Teachers On Fire
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Two Scary Phone Habits That Will Bring Back Your Fire for Teaching
As Tristan Harris points out in The Social Dilemma, things that are actually tools don’t control us. They don’t call to us. They don’t insist on breaking our focus. Tools do exactly what we want them to, when we want them to. They are humble servants. It’s for that reason that I don’t want to hear from… Continue reading
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A Message to Middle Schoolers: Stop Sweating the School Stuff
I know a couple of middle schoolers who regularly demonstrate high proficiency against learning standards in virtually every subject. They are committed and determined learners. They’re outstanding collaborators. They’re compassionate supporters and encouragers of classmates. They’re leaders in the room and absolute joys to teach. These students project a lot of sunshine and roses, but… Continue reading
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Should Teachers Attend Student Performances Outside of School?
Last year I sat (in my role as part-time vice-principal) with a teacher while her parents asked her point blank: “Can we just ask why you didn’t attend our daughter’s performance?” The implication was clear. You should have been there. I didn’t like the question at all, but I was silent and allowed my colleague to… Continue reading
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What is assessment?
For decades, schools and educators clung to old paradigms of assessment. They treated grades as wages: students do the work, and teachers pay them for that work. They treated assessment as a means of ranking and sorting: winners at the top, losers at the bottom. They treated assessments as leverage to ensure compliance: follow the rules, and you’ll be… Continue reading
Teachers on Fire 