RattleBag and Rhubarb

Then and Now

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Steve found this photograph in the basement. Along the bottom it says: Kindergarten Thru Ninth Grade Established 1934. And on the back it says: You can see the original  by Tricia’s desk in the lower school office.

Winter Recital

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Great Winter Recital on Thursday with music from J.S. Bach to James Taylor via Debussy and Charlie Parker along with some original compositions. Wonderful performances from students of all ages in all three divisions. Thank-you musicians for an outstanding evening of music and song. More pictures on Flickr. Photo: Marcin Nowak

Snow! “Now don’t eat it, Scout, you’re wasting it”

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With the chance of a snow day looming and with the news of snow across much of Alabama my mind went to Jem and Scout and children’s priorities: Next morning I awoke, looked out the window and nearly died of fright. My screams brought Atticus from his bathroom half-shaven. “The world’s endin’, Atticus! Please do … Read more

Like a good debate?

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Interested in education? Like a good debate? Then Bridging Differences is for you. It’s an ongoing debate between two of the most interesting minds in education – Deborah Meier and Diane Ravitch. They have been disagreeing for years but they both believe deeply in the importance of education and share a passion for improving schools.

10 Tips for Creating a 21st Century Classroom Experience

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Can design help children learn? That’s the cover story of in the February Metropolis Magazine lent to me last week by parent-trustee  Stan Lichens.  It’s worth a look. And the magazine also includes design firm IDEO’s 10 Tips for Creating a 21st Century Classroom Experience. It’s a quick must-read. This is thinking to guide designers … Read more

Do you Twitter?

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We are experimenting with an additional way to help people keep in touch with what’s going on at PDS. If you twitter (twitter.com) consider following @PoughkeepsieDay. We are linking it to our Facebook account as another way to keep up with what’s happening. Let us know what you think. And of course we appreciate your … Read more

What is school for?

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Seth Godin is a marketeer and prolific generator of ideas.  His blog often has interesting  nuggets about education. The purpose of school is to….here’s  his first ten of 27 answers. Any you would like to add? Remove? (My personal favorite is number 23 – sandwiched in between the sublimely lofty and the tongue-in-cheek – Minimize … Read more

New semester in motion

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It’s day one of the second semester in the high school. That means the  start of new high school courses.  Here we are at the first meeting of Physics of Motion. The first experimental challenge:  Find the relationship between the distance a ball runs down an incline and the time it takes to roll. Students … Read more

Saving the Children from Science

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There’s another of those scary science stories in today’s NYTimes: Split Outcome in Texas Battle in Teaching Evolution. The real scary part is such ignorance is still alive and kicking, and not just in Texas. And when it comes to textbooks – as Texas goes, there goes the nation. Meanwhile next month we celebrate the … Read more

Stephen Colbert hears the Mermaids

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What’s the difference between a metaphor and lying? With a president who reads Derek Walcott and quotes June Jordan it’s good to have comedians at home with T.S.Eliot. This week inaugural poet Elizabeth Alexander explained metaphor to Stephen on The Colbert Report. Get More: Comedy Central,Funny Videos,Funny TV Shows Meanwhile at PDS English teachers had … Read more

“Stony the road we trod” The inauguration of President Barak Obama

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PDS marked the inauguration at its Peacemakers Assembly on Tuesday.  Entitled “Stony the road we trod” the event began with the singing of  James Weldon Johnson’s Lift Every Voice and Sing. In the collage you can see pictures of the participants from high school to lower school. Ater lunch everyone returned to the JEJ theater … Read more