The Principal's Page: August 2014

Thursday, August 7, 2014

New Blog!

As many readers of this blog may know, I retired as of the end of June and am no longer the Neary School principal. The new Neary School principal is Kathleen Valenti -- you can find her blog here:

http://neary.nsboro.k12.ma.us/pages/Neary/School_Info/PrincipalBlog

Meanwhile, although I am now retired, I continue to be very interested in and caring about public education. I have started a new blog entitled "Murdock's EduCorner Cafe" to provide "food for thought about public education." If you are interested, you can find my new blog here:

http://educornercafe.blogspot.com/

If you are also passionate about public education, I hope to see you on the blog!

Recommended Books -- please share great books on kids or education!

8/20/13 -- I've just finished looking at Carol Dweck's book "Mindset: The New Psychology of Success" again, and was once again impressed with the difference your mindset can make to your success. I decided to reread it, and I recommend it as a great book to start a new year with. If you read it, let me know what you think!
11/4/12 -- Paul Tough's new book, "How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character," is an interesting discussion of the importance of character traits like perseverance, curiosity, and the like in helping children succeed. It's well worth reading, in my view.
2/4/12 -- Ever wonder about education statistics and whether there really is a crisis in public education and/or exactly where that crisis is? I recently finished reading a wonderful book, "Setting the Record Straight: Responses to Public Misconceptions About Education in the U.S.," by Gerald Bracey. Bracey pinpoints where the real problems are, and corrects the misunderstandings that have arisen with accurate information. It's a great read that will have you feeling better and caring even more about public education.
4/23/11 -- Ever wonder how standardized tests are scored and how much reliance to put on the scores? Read "Making the Grades: My Misadventures in the Standardized Testing Industry" by Todd Farley, about his time working on scoring and developing the standardized tests that are now being used for high stakes decisions about children and teachers.
1/22/11 -- I just finished a wonderful book by Jamie Vollmer, entitled "Schools Can't Do It Alone." Vollmer opines that schools don't have a people problem; rather, schools have a structural problem. He recommends community conversations to develop support for structuring schools to support teachers and students and enable us to teach all students what they need for the 21st century!
1/9/11 -- A couple of recommendations of interesting articles I've read recently. The first is an article about name-calling from the Barnes & Noble page on No Name-Calling Week. The article describes several different reasons for the problem, along with suggestions for solving it. You can find the article at An interesting article about name-calling on the Barnes & Noble page about No Name-Calling Week: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/Becky-Bailey-No-Name-Calling/379002631/?cds2Pid=37058
1/9/11 -- The second recommendation is a wonderful article about NCLB by George Wood, who is the principal of Federal Hocking High School in Ohio, and has written some wonderful books on education, including "Schools That Work" and "A Time to Learn." You can find this article at http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/george-wood/why-congress-should-end-relian.html
8/29/10 -- My top recommendation from the summer is Diane Ravitch's new book, The Death and Life of the Great American School System. Read it if you want to understand the effects of NCLB and other current "reform" efforts on the American public education system. I am also reading another new book entitled That Crumpled Paper Was Due Last Thursday, about how to help kids, particularly boys, with organization. So far, it seems very useful, but I'll write more about it when I've finished.
6/12/10 -- I've read two interesting books lately that some of you might enjoy. The Best Kind of Different: Our Family's Journey with Asperger's Syndrome, by Shonda Schilling, is an excellent book that sheds light not only on Asperger's Syndrome but on other aspects of children's social development. Another book on the brain and learning of interest to parents, teachers, and coaches is The Talent Code: Greatness Isn't Born. It's Grown. Here's How. by Daniel Coyle. Coyle's book illustrates the way in which ignition, coaching, and deep practice combine to produce outstanding learning, whether in sports, music, or academics. A fascinating read!
2/21/10 -- Interested in what it's like to be a school administrator? Try Rob Evans' new book, Seven Secrets of the Savvy School Leader. It's a fascinating book about schools and what it takes to lead them well these days.
1/9/10 -- A very interesting book I recently read on child development is Nurture Shock, by Po Bronson. This book includes much information and thoughtful analysis on topics such as tattling and its relationship to child development, lying in children, the importance and effects of sleep, the effects of praise, and the issues concerning testing of very young children. Let me know what you think if you read it!
10/30/09 -- Recent books I've been reading include several by Andrew Clements, including No Talking and Extra Credit, which I'd highly recommend. I am currently reading an interesting book on charter schools, entitled Keeping the Promise? The Debate Over Charter Schools, which provides some of the history of the charter school movement and a variety of essays on the topic. It's a timely read, with the pending changes in the law regarding charter schools and the controversy over charter schools in Boston.
8/30/09 -- Over vacation I read several interesting books! One of them, entitled Free Range Kids, by Lenore Skenazy, turned out to be very interesting. It's subtitled "Giving Our Kids the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts With Worry!" Some interesting thoughts on kids' competence and ability to handle things. If you read it, let me know what you think. . .

The Principal's Page

Thursday, August 7, 2014

New Blog!

Upcoming Events --

Book Week was wonderful!

Recommended Books -- please share great books on kids or education!

Neary School's "Living Flag" Photo - September 2012

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The Principal's Page

Thursday, August 7, 2014

New Blog!

Upcoming Events --

Book Week was wonderful!

Recommended Books -- please share great books on kids or education!

Neary School's "Living Flag" Photo - September 2012

Blog Archive

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About Me

Pageviews last month