Peter DeWitt is the founder and CEO of the Instructional Leadership Collective. A former public school teacher and principal, he now facilitates professional learning in the United States and abroad based on the content of many of his best-selling educational books. Former superintendent Michael Nelson is a frequent contributor to this opinion blog. He is the co-leader of ILC and a former superintendent who has been an educator for more than 40 years.
Education
Opinion
Robert Doesn't Fit In
Most days, Robert walks into his elementary school with his head down. It's not that he doesn't like his teacher or school, it's just that is how he likes to walk. Students quickly walk past him on the sidewalk and the hallway because he walks so slow. They smile, laugh and talk with one another as they pass him one by one. They're not laughing at him but they're not inviting him into the conversations either.
Education
Opinion
Student-Led Conferences
We take the mystery out of learning because we have a habit of talking at children and not to them.
Education
Opinion
Letter to a High School Student
Facebook certainly has made life interesting over the past few years since its inception. For those of us over 30, we have been faced with the opportunity to see those people from high school that we long forgot about. There was a time when we only had to worry about seeing high school friends every ten years when we attended our high school class reunions, which is why some of us skipped our ten year reunion.
Education
Opinion
The "Bad Kid" Stigma
Every year we have students who need a "tune-up." A tune-up is when they need to see the principal because they had a one time issue with a student or teacher that needs an administrative intervention. Sometimes students are beginning to show a pattern of behavior and it is a good time for principals to step in and talk with the students about their behavior.
Education
Opinion
The Sky is Falling: Preparing for a 2% Tax Cap
"The sky is falling. I saw it with my eyes. I heard it with my ears. Some of it fell on my tail." Chicken Little
Education
Opinion
I Failed Recess...Because I Don't Play!
Growing up with four older siblings was always interesting. At a young age I learned how to share, and privacy was non-existent until a few older siblings got married and moved out of the house. My brother Jody is three years older, although everyone thinks he's younger, and we spent a great deal of time together as kids.
Education
Opinion
Ode to NCLB
The other day I was going through some old Word files. I have a lot of pieces of writing I started but never finished. Usually, things sound like a great idea in my mind and then it just doesn't look right on paper. I save a few pieces and revisit them from time to time.
Education
Opinion
What Are We Teaching The Social Network Generation?
As I walk around the school building getting to know my students, I love to hear their stories about what they did after school or hear their plans for the upcoming weekend. From first glance, they are much like we were when we were young. They want to hang with their friends and have fun with their families. In other ways, students have changed a great deal simply because of what they can access on a daily basis.
Education
Opinion
What Politicians Teach Our Students
Over the past few decades we have seen politicians who make us proud and others who make us want to hide our heads in shame. The more we watch the news the more it seems as though our politicians are disconnected from the people who voted them into office. As many people suffer during these tough economic times, many politicians argue about who is right and point fingers at who they believe is wrong.
Education
Opinion
No Testing Week
"We are raising a stressed out generation of students who are over-tested and overanalyzed."
Education
Opinion
Where's the love for reading and writing? An Interview with Laurie Halse Anderson
"Children are born creative. I think that the emphasis on tests and judging creative expression damages that inherent creativity very early on." Laurie Halse Anderson
Education
Opinion
Child Abuse In Our School Community
We have a population of students who can't wait to get to school every day. They wish our days were longer, watch the clock tick every minute, and do not want to go home. It's not that they love reading, math, science or social studies so much that they want to stay in our schools long into the night. They don't want to go home because they are being abused. Child abuse can be both physical and emotional and those children being abused sit in our schools and fear going home.
Education
Opinion
Media Stereotypes, LGBT Youth and a Documentary Worth Watching
"While in my childhood the values of social justice and equity were instilled, I received no messages suggesting gays and lesbians were deserving of just and equitable treatment" (Roper, 2005, p. 82).
Education
Opinion
A Framework for Good Teaching: a Conversation with Charlotte Danielson
"I believe that one of the reasons my framework has become so widely accepted is that it gives voice to what all educators know, that teaching is very complex work, it's a thinking person's job and you cannot follow a cookbook." Charlotte Danielson