Global Educator, Curriculum Developer, and Trainer
When I received an email last April about applications for the Young Economic Summit program, there was no question I wanted my students to participate. I’ll be honest – they had me at “Free trip to Germany.” I didn’t really think through the drawbacks, like planning for a sub (for a week!), preparing for the…
Read More
Time to take a deep breath. Yes, we are doing this. We are teaching online/blended/virtual/hybrid/whateveryoucallit and a little bit face-to-face, and we’re all feeling a little numb by now. We’re also starting to run into those nagging “how do I make this work?” questions that we weren’t thinking of during our two hours of tech…
Read More
Note to readers: Like every teacher I know, I am eager to get back in the classroom with students when it’s safe to do so. I deeply appreciate all of the educators nationwide who have protested the unreasonable expectations put on them and suffered the vitriol unleashed on them by those who don’t see COVID-19…
Read More
We use the word “rigorous” a lot in education — as in, “our students take rigorous courses” or “we have rigorous standards” — but what exactly does it mean? Is it a good thing? I looked up rigorous in a few dictionaries today, and among the definitions were words like “harsh,” “strict” and “severe.” Also,…
Read MoreWomen 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…
Read MoreBad news last week. My district’s school board has decided to delay implementation of later start times for high school students – a change that was scheduled for fall 2017. No reason was given, but I imagine it involved pushback by parents and teachers of elementary school kids, who don’t like the idea of their…
Read MoreI generally try to avoid politics in my blog. When it comes to education issues, I do not fully agree with either the Democrats or Republicans (or the Libertarians, Socialists or any other party). To say that unions are good or bad or that Common Core is good or bad or that charter schools are…
Read MoreWhat should a high school diploma mean? What should 12 years of public education add up to? In my view, it should mean you are ready for a job or for general postsecondary training. It should mean we have given you the appropriate skills for your next academic step. Not every graduate needs to be…
Read MoreIt’s fun to see colleagues around the country sharing their “teacher stats” as this school year kicks off. Here are a few of mine: 23rd year of teaching – 20th at Mounds View HS 3 schools: Wilbur Middle School, The Independent School and Mounds View HS Grades taught: 8-12 Favorite grade ever taught: 12 Subjects…
Read More
MARTHA RUSH 