January 2012
56 posts
6 tags
0089: What does in mean to be a rebellious...
#education #revolution #occupy
Being a rebellious teacher requires one thing: a commitment to your students. And, that is where the language becomes tricky. We’re constantly reminded that we must be committed to our students. We must provide them a world class education at all costs, but by world class education they mean we must deliver high test scores. Countless phrases and sanctions...
6 tags
0088: For #freedom dear reader
#education #revolution #occupy
I did not intend for this website to become an activist website, but as water flows so must my writing. We live in a time that is unusual to all of us. Civil unrest has been a distant memory, or a work of fiction. We have been blind to our oppression, sated by myriad mediums of entertainment and distraction. As a teacher, hopefully a critically conscious one, I...
9 tags
“#ctchat
By requiring a man to behave mechanically, mass production...”
– from Paulo Freire’s ‘Education vs. Massification’
2 tags
8 tags
0087: I got your #Education Reform right here
#edreform
Dear Ms. Rhee and other Corporate Reformers,
I notice you’ve taken an interest in the education of the students I teach. Their test scores aren’t great so you have offered a package of solutions. I’m glad someone it taking an interest. As you collect more money on the behalf of my students I ask that you donate a little bit to Terry, who has kidney stones and an...
7 tags
Notes on Teaching: The Power of Men →
nobreak4thecrazy:
We are in the middle of a mad review of our unit of the rain forest, and the reflections and God-Knows-What that just must get into that Science Portfolio NOW. We rush, but I am stopped by a question.
Student: But why do they burn the soil of the rain forest??
I: Well, it is because they want…
11 tags
“A major #revolution to be won in the immediate future is the dissipation of...”
– From Saul Alinsky’s ‘Rules for Radicals’
9 tags
#democracy
Prescriptive #education (i.e., public education) serves to distance learners and teachers alike from their social reality. The needs of individuals and communities are never given the time of day, as we mindlessly accept curriculum from the State. Rather than educating our students critically, we busy their minds with distractions that will ultimately prevent them from ever completely...
16 tags
0086: Thank God for Standardized Tests, They Help...
#revolution #fascism #satire #edchat
The best thing about standardized tests is they take the guess work out of teaching. I know exactly what to teach and to what extent. I don’t have to worry about teaching in wasteful creative ways, nor do I have to worry about inspiring my students. All I have to do is repeat facts over and over, and give them four choices. It’s brilliant. I can...
6 tags
“#freedom #occupy #anonymous #corporations
[Man] has become free from the...”
– From Erich Fromm’s Escape from Freedom
7 tags
9 tags
Paradoxical Solutions to Education from POTUS... →
I am not sure what to make of this little clip. It seems our president is inviting creativity into the classroom, allowing teachers to be innovators. At the same time it seems he is encouraging competition between colleagues and suggesting we get rid of teachers who aren’t “helping”. On top of that, there is the charge to states to keep students in school until they’re 18....
9 tags
0085: Unpacking the phrase "education is your...
#teaching #revolution #literacy #education
I heard the phrase “education is your ticket out of (insert situation)” used by teachers, principals, parents, counselors, etc., etc. I’ve used it. I think it is often spouted thoughtlessly in the attempt to focus students on the task we choose for them. It positions education as a panacea and me, the educator as the distributor of...
10 tags
0084: Pardon me for being radical, but the system...
#edreform #revolution #education
I’ve had a few forced days of focus and meditation, an imposed hiatus from writing and working—a root canal and a break in sort of force the mind to silent places lest things really start to fall apart. During my respite I have spent some time reviewing what I have written over the past few months here at Educated to Death and have noticed a shift in my...
7 tags
Parents Rights when it comes to standardized... →
@imaginationsoup #education #corporate
14 tags
0083: Schools as Guardians of Class Division
#education #poverty #class #slum #edreform
Schools are marketed as beacons of hope. A proper education promises a better future with access to a college education, to riches, a good job, and stuff. This is the carrot we hold before our students to encourage them to work hard. It’s the stuffed bunny at the dog track. The definition of proper education, for sometime now, includes high test...
6 tags
#megaupload arrests will be another lesson about persistence in protest tomorrow, and the truth about democracy.
11 tags
0082: 7th Grade Student reflections on...
#BlackoutSOPA #Democracy #education
These are a few of the responses my students wrote regarding their participation in their democracy. Keep in mind they are in the seventh grade. Additionally, the school is nearly 100% free lunch, and we are at risk of being taken over by the state for test scores. Does testing assess this?
K.W. wrote
I felt surprised and excited at the same time. I felt...
8 tags
0081: SOPA Blackout, #Occupy, and #Anonymous...
#revolution #sschat #educ
We’ve been discussing social movements, protests, and democracy in my fine arts classes of all places. We’ve been learning songs from social movements, protest songs and all. Our learning has been aided by the occupy movement, anonymous, and the Blackouts against SOPA and PIPA. Yesterday, during the blackout my class and I called the representatives from our...
8 tags
#democracy #education #sschat
My class and I called our representatives and asked that they oppose #SOPA and #PIPA. My students were thrilled to participate in democracy, and even more thrilled to take part in shaping their own futures.
