“I want to talk about your business slogan, but we’re going to do something else first. Let’s look at the slogans for some of the businesses you know.” Fifteen minutes of twitchy, fidgeting research later: “Now, think about all the slogans we just read. Would you like to revise YOUR slogan a little bit?” “No. […]
First attempt Mom: “Don’t start writing. Put your pencil down and let’s talk about this. What kind of business would you like to have?” Sawyer: “Toys R Us.” Mom: “We already have Toys R Us stores. Let’s think about something that we don’t have.” Sawyer: “An Amazon store so you don’t have to wait a […]
When one of my older children entered middle school, they surprised everyone by immediately having failing grades in their classes. We hopped on the online grade book and discovered that this child wasn’t turning in homework or projects. Tests and quiz grades were stellar. Homework was a consistent F. Since we knew the homework was […]
Me: “A green, framed “Leaves of Grass” poster would look great in our bedroom.” Professor Teen: “Leaves of Grass? Is that a book or something?” Me: “Are you joking?” Professor Teen: “No.”
Knox County Schools has one school that, despite being loved, continues to struggle with standardized tests. Because the tests we use don’t measure all of the outside factors influencing test performance, schools working with the neediest populations get labeled as failing. So, drastic changes must take place within that school building in an attempt to […]
It is no secret that I have a love/hate relationship with Pinterest. When an elementary school teacher sends out an email request that parents do the projects that she pins on her boards, I hate Pinterest. Pinterest is a fun place to see collections of interesting ideas. Trying to recreate the projects is frustrating and […]
I like the people currently serving on our School Board. I don’t have to agree with everything they say and do. I believe that their intention is to work with the limitations they are given to do what is in the best interests of students. My trust in them is not given blindly. There are […]
The first school day after a horrific mass murder in an elementary school, you latched on media accusations that the shooter had Asperger’s and assigned your students to write a three paragraph essay about it. The following day, you attached a very vague article about changes to the DSM to the assignment. Autism is a […]
PTSA Book Drive 2012
Schools in our area are averse to allowing students to wear their Halloween costumes to school. Their brilliant solution to children with costumes and treats on the brains is to have students dress as a book character or a dead author or a career that interests them. This might be a fun assignment if parents […]