In one characteristically gruesome Greek myth, the enchantress Medea tricks King Pelias’ daughters into killing, dismembering, and boiling him, on a promise that she will add a spell to the stew that will return the aged ruler to his youth. Unfortunately, their actions lead to nothing
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Carry Your Part or Get Out of the Way!
There is a crisis brewing in Arizona. And budgets are being cut to drastic levels. I have been teaching in Arizona for ten years. I haven’t seen a budget increase in 7 years. For seven years budgets have already been
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Individualized Learning Doesn’t Have to Be Lonely
In Learning Should NEVER Be Lonely his recent Tempered Radical post, Bill Ferriter says he cannot come to grips with “personalized learning.” He admits that he maybe paranoid but is literally frightened. (He created the image above which is used with his permission.) He
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College Is for Everyone
Eleven years ago, when my colleagues and I co-founded a small charter high school, we had a number of non-negotiables that we knew we would integrate into the school’s culture and curriculum: we would be kind to each other. students would
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Why I Love Wednesdays
Wednesdays at my school, like several others are early release days. Typically in the front office, Wednesdays are more hectic than other days with parents picking up their child early or increased discipline referrals because students are out of their normal
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I Can See Clearly Now
As Arizona transitions to a new high-stakes test, the AzMERIT, a few of us are hopeful. Will this test be better than AIMS? Will it test what we really want kids to know and be able to do? The jury will
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Gone in 60 Seconds!
“We need all third grade teachers to report to the playground!” That’s the message I heard over the PA system last week. It came on at 12:45. My lunch is over at 12:45. It starts at 12:15. I’m expected to
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Lacking Vision? There’s a Window Nearby
My colleague Kate and I are always on the same wavelength. Our PLC is focused like a laser on assessment data. My school’s administration in transparent; my district’s sometimes opaque. The lens through which we view an issue determines what we see. Have you noticed recently how
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