Occupy Kindergarten

[proud2BlibKansan]

This is awesome!

Kurt has been teaching Kindergarten at Franklin Elementary since 1996 and insists that he "isn't going anywhere cause Kindergarten is where all the fun is!" Kurt is an NBC Crystal Apple Award winning teacher and travels the country presenting his original Kindergarten curriculum entitled "Rock and Roll Kindergarten". Kurt was born and raised in Santa Monica attending Madison Elementary, John Adams Middle School, Samohi and then went on to play baseball for UCLA. He then received both a Masters Degree in Education and an MBA from Pepperdine University in 1995. Kurt's passion for Kindergarten certainly stirred up some old memories. For a peek into his classroom go to www.RockAndRollKindergarten.com.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

[mbperrin]

1. Absolutely wonderful. Here in Texas, our education "leaders" have become convinced that

robotic, identical, scripted instruction where every teacher of US History is on page 231 of the text on the 80th day of class and is administering the identical 20 multiple choice questions in exactly 25 minutes.

This nightmare, which ignores differentiation, learning styles, child development, and all other factors related to instruction, is called CSCOPE, and is a "guaranteed and viable curriculum" in which every child receives the exact same classroom experience, no matter whose classroom, no matter which child.

25% of our district teachers left last year over this issue, which resulted in a new bonus structure this year - you get a thousand dollars each semester you don't quit. Nicely, positive, eh? And they're asking now in February for teachers to tell them if they are quitting so they can begin recruiting now.

The state lege is questioning it a bit now, mainly because the head of the House Education Committee was told that she could not see any of the CSCOPE curriculum at all, just shut up and keep paying millions for it.

So perhaps progress is in sight.


I noticed the same thing Kurt did, although I teach in high school - the kids ARE the same kids each year!

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. It's a nationwide problem.

Not exclusive to Texas.

And none of our kids are exempt. I teach sped and spent most of last week testing kids over material they hadn't been taught.