If America’s Serious About Appreciating Teachers, Here’s What it Takes
- Jose Vilson wrote in in Education, New York City and Teachers
This week America celebrates Teacher Appreciation Week, five days chock-full of poems, gift cards, and discounts for K-12 educators all across the country, and today is also National Teacher Appreciation Day. I appreciate getting a free burrito at Chipotle and homages to Taylor Mali, writer of “What Teachers Make,” as much as the next educator, but the current tenor of our national conversation about education also reminds me of the dire straits our profession is in.
For instance, President Barack Obama tainted last year’s Teacher Appreciation Week by proclaiming that same week National Charter School Week, opting to highlight only what charter schools do to the exclusion of teachers from all school systems nationwide.
Don’t all teachers deserve to be appreciated?
Starting a New Tradition: Georgia Students Hold School’s First-Ever Integrated Prom
- Liz Dwyer wrote in Education, Race and Georgia
A group of high school seniors at Wilcox County High School in rural south Georgia made history this past weekend by bucking their community’s longstanding tradition of racially segregated proms—yes, one prom for white teens and one for black teens. Indeed, thanks to the inspiring students behind the Integrated Prom movement, for the first time ever, black and white students in the community dressed up and danced the night away together.
How does a community get around having a prom that’s open to everyone without violating any civil rights laws? Easy. You just don’t let the school sponsor it. After the courts integrated the schools in the area, proms became private, invite-only events. White parents began raising funds for an all-white senior prom, leaving black families with no choice but to follow suit and host proms for their children.
Yes, this still goes on on 2013, and not just in this town, either. And yes, some white Wilcox students still attended the all-white only prom. But as you can see from the video above, what happens when students say they’ve had enough and take action is truly inspiring.
Playborhoods: Why Children Playing Street Games Is the Best Measure of a Healthy Neighborhood
- Mike Lanza wrote in Education, Living and Cities
Many decades ago, neighborhoods were bustling with life. They were also bustling with children playing in groups, with no adults supervising them. Today, most neighborhoods are dead boring, and it’s difficult, if not impossible, to find children playing in them.
All this is no mere coincidence. Children have always been the most prominent people in neighborhoods. In fact, in many ways, children have always acted as the catalysts for neighborhood life. In my childhood neighborhood in the Pittsburgh suburbs back in the 1960s and 70s, my activities with friends were constantly pulling my parents and my friends’ parents together. They’d call each other to discuss one kid eating or sleeping at another’s house, and then they’d end up chatting about other things.
Meet the 21st Century Neighborhood Stoop: Your Local 826 Writing Center
- Gerald Richards wrote in Education, Volunteering and 826
Some of my fondest memories from childhood revolve around the stoop of our apartment building on 140th Street in Harlem. Ours was one of the few tenements at the end of our side of the street (the buildings on the other side of the street had been burned out or abandoned years before). Some of the families that lived there had lived on the block the longest—since the 1950’s and 60’s. Because of that, our stoop became the de facto center of the neighborhood—at times a meeting place, sometimes the kitchen for a summer party, and when it was just us boys, the bridge of a battle ship.
Murals and Math: One School’s Solution to Graffiti
- Ellie Balk wrote in Education, New York and News
The act of painting murals is empowering. Once a student makes a mark on a wall, it becomes his or hers. When you walk down the busy street of Graham Ave, almost every wall is covered in random tags. We help the students create public art that means something and has significance. Students living in Brooklyn need this kind of connection to their communities because when the students invest in their communities, the communities invest in them. These murals are also made for the neighborhood. The results are not only beautiful images, but also sparked conversations.
Make This Awesome ‘33 Ways to Stay Creative’ List a Part of Your Life
- Liz Dwyer posted in Education, Creativity and Lists
This list pops up on the web every few months—the Steampunk group on Facebook is the latest to share. What would happen if most people followed its recommendations instead of just clicking “like”? How would our society change if schools posted these and then operated accordingly? (Caveat for the kids: We’d have to nix “drink coffee”!) Of course the best thing about lists is crossing things off of them, so c’mon, let’s commit to putting some of these suggestions into practice.
The Great American Teach-Off 2013: Voting Opens Today
- GOOD Partnerships wrote in Education and Great American Teach Off
After receiving hundreds of nominations from across the country, GOOD and University of Phoenix are proud to announce the twenty finalists for the Great American Teach-Off 2013.
From New Hampshire to Minnesota to California, innovative teachers in grades K through 6 and grades 7 through 12 are competing to each win one $10,000 classroom grant. And starting from March 4 noon PT, they need your help to win.
Every Monday from now through April 7, we’ll upload a new video at noon PT from the finalists. Over the course of five weeks, you can watch teachers respond to questions about how they’re transforming education in their classrooms, then vote for your favorite educator to advance to the next round.
For week one, you have until March 10 at midnight to make your vote count. You can vote up to once a day during each weekly voting period. The two teachers with the fewest votes each week will be eliminated, until we have one last teacher standing in each grade set.
See the ten finalists in grades K through 6 and 7 through 12 answering this week’s question: How are you an innovative teacher? Then, vote for your favorite andspread the word.
Let’s help one deserving teacher continue their good work, one student at a time.
You can join the conversation with this challenge on Twitter at @GOODmkr and @TeachOff via #teachoff.
GOOD Video: Chronicling Coding for GOOD
- GOOD Partnerships wrote in Technology, Education and Video
Last October, GOOD and Apollo Group announced the launch of Coding for GOOD, an opportunity to gain skills in coding and, for one lucky participant, a chance to work with us here at GOOD. The program is our effort to bridge the skills gap through real-world application.
Participants had eight weeks to take sixteen free coding lessons and submit a final project using the skills they learned. The three finalists were flown to Los Angeles for a hack-a-thon at the Google offices in January that would help determine who would earn a desk here at GOOD.
Watch the video above to learn more about the three finalists and their journeys, plus watch the live announcement naming the Coding for GOOD winner.
This content was produced by GOOD with support of Apollo Group
Last Call: Nominate Your Favorite Teacher for the Great American Teach-Off
- GOOD Partnerships wrote in in Education and Great American Teach Off
It’s almost the end of the nomination period for the 2013 Great American Teach-Off. Have you nominated your favorite teacher yet?
GOOD and University of Phoenix have teamed up to support and celebrate everyday teachers that go beyond the curriculum to find innovative and creative ways to engage students. Don’t miss this chance to tell us about your favorite teacher by February 15 noon PT so that he or she gets the opportunity to win a $10,000 classroom grant. It’s only three days away until the submission period ends and judging begins to select 20 finalists each in grades K through 6 and 7 through 12, so if you know a teacher that has made a positive impact on you, your child, or community, nominate him or her (it can even be you) to participate.
Let’s recognize teachers that are not only changing the lives of their students, but also their community. We want to hear all about the teachers that are integrating technology into the classroom, doing community outreach with their students, or pushing their students to learn and think in different ways so that they can graduate successfully and achieve beyond the classroom. Consider the Great American Teach-Off as a way to give your favorite teachers some of the best report cards they’ve ever had.
After the top 20 finalists are announced, voting opens on March 4 and in a course of five weeks, the GOOD community will vote for their favorite teacher. At the end of the five weeks, the top voted K through 6 teacher and top voted 7 through 12 teacher will each receive a $10,000 classroom grant.
Think about how the teachers in your community have positively affected their students’ futures and watch profiles of last year’s winning teachers, Terry Dougherty and Daryl Bilandzija, to get inspired. Remember, you have only until February 15 noon PT to make your nomination count.
You can join the conversation with this challenge on Twitter at @GOODmkr and @TeachOff via #teachoff.
This post is brought to you by GOOD with support from University of Phoenix
The Largest Girl-Led Business in the World Teaches 5 Essential Leadership Skills
- Anna Maria Chávez wrote in Education, Entrepreneurship and Leadership
When I speak to audiences around the country, I often get the same reaction: “You’re with the Girl Scouts? I love Girl Scout cookies.” I have a confession to make: I love Girl Scout cookies, too. Granted, that may not be such a startling admission given that I’m the chief executive officer of Girl Scouts of the USA. And Girl Scouts across the country do sell more than 200 million boxes a year—so clearly, I’m not alone in my affection for these tasty treats.
But while our cookies are a great product that millions of Americans enjoy once a year—we only sell cookies for three months—invariably I turn the conversation away from the cookies themselves and toward the program that has been the springboard for some of the nation’s most accomplished women in business and beyond.
Creating a Culture of Creativity for Every Child
- Nirvan Mullick wrote in Education, Living and Kids
“Every child is an artist, the trick is to stay one as you grow up.” - Pablo Picasso
I went to a public school in Florida. When I was in 3rd grade, I was pulled out of class. I didn’t know why, but I didn’t really care—I was bored in school. I was taken to a strange room, and given some kind of test that involved solving puzzles and riddles. I must have done okay, because from that point on, once a week, I got to leave my regular boring class and go to a special class where the teacher was super fun and all we did was play games, solve riddles, and make stuff. I later learned I’d been labelled as ‘gifted’ by the Florida public school system.
Coding for GOOD: The Results are In, Meet Our Winner
- GOOD Partnerships wrote in Education Los Angeles and Hack A Thon
Last October, GOOD and Apollo Group announced the launch of Coding for GOOD, an opportunity to gain skills in coding and, for one lucky participant, a chance to work with us here at GOOD. The program is our effort to bridge the skills gap through real-world application.
Participants had eight weeks to take sixteen free coding lessons and submit a final project using the skills they learned. This past weekend the top three finalists were flown to Los Angeles for a hack-a-thon at the Google offices.
And now, after months of learning lessons and a busy weekend of developing, we are happy to announce that the Coding for GOOD winner is…
Learning Your ABC’s With Help From The Eames
- Architizer posted in Education, Design and Children
The toy market is incredibly vast and diverse, yet there are few toys that budding architects can identify with. We can now add the Eames House Alphabet Blocks to that all-t00-short list. The set consists of 36 wooden blocks, each handmade and hand painted with letters and graphics that when stacked take the form of the Eames’ classic Case Study House No. 8 and studio.
Design for America: A Network of Students and Designers Solving Real-World Challenges
- designforamerica wrote in Design, Education and Graphic Design
“Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness. This is the judgment. Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others? - Martin Luther King, Jr.”
When I was an engineering student, many of my professors assigned me to a team and asked us to solve invented problems, like how to propel a ball across a room using only cardboard and rubber bands or how to build the tallest structure out of toothpicks and marshmallows. Other professors asked us to design specific things, such as laparoscopic suturing devices or fetal monitoring devices. But my favorite professors allowed me to choose my team and encouraged us to find our own problems to work on. Those assignments were the ones that made me feel I was helping others most. As a design engineer, I wanted meaning—and I wanted to choose my team.
That was one source of inspiration for Design for America, or DFA.
Solar Panels and Schoolyard Chickens: A Net-Positive Campus
- Jenni Schneiderman and Katherine Elmer-DeWitt wrote in Environment, Education and Sustainability
When Seattle’s Bulitt Center—the “greenest office building ever“—opens on Earth Day it will symbolize a shift in 21st century priorities towards intentionality, stewardship, and service. It will soon be followed by a net-zero energy hotel in the Fall of 2013. But businesses aren’t the only entities striving to meet the parameters of the Living Building Challenge by implementing the most ecologically conscious design and technologies available. A net-zero energy public school in New York City will open in 2014, and at our school on the southwest side of Chicago, the Academy for Global Citizenship, we are building a net-positive campus to house our net-positive community.
