GranolaBox

I’ve been back to work at school now for a week, which is why I haven’t been writing. This year it was particularly hard to go back to work because for the first time in 15 years or so I actually had the whole summer off. People always comment that it must be great to [...]

Filed under: Teaching on September 11th, 2007 | 1 Comment »

The following letter appeared in a small town newspaper, The Gates-Chili Post, in 1994 by Jean A. Black, CPA. Ms. Black was one of the most outspoken teacher bashers of her era, and this letter provoked a firestorm of response from local teachers. “Teachers Wanted” Applications now being accepted. Bachelor’s degree required and must work [...]

Filed under: General Observations, Teaching on August 4th, 2007 | Add Comment! »

I don’t know why, but there seems to be a big difference between the senseless killing at Virginia Tech and the shootings at Columbine almost 8 years ago to the day. As a high school teacher, the killing at Columbine filled me with instant horror. I teach in a suburban high school with just as [...]

Filed under: General Observations, Teaching on April 17th, 2007 | Add Comment! »

One summer I worked in a Delphi Automotive factory as part of a “show the teacher the real world” type program. It was sponsored jointly by the United Auto Workers and the management of the company. The purpose was to show teachers what technological skills were necessary for the workplace by employing us for the [...]

Filed under: General Observations, Teaching on April 5th, 2007 | Add Comment! »

When I teach my students about the Monroe Doctrine I tell them this story from my childhood. As with any good fable some of the details are embellished to protect and/or immortalize the innocent. For those who weren’t paying attention that day in American History class, the Monroe Doctrine was President James Monroe’s assertion in [...]

Filed under: History, Teaching on March 20th, 2007 | Add Comment! »

I’ve been kind of at odds with my union lately. It seems to me that in my experience with unions, which includes the National Education Association and the United Auto Workers, that unions can be at worst a reactionary force that turns back the wheels of progress, or at best, mindless defenders of the status [...]

Filed under: Politics, Teaching on March 18th, 2007 | Add Comment! »