I have grown to really dislike benchmark testing. At its root purpose, it just seems wrong. Believe me, I know all of the reasons why it is in vogue. I have “lived it” both as a parent and teacher, and grow more uncomfortable with the process with each passing day. […]
Author: admin
Bend, Oregon: A Beautiful City -> An Example of What TRI-TN Could Be
I am a conservative, but somehow I end-up in liberal cities for vacation. Now, to be fair, if I had it my way I would be in the middle of Wyoming, Montana, or Idaho somewhere in a place where I couldn’t see me neighbors (no offense to my great neighbors). […]
Working Remotely After Hours: Advice for Teachers -> Don’t Do It
We live in a world where accessibility has never been easier. We also live in a world where it is incredibly hard to separate your home and persona life. There is a constant tug-of-war. My simple advice would be this – don’t be too accessible. Have clear boundaries. You are […]
Where to Build New Schools? A Growth Model Which Makes Sense
This is a needed topic of conversation In Kingsport. Bristol and Johnson City are running circles around us right now when it comes to city growth and development. Bristol has the Hard Rock nearing completion. Johnson City’s I-26 and 11-E corridors are growing rapidly. In Kingsport, our two newest elementary […]
School Choice and Opting Out of Public Education
Here is an issue that I have changed my mind about as the years have passed. I used to be a strong supporter of public education. In many ways I still am, but that is tempered now. If this past week in Kingsport has driven anything home it is this….woke […]
Kickbacks and Consultants
If we want to know the priorities of a school system, then follow the money. Sometimes that trail of dollars leads down rabbit holes which are sketchy. No public school employee should be working as a consultant for a company which is doing business in their local school system. No […]
Four Day School Weeks
We almost moved to Wyoming once. I wish we had, but that is another story for another day. While researching several school districts in that region, we began to notice that at least a few districts in the Mountain West had adopted four day school weeks during the worst of […]
Effective Classroom Time Management: A Quick Word About the Beginning of the Year
Get off on the right foot by teaching the curriculum on day one. It sets the tone that your expectations are about learning. I used to spend the first day or two on procedures only. It always left me in a rush at the end of the nine weeks. What […]
New Teacher Advice Column: Find a Great Mentor
The single, greatest influence (of what kind of teacher you will be) is the person you train under as a student teacher or intern. I was blessed to work with two of the best teachers on the planet as an intern. Later, during my first years of actual teaching, I […]
Does Classroom Experience Matter When Selecting Administrators in Education?
Does courtroom experience matter when hiring a prosecutor? Would we hire a plumber who had no experience fixing pipes? Would any of us want a phlebotomist who was drawing blood for the first time? Nope, nope, and NO! Then, why are we hiring people into administrative positions in education who […]