Those were the days: my great aunt's recollection of school in the 1920s

My Great Aunt Doris was a school teacher. She has long since left us, but she wrote a short booklet of family memories back in 1983. One of those recollections, titled, "School and Careers", always struck me as both funny and sad and I have always wanted to share the story with others. Here is […]

Posted by milesmac on August 13th, 2016 | No Comments Posted in Pedagogy

Teachers and Shrodinger's Cat: Connected Educators on Social Media

If Shrodinger's cat would meow, we'd know whether it is alive or dead. If teachers talked about what they are doing in the classrooms... A report from the box would be helpful for everyone. Many connected educators are working to get out of the box, open the doors, tear down the walls, get out of the building, virtually and […]

Posted by milesmac on December 1st, 2012 | No Comments Posted in Pedagogy

Cdn Aboriginal Lit. for middle years makes Residential School issue accessible

In preparation for a Middle Years Aboriginal Literature meeting, I read My Name is SEEPEETZA by Shirley Sterling. Seepeetza is an aboriginal child separated from her stable, successful, and loving family at age 12 to attend residential school. In that joyless and sterile environment, she is exposed to ridicule and abuse. She chronicles a year of her […]

Posted by milesmac on November 1st, 2012 | No Comments Posted in Speed Reads

Success because of, or in spite of...? Nobel Prize Winner's Grade School Report

I have occasionally experienced this headmaster's frustration with students and in my early years may even have penned one or two comments with a similar sentiment. It's unclear whether the intent was to motivate or ridicule - probably a bit of both.   This is young John Gurdon's report card. Gurdon recently won the 2012 […]

Posted by milesmac on October 12th, 2012 | No Comments Posted in Assessment

Stories from the School Parking Lot

The car pulls up to the middle school entrance. A parent and her child - one of the ones that can be a challenge sometimes, one that takes that extra effort to really appreciate. He leans over, gives his mom a kiss on the cheek. She smiles and cups the back of his head with […]

Posted by milesmac on June 15th, 2012 | No Comments Posted in Pedagogy

Listen like a Boss

Professional audio dramatizations of classic stories nicely support ELA outcomes. Different than audio books which are simply oral readings of text, dramatizations have actors, sound effects, mood music. The CBS Radio Mystery Theatre, produced from 1974 to 1982 has almost 1400 episodes of quality radio drama including about 200 adaptations and dramatizations of classic stories […]

Posted by milesmac on February 21st, 2012 | 2 Comments Posted in Pedagogy
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