Welcome! 歡迎!

Reflections from teaching and traveling . . .

Picture of the Month

Picture
Garden of the Gods, Colorado, December 2012

~Announcements~

* Apply for Grants Link Updated

More grants added that teachers can apply for (April 2013)

* Teaching Technology Link Updated

Updated with SCRATCH programming information and iPad Apps (April 2012)

* Teacher Humor Updated

February 2012

* Financial FAQ For Teachers Updated

December 2011

* Teaching Students with Special Needs Link Updated

Please find helpful resources for the educator here

Articles of the Week to Mull Over & Ponder

The Washington Post: Eighth grader designs standardized test that slams standardized tests (April 2013)

Quote from article: "I am not fond of your tests. They do not show you who I am, or who my teachers are. For example, if a student is a bad test taker, you would look at her test and think she is a bad student. What happens if a kid is just having a bad day? You would only see that one test and and think he was an unsatisfactory pupil. Imagine how stressed the teachers are having to rely on their students’ test scores as a form of evaluation."

Past Articles

The Atlantic: What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland's School Success (Dec. 2011)

Quote from article: "Since the 1980s, the main driver of Finnish education policy has been the idea that every child should have exactly the same opportunity to learn, regardless of family background, income, or geographic location. Education has been seen first and foremost not as a way to produce star performers, but as an instrument to even out social inequality."

Together for Jackson County Kids Blog: Gender Bullying (Dec. 2011)
One teacher's approach to preventing gender bullying...

Quote from article: "My job is not to judge, but to teach, and I can’t teach if the students in my class are distracted or uncomfortable. My job is also about preparing students to be a part of our society, ready to work and play with all kinds of people. I found that teaching about gender stereotypes is another social justice issue that needs to be addressed, like racism or immigrant rights, or protecting the environment."

NYTimes: Programming for children, minus cryptic syntax (Nov. 2011)

NYTimes: Maybe teach them math, science, and chess (Oct. 2011)

NYTimes: The high cost of low teacher salaries (April 2011)

My Teaching Philosophy
(我的教學理念)

A few points:
1) Teaching involves the emotional, social, and intellectual development of the student. Students do not just learn content; they learn how to grow as persons.
2) To me, good teaching is student-centered, permitting the student to work through his or her creative thinking process.
3) The good teacher is always patient and persistent, never giving up on the student. Each student is unique and can succeed step by step, little by little, with the right encouragement and support.
4) Learning happens inside and outside the classroom. Within a structured classroom setting, students learn how to be socially conscious members of society and informed, critical thinkers.
5) The classroom experience ought to be safe, fun, rigorous, challenging, and inspiring.
6) Learning requires making mistakes. Do not be afraid to make mistakes.