Learning for the 21st Century

Are we keeping up?

Blog

RSS
Tread Softly...My Dreams
5/26/2010 10:32:39 PM

This video was shared on My eCoach and I felt compelled to share it here.

All This and No Prayer?
5/25/2010 9:00:41 AM
I recently received this e-mail and must share it.

NOMINATED FOR " BEST EMAIL OF THE YEAR 2010"!!!


After being interviewed by the school administration, the prospective teacher said:  
'Let me see if I've got this right.

'You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their T-shirt messages, and instill in them a love for learning. 
'You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, and raise their sense of self esteem and personal pride. 
'You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a checkbook, and apply for a job. 
'You want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, and make sure that they all pass the final exams.
'You also want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of their handicaps, and communicate regularly with their parents in English, Spanish or any other language, by letter, telephone, newsletter, and report card. 
'You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a blackboard, a bulletin board, a few books, a big smile, and a starting salary that qualifies me for food stamps. 
'You want me to do all this and then you tell me. . . I CAN'T PRAY


Who Could Say It Better?
5/23/2010 9:55:47 PM
I found this comment in response to a blog entitled "We ARE the System".  I agree with both the blog and the comment!

Comment:
Bob Miller April 3, 2010 at 9:55 am

“Prepare students for what is and will be, not what was.”
I need to emblazon that quote on our Board room walls as well as every wall in every classroom in our district. In a world of mission statements and vision statements, that one, brief statement embodies both ideas of “why do we exist” and “what kind of organization to we want to become.”


Education--What's Wrong?
5/16/2010 9:09:35 AM
As I watch and reflect on the changes I have seen in public education over the last four decades and more, I have observed that although we teachers have had ample opportunity to improve our pedagogy, many of us teach as we were taught.  How is that working for us? What should we be doing?  How should education look?  What do our students really need to know?  Why don't our students want to learn?  What is WRONG?  Want a list?  If your answer is "no," you may opt not to read on. 
  • Preparing information age students for the industrial age can't be prudent.
  • Although politicians'  "get-it-right" record is dismal, at best, we continue to surrender education to their selfish "get re-elected at all cost" practice.
  • Although people who do "get it" about "first teaching" being the role of parents, did you ever wonder why government (politicians) doesn't include family as a significant stake holder in the system failure debate.  Holding teachers/schools accountable for what homes fail to do, not only doesn't make sense, it is wrong.
  • Although we are proof that "throwing money" at education is no guarantee of success, legislators would be well advised to fully fund basic education.
I think it was Steven Covey who wrote in one of his books, "If what I am doing isn't getting me where I want to go, why do I keep doing it?"  Good question for us in education to consider and then QUIT doing what doesn't work.

Finally, the only measuring stick affecting adopting policy for public education that is acceptable in my eyes is "what's good for kids."
Did You Know?
5/16/2010 6:59:30 AM

I recently received a link to Did You Know in an e-mail.  After some research, it appears I have found a more current copy.  What are your comments?

5 items total
Industrial Age or Information Age? Should we continue to prepare students for the world we faced? If the answer is "no", what should we do differently?