The Arts as an Antidote to Testing

If it’s quiet in here, I’m doing it wrong. I am sitting on the chilly windowsill with my legs dangling, kicking the bookcase below. The sound in my room is such that my clunky boots can’t be heard hitting the shelves right below me. Another teacher walks in – she may have knocked, who knows […]

Under New (Behavior) Management?

So, I let the elder offspring give this letter to her teacher: Parents, teachers, and friends, I need you to tell me what you think of that move. Here’s the background: I have the feeling that my kid has been put in the ‘rough’ class several times now, probably because she can fend for herself academically […]

Leave my 2nd grader alone, Arne Duncan

This quote and stunning portrait of Secretary Duncan popped up on social media last week. It’s from his speech during a 2009 visit to a Brooklyn elementary school. It is, of course, taken out of context here.  But that just means it’ll fit right in with every other quote on the internet, ever. Here’s a post about Mr. […]

The 4 Year-Old Curriculum

The 4 year old starts Pre-K this year. In our public school district, Pre-K is free and lasts half the day, much like Kindergarten in days gone by. This is because Pre-K is the new Kindergarten. Kindergarten is the new First Grade. First is the new Second, and after that you’d better be ready to take […]