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Hot Topic: Are American Students Too Lazy to Succeed?
News and views on this divisive topic can be found on the following web sites:
In December The Boston Globe featured “My Lazy American Students,” an op-ed piece by Kara Miller that generated so many responses she wrote a follow-up piece.
Inside Higher Ed posted a commentary on Miller’s article by Scott Jaschik, entitled “Are American Students Lazy?” with links to a number of related articles:
The Washington Post education expert Valerie Strauss dismisses the concept of the lazy American student as a distraction from real issues in her post entitled, “Are American students lazy?” |
Professor with ALS Teaches, Shares Lessons with Colleagues |
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A diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS and Lou Gehrig’s disease, has not sidelined Elaine Smokewood, a professor of English at Oklahoma City University.
The combination of her strong spirit and the marvels of technology enable her to continue teaching – and continue learning valuable lessons about the teaching process as well.
The Chronicle of Higher Education writer Jeffrey R. Young shares his interview with Smokewood, accompanied by a video clip, in a piece entitled, “Taught by a Terrible Disease.” You can access the video by clicking here.
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Upcoming School Announcement Events
February 11-13, 2010
AASA Conference on Education Phoenix, AZ
March 11, 2010
PTO PTA Expo
Marlborough, MA
March 25-28, 2010
Montessori in the 21st Century
Boston, MA
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Punxsutawney Phil Says Six More Weeks of Winter
Helpful Summer Info for the Busy Education Pro
Dear School Pro,
February has come, and Valentine’s Day has announced its impending arrival in the decorations festooning school hallways. While the landscape is awash in red and pink hearts, I’d like you to consider another color that connotes caring: Green!
No matter what your views of global warming, it just makes sense to work with nature to minimize potential environmental problems and maximize smart uses of limited resources. Exercising green common sense is one of the best ways I can think of to care for the Earth and for the generations to come. This issue of School Pro Quick Tips features tips that will inspire you to launch green initiatives in your district or school.
Speaking of initiatives, you still have time to take advantage of School Announcement’s special offer of unlimited voice and email messaging to families, teachers, board members – anyone whom you must contact regarding vital everyday issues, updates and emergency information – for only $500.00 for services through July! This is the perfect way to try out our fantastic system and communicate with your constituents quickly and easily via the messaging that they prefer.
Feel free to call or email me to find out how School Announcement can enhance the delivery of vital information in your school or district. You can reach me at: 401-243-8415 or tracy@schoolannouncement.com. I hope to hear from you! Meanwhile, enjoy the usual smorgasbord of tips in this issue of School Pro Quick Tips, and be well.
Until next time,
Tracy Duncan
Getting Green with a Little Help from the Web
Whatever level of commitment you have to guiding your school or district into going green, there are resources to help you get there. These websites are great places to start:
The Go Green Initiative - According to their website, “The Go Green Initiative is a simple, comprehensive program designed to create a culture of environmental responsibility on school campuses across the nation. Founded in 2002, the Go Green Initiative unites parents, students, teachers and school administrators in an effort to make real and lasting changes in their campus communities that will protect children and the environment for years to come.” It truly provides everything a school would need from letter templates to resources, to get green efforts off the ground.
Planet Green - This website is for everyone with a special section designed just for teachers “to help children develop a connection to the environment through both learning and experience.” There are lots of great articles for teachers along with cool links to things like the Carbon Footprint Calculator and Eco-Friendly Crafts.
Earth Day Network - Though going green requires a little time and attention daily, Earth Day is the perfect day to launch green initiatives and to commend students, faculty and the board for their green efforts. Earth Day is celebrated worldwide and this year, on April 22, it will reach its 40th Anniversary! Because of the scope of its outreach, the Earth Day Network features climate information from government, activist and even religious perspectives which may be beneficial to students in middle and high school. Under the “Get Active” tab on the home page is a tab for teachers who would like to join the organization’s Educators’ Network.
National Poetry Month Observed in April
“Poetry is nearer to vital truth than history.” ~ Plato
Whether or not you agree with Plato’s observation probably depends upon whether or not you are partial to poetry. Either way, poetry has its place in the arts and in the language arts curriculum. With National Poetry Month just a month and a half away, now is a great time to plan activities for students that expand their minds around this genre of word skills.
National Poetry Month was launched in 1996 by the American Academy of Poets, who devote a section of their website to educators. They show how observance of this month can be simple or grand, from Poem in Your Pocket Day on April 29, 2010 and reading online poetry, to having students write ongoing prose in response to poems they read throughout the month.
Check out a great article posted recently by Education News columnist and author Robert Oliphant entitled, “Where Will Poetry Out Loud Go Next? – Some Positive Predictions.”
An easy way to observe this month is start a class or end morning announcements with a quote about poetry from The Quote Garden, Along with Plato’s quote above, this one caught our eye:
“Poetry is a packsack of invisible keepsakes.” ~ Carl Sandburg
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