In August – October we will be conducting a nation wide Back to School campaign to raise awareness about literacy. Here is how you can help: I believe the message of this book can have a wide impact on literacy in the United States and abroad. Early readers have been exclaiming how they wish they [...]
My fear of heights is rapidly decreasing. It really is all about practice. Today I went out to the tree house and stayed longer than my assigned 25 minutes. I also went out on the balcony and took some pictures. My dc has also been fear. I was inspired and proud to see my dc [...]
In order to help one of my children face fear, I am facing one of my own: my fear of heights. This fall my husband and children built an amazing tree house. In addition to being high in the tree, it is located on a steep hill in our backyard. Its location on the hill [...]
Time Magazine has a great article about Finnish schools. Finland educationally ranks in the top of the world, and yet they have a very different approach to education than the highly competitive Asian countries. Rather than a drill heavy approach with long hours that motivates students to learn through high pressure, Finland has invested heavily [...]
I No Longer Need to Make Believe LIttle girls and little boys long for their daddy to notice them, to hug them, to want them. They long for the shining love and approval that says, “You matter to me.” “I want you.” “I delight in you.” The shining love of a parent is the foundation [...]
I just discovered the Khan Academy. This website contains video lectures for math and science, and includes online practice with detailed assessment metrics which determine when a student is ready to move on to the next topic. The Academy is free. I will definitely have my children experiment with this for our math! http://www.khanacademy.org Khan [...]
I head this song for the first time today.
Education is ultimately about relationship: relationship between teachers and students. Though it is commonly believed that we are individuals who form relationships, it would be more accurate to say we are individuals who emerge from relationships. Though Westerners like to consider themselves autonomous, in reality we are all born completely dependent. Our parents, caregivers, teachers, [...]
All educators should be thinking about the issues presented by Ken Robinson. I continue to feel passionately that our society’s strength is in diversity and in freeing our students to be who they are created to be. Education should not be a factory that stamps them into a mold, but rather a way for them [...]
My passion for education stems from my pain. I watched Waiting for Superman recently. What struck me most in this movie was the nine-year-old boy who told the reporter, “I want to go to college so I can give my children a better life.” The reporter seemed a bit taken back. “You are thinking about [...]