The community I work in has been having an identity crisis. Recent events involving students in the community have triggered strong emotions that have led to a reckoning that many of us didn't see coming - but probably should have. Our community is grappling with the fact that we aren't yet the community we aspire … Continue reading The Crisis of Community
Most schools in America are at (or near) the midway point of the school year. As such, it tends often to be a difficult time for motivation - both for kids and teachers. We are far enough into the school year to be sufficiently exhausted, yet too far away from the end of the year … Continue reading Diagnosing the Problem: Understanding Common Student Behaviors and Changing the Game
Ever since I can remember, school has been about WHAT students will learn. As educators we meticulously pour over content standards and frameworks, agonize over test scores, and implore students to memorize content. We believe what we have learned ourselves - namely that what is in the textbook and on the test, is what students … Continue reading How I Stopped Caring About What Students Learn
As a school leader our days can be flooded with a variety of things that demand our attention - parent concerns, student discipline, budgeting, meetings, phone calls, emails, and the list goes on. With all of these competing needs, its no wonder that topics like "productivity" and "efficiency" are prominent in most leaders' reading lists. … Continue reading One Thing Administrators Can Do to Help Drive Innovation
I remember driving past the Los Angeles Fairplex in Pomona, California when I was a kid and hearing the roar of dragsters racing at the speedway. It was hard to imagine that something could go that fast, or be that loud. I would sit in the backseat of our Volkswagen Vanagon - driving at a … Continue reading Deconstructing Dragsters: What we NEED to want for Students
This is the excerpt for your very first post.
A.Nelson 