Reflecting on Your Teacher Leadership

I've…

As educators throughout New York State scurry to finish completing the behemoth of grand plans to “reform” education for the children of this state, one is reminded of the debacle in design known as The Spruce Goose.  Formally called the Hughes H-1 Hercules, the aircraft was an attempt to create an effective way to transport troops and supplies over the Atlantic…

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To Pass or Not to Pass? The End-of-Year Moral Dilemma

Elena is a beautiful 16-year-old who blithely drifted in and out of my English II classroom this year without any materials. She seemed surprised to find…

While any language will be useful for some jobs or for some regions, French is a language that is useful throughout the world as well as in the U.S. French as a foreign language is the second most frequently taught language in the world after English. The International Organization of Francophonie has 56 member states and governments. Of these, 28…

I am conducting research on teacher leadership. I am interviewing New York State teachers about the current reforms especially CCS and Teacher Evaluation plans. I welcome thoughts and comments from all educators and am especially concerned with the teaching profession and how it is under "attack".

My last post, Hypocrisy in the Profession of Education, seems to have gotten quite a few people talking about educators needing to learn more. Of course there were some who disagreed, which is an inevitable consequence of blogging. One of the comments that caused me to think even more about this educator/learner topic was a comment that I had…

Why Blog?

How Good Is Good Enough?

From The Marshall Memo #440

In this trenchant New York Times column, David Brooks explores the subject of human dishonesty, drawing on a new book by Dan Ariely, The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty (Harper, 2012). Nearly everyone cheats, says Ariely, but usually only a little. Some examples:

• Cans of Coke and plates with dollar bills were…

An Argument Against Test-Score Evaluation of Teachers

From the Marshall Memo #440

In this opinion piece in Education Week, College of the Holy Cross (MA) professor Jack Schneider takes note of the growing popularity of evaluating teachers based on student test-score gains rather than classroom observations. “It won’t be long before high-stakes personnel decisions – hiring, firing, and divvying up…