The Carnival Of Education: Week 122

Welcome to the midway of the 122nd edition of The Carnival of Education!

Here's this week's roundup of entries from around the EduSphere. Unless clearly labeled otherwise, all entries this week were submitted by the writers themselves.

If you're interested in hosting an edition of The Carnival Of Education, please let us know via this email address: edwonk [at] educationwonks [dot] org.

Thanks to everyone who helped spread the word about last week's midway, which was hosted by I Thought A Think. Visit the C.O.E.'s archives here and see our latest entries there.

Next Week's Carnival midway will be hosted by us here at The Education Wonks. Contributors are invited to send their submissions to: owlshome [at] earthlink [dot] net , or use this handy submission form. Entries should be received no later than 9:00 PM (Eastern) Tuesday, June 5, 2007. Please include the title of your post, and its URL, if possible. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the midway should open next Wednesday morning.

Let the free exchange of thoughts and ideas begin!

EduPolicy:

The DeHavilland Blog takes a hard look at a recent study which found that, when it came to student achievement, it made little difference whether or not teachers met standards set forth by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

Hearthside ponders that question that many have in the EduShere have been pondering recently: do our students learn for life or learn for a test?

One Maryland county has come-up with a novel way to alleviate its teacher shortage: they are growing their own teachers by planting and nurturing a few carefully-selected high school students.

Through the exhaustive use of charts and statistics, the Rightwingprof over at Right Wing Nation has established to our satisfaction that there is indeed a correlation between Sex, Choices, Degrees, And Salaries.

One of the most hotly-debated facets of public education policy is that of tenure for public school teachers. Consider taking a look at Aimlessmiss's common-sense approach to this most controversial of EduTopics.

What actions are needed to curb Calfifornia's high dropout rate? Citing a recent editorial by the Fresno Bee, EduBlogger Dave of Friends of Dave is sounding the clarion call to action that something actually be done about California's large numbers of students who don't graduate.

Included by the Editors: Writer and EduBlogger Joanne Jacobs is on the right track when it comes to what is needed in order for non English-speaking children to succeed in America's schools.

Longshot Republican Presidential candidate John Cox argues his case as to why the federal Department of Education should be abolished.

Teaching And Learning:

Let's Play Math has a very historical mathematical puzzle for students to solve.

Many believe that the longest word in Webster's Dictionary is "pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis" and Alone On A Limb teaches us how to spell it as well as what it means!

Connecting the Dots asks an interesting question: is there a place for rote memorization in the effort to teach students higher-order thinking skills?

My goodness: Mamacita of the Scheiss Weekly has a comprehensive list of the 100 words that every high school graduate (plus their parents) should know. (And we agree with her!) Meanwhile, Henry Cate's Why Homeschool has some hints for expanding their vocabulary.

HUNBlog discusses the nature of Science and wonders if a given student's growth in the subject can ever be effectively measured with a multiple choice test. (Some food for thought there...)

From The Classroom:

La Maestra offers us a glimpse of her fourth grade students' models of Spanish-era California Missions. A traditional classroom activity here in California, but with some unexpected twists.

California elementary teacher Chanman has "one of those classes" that nearly all teachers dread; the situation now has reached its climax.

You're not gonna believe some of the things that high school students wear into New York City Educator's classroom. But what happened when a teen refused to remove a shirt which featured a huge middle finger? You're gonna have to go here to find out.

The Living Classroom reminds us about the value of a box of popsicles on a hot day. (But we're not too sure about that red "community popsicle.)

When (if ever) is the confiscation of student property warranted? Especially when said property is being used for the purpose of disrupting the classroom? See what happened when one teacher took away a student's writing instrument that had been put in a place where the sun didn't shine.

High school substitute teacher Mr. Lawrence has taken note of one of EduLand's Great Unsolved Mysteries: Why does it always seem to be the same students who wonder aimlessly about the hallways day-after-day?

Government-run schools in Britain have been having more than their share of discipline problems recently. The teacher who writes over at British EduBlog Scenes From The Battleground discusses The First Law of Behavior Management. (Some might call it "The First Law of Teacher Survival" instead...)

What's to be done when a high school math student has 20 unexcused absences in 35 days and her father (plus a school administrator) wants to know what can be done to make-up all that missed work? What would you do?

Inside This Teaching Life:

Arizona high school teacher Aquiram is wrapping-up another school year, shares with us her summer plans, and would like to know yours.

Teacher Ryan of I Thought a Think reflects upon a situation that just about all teachers encounter at some time in their career: once the teacher throws a student's paper into the garbage can, both teacher and student will often draw different conclusions from the action.

Homeschooling mom Celeste needed a little technical help with her computer and ended-up getting an informative lesson in International Relations and American Diversity as well.

The always-readable Ms. Cornelius of A Shrewdness of Apes delivers the sad news about a bookstore owner who set fire to his inventory. Here's a sample:

But a story I read today gave me pause. When a used-bookstore owner can't find anyone who wants his books, what should he do?

Should he burn them? That's what Tom Wayne in Kansas City is doing.
Be ready to get depressed, if you're a hardened bibliophile like me. When he couldn't get any libraries to take some of the books in his warehouse, he started setting them aflame...

In his Carnival debut, teacher Mark Pullen reminds everybody that when the Pendulum of Education Reform swings to-and-fro, it's often the kids who get hit over the head.

Mister Teacher shows us that even King Soloman had a solution to a common classroom dilemma.

Humbly submitted for your consideration is our entry about the middle school teacher who sued his students.

School Governance and Leadership:

Would you believe that there is a school administrator out there who withheld several high school students' diplomas because their parents cheered at the graduation ceremony? Believe it!

Teacher Mike in Texas lets us know what School Life is like with an "amateur" principal at the helm. (Mike answers the obvious question right here.) Meanwhile, another Texas teacher has the skinny on what positive attributes the next generation of school principals ought to have.

A district hires a new supervisor for its curriculum department. Subsequently, large numbers of experienced employees start asking for reassignment. The Science Goddess over at What It's Like on the Inside wonders why her district can't seem to grasp the obvious.

Dr. Homeslice posits a conspiracy theory that just might explain why so many teachers who work in a privately-operated Los Angeles area public school have suddenly changed their minds about being run by the for-profit Green Dot organization.

EduHumor:

An assistant principal takes an entertaining and informative look at that nemesis of high school students everywhere: The A.P. Examination.

Higher Education:

When it comes to motivating the unmotivated, it sure was illuminating to learn that college teachers face many of the same issues in their classrooms that those of us who teach in public school must deal with on a daily basis.

EduTechnology:

Dy/Dan has a step-by-step guide for preparing that most crucial of PowerPoint slides in your next classroom presentation: the very first one that hits the screen.

Inside The Blogs:

We agree with The Collegiate Way's viewpoint on what should be the fate of certain examples of so-called "modern architecture."

And finally: This, like nearly all of our journeys around the EduSphere, has been both enjoyable and informative. We continue to thank all the contributors whose submissions make the midway's continuing success possible, the folks who give of their time to help spread the word, and the readers who continue to make it A Free Exchange of Thoughts and Ideas. ----------------------------This midway is registered at TTLB's carnival roundup. See our latest EduPosts here, and the (somewhat) complete Carnival archives over there.