Saturday, November 28, 2015

Why does this Answer Sheet post make me want to stab my eyes out? @ THE CHALKFACE

@ THE CHALKFACE:

I’ve never really enjoyed the excessively sweet, sugary portrayals of teaching. I remember watching a Harry Wong video during my Masters program and there was some final scene with lighting a candle or something, like lighting the candle of imagination in a child. Stuff like that drives me insane. Maybe I lack sentimentality, or I’m too cynical.
I’m definitely not a motherly type.
The Answer Sheet, for which I’m generally supportive, just pulled a “white savior” move in a profile of a speech made by a white teacher who had an “a-ha” moment about teaching 


They say critique of charter schools is “tired.” Then I say it’s exhausting to see charter proponents cast some nebulous aspersions towards the nefarious “teachers’ contract.”
This, from the NY Daily “News.” The author touts the flexibility of charters to lengthen school days and years, but then:
While there is no direct correlation between increased learning and increased learning time, research shows that longer school days provide extended academic growth for children from impoverished backgrounds.
Correlation is not causation. Precisely. One has nothing to do with the other.
Extending a school day or year is hardly an “innovation.” To that end, why not have students from impoverished backgrounds sleep at the school, residing there year round if extended learning time increases academic growth, whatever that means. Test scores?
From my experience, there’s really not much that is “innovative” about charters. Learning is confined to a