themanchestereveningnews--2019-05-14--No test can assess the unique brilliance of you - headteachers heartwarming letter to pupils doin

'No test can assess the unique brilliance of you' - headteacher's heartwarming letter to pupils doing SATs

A headteacher has been praised for her heartwarming letter to pupils doing SATs tests.  Year 6 pupils have had their heads down across the country as they take on the tests throughout this week.  The assessments face criticism every year by campaigners who say it's wrong to put pressure on children of such a young age.  But at Manley Park Primary School in Whalley Range, headteacher Sarah-Jane Henderson has been keen to put pupils at ease and reassure them that SATs don't measure how great they truly are.  In a letter to every child in the school's two Year 6 classes, she said: "The SATs are an important moment in your school lives. But that is all they are. A moment in the wonderful 8 years of exciting learning you have engaged in.  "We know you have worked hard, we have worked hard with you and watched you grow day by day.  "It is really important that you know that these tests cannot possibly test all of the knowledge and skills you have.  "They cannot measure how determined you are to address issues of inequality in our world despite only being 10 or 11 years old.  "They have not heard you passionately discussing climate change and taking responsibility by joining in those marches to show your solidarity for change.  "The tests cannot measure how effectively you have taken on your Playleader, Prefect and Eco Peer Educator roles. They won’t know that you have been inspiring role models for our younger children.  "They haven’t seen you compete in sports competitions or sing with the Halle. Basically, there is no test that can assess the unique brilliance of you!"  In it, Miss Henderson, who had been at the school for 21 years before being appointed headteacher in February, added that she had 'total faith' the pupils were ready for the challenge and told them 'do your best and feel proud of that'.  The letter adds: "We are incredibly proud of the progress you have made academically and personally. We remember the tiny Nursery versions of you who turned up ready to explore the sand, water, paint and play-doh.  "Now, we see the determined Year 6 versions of you. You are ready for high school and to experience all of the new opportunities this will provide."  Eve Holt is a parent and governor at the school and her son Jacob was one of the Year 6 pupils to get the letter.  She told the M.E.N: "He was really moved by the letter, as was his friend who read it with him.  "As a parent too it was nice to get that reassurance before the weekend and not to have that pressure that maybe they should be staying in and revising.  "It reminded him to be proud of all the other things they have done and that they're not taken for granted."  Mum-of-three Eve, who is also a councillor for Chorlton, said the school has always gone to great lengths to put the children at ease.  She said: "He's definitely aware of it and has been talking about the tests but the school takes any pressure away and staff are always conscious of the best ways of teaching and giving feedback to meet the pupils' needs.  "I've heard in other schools people talking about how the passion to learn is squashed under the pressure and it's nice to be able to say to parents that the children like Year 6 here because it's nothing like that."  Explaining why she decided to send the letter, Sarah-Jane said: "It was really an opportunity to share with the pupils that we see how hard they worked and how committed they were to learning and how they have approached the SATs really with the values we celebrate in our school - positivity, compassion, persistence and understanding.  "And also to share with them that tests are just that, just a moment in time which measures what you can do on that date, they're not a reflection of the growth they have had over time."  She added: "I wanted to say to them 'yes work hard and we'll work hard with you', but keep things in perspective because tests are not everything."


birminghammail--2019-03-15--Ofsted slams The Streetly Academy for decline in teaching and poor pupil progress

Ofsted slams The Streetly Academy for 'decline' in teaching and poor pupil progress

A previously ‘outstanding’ Sutton Coldfield school has been told to raise its standards after falling two grades following a recent visit by Government education inspectors.  The Streetly Academy has been told it ‘requires improvement’ after an Ofsted visit last month – having previously been rated as ‘outstanding’ back in 2012.  Education watchdog, Ofsted, said: “In the past, leaders have not acted quickly enough to address the decline in standards at the school. Consequently, pupils, especially the disadvantaged, pupils with special educational needs, and/or disabilities and most-able pupils have made weak progress.”  In addition inspectors said some teaching at the school did not take in to ‘full account’ pupils’ needs. This has caused both the most-able pupils and disadvantaged pupils’ progress to suffer.  Lead inspector, Bianka Zemke, criticised the teaching and said: “Pupils made poor progress due to variable teaching that was not identified or acted upon quickly enough.”  “Some teachers do not have high enough expectations of their pupils. They plan lessons, use resources or ask questions that do not routinely match pupils’ needs, abilities or interests.”  This led to the most-able pupils finding work too easy and limiting their progress and disadvantaged students not receiving the extra support they needed – and being left with ‘work of poor quality or left unfinished.”  Management at the school was criticised for not recognising weaknesses with the quality of teaching in the school ‘too mixed’ to be good.  The Ofsted inspector said: “Leaders’ analysis of the quality of teaching in the past has been over-generous. As a result they were not able to stem quickly the decline in the quality of teaching.  “The quality of teaching remains mixed, especially in science and languages.”  But the inspector added: “The headteacher has recognised this relatively recently introduced several initiatives to bring about improvements.”  However, as a result of the ‘variable’ teaching, results were ‘not good enough’ with ‘weak progress’ for the most able and children with disabilities, disadvantaged or with special needs. Results for students in sixth form had also ‘declined’. Ofsted said: “There remain approximately 10 subjects in which students do not make the progress they should.”  A particular concern was the school’s literacy policy not being consistently applied by all teachers. This led to spelling and grammatical mistakes being repeated and becoming ‘errors over time’.  Ofsted said there needed to be an external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium (a grant given to help disadvantaged children in schools) to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.  On the plus side pupils’ behaviour was said to be ‘good’ with students said to be ‘friendly, polite and courteous’. Pupils spoke with pride about the school and said: “All of our teachers care about us.”  Strengths in teaching included drama. Students’ personal development and welfare at the school was also ‘good’.  And governors were praised for being ‘dedicated to the school’ and having a clear view of the strengths and areas that need improvement.  The Streetly Academy headteacher, Billy Downie, said: “We are hugely disappointed that the outcome of the inspection has resulted in the school losing its outstanding judgement and that the view of the inspection team is that the school requires improvement.  “Whilst the inspection team accepted that a lot of our provision is good, our progress data suggests that our work has not yet had enough impact.  “There are a number of reasons why I would challenge that assertion. Nonetheless, the report is as it is and gives us a clear steer on how we improve consistency in teaching and rebuild to a good grading and onwards to outstanding again.  "As we go forward, we will work tirelessly to do two things. Firstly, since the inspection, we have accelerated our ongoing work to raise the pace and urgency of student learning in lessons,  “Secondly, we will maintain all that is great about Streetly. Our values, our outstanding ethos, our extensive and inclusive extra-curricular provision.  “I am confident that the same people who delivered huge improvements in our school over the last decade will do so again over the coming years. I relish the challenge, and I invite the Streetly community - staff, pupils, parents, and governors - in joining us on our journey.”


birminghammail--2019-11-20--GCSE pupils who miss breakfast before school 'more likely to fail exams'

Pupils who skip breakfast on school days are more likely to fail their GCSEs, according to a new study.  Researchers found that school children who eat breakfast “regularly” perform better in exams, scoring on average two grades above their fellow students.  But only a fraction of the 24,000 state-funded schools in the UK offer their students breakfast, which is traditionally labelled the 'most important meal of the day.'  Lead researcher Dr Katie Adolphus, of the University of Leeds, said: “Our study suggests that secondary school students are at a disadvantage if they are not getting a morning meal to fuel their brains for the start of the school day.  “The UK has a growing problem of food poverty, with an estimated half a million children arriving at school each day too hungry to learn.”  Dr Adolphus added: "This research suggests that poor nutrition is associated with worse results at school."  The researchers found 30 per cent of kids “rarely or never” ate breakfast, after surveying 300 students from schools and colleges in West-Yorkshire. While 20 per cent said they only ate breakfast occasionally.  The team then tallied students GCSE grades across all subjects and found missing the morning meal meant they scored on average ten points less others.  Schools have had to sponsor breakfast clubs themselves or depend on charities such as Magic Breakfast and Family Action, as the government’s free school meal programme only sponsors lunches.  Alex Cunningham, Magic Breakfast CEO, said: “This study is a valuable insight, reinforcing the importance of breakfast in boosting pupils' academic attainment and removing barriers to learning.  “Education is crucial to a child's future life success and escaping poverty, therefore ensuring every child has access to a healthy start to the day must be a priority.”  He added: “We are grateful to the University of Leeds for highlighting this positive impact and welcome their findings, highlighting once again the importance of our work with schools.”  The findings reflect the latest national data, which found 16 per cent of secondary school children skip breakfast.  Nicola Dolton, programme manager at Family Action, added: “The National School Breakfast Programme is delighted to see the publication of this thorough and compelling research, highlighting the impact that breakfast consumption has on a child's GCSE attainment.  “This report provides impressive evidence that eating a healthy breakfast improves a child's educational attainment, which supports our own findings of improvements in a child's concentration in class, readiness to learn, behaviour and punctuality."  The findings were published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health.


newspunch--2019-01-16--Education Watch Dog To Crack Down On Pupils Using Their Mobile Phones During Lessons

Britain’s education watchdog Ofsted is cracking down on discipline in schools following a rise in classroom disruption caused by mobile phones.  It’s been found that kids are too busy to listen to their teachers as they are texting, watching videos or checking social media on their phones.  Parents, who no doubt purchased the phones for their kids, say they are concerned about children being distracted from their school work.  The Mail Online reports: Schools inspectors said they had also seen a marked increase in low-level disruption such as swinging on chairs during lessons, toe-tapping, passing notes and whispering.  As a result, Ofsted reports will now contain a behaviour category that schools must pass with flying colours to get an overall rating of ‘outstanding’.  At the moment, they are judged on the wide-ranging category ‘personal development, behaviour and welfare’.  The proposal is contained in a consultation document published today, with the changes due from September.  It states: ‘Creating a sufficiently disciplined environment is a prerequisite to any learning taking place. If behaviour is not managed effectively and learners are not instilled with positive attitudes to learning, nothing much will be learned.’  Sean Harford, Ofsted’s national director for education, said: ‘We want to really update the profile of behaviour. If every child behaved in school the standard would rocket up.’  Ofsted research shows that while serious and violent incidents have decreased, smaller distractions are on the rise.  Mr Harford added: ‘There aren’t the terrible examples as often as there were, if you go back 15 to 20 years, of behaviour. The problem now is more one about low-level disruption. That kind of thing is what has been on the rise and is the bane of teachers’ lives.’  He said teachers should instil attitudes that can be taken into the workplace, such as punctuality, being courteous and listening to each other.  Inspectors will gather evidence for their reports by interviewing staff and pupils to discover whether the school is being strict enough.  Luke Tryl, director of corporate strategy, said: ‘We had a series of polling and focus groups with parents.  ‘They wanted to know would their child be learning in an environment without that low-level disruption and which is free from bullying.’  Many schools ban mobiles, an idea backed by Education Secretary Damian Hinds.  Teachers have complained that their jobs are made tougher by pupils constantly texting each other during class. Some female staff have even been sexually harassed by students who take ‘upskirt’ photos and then post them on social media.  But Nick Brook, deputy general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: ‘Ofsted already judges schools on behaviour, so we know the overwhelming majority of schools are orderly places where children learn effectively.  ‘What parents really want to know is whether their children are happy and safe in school and making good progress.  ‘In nine out of ten schools, this is the case. In places where it’s not, support rather than sanction is what is needed.’


breitbart--2019-11-18--Report: Teacher Defends Drag Queen at School, Condemns 'Bigoted' Parents

A teacher reportedly defended the presence of a drag queen during a high school class with a Facebook post in which he asserted the parents who objected are “bigoted” and “should not have the final say” in raising their own children.  English teacher Anthony Lane, of Willis Independent School District (WISD) High School in Texas, reportedly removed his Facebook post in which he defended another teacher’s decision to host a drag queen in the high school’s cosmetology class to offer makeup tips. Lane sharply criticized parents who complained about the drag queen’s presence without their knowledge.  Faithwire posted a screenshot of Lane’s post before it was allegedly removed.  The screenshot reportedly shows Lane posted on October 26 that he is “both a parent and a teacher.”  “Our society is very sensitive when it comes to criticizing parents, and teachers are often afraid of parents because they are given so much authority,” he reportedly wrote and continued:  I believe that raising a child is the responsibility of the community, and that parents should not have the final say. Let’s be honest, some of you don’t know what is best for your kids. Parents believe they should be able to storm the school in the name of political and religious beliefs if something happens in the school that they are morally opposed to. They forget that we make a promise to prepare their children to live in a diverse world. We are not required to protect the misguided, bigoted views of their parents. If you want your children educated with your values, find a private school that will do it. The public education system is not here to serve your archaic beliefs.  Local news media Community Impact reported a Willis High School cosmetology teacher invited a drag queen who uses the name Lynn Adonis-Deveaux to attend the class:  According to a statement from WISD sent to parents, the administration was aware Adonis-Deveaux performed in drag previously, but was understood they would not be in “full drag.” “School administrators learned at the end of the day that the man was wearing jeans but also wore heels and makeup,” the statement said. “However, the speaker did as asked, which was to talk to students about makeup application. The guest speaker did not discuss sexual orientation, lifestyle or anything else other than makeup application.”  Dale Inman, a Conroe Independent School District (CISD) trustee who has three daughters who attend Willis High School, said a parent contacted him with concerns after the drag queen event and he decided to find out more about it.  “I put numerous calls into the administrator’s office, which of course they made it abundantly clear they will not talk about it,” Inman said, according to Community Impact. “I’ve got a problem when somebody with a false name enters a school and has advertised himself as an adult exotic dancer for men … Nobody would be allowed in a school under those circumstances.”  The local news report noted several Facebook screenshots showing the drag queen makeup event was listed on the high school’s monthly calendar.  “As a parent, I have a right to know who’s in that school building,” Inman said.  The controversy over the drag queen’s presence in the school intensified when Lane reportedly posted his criticism of parents expressing concern about the event to Facebook.  As Community Impact also reported, Inman subsequently asked at a November 11 WISD board meeting, “Who’s responsible for authorizing this adult entertainer who works in the sexually oriented business industry to enter the Willis High School and lay hands on our children?”  According to the report:  Willis High School Principal Stephanie Hodgins was booed as she introduced herself. She said her staff is working on a model to improve student learning and student growth. “We make decisions always keeping in mind these questions: Is this what’s best for kids? Is this going to help us grow academically?” Hodgins said. “If the answer to these questions is no, then we move on. But if the answer is yes, then we are moving in the right direction.”  Lane reportedly spoke at the board meeting in defense of LGBT community members.  “I think as a district we need to make an initiative to teach our kids to be tolerant and respectful,” Lane said.  However, David Riley, a pastor at Grace Family Fellowship Church, asked, “Who examined the character of the person who stood before our kids?”  WISD reportedly released a statement to parents that said the trustees “have examined our process on guest speakers and have made some adjustments in regard to communication to better serve the Willis ISD Community.”


conservativehome--2019-03-13--John Bald Mixed ability teaching is still stopping our children learn languages

John Bald: Mixed ability teaching is still stopping our children learn languages

John Bald is a former Ofsted inspector and has written two books on the history of writing and spelling. He is Chairman of the Conservative Education Society.  Readers of this column will know that I have been worried about the decline of language learning for many years, and have been doing my best to help the government tackle it. At a DfE seminar in 2010, some of our critics, including several drawing six-figure salaries from quangos, argued that I was wrong to say that we were facing a national disaster. Sitting beside me was the head of languages at Mossbourne Community Academy, whose department had just achieved 24 A* grades in German, and 28 A* grades in Spanish, by the simple method of grouping pupils according to their needs and abilities, teaching them well, and ensuring that they worked hard and behaved themselves.  Correcting the errors of these quangos, and their friends in teacher training, is a long, hard task. Wholesale cheating in examinations was only removed last year, and the position is still not secure in speaking tests. The errors began with the late Professor Eric Hawkins, who advocated “tolerance” of pupils’ errors – leading to no progress at all for many – and continued with the work of a series of overlapping and expensive organisations that put all of their efforts into exposing children to language, with no attention to the results. Mixed ability teaching was the hidden agenda, and research efforts kept well away from it, because it was obvious that there was a price to be paid in terms of the achievements of the most able pupils. The zealots in charge of the quangos were prepared to pay this price, though they could not afford to do so openly.  Through the efforts of Michael Gove and Nick Gibb, their quangos have been closed down, but their legacy and continuing influence are clear in reports issued by the British Academy on behalf of four others – including the Royal Society – and the All Party Parliamentary Group on Languages. The first report proposes a “national strategy”, reminiscent of Blair’s solution to every problem. It makes no reference to standards or teaching methods, and proposes a link to similar strategies in Scotland and Wales, neither of which has shown any evidence of improved standards. In Wales, under 20 per cent of pupils took a GCSE in a language other than Welsh in 2017, which indicates that they have a problem rather than a solution.  The BA report cites an estimate from Cardiff Business School that failure to learn languages is costing us £48bn a year, but does not mention the report’s admission that it contains “a wide margin of error.” It’s hard to see the Royal Society accepting this in any other area of its work, and highlighting the estimate without the qualification is more suited to propaganda than to science. Much more reliable is a comment by Richard Hardie, former Chairman of UBS, to the All-Party Parliamentary group, that what was needed was linguists with the levels of linguistic skill and fluency needed to design and negotiate contracts and understand regulations. The Cardiff recommendation of high-level business placements, including MBAs, is in line with this view.  The All-Party group is something of a misnomer, as a large number of Conservative MPs are members, but never attend its meetings. Its “National Recovery Programme” makes the important point that the decline in languages has damaged the supply of teachers, a phenomenon that has resulted in one civil servant receiving a decoration from the French government for providing work for French nationals who couldn’t find any in France. Otherwise the report is very similar to that of the British Academy, an uncosted wishlist with no mention of the issue of standards, which is at the heart of the decline in A level, or indeed of the steps the government is taking to address the issue.  The first of these, the Mandarin Excellence Project, is leading to higher standards in the learning of Chinese than we have ever had in the UK, and has turned round a situation in which millions of pounds, and the goodwill of the Chinese government, were squandered through lack of consistency and support. It was mortifying to see some of the best teaching anywhere wasted because no-one provided any consolidation between lessons, leaving the visiting teacher to start from scratch each time. Now, pupils are given an intensive course that ensures that they really understand how spoken and written Mandarin work, and have the satisfaction of knowing that they are making real progress, as the All-Party group has seen. A similar, though less intensive, approach is to be developed through the national system of Language Hubs, based at York University and led by Dr Rachel Hawkes, a former president of the Association for Language Learning, and Professor Emma Marsden.  Unlike the British Academy and APPG proposals, these initiatives have a clear emphasis on standards and outcomes, which is the only long-term way to address the concerns of Richard Hardie, and of the APPG itself in relation to the supply of teachers. For these two organisations to take no notice of them at all would be disappointing, if it were not for the ever-present elephant in the room, mixed ability teaching, which remains a matter of principle for our opponents, whether it enables children to learn effectively or not. The pupils I see are being failed by the system. They need better teaching, not wishful thinking.  PS. The Select Committee has reported on the nursing degree apprenticeship, and the government replied on Monday.


freedombunker--2019-03-21--Parents Not Government Should Decide How To Teach Their Kids About LGBT Issues

Parents, Not Government, Should Decide How To Teach Their Kids About LGBT Issues

"They need to be allowed to be children rather than having to constantly think about equalities and rights."  That's the explanation Fatima Shah has given for temporarily pulling her 10-year-old daughter out of school in Birmingham, England. She is one of apparently hundreds of Muslim parents who object to a newly developed school program to teach children the basics of LGBT issues.  Now some primary schools in England are suspending this program, called No Outsiders, developed by educator Andrew Moffat, in order to discuss the issue with parents who object to Moffat's curriculum. A petition signed by 400 parents calls for it to be dropped from the schools.  Here's more from Shah in The Guardian in January:  Shah claimed her children were becoming "confused" about homosexuality and that the local community's concerns were not being taken on board. She said: "We have nothing against Mr. Moffat – we are as British as they come. We respect the British values … but the problem is, he is not respecting our ethos as a community. "We don't send our children to school to learn about LGBT. We send them to school to learn maths, science and English."  There are, of course, people who support and have defended the Moffat program, arguing that schools should continue the classes and require all children to attend them. I suspect these op-eds are much kinder and more respectful of the religious objections of Muslims than they would be of Christians.  But I'm not here to participate in the culture wars. Rather, I'd like to point out how poor a job the school system clearly did in engaging with these people when developing the program in the first place; the belief of government education bureaucrats that they are responsible for teaching students and their families to be "better" people; and the inability of many people in the education system to recognize what services parents actually want from them.  Shabana Mahmood, a member of Parliament for parts of the Birmingham community, explained that the parents she had spoken to weren't even against teaching children about LGBT issues. She herself has backed gay rights measures and voted in favor of same-sex marriage recognition. What she heard is that parents are uncomfortable with the early age at which this is all happening. They want these lessons to begin in secondary school, not when their kids are under the age of 10.  The fight is as loud as it is dumb and unnecessary. Learning about LGBT issues, families, and relationships is something that should be handled on the cultural level, not via standardized government lessons. Western nations have become far more accepting of LGBT people over the past 30 years, but it wasn't government that drove the change. Rather, it was a result of passionate activism and cultural engagement with the communities themselves.  Whenever there's a conflict between educators and parents about what children should be learning, there's a clear and obvious solution: school choice. This fight doesn't have to have winners and losers. Parents who want their children to learn about gay families at a younger age and parents who want their children to wait can both get what they want.  But that would require government officials and educators to see parents as customers, and accept that their business must be won, not assumed. And that's not very British at all.


freedombunker--2019-09-05--Great Tools for Teaching Kids Economics and Liberty

Whenever my children express an interest in economics or are curious about the ideals of freedom and responsibility, I can barely contain my excitement. It wasn’t until college that I discovered, and fell in love with, economics, and it wasn’t until much later that I understood liberty as a life philosophy.  Fortunately, I can avoid stifling their budding interest by drawing demand curves or quoting Hayek and Hazlitt (though I’ve been known to do both!) and turn to some outstanding resources just for kids. Designed to introduce economic principles and the foundations of a free society to young children, these tools are interesting, engaging, and easy-to-understand—for children and adults alike!  The popular Tuttle Twins book series continues to grow, with 10 children’s books now available, as well as accompanying activity sheets and instructional materials. Created by Connor Boyack, a father who was disappointed by the dearth of good economic and civic content for kids, The Tuttle Twins series introduces concepts ranging from spontaneous order and how money works to individual rights and youth entrepreneurship. The latest book in the series, The Tuttle Twins and the Education Vacation, makes a case for non-coercive learning outside of the classroom.  These may seem like big ideas for small children, but Boyack says we underestimate children’s ability and interest. “I've been blown away at how well little kids can understand big ideas,” he says.  Boyack recently launched Free Market Rules, a new weekly, family-centered curriculum for exploring free-market principles in greater depth, and FEE readers can use the coupon FORTY to get 40 percent off the Tuttle Twins books.  FEE’s founder, Leonard E. Read, wrote his famous essay, “I, Pencil,” in 1958, celebrating the miracle of the free market in facilitating voluntary exchange and producing the goods and services we want and need. This process happens spontaneously, without any central planner determining what to produce and how to produce it. Indeed, the remarkable message of “I, Pencil” is that “not a single person on the face of this earth knows how to make me.”  One day when I was re-reading Leonard Read's "I, Pencil" it hit me that I canmake it more kid-friendly? I changed the pencils to pizza.  Now, author and economics commentator Julie Borowski offers a kid-friendly version of Read’s classic essay in her new book Nobody Knows How to Make a Pizza. Like a pencil, a pizza may seem simple to make, but it relies on millions of strangers working together peacefully and spontaneously to produce a basic cheese pizza. Borowski explains why she decided to write this book:  Over the years, many parents have told me that their kids enjoy listening to my commentary because I make learning about economics fun and simple. Some have asked if I would ever consider writing a children's book. One day, I was re-reading Leonard Read's "I, Pencil" when it hit me. It's already a fascinating story, but can I make it more kid-friendly? I changed it to pizza cause, well, kids are more interested in pizza than pencils. And my illustrator, Tetiana Kopytova, did an amazing job creating cute characters with bright colors. It's a fun, positive book that will revolutionize the way kids think about the world.  A 2017 survey by the University of Pennsylvania found that 37 percent of American adults couldn’t name one right protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution, and only one-quarter of them could name all three branches of government. Clearly, there is a crisis in American civic education and a disturbing lack of understanding of individual liberty.  Author Rory Margraf wanted to address this problem by creating an accessible, colorful children’s book that easily explains the Bill of Rights and the principles of liberty to kids. He says:  The book was so well-received that Margraf plans to release a sequel to I Know My Rights before the holidays. He adds:  FEE also provides many high-quality resources to help young people expand their knowledge of economics and individual liberty. The free Invisible Hands video series for kids combines fun puppets and a famous YouTuber to offer an introductory look at basic economic principles. And for teenagers, FEE’s three-day summer seminars on college campuses across the country offer an opportunity for more in-depth exploration of these important ideas. Additionally, FEE’s free online courses on economics and entrepreneurship are great for people of all ages!  Parents are perfectly positioned to introduce economic and civic concepts to their children. In fact, they may be the best ones to do it. With authors now creating exceptionally good material for young children on these topics, it has never been easier or more enjoyable for parents to present these ideas to their kids and help them to deepen their knowledge throughout their teenage years.


hitandrun--2019-03-21--Parents Not Government Should Decide How To Teach Their Kids About LGBT Issues


npr--2019-01-02--Why Millions Of Kids Cant Read And What Better Teaching Can Do About It

Why Millions Of Kids Can't Read, And What Better Teaching Can Do About It  Jack Silva didn't know anything about how children learn to read. What he did know is that a lot of students in his district were struggling.  Silva is the chief academic officer for Bethlehem, Pa., public schools. In 2015, only 56 percent of third graders were scoring proficient on the state reading test. That year, he set out to do something about that.  "It was really looking yourself in the mirror and saying, 'Which 4 in 10 students don't deserve to learn to read?' " he recalls.  Bethlehem is not an outlier. Across the country, millions of kids are struggling. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, 32 percent of fourth-graders and 24 percent of eighth-graders aren't reading at a basic level. Fewer than 40 percent are proficient or advanced.  One excuse that educators have long offered to explain poor reading performance is poverty. In Bethlehem, a small city in eastern Pennsylvania that was once a booming steel town, there are plenty of poor families. But there are fancy homes in Bethlehem, too, and when Silva examined the reading scores he saw that many students at the wealthier schools weren't reading very well either.  Silva didn't know what to do. To begin with, he didn't know how students in his district were being taught to read. So, he assigned his new director of literacy, Kim Harper, to find out.  Harper attended a professional-development day at one of the district's lowest-performing elementary schools. The teachers were talking about how students should attack words in a story. When a child came to a word she didn't know, the teacher would tell her to look at the picture and guess.  The most important thing was for the child to understand the meaning of the story, not the exact words on the page. So, if a kid came to the word "horse" and said "house," the teacher would say, that's wrong. But, Harper recalls, "if the kid said 'pony,' it'd be right because pony and horse mean the same thing."  Harper was shocked. First of all, pony and horse don't mean the same thing. And what does a kid do when there aren't any pictures?  This advice to a beginning reader is based on an influential theory about reading that, basically, says people use things like context and visual clues to read words. The theory assumes learning to read is a natural process and that with enough exposure to text, kids will figure out how words work.  Yet scientists from around the world have done thousands of studies on how people learn to read, and come to the conclusion that that theory is wrong.  One big takeaway from all that research is that reading is not natural; we are wired to read from birth. People become skilled readers by learning that written text is a code for speech sounds. The primary task for a beginning reader is to crack the code. Even skilled readers rely on decoding.  So, when a child comes to a word she doesn't know, her teacher should tell her to look at all the letters in the word and decode it, based on what that child has been taught about how letters and combinations of letters represent speech sounds. There should be no guessing, no "getting the gist of it."  And yet, "this ill-conceived contextual guessing approach to word recognition is enshrined in materials and handbooks used by teachers," wrote Louisa Moats, a prominent reading expert, in a 2017 article.  The contextual guessing approach is what a lot of teachers in Bethlehem had learned in their teacher preparation programs. What they hadn't learned is the science that shows how kids actually learn to read.  "We never looked at brain research," said Jodi Frankelli, Bethlehem's supervisor of early learning. "We had never, ever looked at it. Never."  On a wintry day in early March of 2018, a group of mostly first-and second-grade teachers was sitting in rows in a conference room at the Bethlehem school district headquarters. Mary Doe Donecker, an educational consultant from an organization called Step-by-Step Learning, stood at the front of the room, calling out words:  "Tell me the first sound you hear in 'Eunice'?"  Nope. "/Y/, /y/, before you get to the /oo/," Donecker explained. "How about "Charlotte?"  This was a class on the science of reading. The Bethlehem district has invested approximately $3 million since 2015 on training, materials and support to help its early elementary teachers and principals learn the science of how reading works and how children should be taught.  In the class, teachers spent a lot of time going over the sound structure of the English language.  Since the starting point for reading is sound, it's critical for teachers to have a deep understanding of this. But research shows they don't. Michelle Bosak, who teaches English as a second language in Bethlehem, said that when when she was in college learning to be a teacher, she was taught almost nothing about how kids learn to read.  "It was very broad classes, vague classes and like a children's literature class," she said. "I did not feel prepared to teach children how to read."  Bosak was among the first group of teachers in Bethlehem to attend the new, science-based classes, which were presented as a series over the course of a year. For many teachers, the classes were as much about unlearning old ideas about reading – like that contextual-guessing idea – as they were about learning new things.  First-grade teacher Candy Maldonado thought she was teaching her students what they needed to know about letters and sounds.  "We did a letter a week," she remembers. "So, if the letter was 'A,' we read books about 'A,' we ate things with 'A,' we found things with 'A.' "  But that was pretty much it. She didn't think getting into the details of how words are made up of sounds, and how letters represent those sounds, mattered that much.  The main goal was to expose kids to lots of text and get them excited about reading. She had no idea how kids learn to read. It was just that – somehow - they do: "Almost like it's automatic."  Maldonado had been a teacher for more than a decade. Her first reaction after learning about the reading science was shock: Why wasn't I taught this? Then guilt: What about all the kids I've been teaching all these years?  Bethlehem school leaders adopted a motto to help with those feelings: "When we know better, we do better."  'My kids are successful, and happy, and believe in themselves'  In a kindergarten class at Bethlehem's Calypso Elementary School in March of 2018, veteran teacher Lyn Venable gathered a group of six students at a small, u-shaped table.  "We're going to start doing something today that we have not done before," she told the children. "This is brand spanking new."  The children were writing a report about a pet they wanted. They had to write down three things that pet could do.  A little boy named Quinn spelled the word "bark" incorrectly. He wrote "boc." Spelling errors are like a window into what's going on in a child's brain when they're learning to read. Venable prompted him to sound out the entire word.  "What's the first sound?" Venable asked him.  "We got that one. That's 'b.' Now what's the next sound?"  Quinn knew the meaning of "bark." What he needed to figure out was how each sound in the word is represented by letters.  Venable, who's been teaching elementary school for more than two decades, says she used to think reading would just kind of "fall together" for kids if they were exposed to enough print. Now, because of the science of reading training, she knows better.  "My kids are successful, and happy, and believe in themselves," she said. "I don't have a single child in my room that has that look on their face like, 'I can't do this.'"  At the end of each school year, the Bethlehem school district gives kindergartners a test to assess early reading skills.  In 2015, before the new training began, more than half of the kindergartners in the district tested below the benchmark score, meaning most of them were heading into first grade at risk of reading failure. At the end of the 2018 school year, after the science-based training, 84 percent of kindergartners met or exceeded the benchmark score. At three schools, it was 100 percent.  Jack Silva says he's thrilled with the results, but cautious. He's eager to see how the kindergartners do when they get to the state reading test in third grade:  "We may have hit a home run in the first inning. But there's a lot of game left here."  Emily Hanford is a senior correspondent for APM Reports, the documentary and investigative reporting group at American Public Media. She is the producer of the audio documentary Hard Words, from which this story is adapted.


slate--2019-02-28--Ask a Teacher What Questions Should I Ask When Choosing a School for My Child

Ask a Teacher: What Questions Should I Ask When Choosing a School for My Child?

Care and Feeding is Slate’s parenting advice column. In addition to our traditional advice, every Thursday we feature an assortment of teachers from across the country answering your education questions. Have a question for our teachers? Email askateacher@slate.com or post it in the Slate Parenting Facebook group.  Matthew Dicks, fifth grade, Connecticut  Amy Scott, eight grade, North Carolina  Katie Holbrook, high school, Texas  Brandon Hersey, second grade, Washington  I live in a large city and am lucky to have the choice of multiple different public elementary school options. My child will be entering kindergarten, and it’s the time of year where I’m supposed to attend open houses and put together a ranked list of my preferences for a school choice. Apart from the obvious differences, like physical building features or different art/music/after-school program offerings, I am at a total loss for what I should be looking for to compare these schools. What kinds of questions should I be asking the principals and prospective teachers?      —Mystified by Choice  When it comes to asking questions, the first thing to do is prioritize what is important to you. What kind of school environment and learning experience do you imagine for your children?  For example, some parents prefer a school day that prioritizes high academic achievement and the behavioral skills that come with that type of learning—determination, focus, the ability to sit still, and how to apply knowledge. Others (like my wife and I) prefer that their young child has more access to free play, time outside, art, music, and literature. You may value science and math over art and literature. You may value free play over a structured environment. Or maybe you’re hoping to find a perfect balance of the two.  Think about the priorities you set for your child to determine the questions you should ask. How is your home life structured, and do you want your child’s school day to mirror that philosophy? Try to envision what you want your child doing on a typical school day. What do you want your child learning? Your answers to those questions will shed light on what exactly you should ask teachers and principals.  Last, let me urge that in addition to talking to principals and teachers, you speak with parents. While principals and teachers can offer you an excellent picture of their programs and priorities, parents can often offer a less idealized version of the school and what is happening within its walls.  My family lives in a town that has remained pretty darn red despite … well, despite everything. Meanwhile, I’m in the other direction politically. My young son recently had a homework prompt asking him what he would do if he became president. Other than casually pointing out the prompt on the homework sheet to him, I didn’t have anything more to do with it. I assumed he was going to write something like “ice cream for breakfast!” He wrote that when he’s president, he’s going to tear down Trump’s wall.  I was thrilled and entertained by his answer, though I kept it cool and told him I was proud of how hard he works on his homework. The homework has been turned in, and there’s no going back now, but I’m wondering how it will go over. I can’t imagine his teacher, who appears very nice, would possibly react badly, but I’m sure this issue will come up again. I try to teach him about things and, while I don’t believe in indoctrinating children politically, I believe there is right and wrong, and that right now one party is firmly on the wrong side. He asks questions and (sort of) knows some things that are going on in our country.  I am worrying, though, whether these views could negatively impact him in this town. Do I need to do anything to tone him down when it comes up? Do I steer him away from such answers? If he does the work, but it might upset someone, do I make him redo it? That doesn’t seem fair. Thanks.  You didn’t say what grade your son was in, but based on the “ice cream for breakfast” line, I’m assuming lower or middle elementary. Your son may be a little too young to understand this quote from Elie Wiesel, but your letter brought it to mind: “Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” The quote goes on: “Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Whenever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must—at that moment—become the center of the universe.”  If your son believes that lives are at risk and dignity is imperiled, that people are being oppressed, he should speak up about it.  I would, however, prepare your son for the consequences of doing so. You may want to warn him about possible backlash from his “red” peers; certainly, let him know some of his classmates will disagree with him. It might be helpful to coach him on how to respond dispassionately to criticism, how to argue with reason rather than emotion.  He may get pushback from a teacher—if not this year, then down the line—but I certainly hope not. Any teacher worth her salt will be an impartial critic of the task she assigned. For example, I do an argumentative unit with my eighth-graders during the third quarter, and my students get to choose which issue to argue in their essay. I teach them how to research their topic, find reputable and unbiased sources, identify and avoid logical fallacies, and support claims with facts, statistics, data, and expert testimony. Some of the kids take positions I fervently disagree with, but as long as they meet the criteria on the rubric, they get a good grade on the essay.  I’ll end with this: Going against the political grain will, at the very least, sharpen your son’s debate skills. Here’s a quote from another sage (wink, wink), Isaac Jaffe (played by Robert Guillaume) on Sports Night: “If you’re dumb, surround yourself with smart people, and if you’re smart, surround yourself with smart people who disagree with you.” It sounds like your son is a smart kid. If he can hold his own against smart people who disagree with him, he will do fine in school, and well … he should probably run for office.  I’m a teacher, and my colleagues and I are stumped. I teach at an alternative high school, so most of our students have trauma, emotional or behavioral issues, mental health issues (especially anxiety), and the resulting truancy records that go with these things. One of our students has had a problem with body odor for over a year. Students complain, teachers gently hint, the counselor has had a heart-to-heart, and the administration has called home, but nothing changes. Apparently this teenager just doesn’t care, and no one can physically force her to shower.  It’s not just a little body odor; it’s a pervasive oily, meaty smell that follows her around and lingers around her chair. She has friends, and apparently none of them say anything to her. Many of her other teachers use air fresheners or fragrances in their classrooms, but I have a severe sensitivity to artificial fragrances, so my room just stinks. Other students come in and complain about it. I find myself avoiding her in class as well, which is not how I’m supposed to do my job! Any ideas? I would love an inspired solution.  Oh my. My heart goes out to both of you.  Poor hygiene can be a sign of depression, neglect, and even sexual abuse. I wonder if the counselor and administrators who’ve interacted with her have looked for signs she might be suffering from something more serious than B.O.? Since your school serves a high number of students with mental health issues, I am guessing you have already considered that possibility. But maybe it’s worth asking the counselor to meet with her once more to see if there is a deeper problem?  Of course it’s possible she’s one of the rare teens who is simply unconcerned and impervious to peer pressure. If she is suffering from abuse or a mental health crisis, a counselor is unlikely to solve her hygiene issues immediately. You need to find a way to cope with her smell and mitigate the stench that remains after she leaves the room without artificial fragrances. I must confess I’m not knowledgeable about sensitivity to chemical scents. Can you smear some natural menthol vapor rub under your nose? Take an Altoid? Chew mint gum? Dab lavender oil on your wrists? Breathe through your mouth? Apparently coffee grounds and activated charcoal will absorb bad odors. This won’t solve the problem, of course, but might help with the lingering smell.  I hope you can find a solution that helps you both. Good luck!  I’m having some issues with my son’s school. He’s 5 and goes to a public school for kindergarten. My child has probably missed six days of school for illness. Since I work from home, if he’s sick or not feeling well, I don’t feel the need to force him to go sit in a class with 21 other kids and potentially get them sick. He missed two more days of school when we needed to go out of town for court for my divorce. He has also been late a few times. (We have had to adjust to this new schedule of him going to school, but it has been no more than three times that he’s been late.)  I started to receive letters from the school that are a little threatening about him missing 10 percent of the school year, even if the absences are excused. They say that if this continues, we can be liable for legal action. To me, what it seems to come down to is that our town is fairly poor, and every time a child misses school, they don’t get paid for that day.  Yesterday, my son came home from school with impetigo. (This is a contagious blistery thing on his face—he has had it before.) I took him to the doctor, and he’s on antibiotics. (He also has a cough, stuffy nose, and diarrhea.)  I don’t want to force him to go to school with this. I am home, and there is no reason for it. His missing school has not affected his learning. I’m in constant contact with his teacher, and he’s keeping up with his class in his reading, writing, and math. Am I wrong to want to keep him home?  First off, thank you for keeping your son home when he’s sick. My recommendation is always to keep kids home if they are contagious. Regarding the letter you received, we have similar issues in our school, so I can see the problem from both sides. While I can’t speak to your district’s funding structure, I can say most states have some type of law that requires kids under the age of 18 to “attend school regularly.” The term “regularly” varies depending on your state’s law. Here in Washington, our law takes effect when a student has more than 10 unexcused absences. However, we try to avoid litigation by contacting the families and beginning a conversation about improving their child’s attendance.  Since you’ve received a letter, it seems your son’s school is trying to start that conversation before legal action is taken. I’d recommend chatting with the principal or counselor to get a better understanding of what the expectation is for your child’s attendance going forward, and how a contagious illness fits into that. The school district likely has a legal obligation to inform your family of the law and its consequences. In my experience, legal action is rarely taken unless a child misses a considerable amount of school. Legalities aside, it doesn’t sound like you’re wrong here to want to keep him home, especially since you’ve been in constant contact with his teacher. I am sure your son’s teacher and classmates are very grateful. I hope he feels better soon!

Matthew Dicks, Brandon Hersey, Katie Holbrook, and Amy Scott


slate--2019-03-14--Ask a Teacher My Daughter Doesnt Do Her Homework Is She a Slacker or a Genius

Ask a Teacher: My Daughter Doesn’t Do Her Homework. Is She a Slacker or a Genius?

Care and Feeding is Slate’s parenting advice column. In addition to our traditional advice, every Thursday we feature an assortment of teachers from across the country answering your education questions. Have a question for our teachers? Email askateacher@slate.com or post it in the Slate Parenting Facebook group.  Amy Scott, eighth grade, North Carolina  Katie Holbrook, high school, Texas  Carrie Bauer, middle and high school, New York  Matthew Dicks, fifth grade, Connecticut  My daughter is in middle school, and her school’s policy is that homework only counts for 5 percent of a student’s final grade. Since my daughter can maintain A’s and B’s without that 5 percent, she doesn’t ever do her homework. I feel that she is being disrespectful to her teachers by not doing it. I think teachers work hard to plan the lessons. My daughter says if it is important to the teacher, then they’ll assign it as classwork (worth 30 percent), and then she will do it.  Part of me wants to ground her, and part of me says she is in middle school and this is not my place. It would be nice if there were natural consequences, but there aren’t any. Her getting a final grade of 92 vs 97 doesn’t matter, since it’s still an A. I know I would be very frustrated if I was a teacher and my students refused to do any homework I assigned. Sometimes respect for people is more important than good grades. What do you think. Should I just back off?  —Don’t Want to Offend the Teacher  A lot of schools are moving toward a policy of reducing the amount and grade weight of homework, and that’s for three reasons. First, teachers generally assign homework to reinforce concepts, raise achievement levels, and promote responsibility, among other things, but there’s conflicting research as to whether it achieves these goals. Second, homework often precludes extracurricular activities, sleep, socializing, and getting bored, all of which contribute to students becoming healthy, well-rounded people. Last, and most importantly, homework creates inequity in grading because students have different levels of support at home. In my second year of teaching, I was tsk-ing a student who usually had his homework done but that day didn’t. He explained that he couldn’t because his family’s power had been turned off, and they had no lights. That was a learning experience for me.  A week ago, I would’ve told you to sit your daughter down and have a conversation about responsibility and integrity. I would’ve said to include the following:  • Part of growing up is learning to do things we don’t want to do, either because it’s required or because not doing it will create a bigger problem in the long run.  • How does she want to know herself—as someone who cuts corners or someone who goes above and beyond?  “There are times when ‘leaving it all on the field’ is appropriate, but why exhaust ourselves for minimal marginal gains in situations when it’s not really that important?”  But … then I read this op-ed in the New York Times about how girls tend to put much more effort into school than boys and worry a lot more about it, and how these traits don’t translate to success in the workplace. I’ve seen this scenario play out so many times in my classroom—boys doing the bare minimum, and girls fretting over every point. I’d never looked at “skating by” as a strength, but of course it is. There are times when “leaving it all on the field” is appropriate, but why exhaust ourselves for minimal marginal gains in situations when it’s not really that important?  So now, instead, I’ll say this: It’s pretty clever of your daughter to figure out that she doesn’t actually need the homework in order to maintain her average, and if she feels OK about it, let her manage that herself.  The only thing she may want to consider is that students often need teacher recommendations to participate in activities and opportunities. Mention that her teachers may say, “She’s smart, but she doesn’t work that hard.” If she doesn’t like the sound of that, she should ask herself what she wants them to say about her, and act accordingly.  My husband and I live across the country from his 5-year old daughter from a previous marriage. He and his ex-wife have joint legal custody, and my husband has physical custody for all major breaks. Even though we don’t live nearby, we are as involved as possible in her life. This is made more difficult, however, by the fact that my husband has a very high-conflict ex-wife who tries to shut him out as much as possible from major events in his daughter’s life. His ex-wife and I have zero relationship as she actively shows her disdain for me.  My stepdaughter enters kindergarten in the fall, and we’re hoping you can offer us some advice on how to navigate schools and teachers from so far away. Next year, we would like to be involved in parent-teacher conferences and general updates from her teacher, but we don’t want to overstep or make it awkward. When my stepdaughter attended day care, my husband tried to have a biweekly or monthly chat with her teacher, and he remarked that the teacher seemed “cool” to him. He didn’t know if his ex-wife had said something to her about him or if that was the teacher’s nature. He’d like to do what he can to ensure that next year he has open communication with her teacher, and that he receives updates on her progress and is kept in the loop about any concerns in her first year at school.  How does he broach this awkward topic with the teacher? Should he be upfront that he and his ex-wife do not have a good relationship and that while he doesn’t want to put the teacher in the middle, he would like separate communication from them regarding his daughter? How do teachers deal with parents who aren’t together? We are all for any do’s and don’ts as to how to make sure the focus stays on my stepdaughter, and that the custody/divorce situation doesn’t become a burden or distraction for her teachers.  Divorced parents are very common, so your stepdaughter’s teacher is bound to have experience with your situation. Although you and your husband live in another state, he should still receive all school-issued communication—especially since much of this is online anyway. Not all school districts work the same, but typically when parents register a child for school, they provide both parents’ contact information. He can indicate that he needs newsletters or other communications to be mailed (or emailed) to both addresses. Most schools have websites where families can stay abreast of school news and events, and some are even active on social media. Your husband can probably even join the PTA and get the newsletter.  I’m emphasizing that your husband do these things, since one of your goals is to avoid drama with his ex. I’m sure that you are an important person in your stepdaughter’s life, but if the mother is in fact a “high-conflict” woman who “actively disdains” you, reaching out to the school yourself may only sow the seeds for more conflict.  A biweekly chat might be a bit much for a busy teacher to handle, honestly, but of course your husband should be included in updates on his daughter’s progress. I recommend he email the teacher to explain his geographical location and desire to be involved, but I would not mention anything about conflict with the mother. He should ask the teacher how she communicates with families and request to be included. Some teachers send out newsletters or use classroom apps, for example. For parent-teacher conferences, if he is unable to attend in person, perhaps they can schedule a phone conference, or maybe he could Skype in. These are reasonable requests of the teacher and avoid the ex-wife’s gatekeeping.  I have taught students who are caught in the middle of a contentious divorce. It’s no fun for anyone, especially the children. Your husband can’t control his ex-wife’s behavior, but he can control his own. Keeping all communication professional in tone and centered on his daughter should help your husband build a positive rapport with the teacher and hopefully relieve some residual stress that is bound to impact his daughter.  It might be difficult for you to take a step back on this, but that’s what I recommend you do. You can support your husband behind the scenes and hear all about school from your stepdaughter during her breaks.  My son is a bright third-grader who generally enjoys school. He was very apprehensive about entering third grade and fretted about it for most of the summer because he had been told by other children that he was in the “mean teacher’s class.” We talked about it several times and discussed that some teachers are stricter than others, but that it doesn’t make them mean, and he should really assess for himself how he gets along with “Mr. Jones.”  We have noticed during the year that Mr. Jones is, in fact, stricter than other teachers and quick to temper, but I have no reason to believe that he is intentionally mean or cruel to the students. My son and I have had some conversations about dealing with different personalities, and I consider this a life lesson—you won’t love every teacher.  My concern is that in conversations with the teacher, and on progress reports, Mr. Jones consistently asks that my son participate more in class because he is bright and would help others with his interactions. I’ve talked about this with my son, and while he will raise his hand occasionally, he has taken on a “keep my head down and don’t get in trouble” kind of mentality. He doesn’t like to be reprimanded, and because he is intimidated by this teacher, he doesn’t want to participate and risk drawing more attention to himself.  I feel a little stuck. I want my son to learn how to deal with difficult situations on his own, and while I have encouraged him to participate more, part of me also wants to say something to Mr. Jones. I don’t like that my son is reluctant to participate because he is concerned that it will end in a reprimand. We’re many months into the year, so this can’t just be what kids have told him from last summer… he’s experiencing something in the classroom that makes him feel it would be better to stay silent.  Do I let it go? Do I have a conversation with Mr. Jones and explain my concern? Do teachers care or even want to know that students believe they are the mean ones?  It’s hard to get a grasp on Mr. Jones and his approach to classroom management, filtered as he is through your third-grader to you to me. You describe him as stricter than others and “quick to temper,” but at the same time, you don’t believe he’s intentionally mean. You consider your son’s experience in his class a life lesson, yet you don’t like the way this experience is affecting him. Mr. Jones says he’s eager for your son to participate, yet your son is afraid that complying with the teacher’s explicit request will ultimately earn him a reprimand. From what you’ve said, I’m envisioning the type of teacher that others tend to call “old-school” or “gruff,” the type who “runs a tight ship” and “doesn’t tolerate nonsense.” Not abusive, not a tyrant; a competent teacher, but no nurturing teddy bear, either.  To answer one of your questions: Yes, teachers generally do care about how they’re perceived by students, but you’d be hard-pressed to land on a universal agreement of what exactly constitutes a “mean teacher” even among teachers, let alone between teachers and kids. This teacher, if I’m imagining him correctly, probably would not put much stock in that feedback, anyway.  From what you’ve said, it sounds as if your son has already landed on a reasonable coping strategy for this issue. You’re right that it’s not possible for a student to love or even be compatible with every teacher they’ll be paired with in an educational career, and while Mr. Jones is encouraging your son to participate more, your son isn’t actually obligated to do so. Frequently volunteering answers aloud in class is a nice-to-have in student behavior; it’s not a base requirement. If the end result is that your son isn’t a vocal contributor in this classroom because he prefers to minimize his interactions with a teacher he doesn’t much like, and he’s learning and mastering material and continues to generally enjoy school, keeping his head down and flying under the radar sounds like a perfectly workable option for his tenure in Mr. Jones’ classroom.  If this continues to bother you, however, or if Mr. Jones asks again for your son to increase his participation, I think you certainly could reach out and explain that your son has had a hard time adjusting to Mr. Jones’ style of classroom management and that you’re eager to encourage him to volunteer more, but that you’d like to discuss how to make him feel more comfortable and confident in doing so. I also think you could let it go without guilt. From what you’ve said, it sounds like this isn’t a great fit, but that there’s nothing really wrong, and your son has found a strategy that works. Good luck!  What is your opinion of an arts education? My son has attended a private school for the past year that we selected for its small class size. He generally seems to like the school.  The school advertises itself as focusing on “traditional education.” What I’ve come to realize is that they mean an education in the arts. All students do music and a foreign language—serious instrument instruction starts around the third grade. My son comes home with a lot of drawings and first-grade attempts at creative writing. The school puts on two large-scale performances per year, one of which has several public performances.  However, they seem to be slightly light on the sciences. His classroom has two computers, and I don’t get the impression they’re used very often. The math education seems fine, though, and follows a well-known homeschool curriculum.  At a time when it seems like a lot of the country is focusing on STEM, should I be concerned that my son is attending what seems to be an arts academy? We do regular science projects at home, so maybe it will even out, but I’d appreciate an outside opinion.  As a teacher who has built a stage in his classroom—complete with lights, curtains, and a sound system—and teaches Shakespeare to his fifth-graders all year long, I might be a little biased when it comes to assessing arts education.  What I can say is this: A strong background in arts education will produce students who are outstanding readers, writers, and thinkers. The arts promote empathy, cooperation, and understanding, and the skills he learns in the arts are transferrable across all subjects. There are enormous benefits to an education steeped in the arts.  That said, math is also critical to a student’s success and should be a priority in every classroom, but it sounds as if there is good curriculum in place for your son to learn. It doesn’t sound like a concern.  When it comes to science and technology, yes, your child’s schoolday may be lacking these components to a certain degree, but your child is in first grade. It’s early. It’s more important for your child to become interested and enthusiastic about science and technology than it is for him to learn about these subjects with any specificity. Ideally some science is taking place in the classroom, but if it’s playing second fiddle to the arts, that’s fine right now. The greatest challenge that a teacher faces is the crunch of time. Every year new material is added to the curriculum, and rarely is anything taken away.  When I was a child, for example, personal computers did not exist, internet safety and evaluating the reliability of sources wasn’t something that needed to be constantly addressed. There were 40 fewer years to study in history class.  About 25 fewer countries.  As a result, teachers prioritize, and if your child’s school prioritizes the arts over science, I think it’s fine. By the time your son is in middle school, he’ll be receiving science instruction every day. So continue the projects at home. Take him to museums. Fill your home with nonfiction. Foster a love of science.  The actual learning can come later.

Carrie Bauer, Matthew Dicks, Katie Holbrook, and Amy Scott


slate--2019-04-11--Ask a Teacher My First Grader Is Brilliant Should She Skip a Grade

Ask a Teacher: My First Grader Is Brilliant. Should She Skip a Grade?

Care and Feeding is Slate’s parenting advice column. In addition to our traditional advice, every Thursday we feature an assortment of teachers from across the country answering your education questions. Have a question for our teachers? Email askateacher@slate.com or post it in the Slate Parenting Facebook group.  This week’s Ask a Teacher panel:  Brandon Hersey, second grade, Washington  Katie Holbrook, high school, Texas  Amy Scott, eighth grade, North Carolina  Matthew Dicks, fifth grade, Connecticut  My daughter is a very bright first grader, excelling at both reading and math well beyond her grade level. Because of this, she has become quite bored and disengaged with school, and has even asked if I could teach her at home full time (not currently a viable option). The school did respond to the situation, but the response was not robust, and I am considering transferring her to another district that has a gifted program. In the meantime, I am teaching her higher-level math and science at home. My parents have asked why I don’t just have her skip a grade. While it used to be more common, this option has not been presented to me by the school, and I have not heard of any child skipping a grade in years. Is grade skipping still a thing? Is it too late to consider, as she would skip from second grade to third?  Wow! Your kiddo sounds like quite the math whiz. I feel her pain—sitting through material that is too easy can be a real drag.  As for skipping a grade, that is a fantastic question. You’re right that around the time you were probably growing up, very bright kids sometimes skipped a grade. You’re also right that it’s not really a common option for gifted students these days. To be honest, when I got your question, I wasn’t sure why this practice fizzled out, so I asked a few veteran teachers.  This is what I learned: In their opinion, as highly capable or “gifted” programs expanded into more districts, the demand to skip a grade began to wean. Parents preferred the idea of keeping kids with their classmates rather than uprooting them from their friend groups. Another factor has been the rise in online learning services, which have allowed parents to enrich their children’s education at home while keeping them with their peers at school.  That being said, while less common, grade skipping still exists. If you’re interested in it for your daughter, you can ask your school whether it’s a possibility, though I wouldn’t make any changes right this minute. We’re entering the homestretch for this school year, and most other classrooms are fairly deep into their curricula. You should also, of course, consider the social aspect of this potential path. Moving her up means starting a new grade level and adjusting to a new group of (slightly) older kids.  I am in my 20th year of teaching an elective foreign language, and I currently work at a Title 1 high school. I am passionate about what I teach, and I love helping my students learn and grow. I am also completely swamped with lesson planning, grading, department meetings, committee meetings, parent night, cafeteria duty, professional development, club sponsorship, emails, and all we teachers do outside regular instructional time. I have successfully built up my program to the point where the school will be adding two upper levels of my subject next year—but not hiring any additional staff.  These upper levels will be very rigorous test prep classes (think AP or IB) that will require even more training, curriculum development, meetings, committees, information nights, grading, and so on. I am already stretched extremely thin during the day, and I have family responsibilities outside the classroom that prevent me from taking home more work. Additionally, I have some very scary health concerns that require me to spend time going to doctor appointments, meal-prepping healthy food, exercising, and generally taking care of myself. However, that is the first thing to go when I get another late afternoon meeting on my calendar. How can I balance the increased demands of teaching this upper-level program with my need to take care of myself? How can I be professional but say no to some of these meetings and requests? I want to be a great educator but also live long enough to enjoy my retirement.  Our culture loves to glorify teachers who commit their entire lives to their students, to the detriment of their own families and health. (Think Freedom Writers, Stand and Deliver, etc.) Memes and articles about selfless teachers who make profound sacrifices for their careers don’t take into account the toll those sacrifices exact on teachers’ well-being. Giving every ounce of your time and energy to your job is not sustainable, even if you are passionate about teaching.  Our culture loves to glorify teachers who commit their entire lives to their students, to the detriment of their own families and health.  You have the right to live! You should be able to live and teach at the same time! But you obviously can’t at your current pace. I hereby give you permission to say “No” to more things. Resign from committees, pass the torch on club sponsorship, and let some of those emails languish in your inbox. Say “No” to last-minute meetings that stretch on into the evening.  I realize this is hard to do. It may feel “unprofessional” or even scary, but it is necessary. Consider what you must prioritize in order to teach your foreign language. Consider which balls you can let drop. Some of those balls may need to roll under the couch to be picked up later (or forgotten entirely).  I will give you one more tip: You don’t have to grade everything. You mentioned that your upper-level course will require significant grading. As a high school English teacher, grading is the bane of my existence. I love to teach writing, but grading compositions is a beast. Obviously I have to grade essays–I’m an English teacher. But I don’t have to grade every single task my students complete. Students will take notes, annotate poems, create graphic organizers, and participate in discussions, but they won’t get a grade every time. My district requires one grade per week, so that’s what I do. Sometimes the grade is an essay, but other times it’s a scannable multiple-choice quiz. Are multiple-choice questions as rigorous as open-ended ones? Nope. But they save me loads of time. And you know what? Everyone is just fine.  When I had children, I could not continue being the type of teacher I was pre-baby. While I genuinely love my students and my work, I love my own children more. And they need me! I think they need me more than my students need me. They definitely need me more than any committee or after school club. Your health is more important than any of your responsibilities at school. Protect it.  Our 4-year old is very bright. She’s currently enrolled at a language immersion school that has a preschool program. Upon the recommendation of her teachers, she tested to enter kindergarten a bit early—they feel she is ready academically, socially, and emotionally. She tested to attend both the dual-language immersion program she already attends as a preschooler as well as the accelerated program at the district magnet school. She was accepted into both programs. We now have the happy dilemma of choosing between dual-language or the accelerated program, and we are torn. I’d love your thoughts and recommendations.  What a great yet difficult position you’re in! If it were my child, I’d likely stick with the dual-language program. Being bilingual and biliterate is hugely valuable. If you google “benefits of bilingualism,” you’ll find the obvious ones like ease of travel and access to more job opportunities.  Learning another language can clarify English for children, too, and it also makes it easier to eventually learn a third (or fourth!) language. I had extensive grammar instruction in middle school, but it wasn’t until my high school Spanish teacher taught us more obscure verb tenses that I finally understood them in English. And later, learning Italian grammar was a cinch.  There are additional advantages that are less obvious. Did you know that speaking another language may make you more open-minded? Or that it can delay cognitive issues associated with aging?  Perhaps not least, considering our current political climate, knowing another language gives the speaker insight into linguistic and cultural diversity. Speaking another language makes it easier to understand the historical and political issues of other countries, and perhaps even those of one’s own.  I’m sure the accelerated program is great, but here’s one more thing that tips the scales for me: While it’s possible to accelerate a bilingual program, the accelerated program won’t be offered in another language.  Over the past decade, there’s been a major push in education toward differentiation. This means that teachers are expected to meet different students’ needs in four ways: content (what they learn), process (how they learn it), environment (where they learn it), and product (what they’re expected to produce). Your daughter can and should be pushed to learn advanced content and create complex products in both languages. Her teachers can and should challenge her academically and intellectually.  When I combine all the advantages of bilingual education with the probability of accelerated education, that side wins for me.  My question is related to a recent answer you gave another letter writer about not starting kindergarten before it’s absolutely necessary. How do you feel about holding kids back from kindergarten even though they meet the age qualification?  My daughter has a late August birthday, right before my district’s cutoff, so she should be entering kindergarten this fall. However, I can think of one big reason to send her in the fall and lots of little reasons to hold her back. Intellectually, she seems more than ready—her preschool teachers all say she’s very bright. But I’m unsure about her social and emotional development—her teachers say she’s about average in this area.  I like the idea of enjoying her early childhood for one more year, as you point out. She also has a younger sibling with an early October birthday, so if I send her to kindergarten now, even though she and her sister are almost exactly two years apart in terms of age, they would be three years apart in school, which seems weird and unfair for both of them.  I have to admit, part of what’s getting me worked up about this issue is that I also have an August birthday, and I was an intellectually precocious kid who was bored out of my mind most of the time until I went to college. I was also way behind socially and emotionally, although I was so far behind in that respect I don’t think waiting a year would have helped me much. However, she’s not me. I’d love to get your thoughts.  —Ready or Not, Here She Comes?  I wouldn’t allow your specific and unfortunate experience as a child to influence this decision. Though it’s a shame that you were bored out of your mind at times in school, I’m sure that you’ll be able to prevent this from happening to your daughter through advocacy and enrichment, especially considering what you know now. Your awareness alone should be enough to help your child if she isn’t being challenged.  I stand by my original position: Childhood is the most precious time in the life of a human being. Make it last as long as possible. Steal that extra year for both you and your child.  You also make a good point: Though your daughter may be intellectually ready for kindergarten, social and emotional development is as important, and it is often the source of the greatest struggle for children. There are lots of ways to help a child who is struggling in reading or math, but maturity isn’t something that can be taught. It takes time. Giving your child an extra year to mature and further develop her social skills will only help her in the future.


thedenverpost--2019-08-25--How do you teach kids about texting Bring in the teenagers as media scouts

How do you teach kids about texting? Bring in the teenagers as media scouts

ESSEN, Germany — How do you teach tech-savvy kids to safely navigate the digital world? In Germany, you bring in the teenagers.  Chantal Hueben, 18, stood in front of a group of fifth-graders and asked them to brainstorm about the messaging program Whatsapp, which most are using to participate in a group chat for their class. They spoke about themes like cyberbullying and what material is OK to post.  “Many are not really aware yet of the impact their messages can have on others,” said Hueben, dressed all in black except for white sneakers. “We’re teaching them not to post anything private on the class chat, not to send photos of others and not to insult anybody.”  The session at the Gesamtschule Borbeck high school, in the western German city of Essen, is part of a large-scale program in which teenagers teach their younger schoolmates how to stay safe and sane online.  As they grow older, they also participate in workshops about media copyright issues or sexting, and, at the end of eighth grade, they take a test to get a laminated “mobile license” that allows them to use their smartphones at certain times at school.  The exam includes 10 multiple choice questions. One asks what to do when somebody sends an embarrassing Snapchat photo of a fellow student. The answer, of course, is to not forward the picture to others.  Over two-thirds of kids in Germany have smartphones by the age of 11 and, like children around the world, many are stressed by the huge number of messages they receive and don’t know how to handle inappropriate and hurtful posts. With many parents and teachers lacking in digital skills and unable to relate to what it means to grow up with a smartphone, German authorities decided peer education was the best approach.  At Borbeck, which has about 1,000 students and is considered one of the most advanced schools in Germany when it comes to teaching digital skills, there are 32 students teaching in the “Medienscouts,” or media scouts, program.  “We’re also students, so we have this buddy and role model relationship with the younger kids that definitely motivates them to learn from us,” Hueben said.  With the program, Germany is ahead of many other countries, where “media skills” are often taught by teachers and are more about how to read or watch news media rather than the personal impact.  It was founded in 2011 by public authorities in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia. In Germany, education is managed by the country’s 16 separate states, and now 11 of them have established similar programs in hundreds of schools.  In North Rhine-Westphalia, 766 schools have so far participated in the media scout program. More than 3,120 high school students have been trained as scouts and around 1,500 teachers have acted as guidance counselors to help the kids grow up as mature cyber world citizens.  “It would be great if the media scouts would be established at every high school,” said Sven Hulvershorn, from the media authority agency for the western German state, who oversees the media scout program. “We’re not there yet, but we’re working on it.”  Beyond teaching children how to deal with the daily stress of digital communications, experts in Germany agree there’s a need to coach them in how to protect themselves from online bullying, sexual predators or fake news.  “We first had a complete ban on phones in our school,” explained teacher Vera Servaty, who is the media scouts’ guidance counselor at Borbeck high school. “But the reality is that media is a central aspect of the students’ lives. If the school doesn’t help them navigate the media and the parents aren’t of any help either, then how should the children learn responsible ways with the digital world?”  The program is more developed than in many other countries. In the United States, many schools have not fully embraced peer-to-peer tutoring in social media, says Liz Kolb, a professor of education technology at the University of Michigan.  U.S. schools are required by a federal program to teach appropriate online behavior, but that is done by teachers, and while some schools offer peer-to-peer tutoring, it is not on the scale of what Germany is doing.  “Schools are pretty much figuring out their own way because there really is no strong mandate they have to have a certain curriculum or specific goals,” Kolb said of the U.S. “It’s definitely needed and schools are seeing that it’s needed, they just don’t know how to go about fitting it into the already tight curriculum they have.”  At Borbeck high school, the media scouts spend several hours teaching the fifth-graders how not to let WhatsApp take over their lives. Beyond practical tricks, like turning off the setting that lets the sender know if a message has been read, the older students also talk with the fifth-graders about learning how to take breaks from their smartphone.  After the end of Hueben’s workshop, 11-year-old Simon Scharenberg looked relieved.  He said he often felt overwhelmed by the hundreds of WhatsApp messages he receives every day, most of them from schoolmates in the class group chat. He felt obliged to follow up on all of them out of fear of missing important information about homework or school activities.  After the WhatsApp workshop, Scharenberg said he felt more confident about taking a break from messaging.  “I will put down my phone in the kitchen when I come home from school,” he said, explaining his new strategy. “Before I go to sleep, I will check all the messages. But I only reply if I really feel like it.”


21stcenturywire--2019-04-30--Sri Lanka US-Saudi Terror Links to Deadly Easter Bombings

Sri Lanka: US-Saudi Terror Links to Deadly Easter Bombings

Picture Perfect: Cleric poses for the camera, and filed accordingly for later media consumption (Image: JVP News)  As predicted, the Sri Lankan Easter Day blasts which killed hundreds and injured hundreds more – have been connected to the so-called “Islamic State” (ISIS).  US Ambassador to Sri Lanka – Alaina Teplitz – would openly claim foreign groups were most likely behind the attacks. Reuters in an article titled, “Foreign groups likely behind Sri Lanka attacks, U.S. ambassador says,” would report:  ISIS itself would also later claim responsibility for the attacks. The Washington Post in an article titled, “Sri Lankan Easter bombings, claimed by ISIS, show the group maintains influence even though its caliphate is gone,” would claim:  Absent from US diplomatic statements and Western media reports is any mention of ISIS’ inception, its state sponsors, and even admissions by Western intelligence agencies themselves of Washington and its allies’ role in the terrorist organization’s rise.     Zahran Hashim, the chief suspect behind the Easter Sunday bombings was a ‘known wolf‘ (Image: JVP News)  At face value – devastating and disruptive terrorist attacks visited upon Sri Lanka – a nation that has recently and decisively pivoted from West to East and is now a major partner of Beijing’s One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative – is suspiciously coincidental.  Examining the West’s decades of using terrorism – particularly terrorism fuelled by Saudi Wahhabism – and the inception of ISIS itself – leaves Washington and its partners as the prime suspects behind Sri Lanka’s tragic terrorist attack – with its motivation strikingly similar to what prompted the US-Saudi aided rise and use of the Muslim Brotherhood and Al Qaeda throughout the Cold War.  When US-engineered regime change stalled in Syria between 2011-2012, it became clear more drastic and open measures would be required. This included not only the Western media mobilizing a massive propaganda campaign to account for the increasingly overt role terrorist organizations were playing among supposed “moderate rebel” formations – but also in the sudden appearance, rise, and overwhelming force of the “Islamic State.”  It was in a leaked 2012 US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) memo (PDF) – however – that revealed it was the US and its allies’ deliberate intent to create what it called a “Salafist principality” in eastern Syria. The memo would explicitly state that (emphasis added):  On clarifying who these supporting powers were, the DIA memo would state:  The “Salafist” (Islamic) “principality” (State) would indeed be created precisely in eastern Syria as US policymakers and their allies had set out to do. It would be branded as the “Islamic State” and be used first to wage a more muscular proxy war against Damascus, and when that failed, to invite US military forces to intervene in the conflict directly.  Since then, ISIS has been used as a convenient and even predictable element amid Washington’s various gambits as it struggles globally to maintain its unipolar world order.      Washington’s “Salafist Principality” vs China  In Asia where Washington’s self-proclaimed primacy has waned in recent years as China rises, traditional “allies” like the Philippines have begun to seek bilateral ties with Beijing negating Washington’s supposed role in underwriting what it calls its “free, open, and rules-based“ order in the Indo-Pacific region.  In 2016, Manila sought to have US troops removed from its territory.  An October 2016 article by the Independent titled, “Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte orders US forces out of country, cutting 65 years of military ties,” would report:  The Independent would also report (emphasis added):  SEE ALSO: Sri Lanka: Supposed ‘ISIS’ Attack Targets Another Ally of China  The following year, beginning in May 2017, ISIS terrorists suddenly appeared, overrunning the city of Marawi. The US used the “serendipitous” development to not only insert US military forces into the fighting – the NYT reported, but has since used the threat of ISIS’ resurgence in the Philippines as a pretext to pressure Manila in maintaining a permanent US military presence in the Southeast Asian state.  US government-funded propaganda outlet “Rappler” would report in a 2019 article titled, “[ANALYSIS] Despite Duterte rhetoric, US military gains forward base in PH,” that:  And despite the “terror” pretext Washington has used to cling to its military holdings in the Philippines, Rappler itself admits that the true goal is confronting China:  US-Saudi backed extremism in another Southeast Asian state – Myanmar – has created a growing conflict in Rakhine state where China is attempting to build another major leg of its OBOR initiative.  In neighboring Thailand – another pivotal OBOR partner – similar US-Saudi led efforts to sow ethnoreligious tensions and create a vector for ISIS-style terrorism are underway.  Even in China itself – the threat of ISIS militants returning from Syria and expanding an already looming US-Saudi backed extremist threat in Xinjiang – plays into Washington’s wider efforts to sabotage OBOR and contain China’s regional and global rise.  The recent blasts in Sri Lanka and ISIS’ now supposed “interest” in the South Asian state follows massive inroads made by China in including the nation in its OBOR initiative. Highways, railways, and ports developed with China’s assistance have transformed Sri Lanka into a strategically valuable partner for Beijing, and yet another example to the world of Washington’s waning influence not only in Indo-Pacific – but globally.  The US went as far as creating ISIS in the first place in a desperate bid to rescue its failed regime change campaign in Syria. It and its partners in Riyadh are now the prime suspects behind ISIS’ coincidental arrival on the shores of a newly established and major OBOR partner.  ISIS is the New Al Qaeda  If the US using extremism to fight its major power rivals sounds familiar – that’s because the US and its Saudi partners used Al Qaeda in precisely the same way throughout the Cold War vis-a-vis the Soviet Union.  Al Qaeda’s precursor – the Muslim Brotherhood – took part in a failed attempt to overthrow Syria – then a Soviet ally – in the early 1980s. Many of the fighters that took part in the failed uprising fled to Afghanistan and participated in the US-Saudi backed war against the Soviet Union there.  The virulent perversion of the Islamic faith that serves as the ideological bedrock of groups like Al Qaeda and now ISIS – Wahhabism – is admittedly a political tool used by Riyadh in the aid of Washington’s decades-spanning geopolitical ambitions.  In a 2018 Washington Post article titled, “Saudi prince denies Kushner is ‘in his pocket’,” it was admitted (emphasis added):  Thus it is all but admitted that the US and Saudi Arabia used extremism as a geopolitical tool to hinder the Soviet Union and both protect and expand Western hegemony globally.  It is admitted that the US and its partners sought the creation of ISIS – its sudden appearance everywhere China is attempting to do business fits the now documented and admitted pattern of Washington’s use of extremism to fight and coerce wherever its standing armies cannot afford to intervene and a degree of “plausible deniability” is desired.  When terrorism strikes – as in any sort of criminal investigation – the first question that must be asked is “cui bono?” To whose benefit? The US played a central role in deliberately creating ISIS. If ISIS is indeed behind the attack on Sri Lanka, then it is by extension an act of terror carried out by Washington.  Destabilizing Sri Lanka – a critical South Asian partner of Beijing and its OBOR initiative – with terrorism and ethnoreligious conflict, serves only the interests of China’s overt global opponent – Washington – as well as elements within India’s ruling elite and intelligence agencies.  The US is both arsonist and self-appointed fireman. And until this racket is fully and repeatedly exposed – until after each terrorist attack the US is put forth as the primary suspect and made to pay a high political price for its use of global terrorism – this game of arson-firefighting will continue at the cost of innocent lives, national development, and global peace and stability.  ***   Author Tony Cartalucci, Bangkok-based geopolitical researcher and writer and special contributor to 21st Century Wire, and whose work can be found at a number of popular news and analysis outlets the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”.