Road Diaries: 2009 Teacher of the Year
In spring of 2009, special education teacher Anthony Mullen -- former New York City police officer -- was named the 59th National Teacher of the Year. Mullen taught at an alternative high school in Connecticut, where he worked with students who are often on their last academic stop. As NTOY, Mullen was on leave from his classroom for the academic year. He traveled the country, speaking to educators and reformers about what he sees as the greatest threat to American education: this country’s high dropout rate. Mullen’s opinion blog discussed his experiences in this space. This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: dropouts.
Education
Opinion
The Great Escape
Anthony Mullen reminds contemporary education critics that reports of the halcyon days of public education have been greatly exaggerated.
Education
Opinion
Should Nazis be Punished?
Annoyed by journalists' sensationalism of the teaching profession, Anthony Mullen considers when bad reporting happens to good teachers.
Education
Opinion
The Butcher's Bill in Rhode Island
Driving along Interstate 70 near the Ozark Mountains, Anthony Mullen contemplates the Rhode Island school teachers whose fate awaits them.
Education
Opinion
The Sky is Falling
A near crash landing reminds Anthony Mullen that Chicken Little was wrong: Pessimists will not determine the fate of our education system.
Education
Opinion
The 6% Solution
Anthony Mullen responds to a Stanford economist's recent suggestion that the lowest-performing six percent of teachers should be slashed to boost school performance.
Education
Opinion
The Power of Suggestion
Anthony Mullen's quest to discover how the city of Buffalo earned its name brings him to realize the true power of suggestion.
Education
Opinion
Why Every School Needs a Gun Locker
Anthony Mullen speaks with the creator of the Middle School Archive Project in Dallas and discovers how revisiting students' dreams can lead to later successes.
Education
Opinion
Teacher Tales
I was recently asked to write the foreword to a newly published book titled Chicken Soup for the Soul: Teacher Tales. I was a bit reluctant to write the foreword because I have not used my blog Road Diaries to discuss some of the many wonderful books I have read about the art and beauty of teaching. My fellow bloggers on this page do a wonderful job reviewing such books and writing about the many challenging and complex issues facing educators. I am given the less strenuous task of describing what I see and feel as I travel the country. But when I was told that the book would be written by and for teachers, I felt compelled to visit the book's editor. I agreed to write the foreword under one condition: my fellow 2009 state teachers of the year would have a story included in the book. This was a bold request because the book had received over 3000 submissions from authors seeking to be published in a Chicken Soup for the Soul book. If the editor agreed to my request, more than half of the 101 stories would be written by my friends and colleagues, teachers who are actively teaching in classrooms. The editor agreed to my request and now I was faced with a new challenge: what should I write about in the foreword? Why is this particular book important to teachers? And then I thought about a teacher I had met in Mississippi. This lovely and compassionate woman had been teaching for almost forty years and now wanted to...
Education
Opinion
13 Seconds
While visiting Kent State, Anthony Mullen revisits the 13 seconds 40 years ago when the Ohio National Guard killed four students and wounded nine others.
Education
Opinion
Stephanie's Song
Anthony Mullen reaches out to colleagues after discovering that a young woman he knows has been lost to the earthquake in Haiti.
Education
Opinion
London Calling
After spending three days getting to the Learning and Technology World Forum in London, Anthony Mullen confronts sleep deprivation and the memory of saving a child's life.
Education
Opinion
Teachers Should Be Seen and Not Heard
As three governors, a senator, and a Harvard professor spout on about teachers at an ed conference, Anthony Mullen is a fly on the wall until someone asks for his opinion.
Education
Opinion
Requiem for a Dropout
I watched the large chicken jump and down on the cold sidewalk, flapping its wings at passing motorists. A few cars stopped to snap photographs of the large hen and one teenage boy yelled "Get a real job!"
Education
Opinion
The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
A holiday visit to a former student in a correctional facility has Anthony Mullen hoping that the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come gives troubled youths a second chance.