Sara Bennett

Moms (and Dads) on a Mission–Brooklyn, New York (Part 1)

Today’s guest blogger, Aurora DeMarco, lives in Brooklyn, New York, where her 10th- and 1st-graders attend public school. Aurora recently decided to get together some of the first grade parents to see whether they could change homework policy at her school. My First Grader is Overloaded with Worksheets by Aurora DeMarco I was shocked atContinue reading “Moms (and Dads) on a Mission–Brooklyn, New York (Part 1)”

High Standards for Nurturing Human Diversity

I try to keep up with the conversations at Education for Human Greatness. Here’s a recent post by Lynn Stoddard, a veteran public school teacher/administrator/author, who is always worth reading. Those who are trying to destroy public education are very clever with words. “No Child Left Behind” was a powerful slogan for the Bush administration.Continue reading “High Standards for Nurturing Human Diversity”

Fourth Grade Teacher: “I Did Away With Reading Logs”

A few posts ago, I wrote about the blog of Angela Bunyi, a fourth grade teacher from Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Ms. Bunyi then write to me: Thanks for sharing my article under Scholastic (Homework: Applying Research to Policy) and my note from the homework page on my class site. I wanted to add to your readersContinue reading “Fourth Grade Teacher: “I Did Away With Reading Logs””

The Grass Stain Guru

One of my online friends, Bethe Almeras, formerly of the green hour, has started a new blog, The Grass Stain Guru: Childhood Was Meant to be Messy. She always has something interesting to say.

Moms (and Dads) on a Mission–Halifax, Nova Scotia

Today’s guest blogger, the mother of a second grader, lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She holds a masters degree in psychology and works full time doing psychometric testing of adults. She says that “these credentials did not prepare her for second grade homework.” Why My Second Grader Won’t Be Doing Any More Projects by PsychContinue reading “Moms (and Dads) on a Mission–Halifax, Nova Scotia”

Do Business Schools Need to Think about What They’re Teaching?

There was an interesting article in The New York Times on Sunday about whether the way business students are taught contributed to the economic crisis. According to the article, “Critics of business education have many complaints. Some say the schools have become too scientific, too detached from real-world issues. Others say students are taught toContinue reading “Do Business Schools Need to Think about What They’re Teaching?”

Students’ Expectations Cause Grade Disputes in College

A recent article in The New York Times quoted a number of college professors who find that their students expect good grades if they attend lectures and do their out of class work. The associate dean of the Peabody School of Education at Vanderbilt University, said: “Students often confuse the level of effort with theContinue reading “Students’ Expectations Cause Grade Disputes in College”

Not Every Child Fits Inside the Box

Here’s a speech by Dav Pilkey, the author of the Captain Underpants series, where he talks about the difficulties he encountered in school and reminds us that not every child does, or needs to, fit inside the box. (A big thanks to HomeworkBlues, who often posts comments, for alerting me to the video.)

Why Play is Important for Children’s Brains

Here’s an excerpt from an interview in U.S. News and World Report with Stuart Brown, author of a new book, Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul. Schools are eliminating recess and piling on the homework, too. But you say that there’s lots of evidence that kids actually doContinue reading “Why Play is Important for Children’s Brains”

We Need More Teachers Like This Fifth Grade Teacher

I was happy to receive this email from a 5th grade teacher from Colorado: Thank you, thank you, thank you for your wonderful book! As a parent of two middle school kids and a fifth grade teacher myself, you have provided me with much needed motivation and ammunition to make some changes in my schoolContinue reading “We Need More Teachers Like This Fifth Grade Teacher”