Our brains are not limited by mutually exclusive topics. Education must incorporate (or rediscover) the necessity of building the “left” and “right” brain in students. Read more of my thoughts on Freedom in Education: freedomined.org/news-room/in-s…

My husband asked for this for Christmas. Santa let him down so he took matters into his own hands. So far, he’s melted ice, burned weeds, and finished steaks with it. The other day he was telling me his big plans for it once it’s warm outside and I asked him what it was

Students who are years behind need intensive instruction, not be told to color until intervention time starts up. Students who are years ahead need intensive instruction, not be told to act as peer tutors and wait until college for real challenge to begin.

In the past 5-6 years, I’ve witnessed parents, teachers, & community members in my school district unite in indignant solidarity to demand sports, weapons detection systems, & mental health in schools. I have yet to see a similar campaign to demand literacy & numeracy. Sigh.

Check out 1 of the best educators I know. Everytime he posts on his Substack I immediately walk away w/ something to consider. SoL in the Wild Jon Harper Science of Reading Classroom Zach Groshell Cicero District 99 elana270.substack.com/p/on-the-groun… Check out his new project Eureka: solinthewild.substack.com/p/eureka-a-pra…

That’s in part because parents have had the mental health industry shoving the message that mental health must come first down their throats for the last decade+. Everyone now believes (incorrectly) that unless kids have “good” or “improved” mental health they can’t learn.

I just spoke with a mom of two young boys and asked her what they were thinking about for their education. She said her husband is pushing for Catholic school. Their oldest is pretty stubborn and bold and has no problem telling his preschool teachers when he doesn’t want to do

She wanted to be a fun, engaging, do-your-own-thing teacher. Teaching and parenting showed her what helps kids learn. Beanie tinyurl.com/3r6r2yp2 #teaching Naomi Schaefer Riley Zach Groshell Vince Boley Daniel Buck, “Youngest Old Man in Ed Reform” Andrew Old Robert Pondiscio Frederick M. Hess SoL in the Wild Nate Joseph

I just gave my elementary students these cheap analog watches, and you would have thought I'd gifted them the latest smartwatch. They were ecstatic! Wearing a watch won't teach them how to tell time, but it will allow them to practice what they're taught in school. :)

In December 2025, former US Senator Ben Sasse announced that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. That's the primary topic for this @UncKnowledge conversation about mortality, faith, and what truly matters when time is short. Talking to host @P_M_Robinson, Sasse

"A student who has not been taught a coherent body of historical knowledge is not practicing critical thinking. She is forming opinions in the dark. Knowledge is not an optional decoration in a democracy. It is the raw material of self-government."

A teacher reflects on 30 years in education. She once championed "fun, student-centered" progressive reforms that moved away from traditional teaching. After decades in classrooms, she now realizes students learn best with structured routines, clear rules, teacher-led

“Kids are different today.” No, kids have always tested authority, pushed boundaries, & broken rules. Adults used to command respect, hold the line & issue consequences. Kids aren’t different today. The way adults interact with kids is different & the results are disastrous.

We shouldn’t be handing them Chromebooks in elementary school at all. (And only occasionally in middle and high school.)

Continuing to use teaching methods proven to be ineffective and even harmful to student learning because you’ve “always done it that way” or you “prefer teaching that way” isn’t just wrong or irresponsible, it’s educational malpractice.

“Studying peak performance can teach us what is possible. Studying long-term consistency can teach us what is reliable. And in education, reliable achievement is far more important and far more rare.”

“Behavior has meaning... If we can reposition ourselves to be curious about why students are doing what they’re doing, and help them move through that, then we can end up in a much stronger place in terms of classroom culture.” (Real quote from an “assistant dean of clinical

There’s a disconnect here somewhere. As experts provide mounting evidence of the harm caused by technology saturated classrooms, and parents begin demanding a return to paper and pencil, school districts invest more time and resources into technology for classrooms. Sigh.

I was the gen ed rep for a student’s annual IEP review last week. Her mom shared that her student loves how I teach. When I asked the student why, she said it’s because she feels really smart in my class—my instruction makes things clear, so she knows exactly what she needs to

“We are slaves of our own piggishness, we have locked ourselves in a diamond prison.” Would this be considered “culturally relevant”?