Principles of Principals

Schooling is dead, long live Schooling. My child is doing school online...what are my rights, roles and responsibilities? Private, Independent, Charter, or District, so much has stayed the same with schooling, while so much continues to change. Here are some things on which to reflect, ponder and pray... Parental rights ; Your rights have not changed as a parent. You are entitled to access premium curriculum that is focused on promoting the American culture. You have the right to know your child's teacher and administrator. You have a right to observe and listen to the lesson. You have a right to access the very best resources for your child. Parental   roles ; Parent - setting and keeping loving, healthy boundaries for and with your child. Care-giver - reasonable financial support, food, shelter, clothing. Professional - modeling and facilitating meaningful conversations, and critical thinking skills. Listener - asking questions like, "What are you hoping to accomplish?...

Today, we are honored to host a recognized professional educator, Mr. Bill Denham.  Mr. Denham holds a Bachelor's from Northern Arizona University, and a Master's from Marshall University. He is is Veteran of the Arizona Army National Guard. Bill teaches Spanish at Riverside High School of Kanawha County Schools , he is a father of 4, active in local politics, a published author, devoted partner, an award winning barbecue chef,  and an exceptional friend.  All of the resources we discuss today are found on his site, profedenham.com for free. Dr. J: When it comes to virtual classrooms: as a high school Spanish teacher, what do you want parents to know and do?  Profé Denham : I want parents to know that one of the best things their students can do to learn a second language is to read . I would also add that this is true of all levels of language learners, even the most novice of them. With proper scaffolding, such as providing vocabulary in context or reading materi...

While serving in the military, I was introduced to the terms force multiplier and force mitigation. Permit me, dear reader, an explanation. I served as a Forward Observer, 13Foxtrot, or FISTr. FO's are fire support specialists who have the ability to arrange for extra artillery, close air, mortar or naval gun ship ordinance when things get really dicey. We do this job with one tool, a radio. That radio has two critical  parts necessary to it's function, without which nothing will happen. Antennae and batteries. With those two accessories, the radio is a force multiplier .  In other words, when compared to a weapon (pistol, rifle, tank), it has nearly limitless capacity to incapacitate the enemy. A weapon is limited by the number of bullets in a magazine (clip) and the number of bullets one soldier can carry. It's not an efficient nor is it, in my opinion, a very effective tool of war. Even more effective than a radio in war is an outward mindset - or that ...

For-profit schools vs. For-learning schools I hear a lot of banter about how profits are bad , people who earn them are bad . Wait what?! Bill Gates...one of the world's most prolific philanthropists, has made A LOT of profit by creating something that a lot of people needed/could use and presenting it in an arguable user-friendly way. He made profit, which allowed him to grow, make more profit, retire, and give it all away. Profits allow us, the public, to play a role in the firing of people/services that we don't like, or to vote with our feet. Don't like those shoes, don't go back to that store. Disappointed with the Windows OS, buy an Apple. So what about government services? What's their incentive to provide excellent service? Profits? No. Back to the question...what incentive do government agencies have to give a superior product. They can't fired. They have no competition. So your telling me that they do it out of the goodness of their hearts? W...