Patricia Polacco has a new picturebook out. If you are expecting a sweet-hearted book like Thunder Cake or Renchko’s Eggs or Bun Bun Button, be forewarned, Polacco has again gone to the nub of an issue and faced it square on. This is a picturebook for middle schoolers not elementary school children. The characters are […]
International Day of Democracy
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 […]
Occupy Education 102
Public education is under attack. We are told daily that there is a crisis in the classroom: Bad test scores they say. Bad teachers they say. But don’t worry. Corporations are coming to our rescue replacing public service with the free market. BEWARE When corporations get involved in the learning process everything becomes ‘commoditized’ or […]
Students protest NYS “Pineapple” test
Students see the light as the blind lead the blind…by Tim Wolcott A sage once said “Life is 10% how you make it…and 90% how you take it.” Activist eighth graders from New York aren’t taking mistreatment by this year’s English Language Arts test sitting down. Hooray for them and us all! Effective this year, […]
