Marshall Memo 768

A Weekly Round-up of Important Ideas and Research in K-12 Education

January 7, 2019

 

 

 

In This Issue:

1. Good cop, bad cop: Can principals be coaches as well as evaluators?

2. A better time-management strategy than to-do lists

3. Respect for physical education

4. Note-taking 101

5. Supporting EL students in high-school math classes

6. Easing the transition for elementary English learners

7. Teaching young children about boundaries and consent

8. Another variable in A.D.H.D. diagnosis

9. A letter from a disappointed mother

 

Quotes of the Week

“[T]elling others what to do, especially professionals, is rarely a good strategy for change… Coaching is about empowering others to solve their own problems rather than solving the problems for them.”

            Jim Knight, Christian Van Nieuwerburgh, John Campbell, & Sharon Thomas (see #1)

 

“Working hard and trying your best is sometimes not actually what’s required. The alternative – getting the right thing done at the right time – is a better outcome for all.”

            Marc Zao-Sanders (see item #2)

 

“The gymnasium is the room that I teach in, but I am a physical education teacher.”

            A maxim among physical education teachers (see item #3)

 

“Izzy, did you ask a good question today?”

The question that the mother of 1944 Nobel physics laureate Isidor Rabi asked him every day when he got home from school – quite different from the query of most other mothers in his neighborhood: “So? Did you learn anything today?” Rabi says that his mother’s daily prod made him a scientist; quoted in “The Role of Questioning and Deep Thinking in the Learner-Ready School Library” by Kathryn Roots Lewis in Knowledge Quest, January/February 2019 (Vol. 47, #3, p. 4-5), no e-link

 

“I think that helping kids become good human beings, that has never changed. That is a constant… and has always been my essential question for the year.”

            Secondary teacher Heidi Crumrine, quoted in “Evolving Classrooms, Evolving 

Instruction” by Paul Barnwell in Council Chronicle, Winter 2018 (Vol. 28, #2, p. 6-11); 

no e-link; Barnwell can be reached at [email protected]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Good Cop, Bad Cop: Can Principals Be Coaches and Evaluators?

            “Coaching has quickly become one of the most popular forms of professional development in North American schools,” say Jim Knight (University of Kansas), Christian van Nieuwerburgh (University of East London), John Campbell (Growth Coaching International), and Sharon Thomas (The Instructional Coaching Group) in this article in Principal Leadership. They believe it’s possible for principals, busy as they are, to engage in non-evaluative, non-directive coaching that improves teaching and learning. Here’s how:

            •Treat teachers as partners. “[T]elling others what to do, especially professionals, is rarely a good strategy for change,” say the authors. In coaching conversations, leaders should resist the urge to give advice, instead treating teachers as thoughtful decision-makers who have considerable knowledge and experience and most of the time know what they’re doing.

            •Listen. When principals are in coach mode, they should tune in to teachers’ world, say Knight, van Nieuwerburgh, Campbell, and Thomas: “Listening, then, is not a trick to manipulate people into doing what the principal wants; rather, listening is an action grounded in a genuine desire to hear the teacher’s perspective.” That means:

-  Letting the teacher do most of the talking;

-  Pausing and affirming;

-  Not interrupting;

-  Refraining from being judgmental;

-  Asking for clarification when something isn’t clear;

-  Confirming by paraphrasing.

In short, getting to the deeper meaning behind the teacher’s words and body language.

            • Ask good questions. Queries should stem from genuine curiosity and not be manipulative, leading, looking-for-one-right-answer, or advice disguised as a question. 

            • Use dialogue versus the feedback sandwich. With the latter, teachers wait for the criticism and often feel defensive because suggestions are simplistic and don’t account for classroom complexities. “Furthermore,” say the authors, “constructive feedback sets up the principal as the giver and the teacher as the receiver, with teachers infrequently having the chance to share what they know about their students and their strengths as a teacher.” Better to look together at student work, data, or a video and discuss impressions and implications. 

            • Focus on a positive future. Discussing problems and causes “can decrease motivation and energy,” say Knight, van Nieuwerburgh, Campbell, and Thomas, “and when we spend too much time thinking about problems, we lose hope.” Questions like these are more effective:

-  If a miracle happened tonight while you were sleeping and this problem completely disappeared, how would you know tomorrow that the miracle had happened? What would your students be doing? What would you be doing? How would your students feel? How would you feel? What else would be different?

-  On a scale of 1 to 10, how close was this lesson to your ideal class (10 is best)? Why did you give it that number? What would have to change to make it closer to 10?

This approach can increase energy, hope, and positive outcomes. 

            • Set measurable goals. The authors prefer the PEERS acronym to the more common SMART goals:

-  Powerful – achieving the goal will make a significant difference to children’s lives;

-  Emotional – compelling to the teacher;

-  Easy – the simplest and clearest way to achieve the outcome;

-  Reachable – measurable via an identified strategy;

-  Student-focused – framed as “students will…” versus “the teacher will…”

Having set goals, teachers are more open to support from the principal or another coach.

            • Identify resources. Measurable goals beg the question of how they will be carried out, but principals should ask questions and give choices rather than making suggestions, say the authors – for example:

-  What do you already have in place that can help you reach your goal?

-  What have you tried so far that’s working?

-  What people or resources could you use?

“Coaching is about empowering others to solve their own problems rather than solving the problems for them,” conclude the authors. 

 

“Seven Ways Principals Can Improve Professional Conversations” by Jim Knight, Christian van Nieuwerburgh, John Campbell, and Sharon Thomas in Principal Leadership, January 2019 (Vol. 19, #5, p. 10-13), https://www.nassp.org/2019/01/01/role-call-january-2019/; Knight can be reached at [email protected]

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2. A Better Time-Management Strategy Than To-Do Lists

            In this Harvard Business Reviewarticle, Marc Zao-Sanders (Filtered.com) says that he used to be dependent on a daily to-do list, but he saw the flaws of this approach to managing time and tasks:

-  His to-do lists overwhelmed him with too many choices;

-  He tended to do the simpler, easy-to-accomplish tasks;

-  He avoided important-but-not-urgent tasks (like setting aside time for learning);

-  His lists didn’t take into account the time he had available;

-  There was no “commitment device” to keep him honest.

Five years ago Zao-Sanders read an article by Daniel Markovitz and was converted to “timeboxing” – putting all to-do items into his calendar. Here are the advantages he’s found:

            • Timeboxing strategically positions tasks. For example, if you have a project due next Tuesday and you know it will take 5 hours, it’s clear where the item should be placed on the calendar. “Working hard and trying your best is sometimes not actually what’s required,” says Zao-Sanders. “The alternative – getting the right thing done at the right time – is a better outcome for all.” 

            • Timeboxing improves communication and collaboration. Using a shared electronic calendar, colleagues can see what you’re working on and vice-versa; you can plan based on their calendars, and they can plan based on yours.

            • Timeboxing displays all your work. This shows what you’ve accomplished (which is satisfying at the end of a particularly crazy week) and allows you to look ahead if you want to block out time for a project.

            • Timeboxing gives a sense of volition and autonomy. “Constant interruptions make us less happy and less productive,” says Zao-Sanders. “Timeboxing is the proper antidote to this: you decide what to do and when to do it… Consistent control and demonstrable accomplishment is hugely satisfying, even addictive.” 

            • Timeboxing boosts productivity. Tasks tend to expand to fill the time available (what used to be called Parkinson’s Law); if we don’t have a specific time limit in mind, things take longer than they should. Disciplined timeboxing imposes a sensible, finite block of time for a task, and by sticking to it, we get a lot more done.

            “This may be the single most important skill or practice you can possibly develop as a modern professional,” concludes Zao-Sanders, “as it buys you so much time to accomplish anything else. It’s also straightforwardly applied and at no cost.” 

            [The frequent interruptions that are a fact of life in K-12 schools (discipline referrals, unscheduled visitors, injured students, impatient bureaucrats, upset parents) pose challenges for timeboxing, but the practice does lend itself to blocking out time for brief classroom visits and follow-up chats, team meetings, and (in the early morning or late afternoon) e-mail, reports, and paperwork.  K.M.]

 

“How Timeboxing Works and Why It Will Make You More Productive” by Marc Zao-Sanders in Harvard Business Review, December 12, 2018, https://bit.ly/2zXvvnd

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3. Respect for Physical Education

            In this article in Principal Leadership, Ingrid Johnson (Grand Valley State University) and Mike Ginicola (Stratford Public Schools, CT) push back on some common mistaken notions about physical education:

            •Misconception #1: Physical education is “gym.”Actually, physical education is one of 18 core subjects identified in the ESSA legislation, and it’s vital to students’ futures and the health of the nation. “The gymnasium is the room that I teach in,” say the teachers, “but I am a physical education teacher.” Johnson and Ginicola bemoan the fact that only Oregon and D.C. meet suggested minimum requirements for minutes of physical education. 

            •Misconception #2: Gym is a time for students to burn off excess energy. Yes, students are active during class, but the ultimate goal is applying what they learn in their lives. Physical education teachers should be able to say whatstudents will be learning in each class (standards, goals, focus, objectives), whythey are learning it (its role in increasing physical literacy), and how they will knowwhen they are successful (feedback and self-monitoring). 

            •Misconception #3: Dodgeball and kickball are fun. “Human target” games should never be played, say Johnson and Ginicola; they cause injuries and mental health problems. 

            •Misconception #4: Students should be playing full-sided team sports. Actually, small-sided games are better, optimizing each student’s skill practice and contact time with equipment.

            •Misconception #5: The focus should be on competitive sports. Only about half of students will engage in this kind of athletic activity in high school, and a mere five percent will do so as adults. That’s clearly not the best focus for K-12 physical education. 

            •Misconception #6: Physical education steals time from academics. In fact, say Johnson and Ginicola, high-quality physical education can teach and reinforce math, reading, writing, and science concepts, and by middle school, teachers can inject additional content. What’s more, research has shown that regular physical education improves students’ focus and achievement in academic classrooms. 

            •Misconception #7: There’s no meaningful assessment in physical education. In a good class, students’ cognitive, affective, and psychomotor skills are measured against national standards. How hard students try, and how quickly they change clothes, should not be part of the assessment picture. 

            •Misconception #8: Gym is really about planning time for elementary classroom teachers. This is a hot-button respect issue for physical education teachers. The fact that art, music, phys. ed., and other “specials” create prep periods for homeroom teachers “should in no way diminish what students learn during that time,” say Johnson and Ginicola. “Additionally, students should not be held back from physical education lessons because they did not complete classroom work or had disruptive classroom behavior.”

            “The bottom line,” conclude the authors: “Quality physical education programs are an essential component of the well-rounded education of our  young people… It’s time to put an end to old-fashioned gym class and start holding physical education teachers to the same standards and expectations as other teachers in school.” 

 

“Fit to Learn” by Ingrid Johnson and Mike Ginicola in Principal Leadership, January 2019 (Vol. 19, #5, p. 14-17), https://www.nassp.org/2019/01/01/fit-to-learn-january-2019/; the authors can be reached at [email protected]and [email protected]

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4. Note-Taking 101

            In this Cult of Pedagogyinterview by Jennifer Gonzalez, instructional coach Peg Grafwallner describes how she and a high-school chemistry teacher improved the note-taking skills of a class of Milwaukee sophomores. Their teaching strategy was to expose students to four note-taking styles arrayed in learning stations around the classroom:

-  Cornell notes

-  A graphic organizer

-  A concept map

-  Annotation

Each station had a completed exemplar of that strategy for a different page from the textbook (see the article link below for visuals of these). Stations also had copies of their note-taking templates (the annotation station had copies of the textbook page to be annotated).

            Students were introduced to the activity, given four pages from the textbook (different from the pages used in the exemplars), and asked to spend 15 minutes at each station implementing its strategy on one of their pages. Students spread out and started reading the textbook page and applying that station’s style as they took notes. The room was silent at first, but then students started chatting about what they were doing, which Grafwallner and the teacher encouraged as they circulated. Every 15 minutes, a timer went off and students moved to a new station.

            After an hour, students had finished and were asked to debrief with groupmates, and then had a whole-class discussion. Here were the main takeaways:

-  Overwhelmingly, students found the process helpful, especially moving from station to station and being able to try out different strategies.

-  They appreciated being able to practice note-taking with an exemplar in front of them.

-  Students said some of the templates didn’t lend themselves to the textbook page at that station, and some said the boxes on the concept map were too small.

-  Students were split on the concept map template, with some saying that writing a summary was helpful, others preferring a flowchart.

-  Some students wanted to use Cornell notes, or annotation, for all the textbook passages; they found the other templates too graphically restrictive. 

-  Other students thought they should choose the note-taking style best suited to the text – for example, using Cornell notes with a text-heavy page. 

-  Students said it was really hard work – in fact, mentally exhausting – to read and take notes on four textbook pages. 

This suggested that students needed more practice in this vital skill, which is exactly what the teacher provided in the weeks that followed, strategically using shorter passages until students gained skill and stamina. 

            Over time, Grafwallner and the chemistry teacher noticed several positive changes: 

(a) students’ notes were neater, more organized, and more meaningful – they were synthesizing information and adding their own thoughts, questions, and images; (b) students were more engaged with texts and their comprehension improved; (c) they were choosing different note-taking styles depending on the content; and (d) students were actually using their notes, editing and revising them in class and studying them in preparation for tests. 

 

“Power Lesson: Note-Taking Stations” by Jennifer Gonzalez and Peg Grafwallner in The Cult of Pedagogy, December 16, 2018,https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/note-taking-stations/

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5. Supporting EL Students in High-School Math Classes

            In this article in Mathematics Teacher, Manqian Zhao (University of Connecticut) and Karen Lapuk (Goodwin College Magnet Schools) suggest five ways to help English learners succeed in high-school mathematics classes:

            •Build cultural background knowledge. Although Arabic numerals and basic formulations are almost universal, mathematics language is different from everyday speech, and it has different “dialects” around the world – for example, there are different ways to solve long division problems in Puerto Rico, Vietnam, Poland, Colombia, and Laos. “Without awareness of cultural differences,” say Zhao and Lapuk, “some teachers might identify EL students as having limited mathematics knowledge; however, the truth is that they know how to do mathematics, they just do not know how to do it ‘our way.’ Acknowledging different methods of solving problems is important, especially when students understand in a systematic way how to get the correct answer.” Students might be given a short questionnaire at the beginning of the year to assess their knowledge (e.g., metric measurement, U.S. money), skills, and ways of solving problems. 

            •Build math vocabulary. Code-switching between languages and explicitly addressing different ways of saying numbers is helpful. For example, the Chinese number words for 11, 12, and 13 translate as ten one, ten two, andten three, and the French word for 90 is quatre-vingt-dix– 4 x 20 + 10. It’s also helpful to draw attention to cognates that are similar across languages – for example, the prefix tri- means three in English, French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese. Students might create a chart comparing attributes of shapes (triangle, octagon) in their native language and English: name, attributes, a real-life object, and a sentence in English. 

            •Dealing with word problems. “For EL students, decoding a traditional word problem can be difficult, particularly when they are not invested in the story or do not understand key words or even names,” say Zhao and Lapuk. “These problems are not presented as a narrative, as one would read in an English class, but as a descriptive puzzle that students need to decode.” It’s helpful to create word problems using students’ names and drawing on everyday stories, news reports, or even culturally relevant legends. 

            •Support math writing. Students might be asked to create a double-entry journal, with the math problem on one side and the student’s step-by-step thinking process on the other. The native language can serve as a mediator between the math problem and the explanation of the thought process in English. Students might also be asked to post a tweet to explain a definition, or write a short story or journal entry using math vocabulary. 

            •Support speaking in a “free” language environment. Some EL students are quiet in whole-class math discussions because they need extra time to translate the content. Such students benefit from working on problems in small groups and being allowed to use their native language, use drawings, or work with the double-entry journal mentioned above. 

 

“Supporting English Learners in the Math Classroom: Five Useful Tools” by Manqian Zhao and Karen Lapuk in Mathematics Techer, January/February 2019 (Vol. 112, #4, p. 288-293), available for purchase at https://bit.ly/2RaSCFm; the authors can be reached at [email protected]and [email protected]

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6. Easing the Transition for Elementary English Learners

            “There are plenty of hard things about school for all kids,” says Arkansas teacher Justin Minkel in this Education Week Teacherarticle; “too many tests, too much sitting, too little recess. But for English learners, there is an added layer of difficulty; the constant effort to understand and make yourself understood can be exhausting.” Here’s what Minkel does to ease that burden for his 25 first and second graders, all of whom speak either Spanish or Marshallese at home:

            •Warm them up. Minkel has students sit in a circle and pass around an invisible ball without talking, imagining that it keeps changing in size and weight, from a marble to a weighty boulder. He also reads books aloud, has students choral-read a familiar book, and has them turn and talk about what they like to do after school or describe their favorite place to read at home.

            •Get them laughing. Anyone trying to speak an unfamiliar language has an “affective filter” of self-consciousness, embarrassment, and fear of looking foolish, says Minkel, and that can “stifle our thoughts and trip up our tongues.” Humor can help – singing silly songs, reading hilarious books aloud (the Elephant and Piggieseries by Mo Willems or the chapter on whizzpoppers from Roald Dahl’s The B.F.G.). “Don’t be afraid to be ridiculous,” he says.

            •Get most of the talking happening in small groups or with partners. “It’s a good teaching practice, with all students but especially English learners, to do less ‘teacher talk’ and more conversation and group work,” says Minkel. “The kids, not the teacher, are the ones who need practice speaking English.” Before having students speak in front of the whole class, he suggests having them discuss the topic with their “elbow partners” to practice the language they’ll use if they’re called on. That way they’ll speak more, learn more, and be less self-conscious.

            •Don’t let your frustration show. “There is no faster way to make a child clam up than to express anger and frustration,” he says. “Take a deep breath, slow down, and show your students the same grace you would want if you were taking an algebra class in Russian.” 

            •Realize that more is going on in their minds than they can express. “One of the hardest parts about struggling with a foreign language is that you don’t have the words to express your thoughts,” says Minkel. He imagines himself at a dinner party where everyone is speaking fluent French and what he thinks is a sophisticated thought comes out, “Me like books when they is good and not bad.” It’s okay for students to speak their native language every once in a while, especially with a small group of classmates about math or science, providing a bridge for difficult concepts. And it’s okay for the teacher to speak with students in their first language – especially if the kids are more proficient than the adult – “a wonderful role reversal.” 

 

“Being an English Language Learner Is Hard. Here Are 5 Ways Teachers Can Make It Easier” by Justin Minkel in Education Week Teacher, February 7, 2018, https://bit.ly/2BJL4kP

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7. Teaching Young Children About Boundaries and Consent

            In this article in School Library Journal, Drew Himmelstein says that when his son enters his first-grade classroom in a public school in Brooklyn, New York, the boy points to one of several options on a brightly colored sign for how he wants to say hello to his teacher:

-  Hug

-  Handshake

-  High five

-  Fist bump

In other words, says Himmelstein, “He starts the day with his teacher giving him a cordial greeting that respects his mood and boundaries… Teachers and librarians can empower children to set boundaries, stand up for themselves, and listen to and respect the boundaries of others… Consent – the idea that every physical interaction should be entered into with full agreement from all parties – can and should be taught to young children with age-appropriate terms and methods… The hope is that by making consent a habit in children, they will be better protected from abuse in adolescence.”

            In two sidebars in this article, Los Angeles teacher Liz Kleinrock shares a poster she created for classroom discussions and book recommendations:

All About Consent

-  What does it mean to give consent? To give permission, to say “yes” or “no” to being allowed to do something.

-  What does consent sound like? “Yes” “Sure” “Of course” “Yaaass!” “I’ll allow that” “Okay” (it must sound positive and enthusiastic).

-  When do you need to ask for consent? Giving hugs, borrowing things, touching another person, kissing, sharing secrets.

-  What if you really want a hug, but the other person doesn’t? The other person says, “No” but they’re smiling? You’re in the middle of a hug, and the person changes their mind? The person let you hug them yesterday, but they don’t want a hug today?

-  What can you do if you do notgive consent? “I don’t feel like it right now.” “Maybe another time.” “I don’t like that.” “I don’t want that.” “No, thank you.” “Nah, I’m good right now.” “Ask me again later.” 

Books about consent

-  C Is for Consentby Eleanor Morrison, illustrated by Faye Orlove (Phonics with Finn, 2018) – Preschool – A simple story on how to receive and offer physical affection.

-  I Said No! A Kid-to-Kid Guide to Keeping Private Parts Privateby Kimberly King and Zack King, illustrated by Sue Rama (Boulden, 2016) – Preschool to grade 4 – Real-life scenarios and language for kids and parents to navigate difficult situations.

-  My Body! What I Say Goes!by Jayneen Sanders, illustrated by Anna Hancock (Educate to Empower, 2016) – K-5 – Keeping safe from inappropriate touching.

-  Miles Is the Boss of His Bodyby Samantha Kurtzman-Counter and Abbie Schiller, illustrated by Valentina Ventimiglia (Mother Company, 2014) – K-5 – Miles voices his frustrations at being pinched, tickled, and hugged by family members.

-  Personal Space Campby Julia Cook, illustrated by Carrie Hartman (National Center for Youth Issues, 2007) – K-4 – A space expert realizes there’s a lot to learn about personal space on Earth.

-  Do You Have a Secret?by Jennifer Moore-Mallinos, illustrated by Marta Fabrega (B.E.S. Publishing, 2005) – K-5 – Surprises and keeping and telling secrets.

-  Trouble Talkby Trudy Ludwig, illustrated by Mikela Prevost (Tricycle Press, 2008) – Grade 1-6 – A friend has trouble respecting other people’s personal business.

 

“After #MeToo, Teaching Consent” by Drew Himmelstein and Liz Kleinrock in School Library Journal, Winter 2018 (Vol. 64, #13, p. 20-23), no e-link

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8. Another Variable in A.D.H.D. Diagnosis

            In this New York Timesarticle, Anupam Jena and Michael Barnett (Harvard Medical School) and Timothy Layton (Harvard School of Public Health) report that diagnoses for A.D.H.D. have nearly doubled over the last two decades, with wide variation from state to state (three times as many children diagnosed in Kentucky as in Nevada). More than five percent of children in the U.S. are now taking medication for A.D.H.D. There may be significant side effects, but for children who genuinely have the condition, the medication often helps.

            Deciding whether a child has A.D.H.D. is “inherently subjective,” say Jena, Barnett, and Layton, because it depends on assessments by parents, teachers, and doctors. A child’s age makes a big difference. Some areas of the U.S. have a cutoff date for kindergarten entry – for example, five by September 1. Where this policy is in effect, August-born students are almost a full year younger than September-born children. 

Jena, Barnett, and Layton just published a study in the New England Journal of Medicinefollowing several hundred thousand children born between 2007 and 2009 in states with a September 1 cutoff. Among children born in August, the rate of diagnosis and treatment for A.D.H.D. was 34 percent higher than among those born in September, with the biggest difference among boys. Other studies have reached similar conclusions. 

            “We believe these findings reveal just how subjective the diagnosis of A.D.H.D. can be,” say the authors. “In any given class, inattentive behavior among younger, August-born children may be perceived to reflect symptoms of A.D.H.D., rather than the relative immaturity to be expected among children who are nearly one year younger than September-born classmates.” Given the negative side effects of medication for children who do not actually have A.D.H.D., the stakes of inaccurate diagnosis are high.

 

“The Link Between August Birthdays and A.D.H.D.” by Anupam Jena, Michael Barnett, and Timothy Layton in The New York Times, November 30, 2018, https://nyti.ms/2QJZ8C2

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9. A Letter from a Disappointed Mother

            In 1890, Winston Churchill was a 15-year-old student at Harrow, an elite British boarding school, and not doing very well. On June 12th, his mother, Jennie Churchill, wrote him a letter: 

Dearest Winston, 

I have much to say to you, I’m afraid not of a pleasant nature. You know darling how I hate to find fault with you, but I can’t help myself this time… Your report which I enclose is as you will see a very bad one. You work in such a fitful inharmonious way, that you are bound to come out last – look at your place in the form! Yr father & I are both more disappointed than we can say, that you are not able to go up to yr preliminary exam: I daresay you have 1000 excuses for not doing so – but there the fact remains… 

Dearest Winston you make me veryunhappy – I had built up such hopes about you & felt so proud of you – & now all is gone. My only consolation is that your conduct is good and you are an affectionate son – but your work is an insult to your intelligence. If you would only trace out a plan of action for yourself & carry it out & be determinedto do so – I am sure you could accomplish anything you wished. It is that thoughtlessness of yours which is your greatest enemy… 

I will say no more now – but Winston you are old enough to see how serious this is to you – & how the next year or two & the use you make of them, will affect your whole life – stop & think it out for yourself & take a good pull before it is too late. You know dearest boy that I will always help you all I can.

Your loving but distressed mother.

 

“A Letter from Winston Churchill’s Disappointed Mother” by David Lough in The Atlantic, October 2018, https://bit.ly/2CTjT6x, from My Darling Winston: Letters Between Winston Churchill and His Mother, edited by David Lough (Pegasus, 2018)

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About the Marshall Memo

 

 

Mission and focus:

This weekly memo is designed to keep principals, teachers, superintendents, and other educators very well-informed on current research and effective practices in K-12 education. Kim Marshall, drawing on 48 years’ experience as a teacher, principal, central office administrator, writer, and consultant lightens the load of busy educators by serving as their “designated reader.”

 

To produce the Marshall Memo, Kim subscribes to 60 carefully-chosen publications (see list to the right), sifts through more than a hundred articles each week, and selects 5-10 that have the greatest potential to improve teaching, leadership, and learning. He then writes a brief summary of each article, pulls out several striking quotes, provides e-links to full articles when available, and e-mails the Memo to subscribers every Monday evening (with occasional breaks; there are 50 issues a year). Every week there’s a podcast and HTML version as well.

 

Subscriptions:

Individual subscriptions are $50 for a year. Rates decline steeply for multiple readers within the same organization. See the website for these rates and how to pay by check, credit card, or purchase order. 

 

Website:

If you go to http://www.marshallmemo.comyou will find detailed information on:

• How to subscribe or renew

• A detailed rationale for the Marshall Memo

• Publications (with a count of articles from each)

• Article selection criteria

• Topics (with a running count of articles)

• Headlines for all issues 

• Reader opinions

• About Kim Marshall (bio, writings, consulting)

• A free sample issue

 

Subscribers have access to the Members’ Area of the website, which has:

• The current issue (in Word and PDF)

• All back issues (Word and PDF) and podcasts

• An easily searchable archive of all articles so far

• The “classic” articles from all 14+ years

Core list of publications covered

Those read this week are underlined.

All Things PLC

American Educational Research Journal

American Educator

American Journal of Education

American School Board Journal

AMLE Magazine

ASCA School Counselor

District Management Journal

Ed. Magazine

Education Digest

Education Next

Education Update

Education Week

Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis

Educational Horizons

Educational Leadership

Educational Researcher
Edutopia

Elementary School Journal

English Journal

Essential Teacher

Exceptional Children

Go Teach

Harvard Business Review

Harvard Educational Review

Independent School

Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy

Journal of Education for Students Placed At Risk (JESPAR)

Kappa Delta Pi Record

Knowledge Quest

Language Arts

Literacy Today (formerly Reading Today)

Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School

Middle School Journal

Peabody Journal of Education

Phi Delta Kappan

Principal

Principal Leadership

Reading Research Quarterly

Responsive Classroom Newsletter

Rethinking Schools

Review of Educational Research

School Administrator

School Library Journal

Social Education

Social Studies and the Young Learner

Teachers College Record

Teaching Children Mathematics

Teaching Exceptional Children

The Atlantic

The Chronicle of Higher Education

The Education Gadfly

The Journal of the Learning Sciences

The Language Educator

The Learning Professional (formerly Journal of Staff Development)

The New York Times

The New Yorker

The Reading Teacher

Theory Into Practice

Time Magazine