Does a first year teacher have opinions or valid questions? Short answer is no. I feel that the atmosphere at my school
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Can we have imagination without comprehension?
Imagination. What is it? Is it the movie theatre or TV set in your mind's eye?
Comprehension. What is that? Understanding a topic?
Recently I was part of a discussion where the question was raised: When did today's generation lost their imagination?
Comprehension. What is that? Understanding a topic?
Recently I was part of a discussion where the question was raised: When did today's generation lost their imagination?
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Lavender - esque Homework
Homework policy questions for discussion (2)
Should homework be a separate “grade” in the final reports that reflects effort/responsibility, while proficiency on the standards in the focus of the report?
Bill went down to the well. The horse followed him. We tried to warm him but the llama needed shearing anyway.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
I wish I had said this
I went to a meeting to today. I read this and had to share. This was sheer brilliance. That is probably because I didn't write it.
"Because we are intelligent people we know that studies can show whatever one wants them to depending on the studies that one selects to study; even as studies can show that homework is non-beneficial, there are also studies that show that homework is beneficial especially for any college bound student. We as a campus are encouraging students to continue on to higher levels of study, i.e. college, and hence we should be preparing them for such, or we are doing them a disservice."
-p
"Because we are intelligent people we know that studies can show whatever one wants them to depending on the studies that one selects to study; even as studies can show that homework is non-beneficial, there are also studies that show that homework is beneficial especially for any college bound student. We as a campus are encouraging students to continue on to higher levels of study, i.e. college, and hence we should be preparing them for such, or we are doing them a disservice."
-p
Differential Gears
Boing Boing posted a link to a great video on how gears work.
From Boing Boing:
This great old video is a remarkably clear explanation of how a
differential gear works -- the kind of thing that you could show
to a young child or an adult and make the lightbulb go on for both of them.
-p
From Boing Boing:
This great old video is a remarkably clear explanation of how a
differential gear works -- the kind of thing that you could show
to a young child or an adult and make the lightbulb go on for both of them.
-p
Monday, March 28, 2011
I said what?
Freedom of speech. Is speech really free? Free from what, consequences? Now that I work in education I see many people getting in trouble for their online activities. Unlike commiserating with your co-workers after work, whatever you type on the internet is there for good. I hear things that I shouldn't hear all the time at work. I try and keep my thoughts to myself. Why, you ask? I was an Army reserve officer and was trained that every word I said held gravity and weight. We were told to consider not only our actions but our speech. I took this very seriously, as did many of my peers.
I see and hear many civilians complain about freedom of speech. I swore an oath during my military time to uphold and defend the Constitution. I believe, along with many Americans, that everyone has the right to speak freely. In addition, I believe that speech is not truly free, not in the way that popular culture leads us to believe. Socially, it is unacceptable to go up to someone and say something hurtful. No one would argue for that, yet hurtful, even hateful speech has been protected by the courts. Is there consequences for such speech? Absolutely! Employees have been fired for what they said and even what they wrote on the internet.
Along with the right to speech, we accept the responsibility of speech. What is responsibility of speech? For everything we say or write down, we are answerable for. Be that our boss, our peers or society in general. Even me writing this I am keenly aware of not only the intended audience but unintended audiences. I measure what I write down with thought and deliberation. Stream of consciousness might work for some, but it has got many into deep trouble time and time again.
-p
I see and hear many civilians complain about freedom of speech. I swore an oath during my military time to uphold and defend the Constitution. I believe, along with many Americans, that everyone has the right to speak freely. In addition, I believe that speech is not truly free, not in the way that popular culture leads us to believe. Socially, it is unacceptable to go up to someone and say something hurtful. No one would argue for that, yet hurtful, even hateful speech has been protected by the courts. Is there consequences for such speech? Absolutely! Employees have been fired for what they said and even what they wrote on the internet.
Along with the right to speech, we accept the responsibility of speech. What is responsibility of speech? For everything we say or write down, we are answerable for. Be that our boss, our peers or society in general. Even me writing this I am keenly aware of not only the intended audience but unintended audiences. I measure what I write down with thought and deliberation. Stream of consciousness might work for some, but it has got many into deep trouble time and time again.
-p
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