Teacher who left: Why I am returning to school:

Teacher who left: Why I am returning to school

By Valerie Strauss, Published: August 11 at 11:30 amE-mail the writer

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Early this year I published a piece by award-winning veteran teacher Kenneth Bernstein, entitled “A warning to college profs from a high school teacher.” It went viral when it was first posted and has done so again, and has had hundreds of thousands of readers. When Bernstein wrote the piece, he was retiring after a long career. Here is a new piece by Bernstein, who explains why he is returning to the classroom.

Bernstein is known nationally as a blogger writing under the name “teacherken.” He blogs about education, politics, human rights, music, the environment, and other topics. He is most visible at Daily Kos, where he is the most recommended author in the site’s history.

By Kenneth Bernstein

In 2012 when I retired from teaching, I was asked to write a magazine piece letting professors know what to expect from the generation of students arriving on their campuses having completed their education under No Child Left Behind and other moder school reforms, including Race to the Top. The piece, commissioned by my friend and magazine editor Aaron Barlow,  appeared in February on the website of Academe, a publication of the American Association of University Professors, and Valerie republished it on this blog under the headline, “A warning to college profs from a high school teacher.”  That piece went viral. It got over 100,000 likes on Facebook  alone and a comment stream that exceeded my ability to respond. I received several 

Maria Shriver | Powered by Inspiration

Maria Shriver | Powered by Inspiration:

I’VE BEEN THINKING

Remove the Muzzle

As the newest trustee of the Sundance Institute, I recently had the great privilege of attending our theater labs in Park City with artists from all over the world.I observed, spellbound, as writers and directors and actors and composers freely presented their theatrical works in progress.It is an act of bravery to put your art on the line; to invite strangers in to share an intimate experience th

400+ by msAdmin / 17min 

How I Survived Seven Years as an Alzheimer’s Caregiver

One night, Ed, my Romanian soul mate of 30 years, called me in a panic because he couldn’t find his scissors.“Why don’t you look in the kitchen,” I suggested. That’s where he kept them.“Kitchen?” he asked. “What’s a kitchen? I don’t have a kitchen.”“You know, Ed,” I said. “Where your stove is.”“My stove? He didn’t know “stove” any more than he knew “kitchen.”“You know, Ed. Where your refrigerator

6 by msAdmin / 17min 

The Great Emancipator

Those three words usually bring Abraham Lincoln to mind, the American president credited with ending slavery in our nation.For me, however, someone else fills that role, someone who freed me as certainly as if chains of forged steel had been smashed and shackles removed.During my childhood and teen years I struggled with perfectionism, anxiety and shame. My parents had a strong performance orienta

by msAdmin / 17min 

Yes or No? How About Maybe?

Nothing feels freer or creates more potential for opportunity than being able to say “maybe.”A “yes or no” can create limitations. A hesitant “yes” can predetermine an outcome. A sudden “no” can limit an outcome. A confident “maybe” allows for possibilities better than we could imagine.When I was in school, “yes or no” tests made me feel fenced in by having to check just one box. Often I could com

by msAdmin / 17min 

Blessed Breaths

I’ve been thinking about breathing (yes, you read that correctly).Obviously, it’s not supposed to require much thought, but I would bet that most of us don’t truly breathe.I would bet that most of us don’t take the kind of breath that can center us, calm us, relieve the stresses in our lives and rid ourselves of that anxiety that so many if us carry through our day and that comes out in ways that

5 by msAdmin / 17min 

How I Broke Out of Prison

Even though I’ve grown up in a free country, I’ve spent most of my life behind bars imprisoned by a cruel and tyrannical dictator: My Mind.Since childhood, the Voice In My Head has belittled, brainwashed, taunted and tricked me into believing I was “too” this and “not enough” that.It has tortured me with a daily commentary of all the ways that so-and-so is prettier, thinner, calmer, younger, blond

1 by msAdmin / 17min 

Feeling Free

I remember when I was fourteen years old and my best friend and I would take the bus to the beach.We had no responsibilities, no one was looking over our shoulder, and no one even knew where we really were or what time we’d be back.This was the time of no cell phones, so there was no way for anyone to reach us. The beach was maybe forty-five minutes away, but taking the bus took us closer to two h

by msAdmin / 17min 

My Free Verse

Over breakfast this month, my six-year old daughter Eliza asked me why we celebrate the fourth of July. I found myself uttering the words, “…of the people, by the people, and for the people.”She wondered what it meant to be free.Eliza’s interest and eagerness made this Independence Day uniquely special for me. Our conversation led me to ponder my understanding of freedom and its place in my life.W

by msAdmin / 17min 

Keep Jumping

The sight of people bungee jumping off the Kawarau Bridge, in New Zealand, made me shiver.The scene is breathtaking, but it’s chilling to watch daredevils shoot out through a narrow canyon down to a rushing river below.My heart pounded on the walk to the edge of the bridge. I looked back and saw a gazing crowd gathered anxiously along the water.I wanted to run, but knew we couldn’t flake because m

5 by msAdmin / 17min mark as read  //  save

Freedom and Gratitude

“And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” – John 8:32I love my IPod. I really do.The very idea that I have, in one petite digital package, a portable library of all my favorite musical selections, is still mind-boggling for this child of the 1960’s and 70’s.But at some level I still miss my record player. (My teenage daughters would think this strange. Of course, they think

1 by msAdmin / 17min 

8-11-13 teacherken at Daily Kos

teacherken at Daily Kos:

A follow-up to Something weird has happened

In this piece i remarked on the strange phenomenon of a piece originally posted in February again going viral on the Washington Post website.  Because in that original piece, I noted that what I was observing was a part of the reason I had retired from the classroom, and as regular readers here know I have decided to "un-retire" I thought I owed an explanation. Valerie Strauss has just posted Teac

2 by rss@dailykos.com ... / 7min 

Daily Kos: Something weird has happened -

Daily Kos: Something weird has happened -: Something weird has happened -byteacherkenFollowI do not claim it is of any great importance, but since I am involved, I thought I might mention it.Last fall a friend who was the faculty editor of Academe, a publication of the American Association of University Professors, asked if I would as I had retired from teaching write a piece telling college profe

by mike simpson / 31min 

8-11-13 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.:

Bob Lyons. “The pension bill that is finally sent to Governor Quinn for his signature will be declared unconstitutional.”

Bob Lyons represents retired members as a Teacher Retirement System trustee. For Illinois’ current Fiscal Year 2014 TRS annuitants can certainly count on their pension checks from TRS to arrive on time and to include the full entitled amount. This amount will also include – for those who are eligible – the three-percent COLA increase in the pension check to be distributed on the1st of February, 20

by Fred Klonsky / 4:45 PM UTC-7 

The weird Tweets of Park Ridge District 64 board of education member Dr. Dathan Paterno.

Park Ridge school board member, Dr. Dathan Paterno. You know I retired from Park Ridge District 64 a year ago June. Right after I left, Dr. Dan Paterno was elected to the school board, joining Dr. Anthony Borrelli, a Park Ridge foot doctor, as a not exactly teacher-friendly faction. Although Paterno ran as a taxpayer watchdog, he had no problem voting to give administrators thousands of dollars i

4 by Fred Klonsky / 9min 

Logan Square says restore what has been cut from CPS.

  Parents and teachers rally at the Logan Square Eagle earlier this year in support of striking teachers. I’m just back from our Sunday walk to the Logan Square Farmers Market. Aside from fresh corn, beans, berries and some walleye, I have a leaflet. CPS teacher Phil Cantor was handing them out. “Please call the Mayor’s Office and tell him to put our kids first by declaring a TIF surplus and movi

6 by Fred Klonsky / 39min

Summer Sunday reads.

Two more shooting deaths in Chicago last night. Note the “Safe Passage” sign at the shooting on West Fullerton. NY school boss Dennis Walcott bans dinosaur, birthday, halloween, poverty and divorce. The Madison, Wisconsin state representative infiltrates the ALEC meeting in Chicago and reports what she heard. In Wisconsin, no more collective bargaining rights means more teachers are getting fired

by Fred Klonsky / 2min 

  

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.:Chicago reporters. An endangered species. Not dead yet, but on life-support.There was a time when Chicago investigative reporters were the envy of cities across the country. This was even before Woodward and Bernstein. Now there are just a few who even deserve the title. Ben Joravsky on the corrupt use

by mike simpson / 23h 

8-11-13 SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE

SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE:

First NCTQ and now CAEP: Nightmares for Teacher Education.

I have posted about NCATE and the CAEP a few times.  But here it is: The new standards, finalized by the CAEP Commission on Standards and Performance Reporting in June after a public comment period, contain controversial new requirements such as minimum program-entry standards and consideration of graduates’ performance in the classroom, including value-added data and any […]

1 by Timothy D. Slekar / 8min

  

8-10-13 Schools Matter @ The Chalk Face

SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE: New NY Scores Prompt Increased Interest in Opting Out of Next State TestsReblogged from Diane Ravitch's blog: Long Island's Newsday has a story about growing interest by parents in opting out of state testing. It says that the terrible scores will increase the number of parents who don't let the schools test their children. William Johnson, the superintendent of Ro

by mike simpson / 22h 

All Week 8-10-13 @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: All Week 8-10-13 @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTERYESTERDAYInnocence or Guilt?: Looking Beyond the Individual | the becoming radicalHow does Bernhard Schlink’s The Reader inform the many scandals in the education reform era? READ: Innocence or Guilt?: Looking Beyond the Individual | the becoming radical.by plthomasedd / 23h State Assessment Results: "It J

by mike simpson / 48min

Twittery Jeb Bush: trying to kill #PublicEducation in 140 characters or less | teacherbiz

Twittery Jeb Bush: trying to kill #PublicEducation in 140 characters or less | teacherbiz:

Twittery Jeb Bush: trying to kill #PublicEducation in 140 characters or less

If there’s anyone left who’s not convinced that Jeb Bush is one of the biggest enemies of public education in the United States, a quick glance at his twitter page should confirm what the rest of us already know.

The first clue is this August 9th tweet, which came on the heels of his attendance at the annual ALEC conference in Chicago:

At the ALEC convention, Bush, the consummate Common Core cheerleader,spoke in defense of the much-debated implementation of the standards—even when it meant making his ALEC pals, who aren’t all happy about the reach of the CCSS, shift uncomfortably in their seats. In the grand scheme of things, though, Jeb and ALEC hold hands when it comes to education reform: “The mission of ALEC’s Education Task Force is to promote excellence in the nation’s educational system, to advance reforms through parental choice, to support efficiency, accountability, and transparency in all educational institutions, and