Author Archives: Carla
Data without context
When my school put in new copy machines 18 months ago, everyone was assigned an account number. As a result, the administration knows exactly how many copies each teacher has made. Last week they sent the faculty an email about … Continue reading
What do you like to read?
“I don’t like to read unless it’s something that I’m interested in,” he said almost apologetically as we browsed the stacks looking for a book about — I don’t remember now — about hunting or dirt bikes or football. He … Continue reading
Assessment
I had told my students on Monday what their grades were, but some spent a couple of days suspended between disbelief (“It can’t really be that good”) and denial (“It can’t really be that bad”) before receiving their report cards … Continue reading
Scarlet Letter, here we come!
My school offers dual credit classes through an arrangement with a local community college. Last year we expanded into junior English by offering American Lit for college credit. We knew it was “iffy” — the local community college would offer … Continue reading
You Made a Difference
Huffington Post Education blogger Scott Janssen announced the launch of the “You Made a Difference” campaign. The project encourages people to thank their former teachers — to mention them by name and to state something they remember about the teacher … Continue reading
It’s summer, and that means …
Earlier this week I took two old computers and other electronics to our small-town transfer station, where I watched as a man rolled a frontloader over them repeatedly. (I had asked if I could watch them wipe the hard drives. … Continue reading
PBS LearningMedia
One of education’s best friends, PBS (Public Broadcasting Service), has done it again. They already provide support to teachers and students through sites like PBS Teachers, PBS NewsHour Extra, and PBS Classroom, and now they’re doing even more. Yesterday they … Continue reading
What happened to common sense?
Recently a young colleague posted a sincere question on a teacher bulletin board: What research is out there to support the use of literature in the classroom? I’d like to be able to defend my practice using research… but I’m … Continue reading
The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo
At Dame Elizabeth Taylor’s funeral Thursday, good friend Colin Firth read “The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo” by Gerard Manley Hopkins. I have copied the text here from Project Bartleby, which adds some notes about this version at the … Continue reading
Mark Twain Museum Hosting Teacher Workshops
The Mark Twain Museum in Hannibal, Missouri, will hold three workshops in June and July for teachers on Teaching Mark Twain in the classroom. General information and a link to a full description and application form are available at http://www.marktwainmuseum.org/index.php/education/for-teachers. … Continue reading