Comments for 2teachers4kids

Comment on Coming to the Table by Steven

Steven — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 04:58:40 +0000

The education system is a perfect example of outdated everything. Why are students still in classrooms most days, all day? Why aren’t teachers being trained to approach teaching in a variety of ways? We’re not all designed to learn from the same approach. Thus those that don’t become the neat cogs working in the machine wind up on the fringes. I applaud your brothers efforts and completely understand your concern. His ideas may very well benefit in a variety of ways. From what I gather here though, if you don’t figure into the solution then you’re the problem. My model works perfectly! Those children must be deficient, not the model. Best of luck with it all!

Comment on LearnBop: Finding a Needle in a Haystack by Larry Carter

Larry Carter — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 19:24:47 +0000

LearnBop sounds quite invaluable. As an “old-timer”, too, I can relate to the introductory portion of this email. Change is difficult, especially when one is afraid to embrace it. (I used a SmartBoard for the first time this past year with my fifth and sixth graders – the 5th graders were also given iPads! – and it was not unsuccessful; however I dearly missed the blackboard and chalk when it “acted up.” As a math teacher for students on the pre-algebra level, I know the importance (be it using the blackboard, whiteboard, SmartBoard, or iPad) of grasping the fundamentals before the onslaught of radical expressions, slopes, and when-do-the-two-trains-coming-from-different-directions-meet(?). I will pass this email on to my colleagues struggling to impart algebraic wisdom into their 8th and 9th graders (with an occasional 7th grader thrown in fot good measure).

Comment on About Us by Gaye

Gaye — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 16:19:14 +0000

I finally had the time to read and enjoy your blog. Pretty spectacular, thought provoking and humorous. Go Women Go!! and thanks…

Comment on The Myth of Education Reform: A Modern Riddle of the Sphinx by Are Charter Schools Really Public? | 2teachers4kids

Are Charter Schools Really Public? | 2teachers4kids — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 19:04:52 +0000

[...] get what you get with your children. There is no exchange program, no sending them back if their families aren’t involved, if we don’t like their decisions, their behaviors, their life choices. Instead we use their [...]

Comment on Come On In by Erica Walsh

Erica Walsh — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 17:55:00 +0000

Colleen! I am so glad you had such a wonderful experience … and so beautifully captured for us to enjoy. Thank you!

Comment on Arne the ‘tician by ruralteacher

ruralteacher — Sun, 27 May 2012 19:58:27 +0000

Wonderful post!

Comment on Mrs. Hill, We Miss You! by grandmasusanlee

grandmasusanlee — Sat, 26 May 2012 03:22:29 +0000

The teacher I most remember from high school was Mr. Welzel. He taught geometry, a course I feared, and since I went to school in the days of slate and dinosaurs, we only had to take two years of math to qualify for college. I put off taking geometry until my junior year, and who did I get? You guessed it: Mr. Welzel. I quaked and shook with fear. To make it worse, when he assigned seats, my seat butted against his–in the front of the room! I struggled with that class, earning a D for the first nine weeks. Everything changed when he told my dad at Back to School Night, “I don’t know what I’m doing wrong that she’s having so much trouble.” Just hearing that caused something to click and I earned B+ the rest of the year. Never an A, but, boy, was I happy with the B+. I will never forget that man.

Comment on About Us by Courtney

Courtney — Thu, 24 May 2012 02:05:30 +0000

Great job ladies. Love to see your perspective and the touch of humor!

Comment on The Regent and the Governor by Anita Jordan

Anita Jordan — Sat, 19 May 2012 04:13:58 +0000

How sad; how true. Not one mention from the Governor or the Reget on how to solve the real cause of low achievement—poverty. “No excuses,” said the Governor and the Regent in unison.

Comment on It’s the little things… by Colleen McDonald

Colleen McDonald — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:27:46 +0000

Last year during the midterm, many of my students wrote as a goal that they wanted to get a ‘higher grade’ in English or ‘pass the class’ but they didn’t have a plan. So we discussed it, they read an article “A Basic Hospital To-Do List Saves Lives” by JANE E. BRODY and used this information to create our own list. It only has 5 rules, which they signed as a contract and we went over daily, but it increased student performance the second half of the year!

A Basic School To-Do List Saves Grades
Many 8th grade students, during the English midterm exam, noted that their goal for the second half of the year was to improve their grades, obtain a higher average, or ‘pass the class’. While these are admirable goals, they are somewhat vague and will need a thought out plan to achieve. So after reading the article about 5 simple steps to save patients’ lives in hospitals, what do you think are the 5 simple steps you, as a student, will need to remember and take to save the lives of your grades?
This is what you decided:
Five Simple Steps
1. Come to class with a positive attitude and be ready to work; ask questions if you don’t understand and stay after for extra help
2. Pay attention during class; be an active listener, take notes, make eye contact, respond, and participate in discussions
3. Complete class work and homework to the BEST of your ability; set aside adequate time and space to complete assignments
4. Get organized. Be prepared for class with your materials, keep your notes and materials to study, know where to find your homework
5. Use your classtime wisely and stay focused. Work until the end of class and do not pack up or sit and visit wasting precious time to do your best work, you will have plenty of time to socialize at lunch.