October 27, 2010

I was just reading Alison's (I hope you don't mind, but I am including a link to your blog:  http://missmannello.blogspot.com/  ) regarding school policy, the few controlling the desires of the many, and quantity over quality... and I must say that I agree with what she is saying.

• RE/Halloween:  Our school still allows costumes - encourages it even, with numerous awards for both students and teachers!  They are part of our school spirit (nice word for this event, yes?) and a way to break the monotony of day-to-day classes.  There is no religious or belief aspect to it, just a day to break the mold...  to look outside of the box while continuing with our daily grind.  The History Channel had a real neat documentary on the History of Halloween the other night, all the way back to its pre-Catholic origin, and its relation to All Saints Day / All Souls Day.  While I would not show the whole episode in the classroom, it might be a way to demonstrate the history of some of our "holidays".
• Here is a website to one of the segments of this program:  http://www.history.com/topics/halloween/videos#halloweens-origins

• As for quantity over quality... Three years ago JS instigated a new system of lesson plans, where we had to define and answer a series of "essential questions" for each lesson, answer them, content listing, skills, assessments, learning plans (by day), then match them up with both academic and sci/tech standards.  We had "x" amount of time to do this, then submit it for approval, then resubmit, etc.  This in addition to normal class duties.  Now, less than a year after this was all completed (including all of the revisions), the DO and the School Board have deduced that this format is no longer "up to date" with the current "theories" of "education", and we have to totally rewrite everything.  In other words, we just spent 2-3 years waisting valuable time detailing our lessons, and the same will probably happen in the near future.  All for the sake of showing how JS is "up to date" with current "educational theories" on teaching...

• God save me from politicians and people who think that they know what is best for everyone... wait a minute, are they not one and the same?

• Thought for the day:
• God made the Idiot for practice, and then He made the School Board.   Mark Twain