For several years, I have been involved with social media as an educator — asking questions and sometimes providing answers with other educators. I was once asked for my special power. My answer: “My ability to connect the dots.”

It enables me to look smart without knowing the answer to the question, because I connect people with questions to those with answers. That is one of the advantages of being a connected educator. Social media is a great vehicle for these connections because…

Teaching by posing essential questions is one of the most powerful strategies in an educator’s arsenal. I would like to pose these essential questions for the people in the government and the education department to ponder as they enact the new teacher/principal evaluation laws. They are in no particular order, and they are but a few of the questions that could be asked.

• Why is there no discussion about the unethical nature of using test scores to evaluate teachers and…

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…