The Carnival Of Education: Week 6

We are pleased to present the sixth edition of The Carnival Of Education. What we have done is assemble a variety of interesting and informative posts from around the EduSphere (and one or two from the Larger 'Sphere) that have been submitted by various authors and readers. We think that they represent a great variety of topics, political/educational viewpoints, and writing styles.

A word or two about how the entries are presented. This week, once again, we are posting the entries randomly. Writers that submit their own work are guaranteed an "exhibit" here at the Carnival; reader-submitted posts were included where possible. One entry was placed by us here at the 'Wonks.

It has been our pleasure to continue corresponding with a number of both writers and readers that care deeply about the education of our young (and not so young) people.

The First Edition can be seen here, the second here, the third, here, the fourth, here, and the fifth, over there. To get to EdWonk's main page, (with a variety of education-related posts) please click here.

Jenny D. will be guest hosting the Carnival next week. Submissions for The Carnival Of Education: Week 7 should be sent to: jdemonte [at] comcast [dot] net and should be received no later then 10:00 PM (Eastern) 7:00 PM (Pacific) next Tuesday, March 22, 2005.

For more information about the purpose of the carnival, click here. The Carnival will open over at Jenny D's next Wednesday morning. The Midway will then return here to the Education Wonks the following Wednesday.

The Secret of having any well-attended Carnival is advertising its existence. To this end, we ask that folks assist us by getting the word out. We are very grateful for all the help that so many have given publicizing this collective effort.

We heartily welcome all feedback, including, (but not limited to) comments, questions, concerns, or even constructive criticism.

Now, let's take a stroll down the midway:

Our first stop takes us to Right on the Left Coast. West Point graduate and teacher Darren had a dilemma involving some anti-military brochures that were on display in his school's counseling office.

Over at Remote Access, is a site authored by a classroom teacher who serves the students of Snow Lake, Manitoba. Clarence discusses topics that concern Canadian educators. (Interestingly, many are the same that we have here in the U.S.)

Moebius Stripper, who writes at Tall, dark, & mysterious, teaches college math. In a math lesson from the "grown-up world," she helps students understand credit cards and the cruelty of compound interest. (I had to learn that lesson the hard way a long time ago...)

Chris Correa has a nice roundup of the new SAT that students took last Saturday. Some students that sat for the test are already questioning the relevance of the new essay portion. (This has our closest attention as our 13-year-old daughter, aka TeenWonk will be facing this test sooner rather than later.)

Bud The Teacher has some thoughts about what constitutes a useful and productive teacher's conference, and was fortunate enough to attend one. (Goodness knows we here at the 'Wonks have attended our share of useless conferences.)

A creative way of teaching "The Scientific Method" is the subject of a post at Science and Politics. (Be sure to scroll down.)

Mr. Babylon teaches in New York City's Bronx. He lets us know that this is the birthplace of Hip-Hop and evaluates the creativity of his current crop of students.

Guest blogger Michael Goldstein at Eduwonk.com discusses some of the issues surrounding the current thrust to expand the number of high school students taking Advanced Placement classes. (Mr. Goldstein is the founder of The Media and Technology Charter School in Boston, Massachusetts.)

Jenny D. has an excellent two-parter about what may be the earliest debate about which students should take academically demanding classes. Read part one here, and part two there. (Jenny will be guest-hosting the Carnival next week, please take a look at the above instructions regarding submissions.)

"Owls and Other Fantasies" is the apt title of a post by GrrlScientist at Living The Scientific Life. Take a look at how the Scientist is dealing with the possibility of a strike at the New York City college where she teaches and the reception given her by Certain Pets when she arrived home after work. (The WifeWonk really digs the owls on the site.)

Campus J. raises the intriguing issue of college professors who now-a-days go "off the record" during their classroom discussions. (Only in our dreams...)

Over at the Live Journal site, English language learner Grisha writes about the importance of a nation having one language. As an immigrant, he undoubtedly has had some experiences.

The Daily Grind is written by a teacher in Washington State. This week, he has some straight talk about some students that have been worrying him.

The always-engaging Discriminations is letting us know about University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman's extreme defense of gender-based hiring in academia. (What is it about our colleges and universities that encourages this type of political correctism run amok?)

Joanne Jacobs has the story about how some high schools in the same district are much better-off financially and are therefore able to attract senior teachers to their sites and leave other schools staffed with inexperienced teachers.

No Left Turns is a collectively-written site by scholars associated with The Ashbrook Center for Public Affairs at Ashland University. This week, they discuss liberal education in both the classic and modern sense. (We ran in to our old friend Alexis de Tocqueville.)

Over at Illuminaria's Voice, she gives us her take on the story about the education student Scott McConnell that was given the boot from Le Moyne University because he advocated corporal punishment as a disciplinary technique.

Kimberly, at Number 2 Pencil brings us the happy news that Spelling Bees are making a comeback. (The Bilingual teacher in me is delighted.)

At Shutupandteach, Joe is reporting some of the military-style shenanigans that were used by one Ohio elementary school in the run-up to testing. (After clicking on the link, you'll need to scroll down. Look for the title "Drilling For Exams.)

Written by a classroom teacher, Polski3's View from Here, is saddened that one of the new teachers in his school ignored advice offered by experienced teachers and is now being "let go." Polski says that the teacher did not get any administrative support.

The Gnuteacher has written a post that lets people know exactly who pays for a large amount of what gets used in their child's classroom. (Consider checking out the site's sidebar; they definitely have a mission. We are reminded of our friend The Commissar over at The Poliburo Diktat.)

Written by a teacher in Chicago, Stepping Stone has a story about how one of his students didn't know what language he was speaking. (We don't know whether to laugh or cry.)

Hubes Cube is sounding the alarm about one school district's choice of whacky course material. For example, a course is offered that is called: "Rock music from the 1950s through today." Sadly, the district had to cut time from traditional core academic classes to make room.

The subject of teacher evaluations is discussed by A History Teacher. (We here at the 'Wonks would be curious to hear how other states evaluate their teachers.)

Rajan is studying for a High School Teaching Certificate in Malaysia. Rajan lets us in on a few of the issues confronting the Malaysian educational system. Astonishingly, several are similar to ours! (Consider checking-out the site's homepage.)

Over at Precinct 333, Texas teacher Precinct Chair gives us the shocking news that Australia also has a problem with Bullies. The Bullies were brazen enough to film their assault of a hapless schoolmate. Not only were the bullies punished, but so was the victim. (Sadly, this reminds us of an American bully that videotaped his assault on a victim in the classroom. We posted about it here.)

Spunkyhomeschool asks some thoughtful questions about the values that we teach our children. (We are always amazed at how perceptive children are...)

A certain kid that wants to join the journalism staff at the hipteacher's school is the subject of a post in which she worries that the child might be coming under negative peer-influence. (We are hoping to learn soon how things worked out...)

At Mentor Matters, they share with us a series of vignettes from a real teacher's classroom life. (Be sure to scroll down to the entry for February 23rd.)

An Indiana Public School Superintendent writes The Super's Blog. This week, the Super is reporting that there may be some skullduggery in the state capital. Here is a hint: There is a lobbyist involved.

Over at Critical Mass, Erin O'Connor returns after a short hiatus with a thoughtful post about the New SAT. (Note: This entry submitted by us here at the 'Wonks.)

Here at The Education Wonks, we offer our our own take on Public Military High Schools down in Florida.

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