Rethinking Education Blog

Travel is Education

Summer is here and a lot of children are out of school with some free time on their hands. This affords parents a great opportunity to...

Details and Brain Development

One of the best things for brain development in young children, whether at home or at school, is to get them to focus on small...

14 Things Every Parent Should Know About Teaching

This is an open letter to parents, many of whom are now thrust into the role of teacher. Welcome to my world. I have been an educator...

Dear Parents who are now Teachers

Dear Parents, There are now millions of parents being put into the position of being a teacher to their own children because schools have...

Reading is Everything

(Do to the dramatically shifting landscape of education and schools I am gearing my posts for awhile towards parents, many of whom are...

Behavior and academics

Legislators are putting pressure on students, teachers and parents for ever increasing student academic performance to the exclusion of...

Asking vs Telling

No matter how interesting the subject matter, teaching children new material effectively can be tricky business. Teachers have their...

Alternative to Suspension

I firmly believe that all children are put on this planet for a positive purpose; that each one has a gift that our society needs for its...

All Children are Scientists

If it weren’t so sad, I’d laugh out loud every time I hear that schools need to find a way to get more children, especially girls,...

Advantages of Reading Out Loud

It seems to me that there is a lot less reading out loud – especially in groups - than there used to be in elementary school classes. I...

A Road Map to Peace - Toddlers, Rage and Words

I still laugh when I pull out an old picture of my sister and her cousin when they were both between the ages of two and three. There...

A Positive School Experience is Vital

As I watch another school year start and see the children pouring off the buses to go into their school, I wonder - how does that child...

A Living Wage and School

Sometimes the most radical school reform that would be helpful for children doesn’t take place in the school. It takes place in the...

A Para-Professional in Every Classroom

If the state of Florida is serious about helping each child succeed in school and reaching their full potential as an adult, it needs to...

A Child's Point of View is Enlightening

Sometimes children will say seemingly ridiculous things. It is what separates teaching from a boring office job. Another word for...