Jul

31

DOPA and education

July 31, 2006 | 1 Comment

I’ve been reading Will Richardson’s posts on DOPA at weblogg-ed.com and thinking about the role of education for the public and the community at large. Generally, people don’t support what they don’t understand. It seems few ask questions and research before making a decision, thinking of the old adage “better safe than sorry”.  It’s disturbing to me, [...]

Jul

26

Talking about connections. . .

July 26, 2006 | 1 Comment

If you’ve read any of my previous posts, it’s clear that I’m appreciating the new blogging world as I’ve found it, especially the blogs and comments from other educators. I’m reading my CNN RSS feeds every day and staying better connected to the world news, something I’m apt to miss as I become immersed in [...]

Jul

24

How do we measure a man?

July 24, 2006 | 6 Comments

I’ve tried to start this post at least ten times and stopped.  As a high school principal, I am immersed in data and Regents results, drop out prevention, our literacy issues, staff development plans, hiring, and problem solving one hundred other day to day questions. I spend much time thinking about our teachers, our students, [...]

Jul

19

Don’t underestimate the power of a teacher

July 19, 2006 | 3 Comments

I spent the morning working with educators from two school districts and with representatives of the Seneca Nation regarding drop out prevention. The group was formed after an initial meeting with school superintendents and Seneca Nation representatives about the consideration of an alternative school on the Cattaraugus territory. The intent was to provide another opportunity, [...]

Jul

18

Does blogging enhance or replace?

July 18, 2006 | 1 Comment

I’ve been thinking about comments posted by Carol as a response to my previous post entitled “What’s education got to do with it?” She poses some interesting questions about the effects of technology on traditional pedagogy. Should it replace traditional instruction? Is it necessary to always stimulate the student? How can blogging be used effectively in the [...]

Jul

17

Blogging as Professional Growth

July 17, 2006 | 11 Comments

Here’s the amazing thing about blogging for me. When I go home to my family or talk to friends, noone really wants to talk about education, or my ideas, or drop out prevention, or student achievement. My standard response to “how was your day?” is “great” and that’s about it. But I still have my [...]

Jul

14

What’s education got to do with it?

July 14, 2006 | 18 Comments

Let me get this straight. I spent three days learning about wikis, blogs, RSS feeds, and various websites that I found totally intriguing and NEW. It’s been a long, long time since I’ve been blown away by a new idea. Now I’ll admit, I usually don’t have time for those who will tell me why [...]

Jul

12

Huck Finn

July 12, 2006 | 9 Comments

I’m wondering about the use of Huck Finn as a novel for tenth grade students. Our English teacher is committed to the use of the novel, spends approximately ten weeks teaching it, and has limited success. Approximately 32% of the students fail the class during this marking period, many refusing to participate for the duration [...]

Jul

11

Cell phones, etc. in schools

July 11, 2006 | 4 Comments

Thinking about the students in our schools, their MP3 players, cell phones, and PSP’s that teachers are forever confiscating and turning into my office for “discipline”, I’m imagining there must be a better solution. Couple this question with the idea that my personal opinion on the subject is that students will always use the gadgets [...]

Jul

11

About Kimberly Moritz

July 11, 2006 | Comments Off

I am the proud superintendent of schools for the Randolph Central School District, with about 1000 of the greatest students on the planet. We are improving every year, with a supportive and caring climate, wonderful teachers, and a strong administrative team and Board of Education. Randolph is in rural Western New York and includes my favorite place in [...]