Behold, the latest round-up of education, testing, and school news that will make us all roll our eyes, if not in horror, then in amusement:
Brits spend more dough on beer than books. My guess is that's not the case here only because college towns tend to serve up lots of low-end beer at very cheap prices (a prize to the first person who can tell me what a "Blue Cup" is!)
If you're planning on moving from the US to the UK and becoming a citizen, best to watch a lot of Eastenders before you go.
Won't you sleep better at night knowing teachers can be "enriched" so easily?
We couldn't make it up. Here's the Los Angeles Times on professional development courses that some California teachers are taking to renew their certification and earn higher salaries: "Sara Telona learned the choreography for Mexican folklore dances, mastered the words to folk songs and took a crash course in marimba and xylophone playing. . . . To complete the course 'Sharks: Myth and Facts,' the teachers must watch a National Geographic video about the great white shark and read three books. Then, they answer several fill-in-the-blank sheets and write an essay on how their lives would be affected if sharks became extinct. . . . [The] 'I'm So Stressed I Could Scream' course taught . . . stress reduction techniques and helped with classroom management. Instead of disciplining her slightly rowdy class after lunch, [one teacher] started reading a book to calm students and herself."
It's always good when I can read the words "furore" and "airy-fairy" in an article that's critical of public schools (in New Zealand).
Finally, it's funny how the same people who oppose the "top-down" regulations of standardized tests don't seem to have a problem with refusing to let kids run and play:
Games where kids chase each other - tag or even cops and robbers - are generally banned in Natomas Unified's elementary schools. No grabbing or pushing is allowed. At Natomas Park, students can only toss and catch a football - tackling or blocking isn't permitted. But the no-contact rule applies beyond the grade-school gridiron.
During lunch recess one recent afternoon, yard supervisor Janice Hudson spotted a first-grader pushing a girl on the swing.
"Do not push," Hudson told the student. "Let her push herself, please."
"One person can be a little stronger than the other," she said as she walked away.
Yes, and recess is when kids are supposed to find this out, and the strong are supposed to learn how to play nice with smaller kids, not avoid them entirely out of any irrational fear of contact.
Posted by kswygert at August 23, 2004 02:23 PM