Comments for When the hurly-burly's done

Comment on A memo of my own by Lahiri & Calvino « rhinosplode

Lahiri & Calvino « rhinosplode — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 22:10:39 +0000

[...] to read until I fell asleep. I wound up finishing Six Memos for the Next Millenium, about which I’ve written before. The last lecture in the book, “Multiplicity,” made the whole reading experience [...]

Comment on What counts by Successful life « rhinosplode

Successful life « rhinosplode — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 22:10:03 +0000

[...] while ago, I wrote about things that helped get me through the day. I stand by them still, and I think they are a major contributing factor to my success. But there [...]

Comment on A weekend in the city by Four days. Four plays. « rhinosplode

Four days. Four plays. « rhinosplode — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 23:10:13 +0000

[...] days. Four plays. Posted in Soujourns by Jeff on August 8th, 2007 David’s comment reminds me that I haven’t blogged in a few days, and that in the intervening time I’ve [...]

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Comment on Common sense by Ryan Haid

Ryan Haid — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 01:33:28 +0000

In an ideal world, students would naturally develop a throbbing intellectual curiosity, and would be constantly motivated in a classroom by a mere passion for learning. Pragmatically speaking, however, this is not the case, and this is why liberating the education system is such a complex matter. What would happen to the majority of students that lack this drive and curiosity if teachers truly began to disregard the factors that currently “rank” students? Wouldn’ they be “left behind”? In my opinion, the attached societal importance to “grades” and other quantitative factors that establish a type of hierarchy create a “niche” for formal assessment, thereby motivating students in a competitive, slightly malicious way.

Yes, it’s a little sickening. Part of me wonders if we’re not better off sticking with this traditional system, however. Perhaps that’s just my inner cynic speaking.

I do love that Ayers quote about teachers becoming students of students, though. What a fascinating thought–a world in which the nature of the student-teacher relationship is fundamentally modified only to become the very basis for classroom motivation and prosperity.

If only our nation were ready for Ayers’ idealized view of education.

Comment on Back from Mexico by The _______ of 2007 « rhinosplode

The _______ of 2007 « rhinosplode — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 15:30:46 +0000

[...] spare you the suspense. Everything was fine: The trip was incredible. I’d never encountered the poverty of the developing world first-hand [...]

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Comment on In which I jump into a fairly uncivil argument about the most important topic I can imagine by Just in time for summer vacation: CAPT results are in « rhinosplode

Just in time for summer vacation: CAPT results are in « rhinosplode — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 15:22:54 +0000

[...] right now, about whether No Child Left Behind is designed to save or destroy our schools. That’s been covered enough, and I really don’t want to dive into it [...]

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Comment on Just in time for summer vacation: CAPT results are in by Welcome to the desert of the real « rhinosplode

Welcome to the desert of the real « rhinosplode — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:54:10 +0000

[...] But the effect on the students is going to be a lot more powerful. It’s not just that it eliminates the need for students to write down homework assignments–that’s nothing. That’s a smokescreen. What the Portal does is directly contradict Constructivist philosophy and pedagogy, which is the same philosophy and pedagogy that the CAPT test is based on. Yep, that same CAPT that is a graduation requirement for all Connecticut high school students, and the same CAPT that we’re getting hammered on because our scores have fallen somewhat. [...]

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Comment on Radiolab (or, my current obsession) by On my mind right now (in no particular order) | When the hurly-burly's done

On my mind right now (in no particular order) | When the hurly-burly's done — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 01:09:44 +0000

[...] new season of Radiolab starts soon. Why should you care? Because it’s the most compelling media thing out there now that The Wire is [...]

Comment on Perhaps we should stop selling this product to children in our school cafeteria. by Ben Wildeboer

Ben Wildeboer — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 19:19:48 +0000

Maybe we should go back to soda pop. At least that was up front about how it’d kill you.

Comment on Anybody seen my mind? by CJ Reynolds

CJ Reynolds — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 15:32:49 +0000

Man it was nice to read this. I had a similar situation last year when I was doing Romeo and Juliet with my class and I thought my project was going to turn out to be a disaster. Before reading and performing the play we made out classroom into The Globe Theater. We had a balcony, the painted ceiling, the tomb, and whatever else the kids thought of. I kept encouraging the kids to think big and assured them that we could create whatever they could imagine. They imagined big and we were often at school at 6am until 6pm. At the same time other teachers weren’t sure what we were doing. The lunch ladies loved it though. They thought it was the best thing they ever saw. It ended up turning out better than we could have dreamed. The reading of the play was outstanding and the kids are still talking about it this year.
Thanks for your post. Thanks for teaching bravely.