How Writing and Reading Processes' are Subject Specific and Demand Unique Teaching Methods

How Can a College Dropout Prevent Dropouts?

Former Microsoft Chairman and now Co-Chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Billy dropped out his second year at Harvard University to pursue his dream and completely revolutionalize the word by creating software that runs on virtually every single computer in the world. He dropped out. He stopped going to college. Why is he so intent on promoting a formalized, standards-driven, merit-pay, school system that forces marginalized youth into the same system that he rejected? Bill, you rose to prominesce because you were allowed to be creative, to dream, to invent, to work with others who shared in your dream and made you one of the most powerful and richest persons in the so-called free world. So, Bill the next time you start talking about what you know about education be sure to mention that you know that school ain't for everybody, especially those who wanna' make a bunch a money and live a life of power.

Common Core Standards Leaves Us Without a Core

All of this push lately towards what has been coined "Common Core Standards" is an attempt to organize the total variation in how states decide what and how each student learns in our public school system. A noble act, yet somehow one may wonder how does this really improve education at all as this process is for sure to take years if not an entire decade to complete. One has to question perhaps, just perhaps, there is a possibility that there is some advantage to having a variation in state standards. Creating one system does not allow for what many teachers call for in their classrooms: flexibility, autonomy and the creativity to meet various standards. Just because we have made the attempt to align every single states standards there will still be teachers who need help in creating innovative and engaging ways to present materials to students who are often several grade levels behind. We often spend our time working in circles and we must take greater call to address urgent, pressing issues, particularly those issues where student engagement, relevancy, and personal qualities and character development are shouting for our attention and resources. All of this push towards a common core is simply a poor use of resources and time.