From the Mouths of Babes

Check out this test (at the end of the article) written by an 8th grader. The innocent often speak truth. Click here for the test and article.

Bill Maher vs. Michelle Rhee

The comedian versus the reformer. Who woulda thought that the comedian would get the upper hand in the education debate? Well, a lot of people, actually. John Stewart and Stephen Colbert do it regularly.

However, Bill Maher softly debunked a few of Michelle Rhee’s favorite talking points and refuted her anecdotal evidence with research and data.

Valerie Strauss at The Washington Post has a good synopsis of the conversation between Maher and Rhee. Check it out. It’s worth your time, especially if you like reading about Rhee’s faux reform agenda being exposed once again.

Vocabulary Lesson

Want to teach your students the word “obfuscate“? Have them watch the Presidential debates.

Classroom Goals for the Year

Teachers in my district are required to set three professional growth goals each year, and I have decided on the following:

1. To complete and pass my National Boards (results are out in November usually, so if I do not pass I will set out to do so)
2. To have at least three different activities per period with an emphasis on physical movement
3. To play more learning games in each class with a specific goal of at least one per week

These will take a bit of extra planning, but if I’m successful I believe the kids will enjoy their time in class and maybe even learn just a little bit.

This Week In Censorship

The Seattle School District is backing off of a policy that would curtail students’ free expression rights. This is one more victory for free speech, students, and the press.

Read more here.