Listening to the Voices of Teachers
One of my new favorite blogs is the “teacher voice” blog produced by Teach Plus, a nonprofit organization that aims to give teachers a say in education reform. It’s a great place to listen in on the candid observations and informed opinions of people in the trenches of learning: teachers. Right now, for example, there’s a brilliant post by a high school biology teacher named Prathima Kathiresan. Prathima writes:
“At the beginning of the school year, my colleagues and I discussed the notion that ‘every teacher is a literacy teacher.’ Reading and writing skills should not be the responsibility of English teachers alone, but of all teachers. I teach biology, so coaching my students in writing isn’t exactly in my comfort zone. But among my ninth grade students, writing and research skills were weak. As teachers, we often ask our students to step outside their comfort zones. Sometimes teachers need to do that too.”
Read more here, and tell me what you think!