ASKING QUESTIONS, EXPLORING OPTIONS, CHANGING THE IMPACT OF PUBLIC EDUCATION.

School House

Could Service Learning Work In Big High Schools?

Filed Under: , , ,

Posted by:

Florescent lights glow overhead, and I am sitting in a pee-wee sized kindergarten chair in a tiny circle of kindergarteners. Squirming and wiggling in their seats, we are all enjoying our small reading group. It is a Friday morning for both Lakeland Elementary School and Quest Early College High School (QECHS). Every Friday morning, all Quest students have the opportunity to participate in hands-on service learning out in the community. I personally was an aide in an elementary school classroom, but students have the opportunity to volunteer at various service sites, from retirement homes to food pantries. (more…)

School House

A Global Road Trip.

Filed Under: , , , , , , , ,

Posted by:

Ever been on a road trip through the Deep South? I did one year and it was an experience I will never forget. I remember driving over narrow dirt roads through some of the thickest forests I have ever seen. As the car continued on, my surroundings peeled away until I was traveling over a giant bridge spanning the width of the Mississippi River, with boats passing underneath and a view that stretched forever.

I love metaphors, and this is literally one (couldn’t resist a little literary humor).

The dirt road is our K-12 education. The radiant bridge is our collegiate system.

America really is a special case. As our K-12 education system is entering a state of free fall (with the only hope of rebound resting on the shoulders of dedicated teachers and some serious paradigm shifts), our university system continues to serve as a beacon to the world, only growing brighter as time progresses.

So what’s with the contrast here? (more…)

School House

Introducing Jacob Dwyer: At First Glance

Filed Under: , , ,

Posted by:

Jacob Dwyer, Senior, Bellaire High School

What you have just found is not your ordinary blog. Here, I focus on the students. I am a student working with students to have their voices heard. My goal is simple: to be heard. But it is not my voice I am interested in. It is the voice of the educated. From public elementary schools to high schools or private universities, this is all about those who are learning for a career.

(more…)