Random drug testing may soon be a reality at public schools in Edmond, Oklahoma. Whether seen as an invasion of privacy or a necessary call to action, Edmond’s school district may very well begin performing random drug testing on certain students. Drug use among students in Edmond is higher than the national average—a point that [...]
Archive for January, 2009
Drug Testing in Schools
Posted in General, tagged drug testing, drugs, Edmond, Oklahoma on January 26, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Dead of Winter Dreamin’
Posted in General, tagged educational sales, educational supplies on January 23, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Jeff Pett, Fleetwood Group, Inc.
It’s mid-January, the forecast for today in west Michigan is a high of 6° F. That’s the HIGH! It’s the “dead of winter.” You have to question yourself in the winter months as to exactly WHY we CHOOSE to live in west Michigan. Then we remember what the Lake Michigan beaches [...]
Pencil vs. Keyboard
Posted in General, Technology, tagged handwriting, penmanship on January 21, 2009 | 2 Comments »
As a kid I labored for hours trying to perfect the dainty squiggles and loops of the cursive alphabet. When, finally, I could form the intricate curves and curlicues of the “z” with ease, I knew I’d made it. I read an article on theage.com suggesting that with the glitzy efficiency of the tech age, [...]
Why Don’t Teachers Buy Software?
Posted in Teachers, Teaching Methods, Technology, tagged software, Teachers, Technology on January 16, 2009 | 3 Comments »
Rebecca Haden
A Plus Educational Supply, Harrison, Arkansas
Read the New Year’s predictions for education, and you’ll see just one thing: technology. The importance of technology in the classroom. The likely effects of having a tech-savvy new president. The difference plugged-in students make to teaching. The value of the networked teacher. The empowering effect of the internet [...]
“December Dilemma”
Posted in General, tagged ban, December, holiday, nativity on January 14, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
If you’re a public school teacher, the term December Dilemma may be familiar to you. Many teachers describe it as the period during the December holiday season in schools, when they battle over what holiday displays are appropriate, maybe forgoing those they deem overtly religious.
Well, the December Dilemma has trickled over into the New [...]
Ad Space for Sale…On Exams?
Posted in Teachers, Teaching Standards, economy, tagged Advertisement, economy, Rancho Bernardo on January 12, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Sure, times are hard. And school districts are creatively cutting costs. But one teacher, trying to raise funds to offset higher classroom expenses, is thinking outside the box—way outside the box. Tom Farber, a calculus teacher at Rancho Bernardo High School in San Diego, began selling ad space on student exam papers to come up [...]
New Tools for a New Year
Posted in Technology, tagged file conversion, file sharing, mp3, New Year on January 9, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Emily Raij, Maupin House
I’m not going to write about resolutions or the economy, but I would like to offer a round-up of new, budget-friendly (free!) tools we’ve either used at Maupin House or are in the process of learning more about. As always, if you have feedback on anything or want to make your own [...]
Gender Specific Classrooms
Posted in Teaching Methods, tagged ADHD, gender specific classes on January 7, 2009 | 1 Comment »
I’ve been hearing quite a bit about schools that are considering or have already made the step to create gender specific classrooms. The idea rests on the belief that boys and girls learn better when separated. Proponents of this theory believe boys and girls learn differently—whether innately or developed—and therefore need to be taught differently [...]
Increase in Home Schooling
Posted in Teaching Methods, tagged Ed Department, home schooling on January 5, 2009 | 1 Comment »
The number of home schooled children in America continues to increase, along with a more diverse home schooling population, as parents’ reasons broaden for teaching their children at home.
One and a half million children were home schooled in 2007—a 36 percent jump since 2003, according to the Department of Education’s National Center for Education [...]
