by Robert Pondiscio
July 8th, 2008
Tags: eduwonk, retirement
Posted in Educational Policy, Teaching | 3 Comments »
Fascinating idea from Andy Rotherham at Eduwonk today, who blogs about creating a mechanism to open schools to part-time teachers, especially retired teachers:
There are some national service ideas floating around on this but they tend to focus on full time teaching. Another way to approach it would be to create more adjunct teachers, especially at the high school level. While teaching full-time may be more intense and more of a time commitment than some people want as a post-retirement option, capturing some of their time is one way to help address the various human capital challenges education faces….There are other part-timers out there, too, for instance mothers with young children, who could be tapped.
I’d add corporations in science and technology to the list of talent sources. If turning out qualified students is their concern, might as well help out. “Facilitating all this would be an attractive niche for a non-profit, too,” Andy notes.
by Robert Pondiscio
July 8th, 2008
Tags: Curriculum, Diane Ravitch
Posted in Curriculum | 2 Comments »
As a parent and as someone who cares deeply about elevating the state of our civilization, I rebel against the idea of letting children decide whether they feel like learning today or any day. I believe that adults must take responsibility for children’s well-being, for their physical and intellectual growth, and that involves setting goals as well as limits, in other words, acting as the grown-up.
That’s CK board member Diane Ravitch, at Bridging Differences. Well said.
by Robert Pondiscio
July 8th, 2008
Tags: self-esteem, sports
Posted in Education Practice | No Comments »
The United States Tennis Association is expanding its efforts to encourage high school coaches to adopt “no cut” policies. “The idea is that students benefit from participating, even if they aren’t top players, and that they will become lifelong players and fans of the sport, EdWeek reports.
Coaches who take part in the program receive gifts, such as caps and a sports-magazine subscription, as well as professional recognition, such as a letter of commendation to their school principals praising them for maintaining a large team. Perhaps most important, they receive access to features such as a new Web site created this year, which allows them to share information through a coach-to-coach online forum and gives them tips on how to run a no-cut team effectively.
Not being cut and playing, of course, are different matters. Having ridden the pine on a couple of baseball teams as a kid, I’d prefer to have been cut rather than to endure the humiliation of playing only in blowouts.
by Robert Pondiscio
July 8th, 2008
Posted in No category | No Comments »
A dictionary, a high school English teacher used to remind me, is not a rule book but a history book. It provides a record of how the language changes and grows. The editors of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary have added 100 new words to their latest edition that have found their way into general usage, including edamame, wing nut, dirty bomb and pescatarian — a vegetarian who eats fish.
“As soon as we see the word used without explanation or translation or gloss, we consider it a naturalized citizen of the English language,” Peter Sokolowski, an editor-at-large for Merriam-Webster, tells the AP. “If somebody is using it to convey a specific idea and that idea is successfully conveyed in that word, it’s ready to go in the dictionary.”
The most interesting neologism: “mondegreen.” It describes “words mistaken for other words.” A mondegreen most often comes from misunderstood phrases or lyrics, such as “Jose, can you see” for the opening line of the Star Spangled Banner. Mondegreen was coined by a writer for The Atlantic over 50 years ago, who confused the lyric of a Scottish ballad with the lyric “laid him on the green” with “Lady Mondegreen.”
Among the best-known modern examples: “There’s a bathroom on the right” in place of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “There’s a bad moon on the rise” and “‘Scuse me, while I kiss this guy” in place of “kiss the sky” in the 1967 Jimi Hendrix classic “Purple Haze.”
Merriam-Webster is inviting people to post their favorite mondegreens on their web site
