"You're headed for a one-term presidency" -Steve Jobs

"You're headed for a one-term presidency," he told Obama at the start of their meeting, insisting that the administration needed to be more business-friendly. As an example, Jobs described the ease with which companies can build factories in China compared to the United States, where "regulations and unnecessary costs" make it difficult for them.

Jobs also criticized America's education system, saying it was "crippled by union work rules," noted Isaacson. "Until the teachers' unions were broken, there was almost no hope for education reform." Jobs proposed allowing principals to hire and fire teachers based on merit, that schools stay open until 6 p.m. and that they be open 11 months a year.

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First Day of High School...

Are you a smart, opinionated, down-to-earth, idealistic teenager?  Do you know one?

Head on over to the new Huffington Post High School page.  It's a place to drop off or pick up some pros or cons on your favorite topic.  

What's that?  You don't care about anything?  You just want to watch some YouTube videos of people singing?  That's fine.

Or maybe, just think about the next funny show to watch.  That's okay, too.  All are welcome.

Teacher? Blog well or look for new work.

Alternative Title: "NEWSFLASH: What you post on the web is not private!"

Remember this one from last school year about Pennsylvania teacher Natalie Monroe:

Her blog posts calling students "frightfully dim," "whiny," and "utterly loathsome" prompted her suspension in February.

You might also recall that her, well, 'punishment', was that she was not fired or reassigned. She's right back in the same school where she was then.

Well, she's not out of the woods yet as more than 200 students have dropped her class this fall requesting to be reassigned. While not available for comment, Ms. Monroe did say:

she "will teach in an empty classroom if I have to."

Now, maybe I'm no expert, but WHA?

Which also makes me think: HUH?

This is like if a tree fall in the forest and no one is around, right? If she's teaching to an empty classroom, is she still teaching? My favorite corollary question is: "If you're teaching and no one is learning, are you still teaching?"

That last one could apply to too many folks.

Facebook Use and Drug Use Correlated for Teens

Education Week: Study: Teen Users of Facebook, Myspace More Likely to Drink, Use Drugs

"When someone constantly sees photos of parties, they sort of feel they're missing out," he said. "It sort of glorifies the whole thing. Especially if you haven't done it before, it could be a gateway to make them think it's all right."

"...he regularly sees Facebook posts about drinking and partying. And it's not just images, he added: Status updates that say things such as, "I can't remember what happened last night" get the message across as clearly as any photograph."

Montessori on NPR. Listen NOW!

Listen now to the President of Association Montessori Internationale, André Roberfroid, on Dallas station KERA. (Missed it? Listen here.)

"What is most important in the early and on-going education of a child? We’ll spend this hour with André Roberfroid, President of Association Montessori Internationale and former UNICEF Deputy Executive Director for Program and Strategic Planning. He’s in town for the Educateurs sans Frontieres Third International Assembly, which ended today."

Mom kills son, self, citing school system and costs...

So what's the lesson here?  And we better learn one.  (Caution: Tragic Article)

While perhaps an extreme reaction to challenging circumstances, it's no stretch to assume that many families in our country are facing similar if not identical challenges.  Certainly many of them have also considered all means possible to alleviate the burden.

Too many schools are set up to process children through the assembly line.  In that regard, young Ben is too often just a folder on a desk.  Then on another desk.  Then on another desk.  Then a "family that has to be met with."  The bureaucratic pressures to move kids along, quantify their growth, or cut them loose are enormous.

Marginalization or bullying exists where those in power accept it as part of the status quo.  Was the system serving Ben or just hosting him:

"He used to say, 'Mom and Dad, I don't want to go to school. I don't want to deal with those people. They're mean to me and they hurt me,'" recalled Jamie Barnhard, Ben's father and Jensvold's ex-husband. "It broke both of our hearts."

Here, now, young Ben, marginalized by his peers at age 13, has his life extinguished.

IWBs and Montessori

There are a lot of interesting opinions on the web regarding IWBs (Interactive White Boards).  They can certainly be useful, but I'd first be asking what do students and teachers want to be able to do in their curriculum.  

The IWBs could be a big help or a huge timesink.  There is also the question of who uses them?  If it's just a glorified felt board with the teacher still at the center of the classroom, that's not a Montessori implementation. 

"The teacher must thrust herself into the background."  -Abs Joosten

(Just look at that photo at right.  It's so awkward and staged.  It gives quite an uneasy feeling, right?)

What's Montessori?