There was a stretch of time during my classroom teaching years when I was running on a track parallel to my daughters’ school lives. There’s a three-grade difference between them so, for example, when Adina was in the fourth grade, Elana was in first grade. Because of my own changes of schools and teaching assignments, I wound up teaching children in grades that matched the grade that one of them...
Shortly after I awoke yesterday, I witnessed a glorious moment. From our east windows, I could see the sun just bursting over the horizon, throwing a dazzling yellow/orange glow on the walls of our bedroom. At the same moment, from an adjoining room I could see from a west window the full moon heading toward the opposite horizon. This juxtaposition is hardly as rare as a solar eclipse, but I felt...
Some weeks ago, I wrote a depressing entry about the University of Chicago’s apparent plan to dismantle its Urban Teacher Education Program (UTEP). As one of the founders of the program my reactions are clearly biased, but I consider this a grievous and short-sighted decision, particularly at a time when we are facing unprecedented teacher shortages and a generally demoralized work force. UTEP...
I am a WW2 baby. I was born in July 1939, just six weeks before Germany invaded Poland, marking the official beginning of the conflict that was the background music to the first six years of my life. In fact, that music has accompanied me for all of my 83 years. For a Jewish child, WW2 and the Holocaust were synonymous. I was too young to understand the pall it cast over our family life but...
Today I want to introduce you to one of the most amazing people I know, not just because of how extraordinary she is but because she’s involved in something very important that you should know about. I’ve been working with Lisa Vahey for more than twenty years, ever since we were involved in a group called The New Teacher Network. NTN provided support for beginning teachers committed to working...