Posts Tagged ‘Education’

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Why Time Magazine Might Have Got it Wrong

December 13, 2019

 

I have some points to make about the decision to award Greta Thunberg as Time Person of the Year.

 

  1. I think it’s fantastic that a teenager won this prestigious award. It is vital that our youth have role models. There are too many teenagers who are totally unaware of the world around them and have few insights on big-picture issues. I hope Greta’s recognition makes it cool for young people to engage socially and politically.
  2. The slurs against Greta from Donald Trump and haters on social media is absolutely out of line. She is a teenager, and even though she has chosen to become a public face and celebrity figure, we should never, ever forget that she is a minor. Picking on kids is not acceptable.
  3. This doesn’t mean that her style of messaging can’t be criticised. I have long wondered whether scaring young children on climate change is the right approach. Already there have been reports in psychological journals detailing how the doom and gloom style of messaging is causing anxiety and depression in our young children.
  4. My main issue with Greta receiving the award is that, from what I’m told, she does not attend school. This troubles me. I must make it clear. I am not judging Greta personally for not attending school. I am not completely aware of her own personal circumstances, so it would be inappropriate for me to pass judgement. However, widely speaking, I am not in favour of giving prestigious awards to kids that don’t go to school.

In fact, I think the pro-education message is much stronger than the pro-climate message. The more we tackle school refusal and truancy the more likely we will be able to foster generations of kids who will have the tools to speak up about the climate and any other major issue affecting our world.

 

Michael Grossman is the author of the hilarious new children’s book, My Favourite Comedian. You can download a free ebook copy by clicking here or buy a copy by clicking on this link.

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Posted in Climate Change, Truancy | Leave a Comment »

Teachers and the Christmas Bonus

December 11, 2019

 

We are obviously in the wrong profession.

How great would it be if scenes like this in Baltimore was replicated for teachers and nurses?

 

St. John Properties, a Baltimore-based commercial real estate property management and development company, provided a $10 million bonus for its 198 employees to split at its annual holiday party on Dec. 7.

“The [bonus] distribution was based solely on years of service. It had nothing to do with a person’s position in the company,” Larry Maykrantz, president of St. John Properties, told Yahoo Finance in a phone interview. “We spent a little bit of time discussing it and believe me, once we made that decision, we realized that was the only fair and equitable way of handling this.”

Individual employee bonuses ranged from $100 to $270,000, according to the company’s LinkedIn post. On average, each employee received about $50,000.

 

Michael Grossman is the author of the hilarious new children’s book, My Favourite Comedian. You can download a free ebook copy by clicking here or buy a copy by clicking on this link.

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Posted in Teachers Salary | Leave a Comment »

It Must Have Been Love, But It’s Over Now

December 11, 2019

 

To say I didn’t have the best school experience is a pretty big understatement. It’s not much fun to be a creative type in a very conservative school.

That’s why I’m indebted to the films and music that helped elevate my surrounds and provided me with the strength to keep going. Roxette was a breath of fresh air. They were cool enough to be considered cool, even though they were especially attractive to dags like myself. Below, I have attached one of their most underrated and rousing songs.

I am so sorry to hear of the death of lead singer Marie Fredriksson, who passed at the young age of 61. An immensely talented musician and a mother of two children, she will be greatly missed.

Thank you for helping me overcome challenges. Rest in peace.

 

Michael Grossman is the author of the hilarious new children’s book, My Favourite Comedian. You can download a free ebook copy by clicking here or buy a copy by clicking on this link.

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Posted in Creativity | Leave a Comment »

The Harmful Effects of Constantly Changing a Teacher’s Year Level

December 9, 2019

 

There is a rather ludicrous tendency to have teachers switch classes on a regular basis. They may be a 4th Grade teacher one year and a 1st Grade teacher the next.

The reasoning goes something like this. A teacher that constantly moves doesn’t get too comfortable in a year level, Being too comfortable, the argument goes, can lead a teacher to revert to lazy practices and repeat old, tired lessons from yesteryear.

But I would argue the teacher merry-go-round has a harmful element. It prevents teachers from mastering a given year level and stops them from building on their previous year’s work and learning from mistakes made in the past.

The curriculum is too dense and the expectations of teachers are too high to treat the end of year shuffle like a game.

Yes, you don’t want your teachers to revert to laziness, but even more so, you want them to excel.

 

Michael Grossman is the author of the hilarious new children’s book, My Favourite Comedian. You can download a free ebook copy by clicking here or buy a copy by clicking on this link.

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Posted in Education Policy, Teacher Welfare | Leave a Comment »

Teachers Should Not Become the Lunch Box Police

December 8, 2019

 

 

Reading, writing, mathematics, history and social studies. These are some of the disciplines teachers should concern themselves with.

Lunch box inspectors? Sorry. That’s none of our business.

And what’s more, whilst the method of lunchbox checking is intended to encourage healthy eating, it is more likely to lead to food-related anxiety.

 

Parents are clashing with teachers who police lunch boxes and shame children for bringing unhealthy food, new research shows.

University of Melbourne researchers interviewed 50 Victorian primary school ­parents and found some were anxious and upset about their school’s surveillance of lunch boxes.

In some cases, photos of children with “good” and “bad” lunch boxes were circulated around the school to teach others what to bring and what not to bring.

Young students were also singled out by teachers and given yard duties or penalty points for having the wrong food, the study found.

One girl buried a muesli bar in the playground because she was so embarrassed about having it in her lunch box and another had homemade cake returned with admonishment.

I ask one simple question. How would policymakers like having parents inspect their lunches? Because we all know that the hypocrites that enforce these policies are quite partial to a bit of Uber Eats.

 

Michael Grossman is the author of the hilarious new children’s book, My Favourite Comedian. You can download a free ebook copy by clicking here or buy a copy by clicking on this link.

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Posted in Education Policy, Nutrition, School Rules | Leave a Comment »

What a Real Classroom Looks Like

December 8, 2019

 

The real benefit of a classroom is the collaboration and support it can foster. When a classroom works well kids can receive the love and nurturing every child deserves and needs. It is up to the teacher to implement and oversee such an environment.

Because when it works, it’s magical:

A Michigan boy who was so happy the day he would be adopted had finally arrived that he invited his entire kindergarten class to join in on the occasion. Not only did Michael Clark Jr.’s classmates from his school in East Grand Rapids take up the first row of the Kent County courtroom, they gave sweet testimonies, exclaiming to the judge that they love Michael and that he is their best friend. Others held up paper hearts to show their support.

 

Michael Grossman is the author of the hilarious new children’s book, My Favourite Comedian. You can download a free ebook copy by clicking here or buy a copy by clicking on this link.

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Posted in Child Welfare | Leave a Comment »

Stand-Up Comedy and the Classroom

December 3, 2019

 

I’ve long been an ardent fan of stand-up comedians and their craft. I even wrote a children’s book about it.

What fascinates me about stand-up is that it provides a platform for taking something painful and extremely difficult and magically turns it into something entertaining, positive and relatable.

When do people get the chance to properly articulate the issues of their difficult childhoods, marriage breakdowns, bad career moves and parenting conundrums? You can try to open up at a party or at the office, but don’t expect a positive reception.

Unless you go to therapy, chances are, especially in today’s age, there isn’t a soul you can talk to outside of your family about issues that we all face such as rejection, disappointment and self-worth. We live in a shut-off society, where people let their issues fester or project them in negative ways such as trolling on social media or gossiping about others.

The classroom, like the stand-up stage, provides a unique opportunity for truthful conversation and genuine communal support. If done well, every child can go to school with the knowledge that their classroom is a safe space for sharing difficult experiences and gaining support from their peers. I have an initiative I call Classroom Conversation. It goes for about ten minutes and I provide a topic starter, such as Your Most Embarrassing Moment. It is a brilliant and non-threatening device for cultivating meaningful dialogue.

The stage is set. All you have to do is use it.

 

Michael Grossman is the author of the hilarious new children’s book, My Favourite Comedian. You can download a free ebook copy by clicking here or buy a copy by clicking on this link.

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Posted in Child Welfare | Leave a Comment »

The Importance of Humour in the Classroom

December 2, 2019

 

It is possible to enforce standards and command respect without losing the joy and excitement that should be the cornerstone of every successful classroom.

The challenges that our students feel are immense and creating an old-style, humourless and regimented classroom environment is not going to effectively develop trust or encourage your students to reach out.

A healthy sense of fun is a major priority for me. Everything from my classroom novel choices to the Maths and Literacy activities we engage in is designed to show children that fun and a good belly laugh is the right approach to tackling adversity.

 

 

Michael Grossman is the author of the hilarious new children’s book, My Favourite Comedian. You can download a free ebook copy by clicking here or buy a copy by clicking on this link.

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Posted in Child Development | Leave a Comment »

Kids are Not Reading: What are We going to Do About It?

November 28, 2019

 

A recent national report card finds reading proficiency for American fourth-grade and eighth-grade students are declining. So what do we do about it?

It’s not like this problem is new. Harry Potter comes out and many want to believe it will become a gateway drug that leads to bookworms everywhere. Of course, that was never going to be the case.

Some throw their hands up in the air and point to the destructive nature of gaming and the internet. Yes, it’s true that screens have made reading an even lesser priority for kids. But ebooks, books read on screens, is an exciting innovation that could encourage tech-savvy kids to give reading a go.

Personally, I think it’s up to teachers and parents to show kids the pleasures of reading. I think it’s destructive, especially in the early grades to have teachers who don’t like reading. parents of young kids who aren’t readers should consider the benefits of taking up reading if only to set a good example. I know you are busy, but trust me, it will reap rewards for you and your kids.

My students often site my own book, which I have been sharing with them during the writing, drafting and editing stages as a key reason for their enjoyment in reading. To be a part of the creation of a living. breathing novel was a thrill for them. Now they are invested in seeing to it that the book is successful beyond their classroom.

There’s nothing like a good example.

 

Michael Grossman is the author of the children’s book, My Favourite Comedian. You can download a free ebook copy by clicking here or buy a copy by clicking on this link.

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Posted in Literacy, My Favourite Comedian | Leave a Comment »

6 Reasons to Install Cameras in Classrooms

November 24, 2019

 

I know I’m alone on this one.

My colleagues have let me know in no uncertain terms that I must have rocks in my head for supporting such an initiative, but it is my position that we would be better off having our lessons filmed by cctv cameras.

One interesting point from the recent Barb Williams story (video available above) is how brilliant it was that there were cameras in the hallways capturing her unacceptable treatment of the young child. What if there was no footage? How then, would we have drawn attention to her actions?

The following are the reasons for my position regarding cameras in the classroom:

1. Why shouldn’t improper actions by teachers be uncovered? If you are a good, or even an adequate teacher you have nothing to worry about, but if you are a danger to your students or you are inappropriate, you will be caught and sanctioned accordingly.

2. There are rising concerns over false reporting of teacher abuse. Cameras in the classrooms will deter students from making up or exaggerating stories and there will be proof for those that have a valid case. Documentary evidence will prevent the difficult situation of “his word against mine.”

3. This initiative will deter students from misbehaving and will also deter teachers from making poor decisions.

4. Some will talk about the need for privacy. Who needs privacy? Privacy from whom? This isn’t going to be streamed on the net, it is going to be available to superiors who will use it to protect those that are entitled to protection.

5. Teachers won’t like it, but our primary focus is the wellbeing of our students. When analysing the benefits of any education initiative, the impact it would have on students is paramount. If this will protect vulnerable students surely it’s worthwhile regardless of what teachers think.

6. This would be extremely effective in regards to children with disabilities and others that wouldn’t be able to properly convey a case of impropriety against a teacher.

I realise I am alone on this one but I can’t help but think of all the cases of abuse that we are unaware of because it goes unreported or cannot be proven.

 

Michael Grossman is the author of the children’s book, My Favourite Comedian. You can buy a copy by clicking on this link.

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Posted in Child Welfare, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

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