They Need Support and Respect

I read this article about a teenager killed basically for being gay, and I continue to be amazed at the lack of support within schools for gay, lesbian, transgender, and bisexual students.

My school recently started a group to support all students of diversity, and I admire the leaders of this group and the students involved because my community does not readily accept people who may be different or outside the “normal” social groups.

From the article activists say:

many schools do not have programs that promote tolerance among students, provide training for educators, or include policies that specifically prohibit harassment and bullying based on sexual orientation.

I sincerely hope that schools begin to create more organizations to support all students. And, tolerance is not enough; we need to teach respect, respect for all people.

Plagiarism Problems and the CRAFTS Process

With the popularity of the internet and the ever-increasing access to it, students are using it for less than honest reasons. Although a great many students remain honest and complete their own work, a growing number have resorted to cheating by using papers off the internet and using others’ research. According to one study on television the other day (I forget where I saw it–sorry), plagiarism is on the rise especially among honor and AP students.

I have had this problem in the past, but I have been able to overcome most of these issues with a few simple changes to my teaching.

Cuts in Education Cartoon

Do you feel this in your state?

Beautiful In So Many Ways

Everyone deserves a dance. And, everyone deserves a chance to dance. This story is one of those which reinforces why I love working with educators and why I have faith in our youth. Students, alongside teachers and parents, made an often overlooked group of young people feel as lucky as the Prom King and Queen. These are lessons that just can’t be taught.

At a dance for special education students:

[T]hey gathered in a circle to dance…Teachers, art students and parents joined students with Down syndrome, children in wheelchairs and students with severe vision, cognitive, physical and social handicaps.

Read the full story here.

Quirky Grading Systems

A recent article and a wonderful blog both focused on a middle school in Arlington where students receive some credit for not doing an assignment. Missing assignments are given a 50% instead of a zero grade.

The logic behind this is that in a GPA scale, an A averaged with an F (for a 2.0 GPA) is the equivalent of a C. With the standard classroom scale, a zero grade necessitates three full A grades to reach a C. Ultimately, the question is: how much should a single zero grade affect a student’s overall average. This was also combined with a lunch time study hall, but that is outside of my focus for this post.