Tribute to teachers, lone tree

Along a hillside, alone and unplugged So I heard that cars can drive themselves, And that a metal voice will ship groceries to my door. I sit along this hillside, and I wonder if man’s machines will one day Provide me the pinch of sun I see through the crooked clouds, Or the trill of the wind along an unspoiled path, Or the shortness of fall’s first breath on my lungs. Among the rugged weeds I spot a patch of flowers, And I hear the unbroken song of leaping waves along the shore. I am alone and unplugged, and pleased to know that there is no such machine yet That can paint a vibrant rainbow across the blue-gray sky, Nor offer the numb solitude of…

Kids Learning, Discussion

It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad. You know what I mean, those black-and-white photos that we’ve all seen of students from the 1800s sitting quietly in rows, silent, and in fear of reprisal like something out of a Dickens novel. And there on the wall, if you look closely, are the classroom rules for all to see and heed: Be silent during class. Do not talk unless it is absolutely necessary. I’m not kidding. This was actually a common rule in most classrooms. As someone who prefers to honor our history and not belittle it, I point this out only to say that we have come a long way as educators and as school systems. Still, as we stumble and perfect better…

Cultural competence, confidence

I can personally and professionally attest to the fragility of the human spirit. That’s because I have been there, along with the rest of us. One minute we believe we can change the world and the next minute we are giving up on it. The thin veil of self-confidence that envelopes each of us, and our children in particular, brings into question the propriety and opportunity we have as educators in the words that we use and the actions that we take. For just a moment, let us all think back as far as we can remember, for it is there among memories pieced together that we might recall the first time someone suggested that we could be good at something, that we had some…