Handwriting Improves Memory

We studied the research. The findings were clear. The researchers said that people who take notes in handwriting on paper have a higher retention of facts than people who take notes on a computer. At the elementary school where I worked, we discussed the findings and explored what it meant for teaching and learning at…

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Yellow Bellies Believe Their Own Lies About Poverty

They were six. We were talking about yellow. It was such a simple lesson. What is yellow? Lemon, flowers, the sun Some colors have emotional weight. Yellow: cowardly, fear, afraid Assignment: draw yellow pictures Sweet George struggled with reading, and his writing was sloppy and hard to read. His drawings were detailed and told stories.…

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Power, Rules, Balls, and Four Square

Dear Thomas Jefferson, Thanks for getting together with me on such short notice. Talking to you about rules, balls, and banks was a wonderful opportunity for me to think deeply about the current banking crisis. It is never good news when a bank collapses. Since we got together, I read the June 24, 1813 letter…

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Courts, Fields, Balls, and Banking Rules

Children on the playground at recess can teach us so much about life. Sometimes they play by the rules. Sometimes they just want to kick balls around and not play a scoring game at all. Sometimes they create games where a few strong kids can change the rules to keep in power and oust the…

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Pi Day

Mary (the teacher): When do you think kids are old enough to learn about Pi? Tom (the politician): What?!? Wait!……When will it be on the test? Isn’t that what matters? Besides, isn’t it in the math textbook? Just teach it when it is in the textbook, and I’m sure that is the right time. Mary:…

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