It's Not The Numbers That Will Change Schools: Principles for Principals
"Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value." Albert Einstein Just imagine you are a school principal and you attend a meeting with the superintendent and other...
View ArticleIs it still "what works in schools"?
“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” Albert Einstein We're in a period of time when we should think about "dog years" and not calendar years when...
View ArticleLearn with me, not like me
“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.” Albert Einstein How do you learn professionally? When do you learn professionally? With...
View ArticleOn the future of wars and schools
"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." Albert Einstein (1947) Ask a typical student (if there is such a thing as one) in...
View ArticleEvaluating teachers and quarterbacks
As a kid, I sort of cracked the code for the quarterback rating formula when I was in 4th grade or so. If you're interested in this story, you can check out my Learning As a Hobby post. I also had...
View ArticleMeasuring teacher quality and adding value
What makes a good teacher? I remember as a kid looking forward to having this teacher or dreading that one. I remember sitting in a high school math class bored beyond belief and writing down the...
View ArticleWatching the Clock
"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once." Albert Einstein This is the time of year when Virginia enforces a 4pm burn law. It's also the time of year when campgrounds...
View ArticleTime dilation, dog years, and our tolerance for rapid change
It's time to stop using time as an excuse. I used "The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once" as the Albert Einstein quote in my last blog post and am using if for this...
View ArticleNew Addition or New Edition?
One thing I love about my school district, is that I have opportunities to engage in the work with others on so many different levels. We're large enough that there is ALWAYS something going on that...
View ArticleMaking "School" Worth Remembering
"I never commit to memory anything that can easily be looked up in a book." Albert Einstein I was sitting in a school library today talking to a fellow "product of" turned "teacher in" Albemarle...
View ArticleOn Technology and Schools
It's pretty interesting to think about technology in schools these days. There is more stuff than there has ever been - in pockets, backpacks, and classrooms. There are more services to connect us to...
View ArticleYeah, but we will always need ditch diggers!
When talking on the topic of citizenship, workforce, and college readiness with a group of other educators recently, some one asked, "But what about the argument 'Yeah, but we will always need ditch...
View ArticleThat was great! Now what?
Like many school divisions across America, mine is just coming off of our two day fall leadership retreat. That was great! Now what? We were fortunate enough to be able to bring teacher leaders,...
View ArticleBloggers' Cafe at VSTE 2011
We are talking about how we find time for blogging and what our motivation is. Who do you blog for? What is your general style? Should we blow up the term "blog"? What should we replace it with?...
View ArticleToday's High School Kids
I had the great fortune to be at Educon 2.4 in Philly last weekend. Let me go on record AGAIN that the Science Leadership Academy kids are awesome! I spent the day with some of the most awesome kids...
View ArticleHow I Learn New Songs in 2012: A Technological Timeline and Call for More...
I have always loved to sing - sing along with Hee Haw, other tv shows, the radio, records/tapes/CDs, etc. I loved music class in elementary school and took band and “folk music” electives in middle...
View ArticleNone of us is as smart as all of us
I had a poster in my classroom that I have carried with me from office to office to office (I count 9 offices in 18 years) and it really sums up they way I think about learning and doing: None of us...
View ArticleThe Achievement Games
Last Sunday, I went to see "The Hunger Games." I haven't read any of the books, but I went with @paulawhite who has read them all. Since seeing the movie, I have viewed life through the lens of "The...
View ArticlePersonalized learning? What does THAT mean?
Education is always aflutter with new buzz words. Buzz words and phrases get bastardized as they are used in and out of different circles by people who have various depths of understanding about the...
View ArticleOxymoron or Potential Amplifier?
“That's awesome! Kids would love playing in a room like that,” said one teacher. Another teacher countered with, “Since when have kids had time to play at school? It's not on the SOL tests!” My...
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