping in reserves. It's my opinion it shouldn't be more than one dollar over the statutory minimum. DCPS has needs that are going unmet.

I was told they were doing so in case the commissioner decided not to release funds for distance learning students next semester. Two things, despite the district's push, Governor DeSantis has already said that distance learning can continue, and with Biden in the White House, some help is bound to come, though to be honest, the amount will be determined by the Georgia runoffs. 

If we have anything, even if we have to go through the couch cushions, we can't hold it back.   

We don't have nearly enough subs. In the last two days at my school, there were double-digit openings and, as far as I can tell, no more than 2 subs. Now at my school, paras can get subs, so it's a little unusual in that regard; what else is unusual is the placing of certificated personnel in these empty slots, something that, as far as I can tell, has never happened before.

It's not just my school that this is happening at, but most of the other schools in the district.

Then and I am going to bring this up over and over, thousands of veteran teachers will see a pay cut if the new contract is ratified. That is just not acceptable. Yes, the state has handcuffed the district, but there are ways out if that if the district were to be creative. I haven't seen much of that.

I remember 11 years ago, Pratt-Dannals, with 120 million dollars in reserves, called for a financial emergency, CONTINUE READING: Education Matters: Is DCPS hoarding money?

NYC Educator: UFT Executive Board December 7, 2020--School in the Times of COVID 19

NYC Educator: UFT Executive Board December 7, 2020--School in the Times of COVID 19

UFT Executive Board December 7, 2020--School in the Times of COVID 19

UFT President Michael Mulgrew--Asks for moment of silence for Barbara Schiller, who passed today.

Says schools ran smoothly today. City is allowed to change plan as long as they adhere to test rules. Says testing will keep us extremely safe. Closed 1400 schools based on monthly testing, not weekly. Schools said large majority of students came in.

Parents had many complaints about consent forms. Did so on clipboards. City doing much better than rest of state, where there is real problem. Doesn't seem to work in Western NY, Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo, Albany. Layoffs happening in Syracuse, Schenectady, Albany, up to one third work force. Not making it into news. 

People are taking advantage--State has not cut budget. District using this saying people aren't working, firing paraprofessionals. NYSUT going after school superintendents. 

Waiting on stimulus. We will see. Now it may be just for next two months. If nothing done, large % of people will lose permanent housing. January 1, all protections are gone. 

Many virtual classes done last week at UFT. Working for homeless coalition, and will do Feed NYC event. Will be tough winter for many. People are reaching out to us, running out of food. 

Operational things moving forward, clearing more quickly.

Debbie Poulos--We continue to resolve issues, getting stipulations. Reaching out to CLs to make sure they get correct info.  

Mulgrew--Monitoring to make sure 20% testing done each week. Mayor said he would CONTINUE READING: NYC Educator: UFT Executive Board December 7, 2020--School in the Times of COVID 19

PSST…THERE’S A PANDEMIC GOING ON. – Dad Gone Wild

PSST…THERE’S A PANDEMIC GOING ON. – Dad Gone Wild

PSST…THERE’S A PANDEMIC GOING ON.

“I believe in kindness. Also in mischief.”
― Mary Oliver

 

It’s been my experience that when dealing with the unpleasant – be it debt, employment dissatisfaction, marriage infidelity, health risks, or school shortcomings – we often default to a strategy akin to sticking our fingers in our ears and making loud noises in hopes that if we don’t acknowledge the issue, it will cease to exist. In essence, we seem to think if we can just ignore the negative, the positive will transcend all challenges. Unfortunately, no matter how hard we try, reality has a way of making itself known, oftentimes to our greater detriment.

Over the last several months, I’ve watched us as try to apply the same strategy to the pandemic, with predictable results.

Before we dive in, let me offer this disclaimer. I am far from a strict adherent to all safety protocols. Due to work, and personal necessity, I have been out in public since inception. I was probably a little slow to adopt adequate mask-wearing, but I’ve socially distanced, lowered my circle of interaction, and been as cautious as possible. Throughout it all, I’ve come to recognize the severity of what we face while also balancing recognition of people’s personal rights. A balance that leaves me open to criticism from all sides. I freely admit I don’t have all the answers but some things are fairly apparent to me and warrant pointing out.

The first thing that needs pointing out, is we are still in the midst of a pandemic with case numbers rising. Let me say that again because while that may seem apparent, many seem to have lost sight of the fact. Specifically while arguing over whether or not schools should be open. Factors and CONTINUE READING: PSST…THERE’S A PANDEMIC GOING ON. – Dad Gone Wild

How a soccer club won a $1.2 million grant from DeVos’s Education Department to open a charter school - Network For Public Education

How a soccer club won a $1.2 million grant from DeVos’s Education Department to open a charter school - Network For Public Education

How a soccer club won a $1.2 million grant from DeVos’s Education Department to open a charter school

By Carol Burris

In late September 2020, amid the covid-19 pandemic, the U.S. Department of Education awarded nearly $6 million to five organizations to open new charter schools. One of the five awardees was “The All Football Club, Lancaster Lions Corporation,” located in Lancaster, Pa. The club had no experience running either a private school or a charter school, yet nevertheless pitched the AFCLL Academy Charter School for a grant from the federal Charter School Program (CSP).

The CSP awarded the football club $1,260,750 to be spent within its first five years, even though their submitted application only received 70 of 115 possible points by reviewers — a failing grade of 61 percent. And the club did not have permission from the local school board to actually open the school

That award of tax dollars to an unauthorized charter school shines a light on how the federal CSP is driven by an ideology with only one aim — to push taxpayer dollars into the hands of would-be private charter operators, even if the school appears doomed to fail from the start.

You can read the rest of Carol’s post in The Answer Sheet here.

How a soccer club won a $1.2 million grant from DeVos’s Education Department to open a charter school - Network For Public Education

A VERY BUSY DAY Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007

A VERY BUSY DAY

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

The latest news and resources in education since 2007

Big Education Ape: THIS WEEK IN EDUCATION Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007 -

http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/12/this-week-in-education-larry-ferlazzos.html

Excellent Visualizations About How People Spend Their Time In Countries Throughout The World

by Larry Ferlazzo / 4h

jarmoluk / Pixabay I have a pretty neat list titled The Best Visualizations Of How People Spend Their Days . I sometimes have students compare how they spend their days with what the find in that post. Unfortunately, though, most – if not all – of the resources there only share that information about people in the United States. Now, Our World in Data has developed several infographics analyzing

Tuesday’s Must-Read Articles & Must-Watch Videos On School Reopenings

by Larry Ferlazzo / 12h

MIH83 / Pixabay Here are new additions to THE BEST POSTS PREDICTING WHAT SCHOOLS WILL LOOK LIKE IN THE FALL : US schools go back and forth on in-person learning is from The Associated Press. Critics Pan School Experiment To Corral Students Exposed To COVID-19 is from NPR.

SEL Weekly Update

by Larry Ferlazzo / 12h

I’ve recently begun this weekly post where I’ll be sharing resources I’m adding to The Best Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Resources or other related “Best” lists. You might also be interested in THE BEST SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING RESOURCES OF 2020 – PART ONE. Finally, check out “Best” Lists Of The Week: Social Emotional Learning Resources . Here are this week’s picks: A growth mindset of intere

A Look Back: There Are Lots Of Reasons To Regularly Be Kind To Our Students, & A New Study Found Another One

by Larry Ferlazzo / 12h

I thought that new – and veteran – readers might find it interesting if I began sharing my best posts from over the years. You can see the entire collection here . reneebigelow / Pixabay We teachers obviously need to be kind to our students — just because. In the midst of our hectic days, however, it’s probable we miss plenty of opportunities to do so. A new study (focused on employees but, it se

Best Year-In-Review Features For 2020

by Larry Ferlazzo / 16h

Here’s another end-of-year list. You can see the many previous year’s editions, along with many other Social Studies-related “Best” lists, here. I’ll obviously be adding more links as we get later into December. I’m adding this list to ALL END-OF-YEAR “BEST” LISTS FOR 2020 IN ONE PLACE! Here’s what I have so far (and, believe me, this list will get a lot longer!): In 2020, AP photographers captur

My Latest BAM! Radio Show Is On Strategies To Support Student Engagement

by Larry Ferlazzo / 16h

Exploring if and why student engagement decreases as students grow older is the topic of my latest ten-minute BAM! Radio Show. I’m joined in the discussion by Janice Wyatt-Ross, who has also contributed a written commentary to my Education Week Teacher column. I’m adding it to All My BAM Radio Shows – Linked With Descriptions .

Monday’s Must Read Articles & Must-Watch Videos On School Reopenings

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1d

kalhh / Pixabay Here are new additions to THE BEST POSTS PREDICTING WHAT SCHOOLS WILL LOOK LIKE IN THE FALL : ‘A lost generation’: Surge of research reveals students sliding backward, most vulnerable worst affected is from The Washington Post. Virginia schools plan gradual reopening as evidence of online learning gap piles up is from The Washington Post. Schools in southwest Ohio kept out Covid.

A Look Back – No Surprise: New Study Finds Encouraging Intrinsic Motivation For Reading Better Than Offering Rewards

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1d

I thought that new – and veteran – readers might find it interesting if I began sharing my best posts from over the years. You can see the entire collection here . Don’t even ask me to explain all the details of this new study, Reciprocal Effects between Reading Achievement and Intrinsic and Extrinsic Reading Motivation. However, I did understand its section titled “Practical implications for tea

2021 Is Just Around The Corner – Here Are Teaching & Learning Resources About The New Year!

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1d

DeltaWorks / Pixabay The New Year is approaching fast! And it’s GOT to be better than 2020. You might be interested in The Best Sites For Learning About New Year Celebrations .

Sunday’s Must-Read Articles On School Reopenings

by Larry Ferlazzo / 2d

torstensimon / Pixabay Here are new additions to THE BEST POSTS PREDICTING WHAT SCHOOLS WILL LOOK LIKE IN THE FALL : Education Groups Urge CDC to Prioritize Teachers, School Staff for Coronavirus Vaccine is from US News. A 3-screen garage: How a Seattle math teacher makes remote learning work is from The Seattle Times. Bars or schools? How nations rank education in pandemic priorities. is from Th

Pins Of The Week

by Larry Ferlazzo / 2d

I’m fairly active on Pinterest and, in fact, have curated 22,000 resources there that I haven’t shared on this blog. I thought readers might find it useful if I began sharing a handful of my most recent “pins” each week (I’m not sure if you can see them through an RSS Reader – you might have to click through to the original post). You might also be interested in MY MOST POPULAR PINS OF 2020 Here

Classroom Instruction Resources Of The Week

24by Larry Ferlazzo / 2d

Each week, I publish a post or two containing three or four particularly useful resources on classroom instruction, and you can see them all here. Of course, this is a crazy time for “classroom” instruction…. You might also be interested in THE BEST RESOURCES ON INSTRUCTION IN 2020 – PART 

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007