Standing Up Instead of Standing By: The Heart of the Classroom

Six high school students have been charged following a long investigation into the tragic suicide of fifteen year-old Phoebe Prince who killed herself on January 14 after being bullied in school, on Facebook, and through text messages in South Hadley, Massachusetts.  As reported by WWLP News:
District Attorney Scheibel said that Phoebe was bullied regularly for [...]

“The Distractible Generation”

Heard this term? I observed a striking example of this definition of our young people in action as I sat at the back of a group of nearly 100 fifth graders watching and listening to the President’s “First day of School” address September 8th (see previous blog entry).
The group was attentive and respectful, but when [...]

The Pace of School: Some Questions

If slowing the pace of school to improve teaching and learning sounds like an idea that makes sense to you, read on.
It may sound good to try slowing down, but it’s easier said than done. While we wish as teachers and administrators that we had more time to breathe and could make that possible for [...]

Time and Learning: The Developmental View

Are you at all bothered by the rush of the school day or the pace of our children’s lives? Can children’s brains and bodies accept the media and technology barrage in a healthy way as they merge onto this so-called “superhighway”?
I am writing for and you are reading and responding to a “blog,” something none [...]

Fine Motor Skills in Older Children: Writing, Drawing, and Videogames

Yes, it’s true. All that time with video games does increase the fine motor skills of children, but that doesn’t mean we should be rushing to sit young children in front of the computer for more than a half-hour a day. Older children will benefit from such practice and as we know will sit in [...]