Art, Poetry, RattleBag and Rhubarb

Landfall in Unknown Seas

Some poems capture my attention because they have the twin virtues of being grounded in historical reality and yet reach for and succeed in suggesting a grander and future vision. This poem is about the arrival of the first Europeans in New Zealand. It’s about a bloody encounter and the clash of cultures. It’s a poem of heroic celebration but without…

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Education, RattleBag and Rhubarb

How well are our children?

By chance I discovered this wonderful document Growing Up in Ireland with its photographs of a lush green landscape and quick words. It led me to the website for the national longitudinal study of children. Started in 2007 it is  following the progress of almost 20,000 children across Ireland.They appear to asking all the right questions. The idea is  to collect a host…

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Education, RattleBag and Rhubarb

A Culture of Testing

Seth Godin wrote about the culture of testing, Netflix and what is untestable. You can read it here. I have rewritten it. I hope he doesn’t mind. A Culture of Testing Many schools test everything. They’re very proud that they put out the sign that the next four days are test days and they are proud of their grades, GPA’s,…

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Education, RattleBag and Rhubarb

We asked…they told: 100% feel safe in school

100% of PDS high school students agreed with all of these statements on the HSSSE : I  feel safe in this school I am treated fairly in this school There is at least one adult in this school who cares about me I feel supported by the teachers in this school Adults in this school want me to succeed Teachers…

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Education, RattleBag and Rhubarb

Education Off The Rails: Standards Train Wreck

In Teaching in a Knowledge Society Andy Hargreaves has a cautionary tale – Education off the Rails –  about the effects of applied performance standards that push people all too easily into quick fixes rather than sustainable improvement. His analogy concerns a stay he had in the UK and a railway meltdown. In that case, emphasis on standards  turned into…

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Education, RattleBag and Rhubarb

Many Minds, Many Voices, Many Stories

The history of Nigeria and African colonialism is not Chinua Achebe and Things Fall Apart; the Holocaust is not Anne Frank and The Diary;  Mumbai is not Slumdog Millionaire. Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice — and warns that if we hear…

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Art, Education, RattleBag and Rhubarb

Multiple Perspectives

Still Life with Fruit Basket – Paul Cezanne Think globally with awareness and understanding of complexity and multiple perspectives Predators have eyes in the front so they can see their prey. Prey have eyes on each side so they can watch out for predators. Flatfish, like the flounder, have eyes on one side so they can blend into the sea…

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