Thank you for our freedom

As we honor those who have fought and served paying the ultimate price for our freedom, I am so proud to be an American.  My father fought in WW II and was a member of the "greatest generaton".  His generation was called to defend our country in very difficult times.  I know he would have supported the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He would have hated to loose one life but he would understood the necessarity for it. I took a flag to his grave this morning.  Looking across the cemetry, there were flags flying in the warm breeze placed there by the town of Ahoskie for all who have served their country..  It was a calming and peaceful sight to behold.  This cemetry was flanked by two schools where for a few minutes history stood still.   As a teacher in North Carolina, I want my students to know what a great country we live in. I want them to be strong citizens for North Carolina and the United States.   As citziens,  we need to be acutely aware of the price of freedom.  We must honor and respect those who serve and protect our freedom.   This year my class sent the troops in Afghanistan snacks for their super bowl party.  We received a letter from the commander of the unit thanking us for thinking of them.  In April,. one of the officers of that unit came to visit our class.  He brought a flag flown at the base on February 6,  It helped my students to put a face on the freedom we often take for granted. Citizenship begins the first day you enter school and last a lifetime. As teachers, we must teach freedom in order to preserve it!

Teaching Best Practices

I have known for years what best practices is not.......not whole-class-directed instruction, student passivity, prizing for silence in the classroom, worksheets, dittos, seatwork, time covering large amount of material in every subject area, rote memorization, stress on competition and grades, use of and reliance on standardized test.  Obviously, we are during way to much of this type of teaching.  Could that be why we are struggling on EOG's?  We can and must use best practices in every aspect of our teaching.