This weekend, I was asked: What do you wish you had known when you first started teaching economics? Although there are plenty of economics concepts I wish I’d understood better back in 2002, like the relationship between bonds and interest rates, how to calculate terms of trade, what a liquidity trap is (I told kids…
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What makes history stick
When I was in high school, I found history pretty dull. We spent a lot of time listening to lectures, watching filmstrips, taking notes, and regurgitating facts onto tests. Only a small fraction of our time was spent debating historical questions (should we have dropped the bomb?) or participating in simulations (like a constitutional convention)…
Read MoreShow kids the possibilities
Silver Falls State Park, the site of the wedding Last weekend, I went to a former student’s wedding in Oregon. In high school, she was a journalism kid, a writer who was always interested in other people, especially the underdogs. She wrote a particularly compelling editorial — after a school shooting in rural Minnesota —…
Read MoreAre there good reasons to miss class?
No one likes it when students are out of class. Absenteeism is a big reason students fall behind (and fail), and it’s frustrating when students miss instruction, can’t grasp the material independently and then require our help outside of school hours. But what about when they are absent for a “good reason”? When I was…
Read MoreA perfect place to learn
Last week, I experienced the ideal learning environment. For five days, I learned Spanish at an adult immersion program in Samara Beach, Costa Rica. The fresh air, the warm sun, the sound of the ocean, the small classes (just six students with an instructor), and the motivated students were all big factors — and ones…
Read MoreWhy err on the side of a noisy classroom
I’ve always felt a little embarrassed about my classroom management style. I know if many of my colleagues walked in during class — especially at the beginning — they would be appalled. It doesn’t look like I’m running a tight ship. They would probably wonder: Why aren’t those kids in their seats when the bell…
Read MoreLike so much that’s worth learning, trade is complicated
Teachers spend a lot of time trying to break down difficult concepts and make them easier for our students to digest, but what about when the truth is just complicated? How can we combat the crisis of oversimplification in this country and get our kids to muddle around in complexity? This weekend, I taught my…
Read More‘Flush with funds’ sounds nice
My school district spends about $13,000/student each year. President Trump’s children went to private schools that cost $30,000-$50,000. Baron’s elementary school in New York charges $47,000 per student this year. So I wonder what our president means when he says our public schools are “flush with funds”? I wonder what it would be like to…
Read MoreReady? Yeah, right
First day of second semester, and I arrived at school feeling so ready. First semester finals graded ✔ Moodle course site updated ✔ Chromebooks assigned ✔ Textbooks ready to check out ✔ Seating charts carefully designed and printed ✔ Lesson plans ready ✔ What could possibly go wrong? If you’re a teacher, you know the…
Read MoreLearning history in the present
Women marched peacefully on Saturday to demonstrate pride and autonomy — and to let President Trump know they won’t stand for any rollback of women’s rights. Or, women marched and destroyed property Saturday to whine about losing the election. Or, women marched Saturday as dupes of outside forces, including radical Islam. Which version do you…
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MARTHA RUSH 