On Appropriation
I'm teaching First Nations in Canada this semester, and it's a bit of a challenge for me. I spent 7 years in school studying philosophy and social sciences - all…
Teaching
Cold Calls in the Classroom
I do it, sort of. I don't call on kids who don't have their hands up generally, but I do evaluate their level of understanding through classroom discussion, one way…
On Unions and Boycotts
The elementary schools in our board have decided to boycott the local paper because one columnist has been known to take a decidedly negative view of teachers. So a local…
On Student Stress
I've been teaching long enough to have watched a generation of students file passed me. It's fascinating from a social science standpoint because I can watch trends evolving before my…
On Expectations and Time Limits
In the words of Tina Fey, "The show doesn't go on because it's ready; it goes on because it's eleven-thirty." I had a rough semester with several students pushing every…
On Those Counterfeit Diplomas
An editorial in today's NYT suggests that some recent high school graduates are not competent in basic skills that should be required to earn their standing. The headline refers to…
On Reading and Writing
I teach grade 12 university-level philosophy, and I teach it as a university prep-course. So we read primary sources, and we write essays longer and more complex than the standard…
Call for Questions
Another civics teacher and I are hosting an all-candidates debate for potential MP of my school’s riding, which, for the first time, is not my own riding even though I…
Just in Time Learning
The experience that most prepared me for teaching wasn’t teacher’s college, it was working in a huge insurance company. They trained me to work efficiently and stay working until the…
Dear Orli
You wrote about the education system ruining your health because you started having panic attacks when you realized your future would be based on a set of criteria created by…
On Teaching Philosophy to Children
There are several articles and discussions being reported about teaching philosophy to children. They largely focus on the question should we, why, and how? Britain has a program, Philosophy for…
Finnish Schools: What Do They Have That We Don’t Have?
Everyone’s a buzz about schools in Finland being awesome, so I read a book and some articles and their curriculum documents to figure out what’s so special. In a nutshell,…
Hedges on Education
Yesterday Hedges wrote on a profound relationship he had with a teacher who passed in December, and he had much of value to say about education: Education is not only…
On Being an Ally
I’m not sure how to say this without being blasted, but I’ll try: I might understand a little piece affecting Rachal Dolezal decision to present as black rather than be…
On Measuring Well
In Plato’s Protagoras, Socrates and Protagoras argue over the language Protagoras uses to explain what happens when, as he describes it, pleasure overtakes reason and people make horrible choices. Socrates…
Upset Them at Your Peril
Professor Edward Schlosser wrote an interesting piece in Vox about, in part, the power his students have to call the shots these days. I can attest that it’s at best,…
On Thinking
I’m not even talking about critical thinking here, just plain ol’ thinking. It’s funny how many seem unable or unwilling to do it. While I was in a discussion group…
Sex Ed Redux
The papers are full of stories about the fight for and against new sex education legislation. Wynne seems to be holding her ground this time, though, so I’m not sure…
On Helping People Get Outraged
John Oliver’s show about surveillance is a must see: Amazing, right!?! But what sticks with me most, as a teacher and an environmentalist, is this line: “Is this a conversation…