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Showing posts with label HEROES. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HEROES. Show all posts

Friday, March 19, 2021

Teacher Tom: EdHeroes: What if Education Focused on the Needs of Children and Families?

Teacher Tom: EdHeroes: What if Education Focused on the Needs of Children and Families?
EdHeroes: What if Education Focused on the Needs of Children and Families?




I was recently honored to be asked to shoot a short video for the Rybakov Foundation's 2021 EdHeroes conference. Their mission is to support families around the world by providing them access to quality education that is align first and foremost with the interests of families. 

I can think of no better way to transform our educational ecosystem than to focus on the needs of children and families. We all want our children to grow up to be competent citizens who can create, love, and choose. Without that, the rest is meaningless.

Anyone who knows me, is aware than I find it difficult to keep my remarks (on pretty much any topic) to the 15-20 minute range. I decided to tell my own story of growing from parent to educator. (For the full-sized version of the video, click here.)


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It takes a village to raise a child. In this 6-part e-course I share my best practices to enable educators to make allies of the parents of the children they teach by bringing parents to the center of our work in the spirit of community, the kind of community every child needs. For more information and to register, click here. Act now to receive early bird pricing!

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Monday, January 25, 2021

Teacher Tom: The Death of a Hero

Teacher Tom: The Death of a Hero
The Death of a Hero



Over the weekend I learned that Hank Aaron, one of my great childhood heroes, died. He was my favorite baseball players on my favorite team. He was known for hitting home runs, but it's hard to argue that there has ever been a better all-around player than Hammerin' Hank, although as a boy these nuances didn't play into my calculations. I only knew that he was a man who was doing remarkable things and I wanted to be like him.

I only saw him play one time in person. My family traveled to Atlanta for a game between the Braves and the St. Louis Cardinals sometime during the late 1970's. We were seated in the upper deck above the third base line. I'd brought my glove with me, hoping, expecting, to catch a foul ball, preferably off the bat of Hank Aaron, one of the few true celebrities in my life. I rarely even saw him play on television. They didn't broadcast all the games back then the way they do today. I learned most of what I knew of him by reading about his exploits in the sports pages of the newspaper, our family's subscription to Sports Illustrated, and studying the statistics on the back of his baseball card. 

He is the holder of many records, but the one for which he CONTINUE READING: Teacher Tom: The Death of a Hero

Sunday, January 17, 2021

Traitors or Heroes: Ben Franklin | Live Long and Prosper

Traitors or Heroes: Ben Franklin | Live Long and Prosper
Traitors or Heroes: Ben Franklin




Traitors or Heroes: Ben Franklin

Today is birthday number 315 for Benjamin Franklin. He was born in Boston on January 17, 1706.

Franklin is the only founding father to have signed all four of the key documents establishing the U.S.: the Declaration of Independence (1776), the Treaty of Alliance with France (1778), the Treaty of Paris establishing peace with Great Britain (1783) and the U.S. Constitution (1787).

Most people know about Franklin, the statesman and philosopher. Here are some relevant Franklin quotes for today…

THE NEWS MEDIA

Apology for Printers

If all printers were determined not to print anything till they were sure it would offend nobody, there would be very little printed.

ON COMPROMISE

Queries and Remarks Respecting Alterations in the Constitution of Pennsylvania

Has not the famous political Fable of the Snake, with two Heads and one CONTINUE READING: Traitors or Heroes: Ben Franklin | Live Long and Prosper