The Death of Osama Bin Laden-A Teachable Moment

The Teachable Moment

Every now and again, an event occurs that just jumps out at a classroom teacher saying this is a golden opportunity to create a relevance between  current events and history. Whether you are teaching geography, social studies,civics or current events, the death of Osama Bin Laden is one of those opportunities that should not be passed up.

There are any number of web sites that would be excellent teaching tools for classroom teachers.

You could direct student to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list where they can see the poster of Osama Bin Laden, with the caption in red and white showing “deceased” at the bottom. The web address ishttp://www.fbi.gov/wanted/wanted_by_the_fbi.

 Another unique opportunity is to have students access the web page of Al Jazeera, the Arab news agency. Here students can obtain, in English, another perspective. They can read how the Arab world is responding to the death of Bin Laden.  Go to http://english.aljazeera.net/.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/ This is the official web site of the White House. Currently you can view video clips and photos about the US government’s successful plan to get Osama Bin laden.

There are many other links to this site, including the story of the White House as an historical building and stories about its past residents.

Additional information about the Bin Laden death can be found at the Defense Department’s web site, http://www.defense.gov/

The major news networks all have links to many of the back stories that have come to the forefront as a result of the Bin Laden killing. http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=13505793  is just one example.

Last week as part of the James Madison program at Princeton University, a panel discussion was held to discuss the impact of Bin Laden’s death. One of the recurring issues was the role of the Pakistani government.  Many of the participants found it incredulous that Osama Bin Laden had been hiding in a town with a military academy only 35 miles from Islamabad for five years. (Incompetence or duplicity)

One of the other issues was the resolve of the US government. This Special Forces mission, ten years in the making, proved to the world that when the US makes a commitment to bring a terrorist to justice, it makes good on its word.

There are many issues that make for great class discussions. Take advantage of them. Your students are ready.

Book Review- "A Chance to Make History"

Book Review” A Chance to Make History by Wendy Kopp

C.2011 Public Affairs Publishing, New York

: A Chance to Make History: What Works and What Doesn't in Providing an Excellent Education for All (Hardcover)

When Wendy Kopp envisioned Teach for America as part of her senior project at Princeton University, I believed that she was on to something very special on two fronts.
First, the program would provide an opportunity for a recent college graduates who had not planned to become teachers, a chance to" test the waters." In an era of chronic teacher shortages, it might have served to attract new recruits into the profession who had not considered teaching previously. Second, Kopp could have made a case for a national service commitment for all college graduates. With an all volunteer military, a required term of national services could have included the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Teach for America or a military option.
Instead, " A Chance to Make History" focuses on Teach for America alums who moved to educational leadership rather than classroom positions. The greatest success in my view was the KIPP Academy program created by two TFA alums, Michael Feinberg and David Levin.
However, Kopp continues to champion Michelle Rhee, a TFA alum who went on to become the controversial chancellor of the DC public schools. Kopp calls her a “transformational leader." Others have labeled Rhee a union busting bully. That should not have been the intent of Teach for America.
I concur with Kopp's assessment that there are no "silver bullets” out there" to cure the problems of public education in America. But given the current war against the teaching profession being waged by a number of governors, Kopp would better serve the profession by convincing TFA alums to stay on the front lines in the classroom and help students. That can help make Teach for America an enduring success and provide a legacy for Wendy Kopp.

This book  can be purchased at Amazon.com. As we are an affiliate, you can order this book directly from our site.

Find Teaching Jobs

Looking for your First (or Next) Teaching Job?

Finding a job in today’s economic environment is a daunting task at best. With the nationwide cuts in school funding and local school budget shortfalls, for many teachers the task is downright Herculean.

There are dozens of books, web sites that offer suggestions and tips for teacher job applicants.

I would like to recommend the Job Search Handbook for Educators published by AAEE, The American Association for Employment in Education, Inc. This excellent handbook, published in the late spring annually, provide a wealth of information for the job seeker. Readers will find articles on topics ranging from how to dress for an interview, resume preparation, preparing demonstration lessons and even teaching abroad. A number of the advertisers are school districts that are actively recruiting.

The Job Search Handbook is available at many university career centers and colleges of education. Individuals seeking a copy can order one through www.aaee.org. The cost is $15.

An excellent book that has been a perennial job-seeker favorite is What Color is Your Parachute by Richard Bolles. While not specifically geared to teachers, Bolles prepares the reader to  go on an exhaustive and thorough search of all avenues possible l to land a solid job.

http://teacher-teacher.net/ Is another solid  site for  K- 12 teaching jobs. This site not  only  provides links to domestic teaching openings but also has links to overseas job opportunities

http://www.dodea.edu/home/ The United Dates Department of Defense operates its own education program and employees teachers for schools that service children of US military personnel overseas. In addition to competitive salaries, there are a host of fringe benefits that include, medical care, a housing allowance, a pension program and in some cases transportation of personal belongings to the overseas site.

Other sites you may wish to investigate are www. teachingjobs.com which focuses solely on jobs by states. Additionally you may wish to visit www.educationworld.net which not only has a link to aid in your job search, but a library of public domain classis ( i.e., Call of the Wild)

Moving Up to Post Secondary Education

If you are considering a switch to college teaching, I would want to recommend two web sites. http://www.higheredjobs.com/ allows the viewers to scan jobs by state, academic discipline or full or part time status.

The ultimate source for college teaching and administration jobs is the Chronicle of Higher Education. This periodical, published weekly is often available at community as well as university libraries. There is also an on line version. http://chronicle.com/section/Jobs/61/. This link will take you directly to the job search site.

April is Math Awareness Month

Math- April is Math Awareness Month

The last time I taught a math class, the film “Donald Duck in Mathemagic Land” was still quite popular. Produced in 1959, this Oscar nominated 27 minute film was probably of the best education films to come out of the Disney organization. It was supposed to be the best way to get young students interested in mathematics. The federal government was in a quandary after falling behind to the Soviets in the space race. The National Defense Education Act was enacted in an effort to get America students to catch up in the areas of math and science.

Here we are fifty years later and America school students are still behind in mathematics.

Think about it. Math is a required subject in almost every grade level. Math is always a tested subject on state assessment programs and is a high school graduation requirement. Math is an integral part of both the SAT and ACT exams. Math problems can also be found in placement test for the military.

Computers provided a major paradigm shift in how students approach math problems and opened up new avenues for teachers to teach new math skills as well as to reinforce previously learned skills.

I would like to share with some web sites that might be useful as classroom aids and in getting your students to like math.

Aplusmath.com offers a variety of helpful tools. Student can make their own flashcards and print out worksheets for all major mathematic principles. There is also a Homework Helper tool and as assortment of mathematic puzzles. ( www.aplusmath.com)

Another useful site is mathgoodies.com. This site provides interactive math instruction. mathgoodies.blogspot.com

Would You Want You For a Teacher?

Would You Want You For a Teacher?

As we approach the end of the school year it is time to reflect on you accomplishments. Was this your first year as a teacher? Or is this your final year as you approach retirement. Has teaching been your chosen career from the beginning or did you choose teaching a career change or to capstone a career in public service.

This is time for a little reflection.

ü  What goals did you set out to achieve?

ü  What have been your accomplishments?

ü  What have been your greatest disappointments?

ü  What were your failures?

ü  Have you created plans to make next year a better and more productive one?

ü  Are you considering leaving the profession because it was unfulfilling?

ü  Did you work to change the lives of your students in a positive way?

In reflecting on the 2010-2011 school year and your performance in the classroom ask you self this question. Would you want to be a student in your class?

If your answer to this question is no, it is time to do some serious soul searching about yourself and your commitment to the education profession. There may have been some circumstances way beyond your control.  Perhaps you are in a school with a high transiency rate and it was nearly impossible to have a core of students in your class every day. You were searching for a consistency that was never there. Maybe there was some tragedy in your class, a death in a student’s family for example that served as a distraction. But there are other issues that are teacher centered. Were you focused on making your students a success? Were you able to engage your class (es) in educational activities that were challenging, exciting in an enthusiastic manner?

It is not too early to begin thinking about the 2011-2012 school year. Prepare a list of the positives and negatives of this year. From that you can begin check list of things that you can do this summer to prepare for next year. It is extremely important to reinvigorate yourself and recharge your pedagogical batteries this summer so that you will all set to enter the next school year with an infectious zeal that will spread to your students.

National Library Week

Celebrate National Library Week April 10-16, 2011

B.O.O.K (Body of Organized Knowledge)

When we think of a library we usually think of books. But today’s libraries offer so much more. Students can gain access to the Internet what will open up infinite possibilities to explore and obtain information, much more than any school library could ever hope to hold.  Libraries often subscribe to periodicals when students can read about other points of view, see pictures of people and places from around the globe.

National Library Week, sponsored nationally by the American Library Association, is a great opportunity to arrange for a class trip to your school library or your community library. It is adventure when students can read the great classics (Mark Twain, Shakespeare) or read about the latest interest sites and games. Perhaps they can obtain a CD that will help them learn a new language. Books can expand the horizons of students, challenge their intellectual capabilities.

Students can also get an opportunity to learn what a fantastic resource a librarian can.  She or he is not just a resource for the sources for your next term paper or book report.

Suggested Activities:

§  Great opportunity for a Read- A- Thon.

§  Have students dress up as their favorite literary character.

§   Hold library trivia contest.

§  Scavenger hunt (Who can find the oldest book in the library, the most books by one author).

§  Invite a local author to speak about their work and what it takes to write a book.

§  Have students “write and publish” a book and donate it to the library.

Libraries are in integral part of any school’s curriculum and community libraries should be a focal point of a town. They can provide outreach services such as assistance with a career search, getting into college, and tax preparation information.

Get involved! Happy National Library Week!

Teachers and Social Networking Sites

Beware of the “Drunken Pirate!”

Stacey Snyder was a 25 year old senior education major at Millersville University in Pennsylvania and was assigned to Conestoga Valley High School for her student teaching. During that time Snyder posted a photo of herself on MySpace clad in a pirate hat with a cup in her hand. She labeled the photo “Drunken Pirate” and told her students at the school about her web page. When school and university officials learned of Snyder’s MySpace photo, they took action. Conestoga High School terminated her student teaching assignment and the university refused to issue her education degree and did not recommend her for Pennsylvania state certification.  Snyder sued the university, claiming that her First Amendment rights had been violated. The case, Stacey Snyder, Plaintiff v. Millersville University (No. 07-1660) was heard in US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on December 3^rd, 2008. The court ruled in favor of the university.

I share this story with you as more and more school districts are checking social networking sites of both current and prospective employees. Numerous other civil liberties cases involving teachers had made their way through the courts since the 1970’s. The essence of many if these cases is that teachers, by nature of their work are held to higher ethical standards than the general population. They have been entrusted with the lives and education of America’s youth and as such need to present a high moral and ethical posture in the public eye.  Social networking sites like Face Book, MySpace, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc are not private.  Additionally, most posts in cyberspace are permanent and cannot usually be “unposted.”

At the university where I worked, the director of the Student Services Center developed a PowerPoint presentation about the dangers of teachers (or student teachers) posting material on social networking sites. If anything, please let this blog post be a reminder to you to clean up your social networking sites and to not invite your students to “visit” your pages. In this current politically charged environment, which is so hostile to teachers and the teaching profession, do not give the attackers any more ammunition.

A complete posting of the court decision can be found at:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/Decision%202008.12.03.pdf