Sara Bennett

Let Our Children Play

(I’ll be on spring break until April 7. In the meantime, post your comments here or on the Open Dialogue post.) Since I know that free play is critically important to young children’s development (doesn’t everyone know that?), I’ve been really disturbed by the recent articles on recess coaches. But I was especially saddened whenContinue reading “Let Our Children Play”

A High School Student Speaks Out – Why I Cheat

A sophomore wrote the following Comment, which explains not only why students cheat, but gives a pretty good rundown of the types and amount of work many high schoolers get each night. Why I Cheat by a High School Sophomore To start off, I’m a sophomore in a relatively prestigious private institution; I have anContinue reading “A High School Student Speaks Out – Why I Cheat”

Students Cheat on Homework at MIT

I always knew that cheating was rampant so I wasn’t the least bit surprised to read this story about cheating at MIT.

Kindergarten Today

The Class of 2022, a project of the Star News of North Carolina, is following a dozen kindergartners from around the Cape Fear region through their high school graduations to see what it’s like to grow up during the early years of the 21st century. Here’s a description of what kindergarten is like for theseContinue reading “Kindergarten Today”

Quebec Report Advises Re-Examining Elementary School Homework

(I really enjoyed last week’s open dialogue and over the next few weeks I’ll be putting some of the comments into main posts. Don’t wait until the next Open Dialogue week to let me know what’s on your mind. Post a comment, drop me an email, or let me know that you’d like to writeContinue reading “Quebec Report Advises Re-Examining Elementary School Homework”

Open Dialogue Week

This week I’m trying something different. Please write about whatever’s on your mind in the Comments.

A Teacher Speaks Out – Testing

I saw this post on Teachers Net: You know that you have trained your class to ignore distractions well when someone throws up DURING state testing and no one even flinches and continues with their testing! No lie! My classroom! Today! Luckily he missed the book by an inch and hit the trashcan which IContinue reading “A Teacher Speaks Out – Testing”

The Needs of 21st-Century Students

I recommend watching this video, where Yong Zhao, a Distinguished Professor of Education at Michigan State University, talks about how students need room to discover and learn, not subscribe to a set of rules and interests dictated to them from the outside.

Moms (and Dads) on a Mission – More from Sharon, Connecticut

About a month ago, I posted a piece by Fred Baumgarten, the father of two daughters in public school in Sharon, Connecticut, who had been talking to the other parents in his daughter’s fifth-grade class about homework. I recently checked to see what kind of progress he’s making. He writes all about it on hisContinue reading “Moms (and Dads) on a Mission – More from Sharon, Connecticut”

A Teenager Speaks Out – Teens Need More Sleep

I came across this nicely written piece by a teenager in his local newspaper, The Estacada News. Zzz…Teenagers need more sleep School board should consider late start for high school, junior high students BY RUSS CAREY It is time for the Estacada School District to switch the school starting time of the high school andContinue reading “A Teenager Speaks Out – Teens Need More Sleep”