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{"id":148,"date":"2010-11-24T01:07:44","date_gmt":"2010-11-24T01:07:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/homeschool-chronicles.com\/?p=148"},"modified":"2010-11-24T01:07:44","modified_gmt":"2010-11-24T01:07:44","slug":"148","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/homeschoolchronicles\/2010\/11\/148\/","title":{"rendered":"After extensive review…"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

What two words make veteran teachers\u2019 eyes roll to the back of their heads more than any others? School Reform.<\/p>\n

Just say the words at a staff meeting and you\u2019ll hear grumpy teachers muttering under their breaths. \u00a0If you listen carefully, you\u2019ll hear a list of proposed, hyped, and eventually forgotten cures for what ails our schools: constructivism, whole language, cultural literacy, class size reduction, multiple intelligences, schools within schools, charter schools, national standards, more testing, portfolio assessments, merit pay<\/em> (you might hear that one twice!). \u00a0The list goes on. \u00a0No wonder Diane Ravitch wrote in Left Back: A Century of Failed School Reforms<\/em>:<\/p>\n

If there is a lesson to be learned from the river of ink that was spilled in the education disputes of the twentieth century, it is that anything in education that is labeled a \u2018movement\u2019 should be avoided like the plague. <\/em>(You can read The Times\u2019 review from 2000 and the first chapter here<\/a><\/span>.)<\/p>\n

The elder teachers where I taught were wise, and most of the latest and greatest ideas came and went as predicted. Still, I never shared their and Ms. Ravitch\u2019s gloomy assessments of reform in general. Like I\u2019ve said in earlier posts<\/a>, I was always a sucker for anything that promised to help me be a better teacher. \u00a0I knew that none of the proposals would be a magic bullet for what ailed me and my students. \u00a0But the better ideas excited me and gave me something to try. \u00a0I knew that they might not stick, but they gave me something to focus on for awhile and I appreciated it. Some of the best ideas did stick, and I still use them in the after-school programs I run and in our homeschool.<\/p>\n

So I decided this week that it was time for a little homeschool reform. \u00a0Zach\u2019s diagnoses last week, Ezra\u2019s continued whining at anything even slightly challenging, the violence of both boys, and their inability to sit still and stay focused for more than 42 seconds (I suppose I should be grateful considering the second-count of last month<\/a>) , led me to complete a review of current school policies and procedures. \u00a0After extensive review, the committee (of 1) has come up with three recommendations.<\/p>\n

Stay tuned to hear more\u2026<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"