Such a joy to be out on the fields for the first ever PDS Cross-Country Invitational last Wednesday. It was a peerless Fall afternoon – perhaps a little warm for the runners but perfect for the rest of us. Congratulations to coach Quincey Mills and to all the runners. We’ve had a Cross Country team … Read more
If you’re reading this online then you are engaged in social media. You are consuming. I’ve been thinking about education and social media not so much as an option but as an opportunity and an obligation – something we owe ourselves as learners and something we owe our students as teachers. We all know that … Read more
There’s a wonderful walk along the Housatonic in Kent, Connecticut. We were there early enough to have it to ourselves for over an hour on Saturday. And then today more amazing color and beauty at Innisfree Garden, near Millbrook.
We had some glorious fall days last week (as well as some much-needed rain). It was perfect weather for the soccer and cross-country teams. I took advantage of the sunshine to visit the lower school at recess. Plans were being made, plots hatched, games created and imagination extended. And plenty of opportunity to run, slide, chase, … Read more
Building community means getting to know each other. And that means time. Last week we had the first ASA (all-school-activity) of the year and it was a lot of fun. This year the faculty have divided up the activities for the year and have each taken on the responsibility to be a part of the … Read more
When it’s getting near the end of fresh tomato season and the freezer and shelves are full of sauces it’s time to think chutney. Lots of good recipes out there but my all-time favorite is adapted from the indispensable Madhur Jaffrey. I’ve been making it for over thirty years and it never fails in spite … Read more
Great to see these video tweets yesterday. Thanks Jenn and Jill. Making art is messy! @PoughkeepsieDay pic.twitter.com/EL9jE1nx5q — Jennifer Jordan (@artteacherjenn) September 16, 2015 "Air Lock" at the middle school cooperative field day today! @PoughkeepsieDay pic.twitter.com/7ioWh8Jlnr — Jill Walsh (@JillDoesPE) September 16, 2015 Hoppity hops were GREAT! pic.twitter.com/lNDkSpNDX4 — Jill Walsh (@JillDoesPE) September 16, 2015
The first week and the exhilaration and energy are like a tide that sweep you along. But those lazier days of summer have left you unused to the sheer adrenalin surge and when the Welcome Picnic finally winds down with the sun setting behind the Shawangunks on Friday you are happy, but tired! So here … Read more
A few tips storified from an #ISEDchat courtesy of @LaneYoung. This is by no means a complete list of course. There are many more but here a few basics for beginners. And, while others may find this a laughing matter: [
Unless the mass of workers are to be blind cogs and pinions in the apparatus they employ, they must have some understanding of the physical and social facts behind and ahead of the material and appliances with which they are dealing. – Schools of Tomorrow John Dewey; Evelyn Dewey 1915 Children today need to understand, just … Read more
Tool #1: Twitter With so much out there it’s hard to know where to begin. But Twitter is by far the number one online professional growth tool for educators. It’s the link and the glue that connects and brings colleagues and our collective knowledge together. While others may use Twitter for celebrity gossip, news updates, … Read more
Here’s a interestingly provocative article for all of us in education. How Much Do we Need to Know? by Peter Evans-Greenwood. It opens with: We used to be defined by what we knew. But today, knowing too much can be a liability. Here are some of the key threads from the article: Expertise matters in … Read more
We have a new website in the offing and I was working on some of the language for the new landing page. This is where to place what is known as the value proposition meaning the promise statements or the reason why families should invest in the school for the education of their children. … Read more
I was listening to Noam Chomsky on ranking and the dangers of standardized testing. This is some of what he had to say: First of all, you don’t have to assess people all the time… People don’t have to be ranked in terms of some artificial standards. The assessment itself is completely artificial. It’s not … Read more
I’m tired of the weasel-worded politicians who trot out “I am not a scientist” when asked a rational question that has the potential to challenge a deeply held, irrational, ignorant ideology. When the threat of a shred of reality, logic, facts, knowledge, evidence, truth, common sense, intelligence or science looms they trot out that lame … Read more