On February 14th, I subbed for a third grade class in an industrial, lower income neighborhood. Trash drifted in the gutters and across the brown lawn of the aging school. I arrived a half hour before classes started and got the key from the secretary and hurried to...

Crime and Punishment I witnessed a system of crime and punishment today—while substituting in a kindergarten classroom! Tell me what you think of the system I observed—was it just? Was it helpful? Was it necessary? Here is what I saw: After lunch, I went to pick up my...

Today I had a humbling experience in the classroom. I was a substitute teacher for a fourth grade class. Their assignment was to do a page of double digit multiplication problems. The teacher left instructions that there were some students who were having difficulty with the concept. She also said that the students could group themselves in pairs to do the work. So I announced the assignment…