Now that the cold weather has arrived, you should grab a cup of something hot (hot chocolate is my preference) and dive into some of the interesting articles I encountered this past month
Beyond Battles, Boogers and Pranks
A mother discusses her son’s growing interest in emotionally complex early chapter books with girl protagonists. She wonders why teachers and librarians steer boys almost exclusively toward gross, silly, and action oriented books. Most boys don’t have adults reading complex early chapter books to them. Maybe her son’s complex reading tastes are more a reflection of her investment in his reading identify and appreciation of literature rather than a blanket statement about the limited nature of boy centric chapter books. What do you think? Read more
Why I Dread Returning to an American Public School
The American mother of an elementary school-aged daughter is returning to the states from Munich. She contemplates the high taxes paid in both countries, and the well-funded extra services and breadth of educational extra-curricular activities provided in Germany. Read more
The Digital Gap Between Rich and Poor Kids Is Not What We Expected
The digital divide used to be about access to technology for children of low and middle class families. As wealthier families return to toys and human interaction, the digital divide has morphed to include limiting screen time. With many low income families struggling to make ends meet, a wide range of devices have essentially become babysitters and in many schools shiny eLearning tools and curriculums have replaced direct instruction from trained educators. Read more
We Need Black Men to Step Up and Become Teachers
School districts have to do more to attract and retain black male teachers, especially during the early grades. A black student teacher named Dennis Richmond, Jr. shares his experience working in a 4th grade classroom in Yonkers, NY. I think that a key to improving diversity may lie not in the countless reasons why many Black men choose not to teach but in the reasons some do. Read more
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