TeacherDrivenChange

Freedom to Create

John Hunter knows what the creative classroom looks like.  His students create it every single day. Teacher John Hunter puts all the problems of the world on a 4'x5' plywood board -- and lets his 4th-graders solve them. At TED2011, he explains how his World Peace Game engages schoolkids, and why the complex lessons it teaches -- spontaneous, and always surprising -- go further than classroom lectures can. Click here to view the passion and excitement of Teacher Hunter.

Perhaps the most telling comment offered by teacher John Hunter is from his first job interview:

I asked the supervisor, what should I do? She said "What do you want to do?" As a teacher, to be given that kind of open space, that kind of mandate-less position to be in where you can create out of the emptiness, it allowed me to create that kind of template for my students, where I could ask them, "What would YOU like to do today? 

The source for this article is National Board-certified educator Anthony Cody, who taught science for 18 years in inner-city Oakland and now works with a team of science teacher-coaches that supports novice teachers. A version of this post appeared on his Education Week Teacher blog, Living in Dialogue.

Incarceration vs. Education

By Charlotte Williams on May 2, 2011 - The NAACP recently released a report — “Misplaced Priorities: Over Incarcerate, Under Educate” — which, as the title suggests, argues the federal and state governments are misplacing priorities in their allocation of funds to prisons rather than education. In the report and in recent interviews, NAACP President Benjamin Jealous and other sympathizers (including some fiscally conservative groups and prison groups) make compelling points about this funding tradeoff.  Continue reading.

Become part of the Race to Nowhere Conversation

More and more teachers are talking about the film Race to Nowhere.  Featuring the heartbreaking stories of young people pushed to the brink, students who have become disengaged, and teachers frustrated with the fact that no one is listening to their concerns.

Race to Nowhere is a call to mobilize families, teachers, and policy makers to challenge current assumptions on how to best prepare the youth of America to become healthy, bright, contributing, and responsible citizens.

Teachers with parents are coming together, using the film as a centerpiece for raising awareness and creating an affirmative dialogue around public education.

An Invitation to Teachers - Become part of the Race to Nowhere conversation and contribute to a Race to Nowhere book that is being written.  The purpose of the book is to create a solutions-based road map, offering meaningful and sustainable ideas in response to top-down so-called education reform measures.  If you would like more information or to contribute to this book contact Vicki H. Abeles or Laureen Rowland directly.

Race to Nowhere: Look for It

A film that deserve your attention – Look for a new documentary about the pressures faced by American schoolchildren and their teachers in a system and culture obsessed with the illusion of achievement, competition and the pressure to perform.  

• Featuring the heartbreaking stories of students pushed to the brink
• Teachers who are burned out and worried students aren’t developing required skills
• Parents who are trying to do what’s best for their kids

Race to Nowhere points to the silent epidemic in our schools: cheating has become commonplace, students have become disengaged, stress-related illness, depression and burnout are rampant, and young people arrive at college and the workplace unprepared and uninspired.

Scheduled for the fall are two nationwide screenings:  Sept. 30 and Oct. 4.  Click here  for more information.   

Race to Nowhere is a call to mobilize families, educators, and policy makers to challenge current assumptions on how to best prepare the youth of America to become healthy, bright, contributing and leading citizens. 

Click here for a Race to Nowhere Trailer.  The film is a dramatic representation why teacher driven strength-based change is so important to students, their parents, and teachers.  Race to Nowhere will help start the conversation around honest and practical discussions on school change.  This film may or may not be the answer, but it is the beginning.  Continue reading.

A Is for App: How Smartphones, Handheld Computers Sparked an Educational Revolution

By Anya Kamenetz   .   .   .   As smart phones and handheld computers move into classrooms worldwide, we may be witnessing the start of an educational revolution. How technology could unleash childhood creativity -- and transform the role of the teacher.  Continue reading. 

 

Preschool is an Investment in Our Nation's Future

Early Childhood Education has taken its rightful place of importance in the education debate that is simmering in our nation. As we contemplate the limited funds available for social programs, preschool is a contender for funding.  President Obama recently confirmed this.

 “This isn't just about keeping an eye on our children, it's about educating them. Studies show that children in early childhood education programs are more likely to score higher in reading and math, more likely to graduate from high school and attend college, more likely to hold a job, and more likely to earn more in that job. For every dollar we invest in these programs, we get nearly $10 back in reduced welfare rolls, fewer health care costs, and less crime.” President Obama, March 2009

 

In a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, Goal of Preschool for All Tests Education System, the author wasn’t debating the validity of preschool but whether middle income children might suffer delays because preschool programs were more available for lower income children.  The author contends that if universal preschool is not afforded to families with moderate incomes, than it is another disinvestment in the middle class. The article goes on to analyze the benefits of investing in quality early childhood education and the effects that it has on preschoolers from families of all economic levels.