Nancy E. Bailey's Blog, page 69

Student Socialization in Public Schools

Socialization you could say is how a child interacts with their peers. There are many definitions, but in school, socialization mostly involves how children play and get along with each other. We think of recess when considering socialization. We wonder how much socialization children miss when they don’t get recess. Public schools can go a […]

Teacher Concerns about Age Discrimination and the Teacher Shortage

Many teachers raised concerns about age discrimination relating to the current teacher shortage after a recent post. I gathered what I had learned and I have added additional information. I also provide links at the bottom to other important articles about this topic. It is important to state that older teachers want to encourage young […]

Destroying Special Education through Common Core Testing and Funding Cuts

Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see. ~Mark Twain The U.S. Department of Education says higher expectations mean more tests for students with disabilities (with Common Core’s PARCC and Smarter Balance), and college for everyone. Along with this, we are also watching serious funding cuts to special education […]

School Choice v. Local Control—Oil and Water!

Republican Presidential candidates claim to be for choice, including vouchers, charters and opportunity scholarships, and they also claim to be for local control of schools. But school choice and local control are like oil and water. You must choose one or the other. For example, Brandon Wright, in “Donald Trump Quotes about Education” from The […]

Capstone—Should Middle and High School Students Do a Thesis?

A good parent, who cares about her kids and is savvy about what is happening with school reform, asked me if I knew anything about capstone projects. She’s concerned and I don’t blame her. For years, the Great Schools Partnership has been pushing middle and high school students to do a capstone project much like […]

Teacher Age Discrimination During a So-Called Teacher Shortage

Jeb Bush is 62. Hillary Clinton is 67. Donald Trump is 69 and Bernie Sanders is 73. If these individuals were teaching in a public school, and not famous politicians, what would you bet that they’d still be working? How many older teachers do you know who are still teaching? While there is much gnashing […]

Got Art? How Much Art Do Students Get in School?

I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way – things I had no words for. Georgia O’Keeffe The new school year is starting and I’d like to hear how much art students get? Do children in preschool do art? Kindergartners—how much art will they find between […]

Georgia’s Problem with Students with Behavioral Disabilities is Everyone’s Problem

How does one teach a student who shows up at school angry, defiant and/or sullen and depressed, who might hear voices—who acts so atypical that there is worry they might lash out at other students or hurt themselves? When they throw a chair, strike another child, or teacher, or hit their head repeatedly against the […]

Facing Chris Christie Clones Who Bully Teachers

It would be one thing if Gov. Chris Christie’s latest statement that the teachers’ union “deserved a punch in the face,” was some lone comment by one irate individual. But the sad fact is there are more Christies out there! The friction between Christie and the teachers’ union runs deep, but don’t forget the other […]

Common Core and Close Reading: Shouldn’t College Work Stay in College?

Common Core English Language Arts uses close reading even in the early grades. What some might not realize is close reading comes from college. If you Google “college and close reading,” numerous PDF files and websites surface about how to teach college students close reading, and if you Google “kindergarten and close reading” almost an […]