“One of the myths of creativity is that very few people are really creative,” said former education professor, author, and TED speaker Ken Robinson, in a statement released to coincide with the report. “The truth is that everyone has great capacities, but not everyone develops them. One of the problems is that too often our educational systems don’t enable students to develop their natural creative powers. Instead, they promote uniformity and standardization. The result is that we’re draining people of their creative possibilities and, as this study reveals, producing a workforce that’s conditioned to prioritize conformity over creativity.” —
Education System Stifles Creativity, Survey Finds
As much as I love and respect the work of Ken Robinson, I’m hitting a breaking point. If America is tired of it’s underfunded education system failing, then they need to recognize the following:
You either value education, or you don’t.
It’s that simple.
You either care enough to demand that state and federal governments stop slashing your funding for education (paid for by your tax dollars) instead of giving themselves pay raises and fighting for tax loopholes and breaks for millionaires and billionaires, or you don’t.
You either care enough to demand that we pay teachers a decent wage (since those vile liberal Communist Socialists also spend all day with your children, mentoring, tutoring, sometimes parenting, but generally taking care of them above and beyond what you will ever comprehend), or you don’t.
You either believe that repeated high-stakes standardized testing forces your children to learn how to take a test rather than think critically (because if their multiple test scores are too low the district will lose funding and the teacher may lose their job), or you don’t.
It’s simple. It really, really is.
(via world-shaker)
(via world-shaker)
A informational chart about how to make one of my favourite things… Coffee.
What’s it called when you use up the last of your creamer and almost all your remaining coffee to make a bit pot of something that must be drank before you can head back home?
1. Congratulations to everyone who has survived their finals week! And if you’re still surviving yours or waiting to begin it, best of luck to you! If I survived my last one, I’m sure you can beat yours, too. (guess where I’ve been for the past week? :P )
2. To anyone who completed a recital this year—congratulations to you as well! And to anyone planning one, best of luck to you! It’s a lot of work, but as I’ve discovered they can also be a lot of fun.
2. Thank you for all the helpful answers to my last question. Looks like pretty much what you were all suggesting—a short blurb about my professional interests and activities related to music and other areas. I had a feeling it wasn’t my life story—but always better safe than sorry.
I just found out my placement for my student teaching next semester, and I’m excited that I’ll be getting to work with the teacher that I was hoping for!
However, the school wants three things from me: (1) resume, (2) teaching philosophy statement, and (3) a biography.
The first two make sense to me—but the biography confuses me a little. Do they want my life story (unlikely), or a just a short blurb?
I’m going to go check with my advisor to find out, but I’m curious to know from anyone else who has or is student teaching if this is pretty common?
“Instead of saying “I don’t have time” try saying “it’s not a priority,” and see how that feels. Often, that’s a perfectly adequate explanation. I have time to iron my sheets, I just don’t want to. But other things are harder. Try it: “I’m not going to edit your résumé, sweetie, because it’s not a priority.” “I don’t go to the doctor because my health is not a priority.” If these phrases don’t sit well, that’s the point. Changing our language reminds us that time is a choice. If we don’t like how we’re spending an hour, we can choose differently.” —
Fascinating Wall Street Journal Article on being busy (via tissah)
A great article to think about on Sunday morning
(via maebergan)
today, in things I need to work on.
(via megburns)
I have been trying to make this point for years.
(via haygirlhay)
One of my professors made us start thinking this way during my class on classroom management. We were reading Stephen Covey’s First Things First, which has some tips on time management.
(via lhuddles)
Oh, I like this.
I like this a lot.
(via iamlittlei)
I’m going to try this.
(Source: katykelley, via iamlittlei)
Another quote that needs to be up in my future classroom.
(Source: chickenshit, via novicephoenix)
We are teachers of the masses. We are the teachers of Americans, and America is never one group, idea, ideal, or identity. We are the impartial and the supportive; we are the all inclusive. We are here to show them the future and guide them there.
We are teachers. We are not here to tell our students they are less than.
The Starbucks “secret menu”.
This is pretty cool.
This almost goes beyond the realm of “cool” into the realm of “necessary.”
[video]
“Creativity is the act of making obvious things that aren’t yet obvious.” — LukeW | UX London: Long Nose of Innovation (via slantback)
(via infoneer-pulse)