teachertomsblog.blogspot.com
Teacher Tom: I Still Have A Lot To Learn
http://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/2015/07/i-still-have-lot-to-learn.html
Teaching and learning from preschoolers. Friday, July 24, 2015. I Still Have A Lot To Learn. I teach at a school just north of downtown Seattle and our student population is primarily drawn from the surrounding neighborhoods, which are largely comprised of middle class people of northern European heritage, although there is a sizable population of people of Asian ancestry living here as well. I don't think about race a lot in my day-to-day life and that's because I'm a white male and have that luxury.
teachertomsblog.blogspot.com
Teacher Tom: The Language Of Command
http://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/language-of-command.html
Teaching and learning from preschoolers. Monday, August 29, 2011. The Language Of Command. Several weeks ago I was taking a recreational stroll through Pike Place Public Market, the heart and soul of Seattle. A boy, probably around 8, and his mother were having one of those heatless debates:. Boy (excitedly): "I want to go down that side.". Mom (jovially): "Oh, you don't want to go down that side. Let's go down this. Side What do you want to see over there anyway? Boy (barely audible): "That side.".
teachertomsblog.blogspot.com
Teacher Tom: The Right Way
http://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/right-way.html
Teaching and learning from preschoolers. Wednesday, October 26, 2011. You have your way. I have my way. As far as the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist. When we manage to teach children that there is a right way and a wrong way, they are learning something about black and white. They are learning something about their own judgement. They are learning something about rote and obedience. You have nothing to be ashamed of. Moral cowardice that keeps us from speaking minds is as...
plumsinthepath.blogspot.com
plums in the path: Like
http://plumsinthepath.blogspot.com/p/like-it-list.html
Plums in the path. And other things I encounter on this journey. I've created this page to keep track of books, links, people, ideas, art, services - and more - that I'm fond of. Nearly everything here is something I know well, use, or own - now or in the past. Nobody pays me in any way to be listed here. I have a way of losing track of these things, so I'm hoping this page will help me keep them at my fingertips. Maybe you'll like some of them too. By Tamara Murphy published in 2011. Heath's tile and ce...
plumsinthepath.blogspot.com
plums in the path: June 2014
http://plumsinthepath.blogspot.com/2014_06_01_archive.html
Plums in the path. And other things I encounter on this journey. A new summer job. Wyatt and I are enrolled in a new co-op preschool for fall 2014 - the Woodland Park. Cooperative Preschool. The school is a place that encourages student-led play and exploratory learning. Opportunities are provided but the kids ultimately choose what they will interact with in both an outdoor and an indoor classroom. Our new teacher, Teacher Tom. The other parents and staff that I've met at Woodland Park have been terrifi...
teachertomsblog.blogspot.com
Teacher Tom: Trusting Their Judgement
http://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/2012/11/trusting-their-judgement.html
Teaching and learning from preschoolers. Friday, November 16, 2012. When I first saw this, I had to fight the instinct to put a stop to it. In a flash, I'd done my adult risk assessment:. Plastic trucks not designed to be sat upon, especially by these large 5-year-old bodies. Short runway with a raised planting bed made of wood at the bottom. Even if these competent kids could manage it, their success might lure less competent friends to try it. Tender flesh and precious heads. I said, "Wait! I don't wan...
teachertomsblog.blogspot.com
Teacher Tom: Instead Of Commanding "Be Careful"
http://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/2015/08/instead-of-commanding-be-careful.html
Teaching and learning from preschoolers. Tuesday, August 11, 2015. Instead Of Commanding "Be Careful". Recently a parent told me she thinks I'm like Roald Dahl's character Willy Wonka. "You always tell the kids: 'If you want to get hurt go ahead and try it.'". I do say those kinds of things. I once told a kid, "Hey, you could try sticking your finger in that electrical outlet! He responded, "No, Teacher Tom, I might die! I know I can count on someone to remind me, "No, Teacher Tom, we'll get hit by a car!
teachertomsblog.blogspot.com
Teacher Tom: The Problem With Literacy In America
http://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-problem-with-literacy-in-america.html
Teaching and learning from preschoolers. Wednesday, August 05, 2015. The Problem With Literacy In America. Poverty is not an accident. Like slavery and apartheid it is man-made and can be removed by the actions of human beings. Yesterday, I was reading about a Stanford University study. What I do, what is appropriate for children under seven, is read to them, write down the stories. They tell me, play stories. With them, tell stories as they happen. Write the rules we make together. I'm not saying we sho...
teachertomsblog.blogspot.com
Teacher Tom: I Will Not Obey
http://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/i-will-not-obey.html
Teaching and learning from preschoolers. Tuesday, September 06, 2011. I Will Not Obey. Note: After spending the day yesterday listening to Pete Seeger, Billy Bragg, Utah Phillips, Woody Guthrie, and others sing their great songs of unions and working people in honor of Labor Day. I'm feeling more defiant than usual. I've been thinking a lot lately about obedience, prompted by being reminded recently of the Daron Quinlan quote:. Disobedience is not an issue if obedience is not the goal. Should be the goal?
teachertomsblog.blogspot.com
Teacher Tom: "Kids Are Bored To Tears"
http://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/kids-are-bored-to-tears.html
Teaching and learning from preschoolers. Wednesday, September 08, 2010. Kids Are Bored To Tears". This is an interview with Karen Lewis, the head of the Chicago Teachers Union, and Lois Weiner, a professor of education at New Jersey City University. In spite of what the video player says, it's only about 23 minutes long, but is one of the best push-backs against the test-punish-privatize-approach to public education I've yet seen. Here are some highlights:. What’s really going on is a vocationaliza...
