It's time to reflect!

So, we've been blogging for awhile now. How's it going for you? This blog is easy and interesting to read. My edu-blogging has been overwhelming--so many sites, too little time.
What are your thoughts?

Make like the pilgrims... eat local!

Check out this blog my response! I think its a good way to work the idea of Thanksgiving into a classroom without it being a huge focus. In addition, I believe ALL students could participate because it would not be a religious celebration.

http://mywonderfulworld.typepad.com/my_wonderful_world_blog/2008/11/make-like-the-pilgrims.html?cid=141029626#comments

Rhee Tackles Classroom Challenge - TIME

Rhee Tackles Classroom Challenge - TIME
If you haven't read Time's cover story about her, here it is. Her basic premise is to fix schools, you have to fix teachers. She wants to get rid of ineffective teachers and reward the talented ones. This is an interesting article to read. Check out your blog lists too, there's lots of chatter about this article.

The State Budget Shortfall

In today's newspaper there was a projection as to where the state will be making cuts to the budget to account for lost revenue. In this projection, it was estimated that up to 70% of the cuts will come from education, with almost 50% of that coming from K-12 and the remainder coming from higher education. Of the cuts mentioned, one of the most discouraging was that the mandate to reduce classroom sizes will probably no longer be funded. The reasoning is that it is not a good idea to raise taxes on the wealthier citizens because their spending will be what jump starts our economy. However, if we do not educate our youngest citizens, where will our economy be in the future? This is such a short sighted veiw. I realize that balancing this budget will require some very tough decisions, but education should not always be the easy target.

Excluding kids??

A teacher I know is planning a read-in for her students. Sounds great, but not everyone will be allowed to participate. There will be two students out of 27 who didn't get their work done, so while everyone else is hanging out on the floor with their friends, eating snacks, reading and having fun, these two will be working at their desks. This really bothers me. I think a read-in is something everyone should be allowed to participate in. Excluding these two students (who usually have some degree of difficulty completing assignments on time as it is) will make them stand out even more. The teacher said that she told these students all week that they needed to get their work done in order to participate; even with knowing the expectations, the students were unable to finish. I think they already miss out on so many things because they are constantly behind. There has to be a better way to motivate and help struggling students....

on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

on Flickr - Photo Sharing! (Link to photo here)

I wanted to share with you my nephew's work. I think photography and technology is an amazing way to get students to "write" for a purpose or real audience and learn at the same time. I can see students doing creative things like this photo and then writing a story around it. This would be so much fun for them!

Happy Thanksgiving

Dear bloggers,
Thanks for all the thoughtful and thought-provoking posts. This is a blog that I look forward to reading. I am thankful that our cohort is filled with such committed and supportive people. Next year at this time we will have survived our first round of report cards and conferences!

I hope you are all able to enjoy the day with family and friends. Our turkey's been on the grill since 4 this morning (my husband is the chef) and I'll get started on the rest soon--but I wanted to blog first. Hmmm, I guess the tech class is having an effect on me!