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A Pause for one Columnist Stephanie Salter is one of the few writers in Indiana who have been bringing the light of day to the constant teacher bashing and false claims of Indiana governor Mitch Daniels and Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett. Her recent piece in the Terre Haute Tribune-Star, Another batch of my status-quo-defending misinformation on schools, continues to debunk the smear campaign of Daniels and Bennett on all Indiana schools and teachers. While a statewide story, one could easily and fairly accurately substitute the names Obama and Duncan for Daniels and Bennett in her pieces and still have a fairly accurate read! What is different about Stephanie's most recent column is that it will be her last for a while. She's leaving her post as assistant editor and columnist for the Tribune-Star, although she plans to return this spring as a columnist. As she describes her decision, "Just a few years from Social Security and Medicare," "I am quitting my job to get married." Best wishes to Stephanie and Bill, and we hope to see her back in print soon keeping them honest. A Look Back and Forward Sherman Dorn's Four fading fads and four future fetishes, 2011 version is an excellent read about what has and will go on in education "reform." Odds 'n' Ends I've obviously not been writing a lot here lately on Educators' News. The holidays gave me some good cover for not posting, but actually, I'm not sure what I'm going to do (or not do) with this site. Send Feedback to |
| In Search of the Truth
Paul L. Thomas's The Education Celebrity Tour: Legend of the Fall, Pt. II and Deborah Meier's Public Education and Fact vs. Fiction both look at how the current education "reform" crowd "make partial claims that few people will question because they sound true" to distort the situation in America's classrooms. If we're going to really improve education, we first must accurately assess what is right and wrong with what we're doing now before making sweeping changes in the current system. Unfortunately, folks such as Michelle Rhee, Arne Duncan, and Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels have a ready forum in the media for their half truths about education. Stars from other fields who mouth the propaganda of the "reformers" are given credence over knowledgeable voices of reason such as Paul Thomas, Deborah Meier and others. In Defense of Disgust A Tweet by Scienceman Joe Martha led me to Jessica Marshall's Why Being Grossed Out is Good for You on the Mythbusters site. Marshall relates that even nematodes can recognize parasitic bacteria in a petri dish and crawl the other away. The author notes that human disgust and revulsion to things such as "maggots, rotten meat, and pus-oozing sores" are part of our human evolution that drive us away from potentially harmful substances. Grant Writing Help Deborah Ward's Ten grant-writing resolutions for the new year may be of value to readers involved with or considering writing a grant. In addition to Ward's "resolutions," there are links to several of her other columns on grant writing. Toothpaste Okay, the subject line "Make Your Own Toothpaste" sucked me into reading the PBS Teachers Newsletter for January. The homemade toothpaste recipe from a Mr. Rogers episode is pretty straightforward baking soda toothpaste, but the newsletter truly does have something for nearly every educator. Beyond the toothpaste, my favorite was their Photo Essay: 2000 vs. 2010. |
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©2011 Steven L. Wood