Moving Toward Better Academics: The Red Hawk Way

Moving Toward Better Academics: The Red Hawk Way

This is an inspiring article about an elementary school that is finding unique ways to keep students engaged. This school has made physical movement a priority in the school. Everyday students participate in various physical activities. For example, the school has a students run garden where they each help take care of and maintain the items each day. Also, the school has reformed their rules and food standards to get the students to eat healthy as well. The most impressive part of this article is the data the school has collected about increased student performance and decreased discipline issues. I know that all of my students could benefit from a program like this. They come to me very tired each day and that changes their ability to focus in class. It would be interesting to see this done in middle and high school programs.

A Chinese Education, For a Price

A Chinese Education, For a Price

If you are a teacher, you need to read this. Currently many teachers, including myself, feel like we are constantly being compared to teachers around the world unfairly. We are compared using test scores but what officials don't look are details and structure of the education systems.

In this article the world of where money can get you in China is revealed. The idea that paying almost 5,000 so that your child can sit closer to the board is shocking! The idea that Teacher Appreciation gifts will could get your child a better position in the class or more attention is crazy. This article made me both respect the district and state that I work in and feel bad for the students in poverty in China that don't have a chance of getting a fair education.

Comparing the Success of Nations in Schooling

Comparing the Success of Nations in Schooling

I found this article to be interesting and address some of the things that we as teachers are told on a daily basis. Many times we feel compared to other districts, states and countries. This article is an interview summary with a leader in education who took the time to compare various countries' educational systems. A few interesting points were that all of Finland's schools measured similar in test scores and use school of choice as means to create equity and competition. In Japan teachers are encouraged to develop lesson together and then reflect on strengths and weaknesses. Finally, in Shanghai they have invested money in getting the best teachers and principals for the most struggling schools to help them succeed. Ultimately the research found that having a good teacher in the classroom is very important and should be priority in quality education.

The Week in Rap: Election Edition

The Week in Rap: Election Edition

I came across this in the New York Times Education section. There is a site called Flovocabulary that creates rap videos to teach a variety of topics including current events. This idea of using music to teach students large concepts was actually one of the topics covered by Horacio Sanchez at our professional development on Tuesday. He talked about how the brain works in learning and that many students can be more successful when there is a rhythm or song to help them connect to the information. The YouTube video is embedded in the story so check it out!

Ways to Watch the Election Night Results

Ways to Watch the Election Night Results

I found this to be an interesting article from the NY Times section on education. I know many of us don't talk politics with our students especially if we don't teach history or social studies. This is a great way to make things currently happening in the world relate to curriculum. My math brain particularly liked the link on "512 Paths to the White House" on how to track the results and view the different permutations to calculate the projected winners. This has great ideas on how to make the election interactive for students (and teachers!)

Feliz Día de brujas

Feliz día de brujas

I wish that I had seen this post last week:) This is a great summary of the celebration of Halloween and how it relates to the Spanish (Mexican in particular) culture. It has a list of vocabulary words that we would typically associate with Halloween in the US and explains Mexican traditions for the Day of the Dead (November 2nd). It is a nice article to relate the two cultures and very festive!

Presidential Candidates Speak Spanish

 Presidential Candidates Speak Spanish

I found this to be an interesting article that I would like to share with my students. Since I teach level 1 and 2 Spanish, often my students don't feel like they can understand large presentations and texts in Spanish. I think this is a great way to incorporate current events in with the Spanish curriculum. In the article there are links to the candidates websites and videos that include them speaking Spanish. I this would make my students feel proud of what they have learned so far and that they could get the general meaning of what each man is saying in Spanish.