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Posts in category "School Life / Pop Culture"

Arne Duncan & Gay Marriage

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I am perhaps alone in believing that Arne Duncan’s candid admission that he agreed same sex marriage should be legal contributed to President Obama’s decision to announce his support publicly last week.  Pretty much everyone else credits Joe Biden, who came out in support of gay marriage the day before. I am also perhaps alone... Read more »
By Alexander Russo,
May 15, 2012 at 10:25 am
• 8 comments

PBS Features Albany Park Theater Project

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On Monday night the PBS NewsHour ran a long segment on APTP, the well-known youth theater project.  Watch it below or click the link and watch it over there.  Are there other groups like APTP, as good or better?  Is this latest show, Home Land, particularly good?    ... Read more »
By Alexander Russo,
March 29, 2012 at 8:25 am
• 2 comments

"KONY2012" As An Education Issue

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Speaking of online videos:  One of these days there will be a viral education video out there like Kony 2012, the Internet meme of the moment (and perhaps of all time, says the Atlantic Wire). Don’t laugh — I’m sure there are folks out there trying to create a viral hit about schools as we speak.  Your... Read more »
By Alexander Russo,
March 12, 2012 at 10:25 am
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Classroom YouTube, Teacher Channel

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This New York Times story makes a big deal out of CPS’s decision to allow access to You Tube (and YouTube’s creation of a clean version of the site for educators and kids) but I’m wondering if it’s made a real difference to anyone so far in real life — at your school, in your... Read more »
By Alexander Russo,
March 12, 2012 at 7:56 am
• 12 comments

Liberal Home- & Private-Schoolers

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There’s a lament among school reformers that all that’s needed to make public schools much better is to make school assignments random and to ban private schools.  Now, a couple of liberal writers are making somewhat the same points, albeit from a different point of view, arguing that it’s fundamentally anti-progressive to homeschool your children... Read more »
By Alexander Russo,
March 8, 2012 at 3:53 pm
• 35 comments

Remembering Chicago

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I refuse to celebrate Pulaski Day but this Chicagoist remembrance of being a kid taking the CTA from one side of Chicago to another as part of CPS’s 1970s-1980s deseg efforts (Hay to Pressing) is pretty nice. Go over there and check it out, then come back here and tell us your favorite Chicago story.  Happy 175th... Read more »
By Alexander Russo,
March 5, 2012 at 9:01 pm
• 1 comment
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Inside A Student Teacher's Mind

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You see them everywhere in schools, starting in January and February -- taking notes in the back of class, administering interim assessments, heading to or from the copy machine. Unsure if you're an administrator or a parent, they smile nervously when you walk by them in the hall.  Sometimes they get to teach a lesson or run part of an activity, which serves to remind anyone watching (a) how hard it is to be a good teacher or (b) how crappy the regular teacher is.  ... Read more »
By Alexander Russo,
February 23, 2012 at 3:20 pm
• 1 comment

Chicago's Most Powerful

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Three CPS-affiliated people made Chicago Magazine’s totally predictable but still fun 100 “Most Powerful” list this year — 8: Penny Pritzker, 27: Jean-Claude Brizard, and 47: Karen Lewis.  Who’d they leave out, if anyone?   How’s the list different from in previous years?  My most powerful list for Chicago schools might include Mike Koldyke, Tim Knowles... Read more »
By Alexander Russo,
February 15, 2012 at 9:37 am
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Student Teacher's Viral Site

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An unknown student teacher’s blog (Tumbr) called Hey Girl Teacher features a seemingly endless series of pictures of heartthrob Ryan Gosling saying reassuring and somewhat flirtatious things about your instructional technique.  The site motto:  ”Teaching is hard.  You’re doing a wonderful job.”  It was linked to in a TIME.com education roundup a couple of weeks ago... Read more »
By Alexander Russo,
February 12, 2012 at 3:30 pm
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Video: "Shit White Girls Say To Black Girls"

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This hilarious / offensive video has been going around the Internet for the past week or so, and since there are so many “white girls” teaching in CPS I thought it might make a good conversation-starter. Have you ever seen (or done) something like this?  Are people too formal or too informal at your school... Read more »
By Alexander Russo,
January 9, 2012 at 9:45 am
• 3 comments