Multitasking Messes With Your Attention. . . SQUIRREL!

It also can cause problems for tween girls' social skills. Interesting read on CNN.com.

POTUS, SOTU, and Education

I've been asked a lot today what I thought about last night's SOTU. 

My answer? Meh. 

It was decent, but in a 21st century Bruce Springsteen sort of way. The Rising is a good album, but it's nowhere near as great as Born To Run, or Darkness on the Edge of Town. In the same way, I've been spoiled by nearly four years of intelligent, compelling oratory. President Obama was good, but not great last night.

Yes, the economy seems to be improving. Yes, he has kept his promise to get our troops out of Iraq. Yes, our armed forces killed Osama bin Laden. All good.

But President Obama's commitment to education is worrisome. First, the study claiming "good teachers" add $250,000 in lifetime income to a class of students doesn't amount to much. About $250 per year per student. Not exactly compelling data.

Speaking of data, it's the other problem. President Obama's and Arne "Coach" Duncan's plan to improve teaching means more teaching to standardized tests. Standardized tests do not measure a student's ability to think critically, to reason, to analyze, to synthesize. Attaching scores to a teacher's evaluation is simply ludicrous. 

I thought about analyzing the SOTU much more, but Anthony Cody beat me to it:

Teachers have already chosen to put our shoulders to the wheel of inequality. Those of us who work with children in poverty are making tremendous sacrifices to meet their needs. The reason child poverty has expanded over the past two decades has nothing to do with "bad teachers," and everything to do with the huge concentration of wealth, and the devastation of America's manufacturing base, as millions of jobs have been shipped overseas in pursuit of higher profits.

"Simple Song" - New Shins Single

And it's beautiful. Cool video by Brian Fejer, found on The Dish.

Simple Song - The Shins from Brian Fejer on Vimeo.

Time to Fight Back, Teachers

I'm fortunate to work for a district that values my skills, but many teachers don't have that. Instead, they are constantly told that they must do more with less, reach unrealistic (or impossible) goals, and compete with charter schools that rarely perform as well as their public counterparts. From Gapers Block, Katie Osgood tells the story of one Chicago Public Schools teacher who couldn't take the stress, and committed suicide.

Osgood calls upon teachers to do what they do best. Teach the public about what is happening in our schools:

This post is for all my teacher colleagues out there. It's time for us to fight back. It's time to take back our profession. Teachers, use your natural inclination to educate and start teaching your friends and families about the hard realities of our profession. And don't be afraid to sing our praises. What we do is good work and it needs to be protected and cherished.

For the Scrooge in Your Life

Not everyone can be filled with the joy of Christmas. Thankfully, the folks at KnockKnock have created this handy release form for the Scrooge in your life. A copy for your Humbug can be found here.

Sully's Tribute to Christopher Hitchens

A loving, comprehensive tribute to one of the most important voices of our generation, from another incredibly important voice, Andrew Sullivan. My favorite quote comes from Hitch's Vanity Fair essay, published last June:

To my writing classes I used later to open by saying that anybody who could talk could also write. Having cheered them up with this easy-to-grasp ladder, I then replaced it with a huge and loathsome snake: “How many people in this class, would you say, can talk? I mean really talk?” That had its duly woeful effect. I told them to read every composition aloud, preferably to a trusted friend. The rules are much the same: Avoid stock expressions (like the plague, as William Safire used to say) and repetitions. Don’t say that as a boy your grandmother used to read to you, unless at that stage of her life she really was a boy, in which case you have probably thrown away a better intro. If something is worth hearing or listening to, it’s very probably worth reading. So, this above all: Find your own voice.

Kickin It Old School w/Strunk and White

Word.

The Elements of Style from Jake Heller on Vimeo.

Study Break! TaeKwonDo Edition

Stop the exam prep and enjoy.

The most important speech on education in years

The most important speech on education in years. To no one's surprise, it's by Diane Ravitch. The full text can be read here. Please share with anyone - friends, teachers, administrators, GR Press education "reporters" - who should be listening.

What's Popular Music Isn't Always Right

Yesterday, to the continued disappointment of prog rock lovers everywhere,  Guns N' Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Beastie Boys were named the newest members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Pouring salt on that wound, here are twelve more depressing facts about popular music, courtesy of Buzzfeed. Exhibit A: Creed has sold more records in the US than Jimi Hendrix.