Nancy E. Bailey's Blog, page 72
May 24, 2015
Memorial Day Tribute to Staff Sgt. Morgan Deshawn Kennon (1980-2003)
Like many, I hate war. I don’t understand why we haven’t evolved to a better civilization after all this time. As an educator, I am saddened especially by all the young lives that have been lost throughout the years. Whether you agree with the circumstances surrounding a war, or not, the sacrifices soldiers make should […]
May 21, 2015
The Scientific BS Surrounding Common Core and Teaching Vocabulary
I am going to be a BS detector. The Common Core State Standards are made to appear complicated. Fancy codes and scientific sounding big words are used to wow the public. But if you look at the standards, they’re nothing innovative or new! Take vocabulary. Teachers have been teaching vocabulary since the beginning of time. […]
May 18, 2015
The Common Core “Deep Learning” Message that All Students are Gifted is Wrong
…in the ordinary elementary school situation, children of 140 IQ waste half their time. Those of 170 IQ waste practically all their time. — gifted education pioneer Leta Hollingworth, found in Genius Denied, by Jan and Bob Davidson A recent report implied that with the right kind of environment and “deep learning” everyone can be […]
May 15, 2015
The WAR REPORT ON PUBLIC EDUCATION
I am honored to be invited to talk with Dr. James Avington Miller Jr. on his popular radio program. Call in and chat with us. This Sunday, May 17 at 2:00pm PST / 4:00pm Central/ 5:00pm Eastern on ‘THE WAR REPORT ON PUBLIC EDUCATION’ on BBS Radio – ‘A Conversation with Nancy E. Bailey’ an […]
May 12, 2015
Don’t Teachers Know How to Teach Reading?
To hear parents and the media talk, teachers don’t know how to teach reading. In Alabama, Education Week is bragging about a $48 million literacy program. It teaches teachers how to teach reading. Why? I find it a strange phenomenon. Reading instruction and identifying reading problems used to be a large part of learning how […]
May 10, 2015
Serving Moms of Students with Special Needs in Public Schools
This Mother’s Day I thought I’d direct my attention to moms who have students with special needs, and ask, “How could public schools do a better job of helping them out?” Of course this relates to dads too, but usually moms are more on the front line and it is their day! Education Secretary Arne […]
May 5, 2015
25 Reasons Why You Should Appreciate Public School Teachers
Please feel free to add to this list in the comment section. Teachers in public school teach all children—they reject no one. Teachers choose teaching because of their subject and mostly because they like the students. Teachers don’t pick their careers for the money. Their teaching is free (well except for AP). Many teachers pay-out-of-pocket […]
May 2, 2015
Dyslexia and Teachers in a World with No Special Education
What happens to students with dyslexia and learning disabilities when there are no more special education services? This from a teacher in Mississippi: I am an Inclusion teacher at my son’s high school. Our special ed department lost a certified position and two paraprofessional positions. Students receive services, but we have cut our presence in […]
April 29, 2015
The Library Stayed Open in Baltimore…
Last night, a former librarian whom I’ve gotten to know through FB, posted an article about how the library did not close in Baltimore during the height of the unrest. I found this almost spiritual in its significance. Libraries to me are filled with hope and meaning. The library also stayed open in Ferguson during […]
April 28, 2015
Recess and Behavior Problems: Foolproof Methods to Help Students Succeed
This will be my last post for those teachers who asked what they could do to deal with a student’s behavior if they didn’t use recess as a carrot for behavior. Troubling student behavior in today’s overcrowded, diverse classrooms is a huge problem for many teachers. I struggled even with smaller class sizes in special […]
