NEA Today : teachers :: Highlights : kids

I mean, look at this spread. Seriously. I get this thing in the mail every month and every month I stand in front of my box for, like, twenty minutes, shocked that this thing is pitched at adults, shocked that I pay for it.

Still can’t figure out if Reg Weaver’s going for Goofus or Gallant, tho’.

I’m not an expert on education but I can very reliably tell you when I’m bored out of my mind.

Tom Woodward, describing his reaction to lecturing, even a lot of the good stuff. Gotta tattoo that somewhere.

Also:

Never assume anyone but you even cares.

Words to live by from Benjamin Baxter, student teacher blogger, whom I linked up earlier today.

Damn but it’s the rare ed-blogger who can write the classroom anecdote well. TMAO’s got it. Jackie’s got it. Granted it’s something of a disgraceful genre (cousin to the airport paperback thriller) but I don’t know many bloggers on my reading list who can put me there, who don’t default to the overly-familiar indicators of happiness and frustration.

Awaiting Tenure’s got it.

“It can’t be 7:14 a.m.,” I thought to myself. “It’s too light outside.” I re-read the clock, correctly this time. 7:44 a.m.

Stupor over. I threw on yesterday’s shirt, socks and pants, and rushed out the door.

As I told a friend of mine this story, she looked at me with a look on her face that said, “I’m polite and pretending to pay attention. This is boring, but I don’t want to hurt your feelings.”

I gave her an out. She took it.

It’s kinda disappointing once you realize that the excitingest, heart-thumpingest part of your day is realizing you didn’t set your alarm the previous night.

Dunno if this month-old blogger’s ready for the big show but he’s worth reading, certainly, and, depending on your tolerance for airport paperback thrillers, a subscription, maybe.

Other Awaiting Tenure Posts:

• Classroom Technology As An Expensive Distraction. (Okay. None of y’all are gonna like that one.)
• Though Flying Blind, Neither Crash Nor Burn. (On the first day of student teaching.)
• Teaching Government in an Election Year. (Better compel this guy towards tech with something more persuasive than “you’re boring your kids.”)

Scott’s edublogospheric questionnaire for 2008 is live. Took me five minutes and I encourage y’all to do the same, if only because a bigger sample size will make question #16’s inevitable results that much more satisfying.

Oh right, may as well leave you with my semester-defining moment:

Walking into the faculty lounge this morning at 07h00, finding Amy-Josie fast asleep, leaning hard on a rumbling copier while her handouts ran beneath her.

[I probably need a tumblr for this stuff, I realize.]