Education & Career Blog

Don't stop learning just because school is out!

Here are some ways to keep the kids - and the teachers - learning all summer long!

1. Make the most of vacation trips. Let kids help figure out the itinerary, the money, and the stops along the way. Use maps and travel brochures to brush up on those geography and money skills. Teachers: plan visits to historic or interesting stopovers that you can incorporate into your lessons next school year.

2. Read, read, read! Summer is a great time for reading. Join summer reading clubs at your library or youth center. Read those books you didn't get to all year. Teachers: use this time to read the books you'll be teaching next year - reading is much easier during leisure time.

3. Work on math skills. Use any opportunity to brush up on basic math - count cars on a road trip, plan a shopping list, figure out coupons - the possibilities are endless.

4. Exercise! Here's one for all the gym teachers out there. Summer is a great time to play those games you learned all year in school. Get some friends together for a game of dodge-ball or tag. Keep those muscles tones so you are ready for Phys Ed in the fall.

5. For more great ideas, visit our many Education topics - our writers have summer on their minds and great articles and blogs to keep your summer filled with fun and learning!

ClickN' READ Phonics is a new online phonics program that promises great results for homeschoolers and classrooms alike.

Using ClickN' READ Phonics, "children in a home school environment can now be taught by a nationally recognized research professor because the program not only simulates live classroom reading instruction but every word spoken by ClickN KID, the onscreen instructor, was written by Dr. J. Ron Nelson" says Alan Scalone, President of ClickN' KIDS, Inc. in an emailed press release.

Educators and homeschoolers can judge the value of ClickN' Read for themselves. The website has information on phonics research, testimonials and sample lessons to try.

The place of phonics instruction in the classroom is debatable, but ClickN' READ Phonics is one option that teachers and homeschoolers may want to investigate further.

It's that time of year - the end of school is in sight or here in some places. Are you thinking of giving a special teacher a gift as a remembrance of this school year?

I just finished reading a wonderful book that would be a perfect gift for any teacher. Lessons with Love: Tales of Teaching and Learning in a Small-Town High School is a great memoir written by veteran teacher Marianne Love. In it she recounts some of the humorous, poignant and memorable events that marked her 33 year teaching career in the same school she attended as a child.

In Lessons with Love, Marianne takes us back to her own school days and then describes her transition from student to teacher. Some of her vignettes are hilarious - like the pie eating contest that went awry. How many of us teachers has a moment like that stored in our memory bank - that day when you thought everything was planned and suddenly those kids take a turn that leads to near disaster. Luckily for Marianne, her principal was humane and understanding!

Another was the story of the outpouring of love shown to the Love family after their home caught fire. The generosity of her students and their families was heartwarming.

Many of Marianne's lessons ring true - especially this one: "Students can have far more interesting dimensions than those we ever see in the classroom." Great advice for any teacher to keep in mind.

The book ends with the top 10 memories of a 33-year career. We all have our own list, but reading hers was very insightful.

Lessons with Love is available from Keokee Books. It would make a wonderful end of the year gift for any teacher!

For another great teacher gift idea, see my article Mentors, Masters and Mrs. MacGregor.

In March, New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo initiated a probe into misleading and possibly criminal practices in the student-loan industry. It seems that in some cases, colleges and universities were offered kickbacks for placing certain banks and financial institutions on the colleges' preferred lender list.

"Cuomo told the House of Representatives Education and Labor Committee that his inquiry has found two main problem areas - improper links between colleges and banks that lend money to students; and improper links between individual financial aid officers and lending banks." [CNNMoney.com]

Settlements have already been reached with several lending institutions and universities, but Cuomo has indicated that charges may be filed for others who have clearly violated consumer lending law in New York State.

So, what is a student to do? First - don't assume that a lender on a college preferred list is really a preferred lender. Before choosing any lender - ask questions, shop around for the best rates, and be sure you understand the repayment rules. Don't enter into any agreement based solely on whether a lender is recommended by your college. As we've seen, there are often many reasons a college is recommending a lender - some of which have nothing at all to do with providing you a better deal on a loan.

We woke up to more snow again this morning, and the list of school closing was scrolling across the local news. Snow days in April? A bit unusual, but this has been a weird year for weather.

So how do you get the kids back on track tomorrow? Use the snow day to your advantage.

Read some great snowy books:

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats is one of the most famous books about snow days. It is written for younger students, but older ones will enjoy it, too.

Snow Day! by Patricia Lakin and Scott Nash tells how a group of crocodile children make the most of a snow day.

A Snowy Day by Robin Nelson is a non-fiction look at the reasons for snow. It is written for ages 4-8.

Teach an impromptu weather lesson:

Once you've set the stage by reading one of these great stories, you may want to move on to a lesson on weather - why does it snow, where does it snow, what are some snowy day records?

Use your science text or an online source such as The Weather Channel. Local TV stations often have Weather Classroom types of websites to refer to as well.

Link science and literature:

Looking for more ways to link science and literature on the topic of weather. See Rainy, Windy, Snowy, Sunny Days: Linking Fiction to Nonfiction by Phyllis J Perry or Snowy Day Stories and Poems by Caroline Feller Bauer and Margot Tomes for some great ideas.

Make it colorful:

Finally, decorate your classroom windows with handmade May flowers to help ward off the April Snow Day blues.

*Note: All books cited are available at Amazon.com.

Yesterday an email arrived from a friend of ours. It looked like one of those infuriating nonsense emails that are endlessly forwarded around, so I didn't bother to open it.

Being from a friend, my husband opened it, and after reading it, he left it open on the computer for me to read. I'm glad I did.

It is about a prospective teacher applicant's reaction to hearing some of the job description. It reads in part:

"Let me see if I've got this right: You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their T-shirt messages, and instill in them a love for learning?"

It goes on to enumerate some of the many responsibilities teachers have each day. They include teaching them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play. Teachers are also asked to check students heads for lice, teach them to balance a checkbook, check their backpacks for weapons and encourage self esteem.

Teachers must also communicate with parents, deal with handicaps and make sure students pass state-mandated exams.

It ends by saying "You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a blackboard, a bulletin

board, a few books, a big smile, and a starting salary that qualifies me for food stamps."

Lots of truth in that funny email. Teachers must do all that and so much more. Are we up to the task - or should I say many, many tasks? In this day and age, we can't afford to not be!

Computer simulations, classroom technology, after school programs, gender issues…all of these topics are in the education news, and teachers can read about them in recent issues of Edutopia, a free magazine published monthly by the George Lucas Educational Foundation.

Edutopia, in print and digital formats, and its related website, edutopia.org, are dedicated to innovation in education. Subscriptions are free to those in the education field.

The George Lucas Educational Foundation was established in 1991 as a way to promote inspirational and innovative teaching methods and programs. According to George Lucas himself, “Public education is the foundation of our democracy…Our Foundation documents and disseminates the most exciting classrooms where these innovations are taking place. By shining the spotlight on these inspiring teachers and students, we hope others will consider how their work can promote change in their own schools.” [A Word From George Lucas]

The Edutopia website offers much in addition to articles and information found in the print edition. On the site you’ll find a complete video library of education-related topics, a multimedia page with slide shows to supplement articles, free teaching modules that can be downloaded and used in classrooms, a compilation of articles on priority topics and a community resource page with blogs, polls and opinion pieces.

To subscribe to Edutopia, visit the subscription page online or write to: Edutopia c/o The George Lucas Educational Foundation, P.O. Box 5042, Brentwood, TN 37024-9317

Is cursive handwriting the next casualty of the Internet-technology age? Do you still teach your students to write in cursive?

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, cursive handwriting is no longer being taught in many schools and in 2005, "of the nearly one and a half million students who took the SAT, only 15 percent used cursive on the essay portion..."

That seems shocking to me. I grew up in the day of script handwriting practice with ink pens (not quills - but nearly!). We practiced our round letters and upswing connecting strokes with great diligence, and all had credible if not lovely handwriting. Just look at the old letters written in a hand that is both enviable and artistic.

When I began teaching, I not only taught cursive writing, but I also had to learn to write legibly and beautifully on the chalkboard - being sure that my sentences didn't run downhill.

When I first got my computer and began using it to compose online, I had a hard time just typing in my thoughts. For many years, I hand wrote my articles by hand and then typed them in - it was a gradual process to be able to compose right online. I think there is some connection between the sweeping strokes and the thought flow.

Now the trend is for more keyboarding, more printing and less lovely writing. I wonder if there will be a downturn in creative thought as well?

On February 7, President Bush announced his proposed 2008 budget. In it, funding for Head Start progrmas was significantly reduced. In the proposed cutback, more than 30,000 at-risk children will lose access to Head Start and Early Head Start in 2008. This means that children who most need these services will not be able to receive them.



According to a 2003 Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) survey, “most children entering Head Start had early academic skills that were below national norms. However, by the end of the program, Head Start children showed gains in vocabulary, early math, writing skills, and other literacy-related areas. Head Start children also showed growth in their social skills which better prepares them for cooperative classroom learning.”



The new budget proposals will not only force Head Start programs around the country to have to cut back on services to maintain enrollment, it will now mean that many Head Start programs will be out of compliance with Head Start mandates and programs will need to reduce enrollment along with essential services.



For a list of some of the proposed impacts on state Head Start funding, see the Save Head Start press release.



For further reading on this important issue see:



Results: Head Start



Save Head Start

I've been seeing a lot of kids around during the day these days. Just yesterday - on Friday - we were skiing and there were literally hundreds of kids around. We ask - why aren't those kids in school?

I know that many children are homeschooled these days and that is great! But it seems that they aren't all skiing on the same day. There were many families out enjoying the skiing, so we started to wonder whether schools were staggering their mid-winter holiday breaks. Maybe the traditional Presidents' Week isn't so traditional anymore? Maybe Groundhog Day is now a holiday? Maybe those families all took their kids out of school for a long inter weekend? Something was definitely up.

So - when does your school have its mid-winter break? Is it the traditional Presidents' Week or another? Take our poll and let us know. We're curious - and hoping to explain the "why aren't those kids in school" phenomenon.