This is just a short post today.

This is one I have not seen before. I personally think it's a great idea.

Taking school to the kids - an article in the Ventura County monthly magazine Ventana called, School on Wheels. This is about tutoring homeless kids. It currently operates in California.
Here is an excerpt from the article, "...Designed to maintain links between schools and homeless children and offer those children the educational - and often emotional - support they're lacking..."

Cheers - Mike

Should kids have jobs in high school? Should kids be paid to go to high school?

Here is an article which goes into the subject a little more called, Should kids have jobs in high school?. A good argument is made for letting kids enjoy school and extra-curricular activities. But kids need money and parents usually have a problem of just giving kids money. So now we go to our second question, should kids be paid to go to high school? Well, here is the for and you'll find the against below.

Would get an education.
Wouldn't drop out of school.
Would attend classes.
Would take part in school activities and after school activities.
Wouldn't have to worry about money.
Would be accountable to parents for school progress.

Against:
Parent may believe the student wouldn't develop a good work ethic.
Student may not make enough money.
Student will miss some school activities.

There is much more of course and hopefully this will get you thinking and discussing it.

Cheers - Mike

Teachers as Mediators - "Mediators" means different things to different people. What is meant here is the teacher as a mediator between curriculum policy and implementation. As well, we will discuss teachers as a different kind of "mediator", really a Critical Incident Stress (CIS) debriefer. We'll also talk about conflict mediators.

We will start with this paper called, School reactivation programs after disaster: could teachers serve as clinical mediators? A quote from the summary, "The tremendous needs that emerge after a disaster and the reluctance shown by most victims to seek professional help require mental health leaders to adopt a proactive stance and implement relief programs in the child's most natural setting. The school as institution and the teachers as empowered mediators offer the appropriate conditions for implementing an effective large-scale intervention program.". Empowering teachers means training in Critical Incident Stress debriefing techniques. Not everyone is good at it and the initial course is usually two days. However, the CIS debriefer can literally save a life.

Conflict mediators as students or peers to help mediate problems in schools is addressed in this short but good article called, Conflict Mediators Program from Global Learning.

This one, the teacher as a mediator between curriculum policy and implementation, is the toughest one to research.
Here is a start called, “The real and the ideal”: teacher roles and competences in South African policy and practice.
This one is specially good and the link to the abstract, and download, is called, Teachers as critical mediators of knowledge. Get it while you can because other sites are charging approximately 30-40 dollars for it.
I found this complete paper called, Leaders as policy mediators: the reconceptualization of accountability. This seems to be the only site where the 13 page paper is offered.
This link looks at the school as a policy mediator. It is called, Implementing Nunavut Education Act: Compulsory School Attendance Policy.
So there are some papers and briefs related to the teacher as a mediator between curriculum policy and implementation but not as many and I would have thought. It does show that more attention should go to this subject, especially in the 21st century.

Cheers - Mike

Perhaps it should be called Laughing with the Teacher. If a teacher is laughed at, then learning takes second fiddle.

Teachers who can evoke a chuckle or two during a class period usually have greater class participation and subject retention. Who wants to sit through a class taught by a serious teacher in a serious way, never smiling, always moving, or reading from a book. They may know their subject well, but...

A teacher who is laughed at for something (usually an action) can turn it around to engage the class. If it is an accent or a way of speech, it can be used to advantage as well. If it is a way of dressing or deportment, the students will be the first to let you know. But something can be done about it.

Teachers who know their subjects incredibly well will usually have the respect of the students, especially if the teacher comes up with impromptu experiments or off-the-cuff revelations. The students are kept off guard and pay attention because they don't know what will happen next. In other words, keep it interesting.

Talking about experiences from your own life is ok for short examples related to the subject matter, but not if it is just a story.

Most teenage students appear to have a screw loose which makes it challenging for teachers.

Not all teachers are good instructors, but can be with the right training. What, you just waltz into a classroom and expect the students to "listen carefully and pay attention"? It doesn't work that way anymore.

Some teachers don't "see" their students. The students know it. The students want to be recognized, even if they have to do something silly and disruptive to get the attention. Teachers don't have to let it get that far.

A long time ago Reader's Digest had a section in their paperbacks called, "Laughter is the Best Medicine". That saying still holds true today, because some folks say that laughter increases endorphins, strengthens your immune system, and sends extra oxygen coursing through your veins. Find out why some researchers believe laughing is as good as a mild workout.

So when you see your students looking off, eyes closed (maybe they didn't get enough sleep last night or are growing again), you can help them and yourself with a quick joke. Having a page of jokes for these "emergency" purposes will keep the students off guard too.

If you're not good at making up your own jokes, you can search the net for joke sites or buy a joke book. Remember, keep 'em clean.

Here is one to get started with, but although teenagers like Little Johnny jokes, it would be best for you, as the teacher, not to tell any. One-liners or funny quotes seem to be the easiest to remember and tell.

"The only reason people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory."

And for students caught sleeping, you could say, "I was doing a highly specific Yoga exercise to relieve school-related stress. Are you discriminatory toward people who practice Yoga?".

Good luck - good teaching - good listening

Cheers - Mike