The Carnival Of Education: Week 35

The thirty-fifth midway of The Carnival Of Education is now open for your reading enjoyment. We hope that you'll find that this collection of writer-submitted posts is representative of the thoughts and ideas that are to be found in the EduSphere.

As always, those entries selected by the editors appear at the bottom of the page, just above the Carnival archives.

All successful carnivals are a team effort. We ask that you consider helping to spread the word. The more readers who know about this collection of exhibits, the more who will "drop-in" visit the midway, and read the posts. Trackbacks, links, and casual mentions all help.

A number of sites have been very helpful in publicizing and/or hosting the midway. We thank them for their continued support. If you would like to guest-host an edition of the Carnival at your site sometime in the future, please contact us at owlshome [at] earthlink [dot] net.

Your comments, constructive criticism, and suggestions are always heartily welcomed. Readers are appreciated, commenters are adored.

An Invitation: All writers of education-related posts are invited to contribute to the thirty-sixth edition of The Carnival Of Education, which will be guest-hosted by Jenny D. Please send your submissions to: jdemonte[at]comcast[dot]net. Contributions should be received no later than 10:00 PM (Eastern) 7:00 PM (Pacific) Tuesday, October 11th, 2005. The Carnival midway will open at Jenny D's place next Wednesday morning.

Let's take a look at some exhibits!

Have you ever considered what lessons public education could learn from the martial arts? Writing over The Wake-Up Call, Redhog considered it and has drawn some highly readable lessons from the experience. In a bonus post, New York City teacher Redhog has some thoughts about the need to reform the processes used for the recruiting and licensure of school administrators.

What do kindergarten-age children think about race and ethnicity? At that age, are they color blind or do they display the same behaviors as older kids and parents? Over at Get on the Bus, they link to study that has some eye-opening results.

Polski3 introduces us to a new concept: School administrators must take a secret class called "Annoyance 101." It's all about how to bother classroom teachers while they are trying to do their jobs. The administrative team at his school gives new meaning to the term, "I understand." Check out this bonus post about the trials and tribulations of a junior high teacher during the first weeks of school.

Alexander Russo keeps an eye on those who write about education-related matters and does a superb job of rounding 'em up. Consider taking a look at this collection of humorous education-related links. [Ed's Note: We simply had to add a link to The Flying Spaghetti Monster game in the comments.] In a bonus post (selected by us) Alexander offers sound advice for anyone who reads or writes education-related stories.

Anyone who has ever taught high school English knows how difficult it can be to get male students more interested in writing and literature. Tim Fredrick is a high school English Language Arts teacher in New York City and has been conducting research on what motivates high school boys to read and write better and has reached some interesting conclusions.

What grade should a student receive if he or she turns in no work? Would you believe that some now state that giving a "0" for zero work is somehow wrong? Over at A Shrewdness of Apes, Ms. Cornelius takes a hard look at that argument and notes that it doesn't add up.

I can remember when most school administrators talked about kids, kids, kids. Nowadays, it seems like all they talk about is data, data, data. What It's Like on the Inside got a chance to attend a meeting of school administrators and learned first-hand that data isn't all they talk about...

For great satire, consider adding the Indiana Public School Superintendent's place to your reading list. The Super's Blog has started a series this week on how to tell if you are a recovering republican. There may be a need for a 12-step plan for those who score above 8 his 10 point quiz. The Super says it only takes 10 seconds to tell.

The million dollar question: How applicable is educational theory in the practical classroom? With her dissertation proposal nearly finished, next week's Carnival guest-host Jenny D. takes a look at a study by psychologist Keith Stanovich which discussed probable reasons why kids who fall behind have such difficulty catching-up with their peers. Jenny offers us some tantalizing tidbits about her dissertation...

Did you know that sociology was about equality? I didn't, and neither did David over at Ticklish Ears, who points out the fact that brevity isn't necessarily a virtue when it comes to complex academic concepts.

Over at Scheiss Weekly, Mamacita uses a well-traveled "urban legend" email in order to set-up her powerfully engaging message about what teaching and learning should really be about.

A long-time friend of us here at The Education Wonks, Katie, from over at A Constrained Vision, is thinking about attending graduate school. She's looking for the right program and requests that you share with her your recommendations and experiences.

Are teachers overpaid and underworked? Or are they underpaid and overworked? I guess that the answer to that question depends on who you ask. In a post guaranteed to get your attention, Education Matters, doesn't hesitate to let you know their point of view and why.

One of my favorite movies of all time is Breakfast At Tiffany's with Audrey Hepburn. (I still get all sentimental when I hear her sing "Moon River.") Erin, the writer of The State That I Am, is also a fan of the Great Audrey. As a teacher, she understands the critical influence that her students' home lives have over their actions in the classroom. Sadly, her mentor does not...

I remember reading once that an official of the Kennedy administration once referred to television as becoming "A great wasteland." How right (and wrong) he was. Spunkyhomeschool brings us the news of a school that is actually assigning kids homework that requires kids to watch television in order to improve their grammar and vocabulary. Amazing.

I fondly remember the "School Safety Patrols" that used to help kids cross the street safely. Sadly, our California school district no longer sponsors the program. But some districts still do, and Barbara in Webster, New York, has some good news about her young son.

School Choice continues to be one of the most hotly-debated topics in education policy today. And the type of schools to be found in the inner-city often help determine whether or not those areas will become better places for families to live. Critical Mastiff makes a common-sense proposal that would benefit the parents of these kids.

The subject of Teen Suicide is of vital interest to all of us. Over at Interested Participant, they are letting us know what the Cleveland, Ohio school system is doing to address the situation and raises some concerns.

Mary Beth Matthews teaches in Cleveland, Ohio. On her site, MB Matthews: Street Smarts, she shows us how asking questions on the streets of the big city sometimes leads to unexpected learning.

Chris Correa always asks thought-provoking questions. In a recent post, Chris discussed teachers' beliefs concerning relationships between genetics and environment as contributing factors in student outcomes.

I am so envious of Clarence, who teaches in a small town in Canada. His district allows his students to write their own blogs, and now Clarence is introducing them to the concept of the Wiki as well! Through technology, he'll be monitoring their progress even while working the next four days in far-off Winnipeg. (We could use some forward-thinking like that down here in the California wasteland that is the "Imperial" Valley...)

Lawsuits, lawsuits, lawsuits. It seems like our American culture has become hidebound by endless litigation. Over at Going to the Mat, they are have the interesting case of the Florida County that is suing to close the achievement gap.

California classroom teacher Darren of Right on the Left Coast just got his first paycheck for this school year and had an unpleasant surprise. [Ed's Note: we've been getting those surprises, courtesy of our district superintendent Dr. Evil, for years.]

Have you been to a diner lately? Does the very word make you think of Seinfeld? Second-year New Jersey teacher Janet of The Art of Getting By has served up a most engaging post about her first weeks of school. Check out how she incorporates lyrics from Bonnie Tyler's Total Eclipse of the Heart (Which is one of my favorite 80's videos; it reminds me of my high school.)

Who is ultimately responsible for student success? Is it the educators (Because they are the professionals.) or is it the students? Over at The Common Room, they consider the question.

Is teaching a good, viable second career for those that have already retired from another career-path? Some say that second-career teachers bring a lifetime's experience into the classroom; others argue that teaching is best done by those that are younger. Substitute teacher Mr. Lawrence examines both sides of the issue.

In Illinois, there is a proposal to enact legislation that would protect the parental right to homeschool children. CrossBlogging warns us that in spite of the proposals apparent benefits, this may not necessarily be a good idea.

A whole site dedicated to the use of math for political reasons. What a seductive concept for a teacher... This week, Political Calculations brings us something different. These are what P.C. promises are real answers to real science test questions. Here is a peek:

Three kinds of blood vessels are arteries, vanes, and caterpillars.

Before giving a blood transfusion, find out if the blood is affirmative or negative.

Have you heard about the $100 laptop computer? It sounds too good to be true, but the concept seems to "have legs" and is moving forward. Over at Fire and Knowledge, they have a take on the story that you may not have thought of.

Sooner or later, every teacher considers the possibility that one or more students in his or her class may have that age-old plague of school children everywhere: headlice. Over at Me-ander, classroom teacher Muse offers some practical advice for coping with this nuisance...

And now for some entries that have been selected by the editors:

Teacher Dana Huff, of HuffEnglish, convinces us that kids should still learn the art of cursive writing.

In New York City, teachers have been working without a contract for two years during what were often contentious negotiations. Now there is a tentative settlement. Edwize, which is sponsored by the N.Y.C. affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, presents their case as to why the proposed contract is good for its membership.

The ICEUFT Blog, which speaks for a caucus of union members who are opposed to the tentative agreement, gives its reasons why members should reject the settlement when it is voted upon by the rank-and-file.

The Education Intelligence Agency's Intercepts has the surprising results of a survey that will be of interest to members of the National Education Association. According to Intercepts, the top reason why new members join the NEA is because, "They have no choice." Some food for thought.

And finally, we here at The Education Wonks humbly submit for your consideration our post urging parents, teachers, and all others to be aware that a number of teens are engaging in a deadly behavior called "The Choking Game." Consider taking a look at the comment by a mother who lost her child to this "game." -------------------------Carnival Archives
The first edition can be seen here, the second, here the third, here the fourth, here, and the fifth, here the sixth, here the seventh, here the eighth, here the ninth, here the tenth, here the eleventh here the twelfth here, the thirteenth, here the fourteenth, here the fifteenth, here, the sixteenth, here the seventeenth, here the eighteenth, here the nineteenth, here, the twentieth, here, the twenty-first, here the twenty-second, here the twenty-third, here the twenty-fourth, here, the twenty-fifth, here, the twenty-sixth, here the twenty-seventh here, the twenty-eighth, here the twenty-ninth, here the thirtieth, here the thirty-first, here, the thirty-second, here the thirty-third, here and the thirty-fourth, here. To get to EdWonk's main page, (with a variety of education-related posts) please click here.

This midway is registered at TTLB's Carnival Roundup.