Author Archives: Mike

Darrel Deide on Teachers’ Unions

In The Idaho Statesman’s Reader’s View of 10-9-2011, Darrel Deide makes several assertions about teachers’ unions that deserve examination. Is the teachers’ union (IEA)  a monopoly, as Deide says it is? Yes, in the sense that the other large teachers’ … Continue reading

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Ten Best Westerns

In my humble opinion, that is. Number one is always number one. The rest are in no particular order and on another day might fall off the list and be replaced. > > 1. The Searchers 1956 > > 2. … Continue reading

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Parent Involvement

Idaho law now requires that school districts adopt some sort of pay-for-performance plan. At first glance, it seems simple: you pay those who perform, and you do not pay those who don’t. Actually, at this point, it starts to get … Continue reading

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A Link Worth Following

You all have probably gathered by now from my rants that the world of school is not easily walked away from. You have probably gathered that I have little use for the school “reform” movement, which, in the cynicism of geezerhood, … Continue reading

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In Class With Mr. Jackson

I just finished listening to The Story, a syndicated interview program, carried by our local public radio station. Ruben Jackson changed careers, leaving a job at the Smithsonian for teaching English in high school. He found himself in front of … Continue reading

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Computers in a Classroom

While on a recent vacation, I indulged myself by reading as many as three newspapers a day, none of them my hometown paper. They were Seattle Times, Wenatchee World, and USA Today. During the course of my vacation, I forget … Continue reading

Posted in Curriculum, Education Reform | 1 Comment

Quasi-haiku

The haiku is probably the most popular poetic form in English, never mind its native Japanese. Its appeal lies in its brevity and apparent simplicity. It would seem to be an easy kind of poem to write, a kind of … Continue reading

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Finland

They say that comparisons are odious. Nevertheless, the educational achievements of Finland and the U. S. are frequently compared by Reformists (Politicians, Pundits, Polemicists, and all too many Professors who should know better and perhaps do), and the U. S. … Continue reading

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Khan Academy

The August, 2011 Wired article, “The New Way To Be a Fifth Grader” is subtitled “How the Khan Academy is changing the rules of education.”  It may be doing that, or more likely it is not, but certainly there is … Continue reading

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Re-inventing Herb

Yesterday, at Winco, I was thumbing through the August Wired, which I seldom buy. My eye was caught by an article, “The New Way To Be a Fifth Grader,” and I took it home.  A breath of fresh air! In an … Continue reading

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