Coming to a theater near you…“Waiting for Superman”
September 22, 2010
To say there is a movement stirring in this country around education is to state the obvious. The latest story revolves around those communities that are going to receive Race to the Top federal funding.
Let me draw attention to several “players” in this arena that add texture to the issues as I highlight “ Waiting for Superman” the most current player in the arena. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703989304575504033215002498.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
~ “Waiting for Superman”(releasing September 24, 2010) is a new documentary whose name comes from an opening interview with Geoffrey Canada, founder of the Harlem Children’s Zone. http://www.hcz.org/ Georfrey Canada’s story to change Harlem and America is told by Paul Tough, in his book, Whatever It Takes.
“Waiting for Superman” believes that placing a great teacher in every classroom is the key to a school’s success and teachers need to ask themselves if they are putting kids and their education first. Good schools are about student performance and depend on teacher accountability.
~ “The Lottery”, a documentary film by Madeleine Sackler, examines the issue of charter schools in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood.
~ KIPP Schools are another player in this arena (Knowledge is Power Program) http://www.kipp.org/
Broadening our conversations on education to include the notions of partnership between school and family, teacher accountability, student performance, and preparing children for success in school and in life is a good thing.
Do make sure you see “Waiting for Superman”
Happy Birthday William Carlos Williams
September 17, 2010
William Carlos Williams had a unique combination of talents, being both a pediatrician and a poet. To pay tribute to his wide range of poetry, let me share two very different poems he wrote. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. I have eaten the plums that were in the icebox and […]
Read a book. Ask a question. Start a conversation.
September 16, 2010
Conventional wisdom has become so focused on the importance of reading to children that it has, to a large extent, ignored the critical component of the importance of talking with children about what they read. As important as it is to read aloud to children, many of the benefits of the read aloud experience are […]
Tradition
September 8, 2010
Everyone loves a holiday—they bring people together as they provide us an opportunity to share stories, values, and ideas that we hold dear. Every holiday – whether religious or secular – creates a unique moment when we can bring to life the stories of the past and have a conversation about what it means to […]
School readiness —what children need to become ready to learn to read.
September 3, 2010
Making sure their child is ready for school has become a quandary for many parents. With more and more emphasis on early academics it seems that kindergarten is becoming the new first grade, and there is a wider age span in kindergarten classrooms. There can easily be an 18 month age spread in a K […]
