September 15th is the International Day of Democracy. A good day to check out how democracy plays out in your own family, community, and school. When I was a child, I attended a “Democracy in Action” elementary school. In every class from kindergarten to sixth grade we voted – every day. We voted on which […]
International Literacy Day
Imagine not being able to read. You would not be able to text a message or send an e-mail. You would not be able to blog. You would not have access to the wonderful world of books. Reading is a human right. September 8th is International Literacy Day a day set aside by the United […]
Addressing Racism
Stand Against Racism Dayis April 27th. Here are links to some exemplary lessons to use in your classrooms from our own website and from others. Lessons are ordered by suggested grade levels, but can be adapted by creative educators to other levels. Preschool Alike and Different All the Colors We Are The Colors of Us […]
Stand Against Racism
Becoming an Anti-Racist Educator and Parent: Debra Van Ausdale and Joe R. Feagin in their book The First R : How Children Learn about Race and Racism document a year they spent in an exemplary multicultural preschool listening to three- and four-year-olds talk about skin color and race. What they learned was that even very young children are […]
You Can’t Say You Can’t Play
In every classroom, in every school, in every community there are always insiders and outsiders. When you were in school which were you? In 1992 Vivian Gussin Paley set out to change the social order in her kindergarten classroom. She noticed, as most teachers do, that even when you outlaw hitting and ban name calling, […]
