Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Carnival Time!

Welcome to the 173rd edition of the Carnival of Education!

Whoo-hooo!

We're in for a treat folks, because we've all been invited to the traditional end of the year luncheon held at The School. Well, actually, it's held at a restaurant because our wonderful student council managed to raise enough money to feed us well in a non-institutional setting. Gotta love it. In any case, we have a big crowd here today (could it be the free food), so let's listen in...Oh, and the dessert table is awesome!

The Science Goddess treats us all to a discussion on science and literacy. She's right, it is a Catch-22...

S. Lee raises some interesting points about how we learn language and comments that Learning by Ear is Easy.....well, not quite. She follows that up with a related discussion on Building a Genius Baby.....One Language at a Time.

avoiceinthewilderness voices her dismay over advertising within a Big Deal Government Mandated Test in Treading on Sacred Ground posted at The Chancellor's New Clothes. She questions the trend towards Product placement and advertising in education. I question that as well.

IB a Math Teacher can't get it all done in an hour, and face it, who can? He wonders aloud about Teaching Hours - International Comparison posted at 3σ → Left.

Jose takes a stand with You Just Might Find You Get What You Need posted at The Jose Vilson, which is a letter to a student who may not understand why he's not going on a trip. Gotta earn it, kiddo.

Ms. Cornelius shakes her head in amazement as she explains, Now THAT'S Good Teachin'! posted at A Shrewdness of Apes, saying, "a phantom student at a high school gets passing grades and tardies-- even though he's living in another state!"

Bob O'Hara is making us all think as he carries out two conversations at once. First, we have University as Factory: Taylorism and Fordism Redux. Following that we have The Global War on Taylorism. The big question? Are universities a factory and education the product, or should a school have a more personal connection to the students?

Dana is looking for help with It's a Good Thing Caesar's Dead Already posted at Epic Adventures Are Often Uncomfortable. She needs your ideas on teaching a unit on Julius Caesar. Help her out as she's afraid she's going to murder this unit. (And it's not even March.)

Sarah Weisz presents ACT Prep - Too much, too late, posted at Teaching Excellence Network.

Robert is sharing his A Memo to Wendy Kopp posted at The Core Knowledge Blog, saying, "A plan for how to improve the impact of TFA. Wendy Kopp responded to this post herself on 5/26/08 at the Core Knowledge blog.

Jessica must realize a lot of us are going back to school for advanced degrees since she's talking about Time Management for Students - 11 Tips You Can Start Using Today posted at Sensible Self-Improvement.

Overwhelmed Mom is chatting about a disturbing fact regarding Gifted Minorities posted at A Bundle of Contradictions. Let's hope she doesn't get too overwhelmed this summer.

Sagar, who's busy checking to make sure the veggies on the buffet are locally grown, presents 50+ Ways to Greenify Your Classroom and Campus posted at College@Home.

Jason is still a bit rattled after his first Lockdown!!!! posted at Shabam School. There's some chocolate cake on the dessert table which will make you feel a lot better!

Katrina is spending her summer helping answer the question, What is the Biggest Ocean in the World? posted at What is the Biggest.... Thank goodness we have someone to ask when one of our sugarplums asks us questions like this!

Rose reminds us that while we're home with our own children this summer, that they're watching us. See what can happen at Learning at Home posted at Learning at Home.

Scott is opening some eyes with The Ghetto School posted at The English Teacher. Don't you love the different types of schools we all teach in? I think he needs chocolate cake as well.

Jo Scott-Coe is busy passing around an excellent cartoon and discussing Teacher Watch: Susan Ohanian's When Childhood Collides with NCLB posted at HorseSense and Nonsense. Considering some of the research Mrs. Eagle and I have been doing on children and nature, this is resonating rather well.

Matthew is discussing race, test scores, problems and solutions in I'll Have What Florida is Having posted at Jay P. Greene's Blog. I hope it's on the menu.

Melissa B. muses on dress codes with Booty Call posted at the scholastic scribe, saying, "It's that time of year again! With the hot weather come questionable fashion choices by our students." Not to mention middler schoolers trying to fit into clothing they wore last August that doesn't fit anymore.

Larry is chatting with Mr. Social Studies about The Best Websites For Teaching & Learning About World History | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... posted at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites Of The Day For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL.

Matthew shares with us about Ted Williams, experts, and parallels in teaching. By the way, how 'bout them Cubs?

Vjack is talking with some of our eighth grade science teachers about how Creationism Lingers in U.S. High School Biology Classrooms posted at Atheist Revolution.

Garnet found a great way to prepare his students for a unit on Lord of the Flies posted at @edu, saying, "a desert island sounds pretty good right now, doesn't it"

Denise is preaching to the choir, or more specifically, a bunch of history teachers when she fills them in on Free Lecture: Eisenhower and Operation Overlord posted at Frugal Homeschooling. I have to agree with her when she says, "Textbooks are no way to learn history. We listen to TTC tapes on family trips or while running errands, and I have enjoyed learning about everything I missed by sleeping through history class in school."

Denise helps answer the question about why some of us have so much trouble at math with Diagnosis: Math Workbook Syndrome posted at Let's play math!, saying, "Many of us suffer from Math Workbook Syndrome, the ability to crank through textbook calculations without any understanding of real mathematics..."

Scott is looking for some dialog when he asks So what if schools don’t prepare kids for the 21st century? posted at Dangerously Irrelevant. Make sure you give him your input!

Carol discusses cleaning out her closet and finding all her unfinished posts and lost lists at Spelling Bees, Yearbook Fumes & Livin’ Large posted at Bellringers, saying, "The yearbook fumes got to me!" I think she needs another glass of sweet tea, folks.

Heather is sharing her A Guest Post by Heather Johnson posted at Ddraig Goch Blog - The Musings of a Welsh Dragon!. Talk about some great resources for those of us trying to collaborate over a distance.

Tracey isn't monkeying around when she asks Are dress codes "gay"? posted at Middle School Monkeys. Apparently there's some confusion out there in the jungle.

Michael is sharing his 10 Ways to Ensure Success in Law School posted at A Law Student and Young Lawyer Blog - Law Vibe. Amazingly enough this same list could apply to my seventh graders and seventh grade in general!

Heather Wolpert-Gawron reminds us that we can find true gems when she discusses Don't Knock the Less Experienced Teacher posted at tweenteacher.com. She's right - energy and experience don't always come in the same package.

Adso explains how one teacher took "Survivor" a bit too far at VERY Bad Socialization posted at Lorem Ipsum, saying, "Adso rants about the horrible treatment given to Alex Barton, whose kindergarten teacher had the other kids vote him out of the class."

Joanne agrees with Adso when it comes to Voted out of kindergarten posted at Joanne Jacobs.

Bill discusses his, and Your Summer Reading List. . . posted at The Tempered Radical, saying, "In this bit, the Tempered Radical recommends a broad collection of titles to add to your summer reading list and seeks advice on what to add to his!" Now he's asking for advice, so be sure to give him some!

Marjorie points out that sometimes, the government mandated scope and sequence many of us follow doesn't work for some children in Home Schooling a Child With Asperger's Syndrome posted at Life Without School.

oldandrew reminds us that things aren't so different across the pond with Seven Habits of Highly Defective Headteachers posted at Scenes From The Battleground. He's busy skewering the administration in his Britsh Blog about teaching in tough schools. (I think he needs chocolate cake as well.)

NYC Educator, snappy dresser that he is, reminds us about how to Dress the Part posted at NYC Educator, saying, "I think I'll wear my Star Wars tie tomorrow."

Woodlassnyc echoes NYC Educator's comments about professionalism in dress in the teacher workforce with Setting boundaries, or do we posted at Under Assault: Teaching in NYC.

Alvaro is busy discussing some new research on Mindfulness Meditation for Teens with ADHD posted at SharpBrains, saying, "It's quite a fascinating recent study"

Robin reminds us that we have an election coming up with Clinton, Obama, and McCain on Education posted at Her Education Blog. No matter which way you lean, it's worth reading.

Greg shares with us what happens when a NY School Falsely Reports Parent As Child Abuser For Missing A Meeting posted at Rhymes With Right. Okay, we all know it's a pain when a parent misses a meeting, but this is a little extreme...

Nancy shares BIG, BAD TEACHER, Part Deux: WIN ME OVER posted at Teacher in a Strange Land, pondering, "Does Education Sector really want to "win over" teachers? One can hope..."

Corey wonders about charter schools, disruptive students, and just what to do with them, at Charter Schools and "Exit Doors" posted at Thoughts on Education Policy.

Larry, wearing his fedora and looking a bit dusty, asks How Is A Good Teacher NOT Like Indiana Jones? posted at In Practice. He's asking for more input so be sure to give him some.

Angela shares her fantastic ideas on what to tell your middler schooler (or even your high schooler) how to study with Show Your Child How to Study for Tests & Exams - posts - Homework. Dinner. Life. posted at Angela Norton Tyler.

Darren greets us with Good Morning, Comrade! posted at Right on the Left Coast: Views From a Conservative Teacher, saying, "Currently, California teachers can be fired for being members of the Communist Party. A law working its way through the legislature will change that."

Ryan proves that he is a brave, brave man for teaching the facts of life to a bunch of fourth grade boys with “A wet dream is kind of like a fart.”—Sex Ed Teacher Gets Shaft posted at I Thought a Think. What scares me is he's apparently the only male staff member at his K-6 school...I hope they realize how lucky they are!

Mamacity enriches our conversation with another one of her right-on rants, with Mamacita (The Real One) Rants About Wiggly Kids and Recess and Stuff posted at Scheiss Weekly. Just as it says..

Jane is raving about Not Your Typical Mentos Geyser Video posted at Steve Spangler's Blog, saying, "These little kids are fantastic!" If you are looking for some great end of the year projects to keep your kids busy, you may find some inspiration here!

Mister Teacher is gleefully wondering if Maybe I'm on to something here posted at Learn Me Good, saying, "A success story about a very difficult child!" Way to go there Mister Teacher! And way to go there Lump!

John showers some well-earned praise on a new teacher, while at the same time highlighting how we need to have high expectations for all students with his ode To a Successful First Year Teacher posted at Circle Time "Lead From The Start". He elaborates, "In a blogosphere filled with the echoes of negativity I have decided to offer a series with the tag: teacher appreciation. Each post will share a positive voice about teachers and teaching."

Hanna asks What the hell happened to my dollar? posted at College Finance 101. Some things never change. I was asking the same question about college textbooks nearly 30 years ago...

Dave exposes the 2007 Base API Release posted at Friends of Dave. Score manipulation anyone?

Dave Saba discusses Alternative certification and mentoring | American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence posted at DoE- Dave on Ed, saying, "Alternative certification needs mentoring." Yup. Gotta agree with him on that one.

Hey, looks like we've cleaned off that buffet table and the sweet tea is all gone. I guess that concludes this edition of the Carnival of Education! Remember to submit your blog article to the next edition of carnival of education using the carnival submission form. And don't forget to check out last week's carnival at Teacher in a Strange Land.

And big thanks to all of you who contributed - you all rock!


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8 comments:

Jose Vilson said...

Thank you for volunteering yourself for the carnival, and for including me. I know it's hard, but you did a good job. Peace.

Darren said...

Gracias for including my post.

Ms Characterized said...

Fantastic carnival! A great ride.

Nancy Flanagan said...

Thanks, Bluebird. Nice work. I'm happy to have been selected for the buffet.

The Teacher in a Strange Land

Heather said...

Thanks, Bluebird for the great meal and for including me at the table. Thanks for including my post!
-Tweenteacher

Scott Walker said...

I actually just had some chocolate cake. It really did make me feel better.

Thanks for hosting. Wish "pompous ass kid" a happy summer for me.

Melissa B. said...

Bluebird--Thanks for giving the Scholastic Scribe a shout-out! I always enjoy going to the carnival, especially if there's food involved!

Tired Gardener said...

Thanks for the cake, that helps a lot! Thanks for including me and taking the time to put this all together.