A few years ago, I met a gentleman who told me he played in a band for 19 years, and made 3 records. He loves music, and is grateful to his dad for “making” him learn a musical instrument – even though when he was young, he hated it…especially when his friends were outside playing…
Category: edu-cat-ion
Continuous Improvement ≠ Transformational Innovation (or, 5 Things We Must Do To Improve Education) – Kids Need to Sing: Part 1 of 5
I’m sure you’ve heard the argument that students in faith-based schools academically outperform public school students because of small class sizes. Let’s debunk that myth here and now by going back to 1965…over 50 years ago. The 1st grade at St. Albert the Great School in Baldwin Boro (a suburb of Pittsburgh, PA) had approximately…
Continuous Improvement ≠ Transformational Innovation (or, 5 Things We Must Do To Improve Education) – Introduction
I’ve succeed in finding something that does not exist in some computer coding languages – the “does not equal” sign. ≠ needs to be found somewhere, then pasted in as a character. There are suggestions in several coding forums regarding what can be used, such as -=, which is the negation of the equal sign, !=…
Why Edu-Cat-Ion
Why do we need another Web site that talks about education? And why is education spelled that way? Author Simon Sinek in his 2009 book, “Start With Why,” says that “why” is a better place to start than “what.” So rather than speak to “what” this site is about, it’s more important to share why…
What Would You Do?
This is one of the many examples of why our educational system is in peril…not just trouble. Let’s say you’re working for a public school district as a “specials” teacher – that is, art, music, library, phys ed, or perhaps you’re a school counselor, and, as a member of the teacher’s union, you’ve been working…
What Happened to Humility?
Several years ago, there was a blog titled Advanced Life Skills (which is no longer accessible). In one of its article, the concept of approval was discussed, and this particular phrase resonated with me: There are certain core needs shared by every person on the planet. Some of these needs are physical such as food,…
What Traits Make a Great Principal?
Here’s a great article on traits that make a great school leader – http://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/what-makes-a-great-principal-an-audio-slide-show/ But in working with faith-based schools, I wonder how one can earn the title “great principal” if their school’s enrollment has been slowly shrinking over the past decade. Then, if a school closes, those principals are then hired to fill other…
Hard Work (or, Tell Me Something I Don’t Know)
It seems that everyone today is “working hard.” In the marketplace – “We’re working hard to serve you better.” In management – “With hard work, anything is possible.” In education – “Our first graders are working hard this year to learn how to add numbers.” Weren’t computers supposed to make our lives easier? Why are…
Teachers: Administrators May Understand, But Many May Not Care
So many articles on are being published today on what’s wrong with our educational system. References are made to common core, standardized testing and classrooms that were designed when the factory was the identified workplace as culprits. Administration is built on a military model of top-down direction, leadership and supervision, because the military is where…
A Modest Proposal: Make the Public School a Place to Educate the Public
Every year, our high schools pay homage to the graduating seniors. I think every valedictorian includes the line, “Graduation isn’t the end; it’s just the beginning of the next step of our journey,” in the their perfunctory speech at the graduation ceremony. It’s been uttered at the four high school graduations I was privileged to…
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