Diversion - Hockey Talk

The turn of the new year always finds me desperately clinging to the last moments of waning holiday spirit before turning my attentions to the upcoming school days. To that end, this blog will be dedicated to my number one recreational pursuit: hockey.

No, I don’t play. I watch, cheer, follow, and adore the sport. Especially yesterday, when the National Hockey League staged its annual outdoor Winter Classic. The game has become a nationally televised New Year’s Day staple after just three years, and this year’s game at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh is accompanied by a riveting “24/7” miniseries on HBO. Towards the end of the month, the league will even attempt to build fan interest in a spectacle that almost every sports follower ignores: the All-Star Game.

For Grandma

My holidays were thrown into a topsy-turvy when my grandmother died just four days before Christmas. The last two days of shopping had an undertow of concern for my father, who had already been caring for her as the final phases of Alzheimer’s settled in. The joys of Christmas Eve and Day were succeeded by the lamentations of the casket viewing, funeral, and wake. Dad summed up this wacky calendar best: sad-sad-happy-happy-sad-sad. Lots of emotional gear-shifting.

Reflection

September felt like a smooth drive. My lesson plans were in order, students were moving through the curricula, and I was able to grade and return work efficiently. We all flew from topic to topic with the wind blowing in our hair, learning and working with effortless exhilaration.

October felt like I was trying to walk all 110 students across the street. And the street was an eight-lane highway.

Principal teachers (INTERACTIVE! PLEASE COMMENT!)

A fascinating duo of cover stories has appeared in Time magazine over just the last few months. In July, David Von Drehle lays out “The Case Against Summer Vacation”, and just a couple of weeks ago, Amanda Ripley asked “What Makes a School Great?” in conjunction with the release of the documentary Waiting for “Superman”. Both of these pieces touch upon a common element that seems to pervade the search for “true”, “better” or “working” education reform. The secret ingredient: quality teaching.

Class Discussion

School days make up a large chunk of our life’s calendar. Education is one of those rare commodities that everyone shares in their experience, yet every time education pops up in public discourse, the vocabulary of the discussion is nothing short of bizarre. The commentary (and I’m speaking not of public figures here but rather the person-on-the-street banter) on our school system seems to boil down to two themes: a genuine admiration of teachers and a visceral disgust with how schools are treated and managed.