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Showing posts from February, 2010

Mythology

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Two major events put teachers in the news this week. And what a paradoxical pair they were. In Colorado, again, a school shooting in the shadow of Columbine was thwarted when a pair of teachers tackled the shooter. Treated like the heroes they are, the nation is once again reminded what most of the people who teach in our nation's schools are like. They do what they must. I don't think there is a teacher anywhere who doesn't think (and sometimes dream) about being in that situation. Given the amount of guns available in this country, it's not a stretch to assume that one, or some, are around you everywhere. It is unfortunately the kind of situation anyone who works with the public needs to think about...needs prepare for in your mind. Look alive. What strikes me about this incident is that it is yet another example that debunks the myth that suburban schools are safer than urban schools. Seems to me that most, if not all of the worst school shootings have been

Death of the Imagination?

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2.3.10 - If adopted, the proposed common-core standards for writing will kill the spirit that produces great literature and nonfiction, Edgar H. Schuster argues. The contradictions between the real and imagined worlds that our educational system struggle to serve are many and varied. If there ever was one word to encapsulate that battle, it's definitely be the word STANDARD. That word, in my view, is better suited to describe bathroom plumbing (American Standard, look for it in a restroom near you) than human behavior. So it is that the battle resumes in a recent article by Edgar H. Schuster that we do a great disservice to students by holding them to a set of "standards" that, in effect kill their imagination. I am not now, nor have I ever been, about killing anything, so this is a battle that I have been on the front lines of throughout my teaching career. I always felt that my saving grace was not to have been an English major. That, and the fact that I intuitive

Go Outside

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It's been an eventful week. Looks like the DSM IV is becoming the DSM V. That's the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for the American Psychological Assn. We could just call it the Big Book of Official Mental Illnesses. It is time for the 5th edition (V) because we know so much more and some "conditions" are now perceived differently. It's often a good thing, but not always. Case in point the proposed changes for Asperger's Syndrome. The Aspies, as they like to call themselves, are angry about being lumped together with Autism. They should be. There is such a variation of Autism, and Asperger's Syndrome has an even wider variation. A former student of mine, an Aspie, is most vehement about this proposed reclassification. The fact that he is about to graduate college and is a powerful thinker and writer says it all. A final note before turning this page: I will be curious to see the new material on Bipolar and Borderline Personality Disorder wh

No Pain

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I've got a new dentist. Not a bad guy, but very talkative. In fact, going to this dentist is all about stimulation. Let me say now that going to the dentist is probably my least favorite thing. In fact, I'm sure it is. It's not the pain; it's thinking about the possibility of pain. So going there is always a big deal for me. Then, when I'm all but disabled orally, he starts conversations. The kind I can't respond to with a simple uh huh or even a thumb's up or down. Yesterday he suddenly announced that he was going Vegan for a month. I was curious why just for a month, but of course, was unable to get my "internal" question answered. It got humorous when he was talking to his assistant about butter substitutes and I kept trying to figure out how to communicate OLIVE OIL. This office also features a TV for the enjoyment of patients. That's so unlike anything I'm used to that it raises some interesting issues. What channel do I

A Tale of Two

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Last week we lost two originals. I hope they don't come in 3s because right now we can't afford another. Authenticity was the name of their game. No prisoners. No compromises. Just one dose of the hard truth after another. But what contrasts. Howard Zinn was increasingly visible in his last years. A People's History is just beginning to get some widespread attention. It's use in classrooms increased with the wonderful work of Bill Bigelow from Rethinking Schools . Fortunately this work began before his untimely death because we need Zinn's perspective and his innate sense of democracy all the more now. He knew that real history is not top down, that it is comprised of all the people from all the levels of this culture; all their experience too. His books ring with heartbeat of what this country is all about. Howard Zinn once said: “Americans have been taught that their nation is civilized and humane. But, too often, U.S. actions have been unciviliz

Many More

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I survived my mother-in-law's 85th birthday celebration. In all, 72 people showed up to munch the hors'd oeuvres, sip wine and congratulate Betsy. If ever anyone deserves to be called a diva, it is she. It's remarkable how, after she lost her husband of 56 years, she's rebounded with a new boyfriend and her identity in tact. Seems odd to call an 89 year old man a "boy" friend, but with Ed now driving a new 2010 Porsche, it's a lot less incongruous. If it were just a matter of schmoozing with the elders, the neighbors, and an occasional family member, it'd be a lot less taxing. But everyone came out for this event. It's a tribute to Betsy's degree of divatude. That means all the cousins, their kids, and in some cases, their kids. The day begins when I get carried off by Morgan, 9 and Cora, 6 to Betsy's closet for a session of dressing up the King. This means that I sit on a stool for about 20 min. while they adorn me with their grea