Network Filtering: Hmmm……… Philadelphia is one of those districts that blocks YouTube. I struggle with the filtering system we have here in Philly. On one hand, I am very supportive of it since many teachers have terrible classroom management or don’t seem to think twice when they let their students have ‘free time’ on the…
Why I Don’t have a Twitter AccountJust to show how obsessive people get about Twitter, here is a blog with the top ten (no joke) Twitter songs–songs written specifically about Twitter.http://www.bspcn.com/2009/02/28/top-10-twitter-songs-of-all-time/ I currently have a Facebook account and a MySpace account AND a Friendster account. This shows the progression of social networking (SN) sites over…
Yesterday one of my former students, now probably 17 years old, walked into the office with a tiny baby in her arms. My heart skipped a beat. I tried not to draw attention to myself, as I was not sure how I would react or what I would say to her without a look of…
Technology and Project-Based LearningAs I think about planning for my summer lessons and begin putting together some projects I find that I keep coming up with ideas that involve technology. I know that this is not a bad thing, but I’m realizing that anyone planning a project that integrates technology requires access to technology. Perhaps…
While visiting my family in New York, my mother asked me what I would do if I wasn’t teaching. (I may not be wording the question correctly, but it was to that effect.) All I could think was that teaching is what I know how to do and it’s what I do, and I really…
The new developments…So after getting my feathers in a bunch, it seems that we are getting a new school after all. However, it looks as though we may need to relocate first. This means we have to empty the entire school of everything we need and move to another building, only to pack it up…
I just received my copy of Teaching Tolerance‘s magazine (Spring 2009) and I was both inspired by and happy to read the article called “Crossing the Gap” about students from the South Side of Chicago who protested inequalities in the system on the first day of school by traveling to a wealthier section of Chicago…
As Obama’s inauguration approaches, I have been hearing more and more about how racism in the US has ended, is on its way out, or is no longer an issue. This unprecedented event has me thinking a few different thoughts, but not one of them includes the idea that racism is ‘dead.’ The election of a…
Let’s take a look at a 21st Century School…. These are the conditions in the school my students attend every day. What does this tell them about how their education is valued? …
So, I decided to start this blog after 4 long years of teaching in a school that is literally crumbling apart every day. From days when it was 60 degrees in my classroom, to days when my outlet falls out of the wall and I have to (no joke) tape it to the wall, to…
