Another Be Kind Network Idea

-
I've been noticing that New Mexico school districts are advertising on TV, appealing to qualified educators to teach for them. Los Lunas comes to mind. Still trying to find answers for the teacher shortage through traditional means...
What if we instead networked across the state and enlisted teachers to teach for the district online so that they wouldn't have to relocate? 
What if we opened up enrollment to learners statewide? If someone moves from a district they can keep their kids in the same school or continue learning from a favorite teacher. It's a thought.
Live classes could be more manageable if there are some learners learning from home. They can still maintain a presence in the classroom with video conferencing.
Learners could also take classes with different schools, like a combination of online learning with a school like Pecos Cyber Academy and live classes in their own district. Homeschoolers could benefit as well.
One criticism of remote learning is that it isn't good for teaching socialization skills. Are you kidding me?!?!?
Bullying is a huge problem in the schools, and students are carrying guns. I think we aren't doing such a great job socializing our youth. I really don't. 
I saw a story about Pecos Cyber Academy on New Mexico Living, and they have been successful at remote learning for years now. They explained how remote learning can actually be a social, sociable in endeavor with even more one-on-one time between educators and learners. Check it out. Go Pecos Cyber Academy! 
So let's learn from those who are changing how New Mexico does school and join in.
Let's embrace all the changes in technology and our understanding of the universe and make learning and socialization a kind, community endeavor. 
Until next time, peace. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The apostrophe... punctuation without a purpose

-
Image
You would think that with my background and education, I would be a stickler for correct grammar and punctuation. Quite the opposite. I studied the English language and its history for my BA, and I have come to realize over the years that language changes and we need to stop holding on to what doesn't serve us anymore. Punctuation for example. Let's start with the apostrophe. There are actually two reasons we use apostrophes. The first is to take the place of a missing letter or letters. Contractions are a good example.  When we smoosh two words together to make one word, or when we shorten a single word, a letter or two are dropped and the apostrophe takes their place. "Do not" becomes "don't", "cannot" becomes "can't", and "we are" becomes "we're." Sometimes we drop the last letter of a word to make its tone more casual. "I'm just thinkin'," again, a missing letter. Another u
Read more

in search of the Lazy J

-
Image
I've noticed over the last few years an abandoned motel along Rt. 66 in Moriarty called the Lazy J.   I've also noticed that the curio shop/thrift store/artist mall business in the east mountains is growing by leaps and bounds.  Church Street Market in Edgewood is a good example. Local artists/artisans can rent a space and sell their wares. It's a little out of the way but even people from Albuquerque visit.  The Lazy J would make an excellent artists mall, too. I loved the idea so I decided to find out who the owner is and if they are interested in renting or selling the place. Not as easy as you would think.  I searched online and found nothing helpful.  So I stopped by the motel to see if there were any signs on the property that might lead me to the owner.  There was a handwritten sign on the office door...quite old but with a phone number. I snapped a photo of it and made a mental note to call the next day. Then I promptly forgot about it.  About a week lat
Read more

creative solutions to some big problems

-
Image
1036517156700455/div> I have been thinking about school and all its problems a lot lately. My funny, imaginative grandson Oliver is old enough for early education and I don't think he should go.  School isn't what it used to be. It's an outdated, cumbersome mode of helping our kids learn. I would also argue that it often squelches the spontaneous, sparkling creativity young children possess. Most importantly, it is becoming dangerous to attend public school. I don't think I need to explain more.  We must face the fact that the system could be better. It could reflect all the learning tools and styles that work well in today's world. We need to quit holding on.  Here are some ideas regarding the school bus driver shortage and in many cases, the teacher shortage: 1. Each week (month, whatever), one third of learners in a school learn online, watching live classes at home, public library, or community center. Next week, it's another third, etc.  2. E
Read more