This column started with a desire to share a quick plug for a fun little book I recently encountered. Before I could find an appropriate time/spot to drop it in, I began to collect other ‘recommended reading’ from a variety of sources. All these related to recent column topics or general oft-discussed themes. So, we’ll take a quick detour to mention some of them. These are the ones I can squeeze in today, sorted by topic/issue.
1. The Magic of the Classroom – and the Ninja Masters Who Teach There.
Valerie Winston is currently Principal of Immanuel Christian Academy in Hillsdale, IL. Before that, she taught 5th and 6th graders in Royal Oak, MI, near Detroit. Her experiences produced her delightful book Randomness, Spontaneity and Non-Sequiters: Making Sense of the Nonsense in My Classroom. It chronicles a delightful variety of classroom ‘happenings’ that run the entire gamut of episodes you’d expect from this age, as well as some that you might not expect! You can find it on Amazon.
The quickest of examples: “Occasionally my students have been pen-pals with (other) students . . . (and) I usually review the letters before they are sent. One student wrote, ‘My teacher has . . . a Jedi side and a Darth Vader side. Her Jedi side includes parties and other fun things. (But) do not, and I mean, do not get on her Darth Vader side. If you do, buddy, I hope ‘the Force’ is with you.’ ”
As you can sense, this is a fun read, but lying underneath the humor is also an insightful picture of the ongoing importance of that master of miracles, the classroom teacher. I don’t believe Ms. Winston consciously intended this, but it shines through anyway.
2. Changing Times.
I rarely mention ‘non-educational’ novels here, of course, but several of our recent columns have been about change in some fashion. If you are a Wendell Berry fan, you have likely read Jayber Crow, his hard-to-put-down classic tale centered around the life of the town barber in Berry’s fictional Port William, KY. (Sounds ho-hum, I know, but wow – such rich writing!) I was late to find it, but I’m glad I finally did. There are indeed several passages – even chapters – that are centered in or around education, but more generally this is a book where the theme of change is secretly stalking us throughout. The book is SO good that I’m not-so-subtly sneaking its recommendation in here. Read the book and you’ll forgive me.
Note: Each of the following is an article sent to me about a recent topic. These are not necessarily recommendations on my part, but since they are pertinent, and since each topic may reappear here soon, I share each of them ‘as is’. (I’d be happy to re-share/send links, as requested.)
3. Charter Schools.
This very recent article appeared in the May 30 Washington Post. It’s entitled School’s Out: Charters were supposed to save public education. Why Are Americans turning against them? It seems to be a good and informative overview of the background and rise of charter schools, as well as the directions they have recently taken.
4. Cursive Writing.
Also from the Washington Post, this 2016 article has this headline: Once left for dead, is cursive handwriting making a comeback? It appears to be in interesting overview of recent developments surrounding the treatment of cursive writing in the elementary curriculum. Based on the variety of responses I received here, this timely topic is likely to surface again in this space
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