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education reform Articles

Separating Out the Geniuses

I was having a conversation with someone I respect. He’s a member of MENSA. MENSA is a society for geniuses. This made my conversation important–I can say, “I was talking to a genius.” Wait! I am a genius. There is a test score in a box somewhere from when I was little that says so. People might…

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Don’t Ban Dodgeball–Ban Life: Why Banning Everything Is Just Plain Silly

“Quick, come here,” my husband said. I thought there was an emergency. “They’re banning dodgeball.” “That’s not new,” I replied. “A school in Massachusetts did it last year or the year before. ‘Hurts self-esteem.’” “No, they say it’s because of bullying,” he said.  I am struggling with this. I’m struggling with the resurgence of the attacks on…

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High School Loser Gets Second Crack at Prom

A fellow teacher tweeted that she had a great time prepping students for prom, and that she had a happy crew. Prom. That magical time in high school when people without boyfriends get cast aside wondering whether or not to buy a dress. I wanted to skip it altogether. Eventually, I caved in to the peer pressure….

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Getting an Early Start on Common Cores Using The Economist

I am reading my son’s school newsletter. It does an excellent job discussing the Common Cores. I know this because I use Common Cores all day myself. The school is calling for a 50/50 balance of literary and informational text. I support this because I am a serious professional nerd.  Literacy’s important.  I’m tired of people who…

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Hoodies will get you extra points

I think that computers and start ups are the only fields where looking like crap scores you points. Actually, it seems to be a badge of honor. No one wears a suit jacket. The guy with the suit jacket sticks out. Everyone wears a hoodie. I brought my one hoodie–my Grockit hoodie sent all the way from…

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What is Your Superpower?

“Don’t you ever sleep?” I asked my friend, Heather. She is always awake. Pretty much every minute. I can verify this because I wake up at about 4AM to write for a couple hours. She is there. I see her posts after I go to sleep at my somewhat religious 10PM. It’s amazing to me. Waking up…

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Birds Don’t Go to Meetings

Driving down the road, I see a flock of birds in the sky. A flock of about 150 birds. So many birds, it’s like a giant cloud, except there is so much more grace and beauty.  They sail on the wind–all flying together. Changing directions, zigzagging. In general, it should be a mess. Yet they all change…

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“Only Savants Have the Right Answer All the Time” (Chess: Part Two)

Chess Story Two: Chess and Improv A student of mine, Karim, called to tell me some things about his acting career. Karim is not a student, technically. He’s three years away from 30. If he were still a student, he’d be in deep trouble. He called to tell me he had just conversed with a famous actor…

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Think Ahead or Die: Chess Education in Grade K (Chess: Part 1)

  Chess Story One:  Playing Chess with the Boy We are playing chess. Declan and I. I started playing at about five. Never mastered it, because I don’t think several moves head. I’m too social. I’d rather talk. In chess, you must think several moves ahead–devise a plan in response to every counter-initiative long before your opponent…

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All Toilet Paper Is Created Equal–Why I Avoid the Faculty Bathroom

I don’t like the faculty bathroom.  It may be a strange topic, but when I have to go to the bathroom, I use the regular student bathroom at the end of the hall. I have a key to the faculty bathroom–it’s a prized possession in my school–my colleague still doesn’t have one and is forced to borrow…

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