Education Blog
Working Hard at Enjoying Ourselves
I remember often talking with my students about those times of life when you’re able to say, “Whoa. I’m having a time of my life at this moment.” Face it: most days are relatively routine and mundane. More broadly, whole stretches of time can be rather unremarkable.
But these are not those times.
Something collective is happening. I see it in people’s tweets. I can see it on the faces of coworkers. I hear it in conversations. And I feel it myself. The phrase “in these rough economic times” has become some sort of ubiquitous mantra that permeates just about everything that we experience and sense in our lives. Not to be macabre, but it feels as though the world is playing itself out on a darkly hued backdrop that somehow affects nearly every facet of our lives – personally and collectively.
Of greatest concern to me is that even joy seems to be playing out on a landscape marked by general tension.
On my podium for years hung a cheesy, tattered poster.
Read More >>Reading for (Dis)Pleasure?
I was listening to this fantastic interview of Nancie Atwell and Mark Bauerline on Minnesota Public Radio's "Midmorning" show last week.
From the MPR website:
Read More >>Homework: Watch T.V.
Hello everyone.
One thing you don’t see enough of in mass media is a realistic depiction of American school life. Movies, t.v. shows, and most print media is usually either amazingly negative or overwhelmingly melodramatic.
So when you find a program that seems to be neither, it’s worthy of note.
PBS is airing a documentary called The Principal Story starting Tuesday, September 15. It looks utterly compelling.
As you visit the site, notice too that even prior to its airing, there’s already a robust debate in the comments section.
Here’s PBS’s description of the show:
_The Principal Story tells two stories, painting a dramatic portrait of the challenges facing America’s public schools — and of the great difference a dedicated principal can make.
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Let the kids PLAY!
Well there you have it. Week one of school is over for my two sons. In case some of you were wondering about how my kindergartner’s first week went, he has flown threw delightfully. By morning two he pretty much rushed out the door without remembering to say good bye. I guess that’s a good thing? Today he’s having hot lunch: shrimp poppers. Each little milestone has some significance, today’s being his first exposure to shrimp.
Each day ends of course with mom and dad asking, “How was your day at school?” Our 4th grader is able to give a pretty good account of the minutiae that makes up a day at school. The kindergartner? Not so much. We’re not really sure how’s it going. He hasn’t really told us.
But we do hear about recess.
The boys have a bit of overlap at recess, which means that our younger son immediately ditches his classmates and runs over to join in with his brother and his friends.
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First Day of School: The Saga Begins
I’d post about educational policy or workplace climate or some other topic. If I could form a full sentence. But I can’t. My younger son is halfway through his first day of kindergarten, and I can’t stop thinking about him.
He got on the bus today with his 4th grade brother, eyes full of nerves, excitement, confusion, and maybe a tinge of sadness. All of this was apropos, considering my wife and I had a similar melange of emotions running through us – especially the sadness part.
I remember when our first son went onto the school bus for his first day of kindergarten. Someone had told us that the years leading up to school sort of crawled by and that once school years started time would fleet by alarmingly quickly. Considering he’s now starting 4th grade, that has certainly held true.
We were also told that he would somehow be different at the end of his first day of school than he was at the beginning.
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As a former teacher, I’ve seen first-hand the issues that educators face every day. I hope that by writing this blog, I can share some insights (as well as a sense of humor) on teacher job satisfaction and school climate, and spark conversation about how to improve our schools.
—Nathan Eklund, M.Ed
Senior Education Consultant
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