I suppose it is the Grinch in me that rises up on holiday and celebration days, wishing that the day would pass quickly and I could get on with the rest of the year, but this year today seems right for a bit of reflection. When I was younger my father and […]
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My parents started, or at least I think it started with them, a practice of visiting cemeteries on Memorial Day and placing flowers on the graves of ancestors. I recall that my mother always was particular about the floral arrangements that would be used and she spent a lot of time thinking and […]
I was born in a small town in the anthracite region of Pennsylvania where Memorial Day meant that as a small child I would observe the annual Memorial Day Parade honoring veterans. The parade would include fire trucks from local volunteer fire companies, children from girl and boy scout troops, decorated bicycles, American Legion […]
There is no question for me that Tom Corbett should not be reelected in this race. He has decimated public education and refused Medicaid coverage for hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians. Even more concerning is his apparent lack of empathy for people and his dubious choices for people to help him govern. There […]
Much has been written about the burgeoning Opt Out Movement regarding the standardized state tests given in public and charter schools. Most of the writing that I have seen has been written by students, parents, and public school teachers. I wanted to add my voice as a retired teacher (in both public and […]
Teaching and learning sometimes occur at serendipitous times and in surprising locations. This is a story about one of those times and one of those locations. Allow me to introduce Jonas S., a fifty something man who was born, raised, and grew up in my small hometown in the anthracite coal region […]
I just read comments made by Mark Gleason, CEO of the Philadelphia Partnership Schools (PSP), at the AERA Convention being held in Philadelphia. He commented that it was time to dump the ‘loser schools’ – implying that it was time to shutter poorly performing public schools (based on test scores) and give them […]
A great deal of teaching is done ‘in isolation’ – a teacher is assigned classes, preparation is done, and the classroom door is closed. Many schools encourage teachers to work together – many schools do not. Teachers can work against the isolation by reaching out to colleagues and sharing practice – then everyone’s practice can […]
I have been reflecting on my teaching years since I recently retired. I never felt the need to become an administrator, even though I did take a number of graduate classes. Very early in my teaching career I had a sense of the value and importance of being a classroom teacher. Almost all of the […]
Those are Pete Seeger’s words. I recently read an article in the Inquirer written by a man who served on Seeger’s ship named the Clearwater. This ship is found on the Hudson River near Seeger’s home and was used to further his efforts to educate the public on saving the ecosystems encompassing the water shed […]
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