Many are blaming the “Common Core” teaching curriculum for the subject of this post but GorT might point at a more broad problem with our approach to education in this country. Plainly put, GorT thinks that teachers should be paid … Continue reading →
As we celebrate the Fifth Anniversary of this site going public (at least in this time stream for GorT), each of us has been asked to post our individual favorite essay or submission over the years. While this post has … Continue reading →
The only thing common to Common Core education standards is that there seems to be something in it to annoy everyone. Forward! Go all loyal student with Common Core teachings to make smart America for all envy of world! Unless … Continue reading →
“The educational paradigm has shifted from guaranteeing universal access to guaranteeing universal performance.” -‘Puter’s Tiny Local School District 2013-14 Budget Presentation PowerPoint** If the old saw is true — that a gaffe is when a government official accidentally speaks an … Continue reading →
Dolores Umbridge that is: Shorter Dolores: If I SAY they’re meeting expectations, they are meeting expectations, even if they aren’t. Like Columbia J-School students are taught, draw them in with a headline, no matter how inaccurate. Dr. J. read with … Continue reading →
Mrs. ‘Puter prepares to trap theescaped frog by, uh, … . Never mind.Dang, Mrs. ‘Puter’s hot, though. Did you know that according to the United States Department of Education, public school teachers molest children at nearly 100 times the rate of Roman … Continue reading →
And so Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is living large, now that he has bested the Chicago Teachers’ Union. Right? Well, not quite. Although the backlash against the teachers has been intense, the first major test of his ability to restore … Continue reading →
Even saints have limits to their patience. The Царица, whom by now all of you know is a public school teacher in a very dicey suburb outside Chicago, has quietly and with much dignity absorbed the slings and arrows of … Continue reading →
I enjoyed the Czar’s post on reading but I figured I’d chime in with a missing element: there are generally three “modes” of reading – for instruction, for education and for enjoyment. The problem is that each require a different … Continue reading →
Well, who doesn’t love someone smart writing in: Dear Czar, As I read your post entitled “Liberal Science“, a light dawned upon me. When you pointed out that reading began to suffer along with math and science, I was struck … Continue reading →
The Czar and your Mandarin were discussing the Obama personality disorder the other day, and yours truly suggested that he has all the mannerisms of the haughty teaching assistant who hates being challenged by a student. And, we see, that … Continue reading →
I’m going to borrow a topic from an email by GorT, Sr., lifting some of his points and expanding upon them.Around 1910, the United States recognized that people were moving from rural to urban areas and they wanted a literate … Continue reading →
‘Puter spends a lot of time around here bashing teachers’ unions because, well, teachers’ unions so richly deserve bashing. Teachers’ unions exist solely to enrich their members at the expense of taxpayers and children, all the while claiming to champion … Continue reading →
Dear Czarman, I have been reading your comments on public schools, and I filter them by my relative’s experiences (by which I mean you’re spot on). She has taught in both public and private schools, but for some reason the … Continue reading →
Volgi alerts all of us to an assessment of how US education spending compares to other countries’ spending per student, and where our performance falls. And falls is a generous word. If this doesn’t destroy every teacher’s union argument about … Continue reading →
In a follow up to the Czar’s recent post on home schooling your Mandarin would like to add to that neither home schooling or institutionalized schooling are the ultimate answer to educating our children. In reality it is a combination … Continue reading →
DEAR CZAR, OH HOW I CARE FOR YOU, What do you think of the proposed legislation that Illinois home-schooled students be registered with the state? Prima facie, it looks reasonable. I know that, in other states, they must meet certain … Continue reading →
Operative JS has not checked in for some time, having been on special assignment deep in the Sudan. JS was told not to return unless there was proof of a deep underground spacecraft made of a living metal capable of … Continue reading →
Download: Secretary of Education Arne Duncan sent a letter to all school principals that POTUS Obama will speak to school children on September 8 on an unprecedented internet feed. Millons of school children will stop their day, gather in classrooms … Continue reading →
In some of my readings this week, I came across this paper (click for PDF). It’s 25 pages long, but thouroughly enjoyable – at least to me. I think many of his points ring true. Having been through the progression … Continue reading →
