I love this cartoon  I watched some newsperson interview Pelosi last week, and Pelosi seemed so plastic and smug. Her responses to questions were rote and lackluster.  From my perspective, this cartoon is exactly on the mark.  The idea of being responsible for oneself seems foreign to so many on the left.  They expect the government to do everything for them, and if anything is wrong, they look around to find someone to blame.

More about Pelosi  here and here.

Tiara-Tip to Darleen

Here are thirteen of my favorite education-related posts from 2006.  This was suggested by aquiram at “Education in the Twenty-First Century” in last week’s Carnival of Education.  It sounded like a good idea.  So here goes:

Perhaps in succeeding weeks I’ll do my thirteen favorite political posts, or my thirteen favorite “that’s my life” posts.  We’ll see.

1.  The Words That Strike Fear in the Hearts of Teachers  – Whether you’re a teacher or not, you might identify with my reaction to these words.  (January 26, 2006)

2.  Getting Whupped! – You never know what children go through at home before coming to school. (February 4, 2006)

3. How Do You Spell “Penis”? – Seems like a perfectly legitimate question for a first grader. (March 18, 2006)

4. A Totally Unscientific and Irrelevant Study of Second and Third Graders’ T-Shirt Slogans – self-descriptive.  They’re funny, cute, obnoxious, and/or puzzling.  (April 20, 2006)

5.  The Truly BEST Reward of Teaching – I’ll never forget Alicia. (May 25, 2006)

6. What Do Principals Look For in a Teacher? - I must’ve been on summer vacation because I didn’t have an educational post in June.  So I choose two posts for May.  Forget all that “philosophy of education” stuff.  In this post I tell what principals REALLY should look for in a teacher  (May 2, 2006)

7. The Writing Workshop and a Gift - I write about a professional development activity that is interesting and helpful!   (July 27, 3006) 

8. A Test for Aging Teachers - Here’s the scene:  You’re in a restaurant and an adult walks up to you and says, “You were my second grade teacher!”  Children change, and you have no idea who it is.  What do you do?  (August 15, 2006)

9.  Recess – Memories of Bygone Times – (September 24, 2006)  Remember recess?  It’s in danger these days.

10.  Did You Really Have to Tell Me That?  (October 10, 2006)  Sometimes kids provide TMI!

11.  Being Evaluated – Is there ANYTHING more Time-Wasting and Aggravating?  – The title says it all.  Thank goodness it’s over with for five years.  (November 4, 2006)

12.  Walking in Memphis – He sounded like Johnny Cash, Looked Like Jerry Springer, and Sang Eric Clapton -  What happens when a group of 10 teachers goes to Memphis for a workshop (December 9, 2006)

13.  And to round out the thirteen, I’ll take a post from November that tells a story I love.  The story comes from my niece who is a teacher, a mom of three and just happens to have a new blog (Sleepless Juggler)   Cows Have Many! – I still chuckle whenever I see that three-word sentence.  (November 25, 2006)

 

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

This week’s Carnival of Education is hosted by aquiram at Teaching in the Twenty-First Century.  It is Carnival #100!!!!! What a milestone – 100 weeks of great writing in education!  This carnival is also Carnival #1 for 2007.  Click on over and check it out.

 

 The 98th Carnival of Education

Step right up to the best writing in the field of education.  Take off your shoes, relax and stay awhile.

Thanks for visiting the 98th Edition of the Carnival of Education.  Next week’s carnival will be hosted by Darren at Right on the Left Coast.  Send your submissions to mrmillermathteacher (at) yahoo (dot) com or use this handy dandy submission form.  Posts should be submitted by 5 p.m. Pacific on Tuesday, December 26th.

Now, on with this week’s Carnival of Education!

Tales From the Classroom

Samantha Rawson has a fool-proof method for getting wiggly and giggly boys to behave during School Concerts posted at Sam-Is-Mad.

In “A Simple Question Can Answer A Lot,” Chanman at Buckhorn Road tells about a student who asked him a question – just a simple question that the student didn’t think twice about, but which made Chanman think that sometimes teaching is like “trying to empty the ocean with a shot glass.”

Mr. Lawrence presents Teaching as Theater posted at Get Lost, Mr. Chips.

Speaking of theater, Terrell at Alone on a Limb writes about his own theatrics as a fourth grade teacher in “A Teacher’s Life.”

In  “A well-earned F” posted at Halfway There, Zeno tells about a student who defined an “F” in a unique way.

The Lives of Teachers

In “All At Once” Laura at Teaching (or at least trying to) tells about how the deaths of former students hit some harder than others.

Mamacita at Scheiss Weekly submits “Tampons: Satan’s Little Cotton Fingers”.  She remarks, “Teachers wonder about God, too.”

If you’ve considered learning a foreign language, John Wesley at Pick the Brain – Wit and Wisdom for Your Inspiration asks us to consider 5 Great Reasons to Learn a Foreign Language.  He then provides us with “How to Teach Yourself a Foreign Language.”

In “I am only one; but still I am one” Joan at Daddy’s Roses responds to a newspaper article on teacher pay. She writes:

The moral and ethical ills of society have become the ills of the public education system. The remedy for the unhealthy condition of the public schools begins with the renewed health of society as a whole

We all have favorite students – even if we won’t admit it openly. Mr. McNamar at The Daily Grind distinguishes between “having favorites” and “playing favorites” and then presents “My Ten Favorite Students“.  If you’re a teacher, you know them all!

Daniel at Concurring Opinions offers a unique and fair way of grading exams in “A Guide To Grading Exams.”  Mamacita claims she actually snorted Diet Coke all over her keyboard when she read it.

Right Wing Nation asks “Why Enforced Uniformity?” when it comes to cell phones.

 

The Lives of Students

Ruth at Ruthlace brings us the story of “Going to School in the 1930’s” – a nostalgic look at schooling in days gone by.

When my teacher came by to visit a few days after school was out for the summer she brought my report card. (Yes teachers, doctors and pastors were expected to make house calls.)

The Blogging Life of Teachers

Mr. McNamar was a little miffed with the recent Weblog Awards.  In “Best Education Blog” at The Daily Grind he calls for readers to vote for his personally selected list of edu-blog finalists.  

   Technology

Sagar Satapathy presents Endorsement of online education plan of UI on hold! posted at Online University Lowdown.

OKP writes about an “advice column” of sorts in “To Dine on Thine Enemy” at Line 46. 

The Big Picture: Issues, Philosophy       and Advice

Joanne Jacobs writes about the New Commission on the Study of Skills in the Workforce in “Revolution vs. Reform.” She writes:

The U.S. spends more on education than most other industrialized nations but performs worse, the report says. Remarkably, it doesn’t call for spending more money on education. It calls for spending it differently.

EdWonk at The Education Wonks discusses the same report.  In “Wonkitorial: Another Report That’ll Be Ignored,” he writes:  

We have a commission that says, in so many words, that if teachers were compensated better, then school districts could be much more selective in who they hire. As classroom service would suddenly become very attractive to legions of our “best and brightest” young (and not-so-young) people, the overall quality of the classroom teaching talent would improve. Just like private enterprise. And like private enterprise, those employees who can not (or will not) perform will be out.

NYC Educator presents The Blue Ribbon Panel posted at NYC Educator.

In Classrooms Evolved, Introduction: A Philosophy of Teaching at tdaxp, Dan tdaxp presents a philosophy of teaching focused on the college level, combining peer instruction and classroom democracy. 

Ken of D-Ed Reckoning writes “Teaching Reading is Hard Work“.  What do you think of his first two sentences?

It seems to me that the primary reason why many kids fail to learn to read on a timely basis is because many educators don’t want to put in the effort necessary to teach them. When given a choice, they will invariably pick the reading program and activities that require the least amount of teaching and effort.

Ryan at Edspresso writes about “the lack of autonomy teachers and principals have in today’s democratically-governed school systems, and how choice can help remedy the problem” in “Democratic governance of schools, part II: choice and autonomy (or: leave the coach alone!).”

Elementaryhistoryteacher writes that some schools are no longer requiring history as a graduation requirement, and she discusses the importance of history in “Is History Important? A Reprise”.

Ms. Cornelius of A Shrewdness of Apes discusses the use of incentives to improve school attendance in “In which I pull together the ultimate meaning of the educational universe as explained in the media.”

Allan Wallace is seeking comments about alternative education in “School Choice and Alternative Education” at BFU – self directed learning for visionaries.

The Science Goddess presents Equity in Education posted at What It’s Like on the Inside.

Matt at Going to the Mat writes about the lack of emphasis on anything but Reading and Math when it comes to NCLB in “Don’t Know Much About History (and other subjects).”

Phil at Phil for Humanity submits “Why Public Schools are Failures to the Best Students.”

Growing up through the public school system, I can attest that our school system does not bring out the full potential of students. Not even from the best students either. Sure, the public school system has a plethora of success stories, however I strongly believe that there are at least an equal number of contradicting stories on how the schools failed individuals, especially gifted and honor students.

Dana at Principled Discovery discusses Virginia’s universal preschool program in “Preschool for All.”

Jill Davidson presents Using Student Work and Performance as Our Guiding Light posted at The Essential Blog.  She writes:

Annie Chien, science teacher at New York City’s School of the Future, writes about how student participation should be based on an intense focus on students’ work, minds, and skills. “I want raw evidence of student learning, and a juicy conversation with the teacher and student on the process of making such great understanding.”

Brandon Peele presents The Economics of Self-Awareness posted at GT.

Alexander at This Week in Education discusses the Fordham Foundation in “How The ‘Influentials’ Report Gets (Nearly) Everything Wrong.”

Bob Sipchen writes about the issues involved when The National Science Teachers Association refused a gift of 50,000 copies Al Gore’s movie, “An Inconvenient Truth” in An Inconvenient Clash of Science and Marketing posted at School Me!.  (Note: Sorry for the earlier error in identifying the writer of this post. Thanks to Janine for letting me know.)

Laurie Bluedorn presents Trivium Pursuit » Blog Archive » The Trivium posted at Trivium Pursuit. 

Chris at Practical Theory writes about “Dealing with the Worst Consequences of Your Best Ideas.”

Homeschooling and Parenting

Suni takes on Dr. Phil and his criticism of homeschooling in “Dr. Phil is a Dolt “posted at EternaLearning Academy:Taz’s Clues.

So why is everyone up in arms about homeschool? Was not homeschool the only school for hundreds of years? God didn’t set up a public school in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve didn’t kiss their children goodbye as they boarded the camel bus to go to the nearby public school when they were five years old. What makes people think that children being taught by their mothers and fathers is such a bad thing?

Homeschool mom, Sprittibee, shares an edible science project that will blow your top in her post entitled, “Potato Volcanoes Project.”

IB a Math Teacher presents Who Wants to Give Me a Response to this Woman? posted at 3σ → Left.  Click on over to see if you can help him out.

Alejandra Peraza de Halvorssen at A Guide to Raising Great Kids writes from the perspective of having raised five great kids “On Giving Orders and Obedience.”

Politics and Publicity

Next week’s host, Darren, at Right on the Left Coast, writes about a letter from a teachers’ union representative in “Hatred and Bile from The Union Types.”

Do you have student loans?  Bill at Ask Uncle Bill talks about “A REALLY Stupid Idea.”

Michele at AFT presents Sexy Back posted at NCLB: Let’s Get it Right!. She writes:

 The AFT could point reporters to examples of “regular,” high-poverty, urban public schools that are doing amazing things in school districts across the country, but it seems that they don’t regard that sort of story as “sexy” enough.  Perhaps we should enlist the help of Justin Timberlake in “bringing sexy back” to press coverage of public schools.

The Holidays and Education

Ms. SuperScience presents What to buy your favorite science teacher for the holidays at Beautiful Biology: Ramblings of a Science Teacher.  I have to admit that she suggests some gifts I’ve never considered. Just reading the list is entertaining. Here’s an example:

Atom Joke T-shirt – I love this joke – two atoms walk into a bar (or school, whatever) and one says, “oh my gosh, I lost an electron”. The other atom says, “Are you sure?” and the first atom says, “Yes, I’m POSITIVE!” What’s not to love? Gets groans every time from the students.

Mrs. Bluebird at Bluebird’s Classroom tells about a parent project that brings huge smiles to children’s faces in “The Christmas Store.

Mister Teacher presents The 10 days of Christmas, Finale posted at Learn Me Good.

And finally, I offer some suggestions on wonderful children’s picture books to give as Christmas gifts in “Christmas Gifts for Young Children – BOOKS!”

This wraps up this edition of the Carnival of Education.  Thanks for sharing it with us. 

I will be hosting the 98th Carnival of Education on Wednesday morning.  If you have written on the topic of education – any aspect of education – please submit your post for the carnival.  Send your submissions to carol (at) themediansib (dot) com, or use this handy-dandy submission form.  I should receive your submission by Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. Eastern. 

I’ll keep this post at the top of the page until Tuesday evening.  Look below for my more recent posts.

Science Goddess at What It’s Like on the Inside has this week’s Carnival of Education.  I love when carnival hosts come up with creative ways of showcasing the week’s various articles, and Science Goddness has outdone herself!  Click on over to read for yourself.

Welcome to the 91st Edition of the Carnival of Education.  Thanks for stopping by.  We’re glad you’re here.  Sit back, relax awhile and read some of the best writing on topics in the realm of education.

The Carnival begins with this week’s most memorable (to me) post.  It is a “host’s choice” for this week.  I believe that many of us veteran teachers have had experiences similar to Mamacita’s at Scheiss Weekly and we know what she means when she describes some classes as “magical.”  In this post, “It Was Magical,” she writes about a magical class and a magical student. 

BOOKS AND TEXTBOOKS

Jill at Essential Blog presents Children’s Choices: book recommendations for students by students. Jill has an appreciation of the International Reading Association/Children’s Book Council’s Children’s Choices project. You can find some great new books tested and approved by kids nationwide. There’s a bonus reflection on how students might be able to share resources and information to get personalized project-based work done.

Along the lines of children’s books is my post about “My Favorite Read-Aloud Picture Books for Children.”

And speaking of memorable books, OKP at Line 46 wrote “No Pay But Love Returned” about attending a “night at the library” where a favorite author spoke. OKP provides us with a reminder of how books and authors touch our lives — long after we’ve read them (or even met them). By the way, this is OKP’s first time at the Carnival of Education. Welcome!

California LiveWire wonders if freebies from textbook companies are bribery.  Considering the cost of textbooks, are the freebies really free?

And while we’re on the topic of textbooks, Michelle at Texas Ed: Comments on Education from Texas submitted “Educational Research Analysts.” She writes that people are still trying to influence Texas textbooks for ideological reasons.

IB a Math Teacher writes about his own textbook woes when his textbook disappeared when he was absent:

. . . I check the number of the book she has and find out that the book she has is checked out to me. She does have a nice book cover on it, though, one of the fabric kind that you find at Target. I thank her for practicing “safe text”, but tell her she shouldn’t be stealing the teacher’s textbook while he is gone.

IT’S ALL IN A DAY’S WORK FOR TEACHERS

Since so many teachers are women, they AND their students would be wise to check out this post by ZenKitty at Echoes of Cold Moon.

Ms. Cornelius at A Shrewdness of Apes writes about slacker teachers who attack other teachers for making them look bad.  If you know a slacker teacher, please raise your hand.  OK, I thought so!  Ms. Cornelius, I’ll join you in that glass of merlot.

Do kids that like math not do well in math?  That’s the topic Alexander at This Week in Education discusses.

Ms. M at Ms. M’s Apples provides great ideas for interactive notebooks in “Notebook Toolbox.”  This is also Ms. M’s first submission to the carnival.  Welcome to the carnival!

Laurie at Trivium Pursuit gathers information on Don Potter and intensive phonics.  

Brad at HUNBlog suggests “A Gedanken Experiment for Teachers.”  I remember having a similar exercise in one of my education courses. It’s one of those things that makes you go “HUH?”

Mr. R at Evolving Education discusses “‘What Works’ in Math and Science Education Reform.”

NYC Educator experienced an identity crisis last week.  Please see if you can help him out.  Talk about a stolen identity! 

And speaking of NYC Educator, he will be the host of next week’s Carnival of Education.  Submissions are due by 6:00 p.m. (Eastern) Tuesday, November 7th.  Send submissions to nyceducator (at) gmail (dot) com, or use this handy dandy submission form.

Mr. Lawrence at Get Lost, Mr. Chips writes about a program in some of the high schools called “Child Development” where would-be teachers get a chance to work with some pre-school kids, create lesson plans and learn about disciplining them. It’s a great “starter program” for anyone curious as to whether or not they have the patience – or ability – to follow such a career path!

IB a Math Teacher at Three Standard Deviations To The Left makes an assessment at the “End of Quarter 1.”  There are some familiar students mentioned – like Mr. ButYouWouldn’tHelpMe and Ms. IKnowThatIHaven’tDoneWellButI’llGetBetter.  You recognize THEM, don’t you?

The District 299 Chicago Public Schools Blog asks “How’s the ‘High School Transformation Initiative’ Going?”

I’ve heard this story several times over the past few years.  It’s still a touching story and a good idea for a class activity.  Surfer Sam and Friends writes about it.

POLICY AND POLITICS

EdWonk asks, “Is It Time To Dump The “D” Grade?“ posted at The Education Wonks.  Seems there’s a lot of confusion – sometimes between schools in the same district – with one getting rid of it and the other keeping it.

Darren at Right on the Left Coast saw some changes in his union rebate check. The numbers were a lot different from last year’s. Why the difference? He posits an idea.

The Hall Monitor’s field trip to a school board convention shows in a series of posts that blogging gives a newspaper more scope.

Matthew at Going to the Mat asks,”What are we teaching kids about elections?”  Powerful lessons are being learned, and the kids who are learning these lessons will be tomorrow’s leaders.  This post is another host’s choice.

Dr. Homeslice talks about unions and strikes and what too often can happen. 

Saugerties Teacher Association (STA) and the school board have come to an impasse after only 27 months of negotiations. I mean, come on….aren’t you in for the long haul? I don’t think you’ve given these negotiations an honest chance! Come on, what’s another year of fruitless and infuriating talking that you’ll never get back?

Beth at NCLB: Let’s Get it Right tells about a puzzling situation in which an increase of 3.9 million hours of data collecting and reporting is part of the “Paper Reduction Act.”  Sounds about par for the course, doesn’t it?

Scott at Get on the Bus writes about how the going gets rough for Fordham, the nation’s chief champion of charter schools, when criminal charges come down against the founder of a top charter school it sponsored.

HIGHER EDUCATION

Wenchypoo presents The College Conundrum (L-O-N-G) posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo’s Mental Wastebasket.  She discusses the pros and cons of going to college considering the recent study that showed college graduates earn approximately $23,000 more per year than non-graduates.

Margaret at Poor Starving College Student writes that private donations to public colleges and universities are necessary.

Joerg at Atlantic Review tells about “When German Universities were Models for American Universities.”

Edspresso provided us with a twofer.  John Dewey gives us the inside scoop on schools of education in “More on Constructivism,”  and Jennifer talks about “A National Curriculum in Australia.”

HOMESCHOOLING

NerdMom presents 7th Heaven and Schooling posted at Nerd Family. In this post NerdMom discusses some of her reasons for homeschooling.

The Learning Umbrella realized that their homeschooling needed to change.  They developed goals by asking themselves these questions:

What do you think an educated person is?  What can they do?  What do they know?  What attitudes do they have?  And then – how do you get to be that person?  Where are you weak, strong, etc? 

That wraps up the 91st Edition of The Carnival of Education!  Thanks to EdWonk at The Education Wonks for giving me the opportunity to host this week’s Carnival of Education.

NYC Educator will be the host of next week’s Carnival of Education. Submissions are due by 6:00 p.m. (Eastern) Tuesday, November 7th. Send submissions to nyceducator (at) gmail (dot) com, or use this handy submission form.

You can find Carnivals 1 through 90 at the Carnival of Education ARCHIVES.

Please take time to visit the education writers featured in this carnival.  If you are so inclined, remember that comments and trackbacks make bloggers happy. 

The Median Sib (yes, that’s me!) is hosting this week’s Carnival of Education.  Submissions are due on HALLOWEEN (Tuesday, Oct. 31) no later than 6:00 p.m. Eastern.  Send submissions to carol (at) themediansib (dot) com, OR use this handy submission form.  Come on, folks!  If you’ve never submitted something before, now’s the time to give it a try.  If you’ve written something the past week in the area of education, send it in!

Beth, at Blue Star Chronicles, has posted THE COTILLION COLLOQUY.  What, you may ask, is a “colloquy”? 

 It means a conversational exchange; dialogue, a conference. 

Thanks to Alabama Improper for providing that definition.  And since we Cotillion ladies do a lot of “conversational exchanging”, it’s an apt word for our canival.  Beth did an absolutely fantastic job of putting together some wonderful posts.  So click on over and check it out.   Thanks to Beth, also, for the cool Cotillion graphic!

The Current Events in Education is hosting this week’s Carnival of Education.  Check it out HERE or HERE – it’s posted twice.   

I will be hosting next week’s carnival.  So get those submissions to me ASAP!