Can Educators Help Rebuild “The Center” of America?
December 15, 2017While this space is used exclusively for matters related to education, we increasingly must find and deal with the Venn overlap of social, economic, and political trends that both reflect and impact the ecosystem of which education is just one element. What we teach/learn, and how we teach/learn MUST recognize the reality of the world…
We Cannot Ignore The Real America: Part Two of Series on Ben Sasse’s The Vanishing American Adult
December 12, 2017America is not rural Nebraska. America is not suburban California. America is not 1955 and it is most certainly not 1776, 1863, or 1908. America is ALL of America, equal parts past, present, and future. Sen. Ben Sasse knows this…at least some of it. In Part One of this three-part blog series on Sasse’s book…
Feedback From Sandbox Off-the-Charts Positive; Join Us!
December 7, 2017Feedback on our Sandbox series of FREE face-to-face virtual meet-ups has been off the charts! 100% of attendees say they took away something new and useful. 98% say they shared something with others 95% say it is super easy to join and use 96% say they recommend this form of PD to their colleagues So…
Will We Re-Find the Center of America? Post 1 of 3 on Sen. Ben Sasse’s Book “The Vanishing American Adult”
November 30, 2017Part One of a three-part series on The Vanishing American Adult, by Sen. Ben Sasse Ben Sasse and I are very different people. Sasse is a conservative Republican who grew up in rural Nebraska, and now represents that deep red state in the United States senate. I am a fiscally pragmatic, social progressive, usually-votes-Democratic,…
Sandbox Dec. 5 With Guest Rock Star Kaleb Rashad!
November 27, 2017If you have not joined us in a Sandbox event yet, you are missing out on the post-Twitter chat revolution of education collaboration and professional learning. These are FREE one-hour face-to-face live video discussions with break-out rooms for small group interaction AND Guest Rock Stars who are leaders in their respective fields of deeper learning. …
Will the U.K. Start to Incubate/Accelerate Education Transformation?
November 13, 2017You likely know the reputations of Oxford University and Eton College. Less familiar might be Queen Anne’s School, in Reading, just 30 miles west of London. What can my four days of visits at these three centers of learning tell us about the state of education innovation in the world today? Queen Anne’s School is…
“We are all learners, starting with me”
October 28, 2017What if all teachers told their students, “We are all learners, starting with me”? How would that change our school cultures? How would that shift the frame of schools from teaching to learning? How would that encourage a more intrinsically engaged relationship between teachers and students? As many of you know, my daughter, Cassidy, was…
The State of The American Dream: Required Discussion in Our Schools
October 26, 2017Education is, if anything, about the future. For every family in every city, town, and region in every country, education is a system designed to build a better future for our children. In America, for more than a century, that future has been wrapped up in something we imagine called The American Dream, the idea…
Another Powerful Call; Another Opportunity for Critical Learning
October 25, 2017Yesterday I wrote about recent speeches drawing lines in the sand around core American values, by George Bush, Barak Obama, and John McCain. A few hours later, Sen. Jeff Flake, one of the most conservative members of the Senate added his passionate voice in perhaps an historic speech on the Senate floor. I am not…
Leading for the American Ideal: Our Role as Educators
October 24, 2017Educators have often been confronted with uncomfortable, and sometimes life-changing questions: When is it acceptable to take a controversial stand? When is it imperative? When should we follow a community consensus and when must we lead in opposition to community norms? On which issues do leaders rise, even when the threat of doing so is…
Join Us For Free Sandbox: “Teacher Leaders”
October 20, 2017When the only “do differently” feedback is “we wanted more”, you know you are on the right track! In a user survey of our latest Sandbox event, 95% said they loved it, would recommend a next session to colleagues, and just wanted more time. Sandbox is the future of learning for both adults and students,…
Vietnam Documentary a Must-Watch for All High School Students
October 17, 2017Deep, profound cultural, political, and moral divisions. Family members split by anger and outrage. Failure of institutions. Precipitous lack of trust in government and leaders. Violence on our streets. Since the founding of the American Experiment, three times stand out as testing the social fabric that has allowed the country to grow, flourish, and test…
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