Test-weary second-grader asks school board: ‘Is that all that matters to grown-ups?’ Elitist parents threaten lawsuit after kids are called out for alleged test prep Two news stories from test-world: The first from The Washington Post reports the testimony of a second grader at the New Jersey State Board: Dear members of the New Jersey State … Read more
This week began with a professional day for faculty and staff. Our theme was Identity, Privilege and Race provoked by the recent months of turmoil surrounding the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. There were readings, resources and a deal of playfulness. And most important – conversation. When one of those readings – What White … Read more
Here’s something terrific for free: It’s an E-book of great articles from the always useful Educating Modern Learners, an online source with which I am proud to be associated. I’m still working my way through the content – and in some cases re-reading – but no disappointments. These people write well about important and useful … Read more
Grant Lichtman has just suggested a bunch of words better than grit And they all work. And now it’s time to take on the rigor. Grit and rigor – sounds like a scouring powder or bathroom cleanser rather than a prescription for learning. Take a look at these definitions and then consider why on earth people … Read more
Carol Dweck researches “growth mindset” — the idea that we can grow our brain’s capacity to learn and to solve problems. In this talk, she describes two ways to think about a problem that’s slightly too hard for you to solve. Are you not smart enough to solve it … or have you just not … Read more
This well outfitted German trench has a lighted Christmas tree and soldiers celebrating with music and sausages! It’s true – there was a truce in parts of the line along the western front in 1914. The official diarist of the 3rd Battalion Rifle Brigade reported: “Christmas in the trenches will always be remembered by the … Read more
Here’s the Flickr album of photos from WinterFest 14 – last day of school before winter break. And a gallery of pics to whet the appetite: And below is the post – Tradition and Change – I wrote in 2009 about the PDS Christmas Festival of 1941. Some things change. Some things don’t From the Poughkeepsie … Read more
We must foster global citizenship. Education is about more than literacy and numeracy. It is also about citizenry. Education must fully assume its essential role in helping people to forge more just, peaceful and tolerant societies. – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, 26 September 2012 at the launch of the Secretary General’s Global Education First Initiative (GEFI) The 2013 Strategic Plan added two words to the mission statement – … Read more
I first tried “The Five Whys” in a faculty meeting. It was an attempt to try something new in tackling a thorny problem. This is new territory for me so it’s all a bit of an experiment. I had another shot at at the HMAE Annual Conference earlier this month where working with heads of … Read more
Strategic plan outcomes can all seem rather formal and abstract until something like this leaps out and grabs your attention. This story is about a high school teacher, his students, their research and how they made a contribution to the scientific study of invasive species in our region. So … Congratulations to high school science … Read more
I’ve been thinking a lot about the MakerFaire and the connections with the “learning by doing” legacy of our school. So many thematic threads and connections with the work of the classroom. This video mix of images captures a few glimpses of MakerFaire and the wide variety of makers and making. Plus a very nice … Read more
It’s not every day that you get to paint with an internationally renowned artist. But that was just one of the many delights of our Poughkeepsie Mini MakerFaire yesterday. Here is PDS parent Nestor Madalengoita creating a portrait of Eleanor Roosevelt with the help of many hands of all ages. And what a day it … Read more
There was a lively Twitter #satchat this morning and the topic was that fad du jour: Failure. There were plenty of excellent observations and earnest calls for embracing failure as essential to the learning process. As someone who failed rather a lot in school (and done my share of it since) it’s a topic dear … Read more
