Gary Ackerman @garyackerman@qoto.org

The Zevon lyrics “I was in the house when the house burned down” seems to have been written for us.

“Mistakes are chances to learn.”
Sure, but it depends on many factors.

I’m familiar with a school where there is serious concern about reading scores. That same school discarded… as in taking to the landfill… hundreds of books. 🤦‍♂️

I can tell when leaders have never been responsible for anything. They identify as "big idea people." They often don't have any idea that folks are too busy implementing their own better ideas to take on any "big ideas."

"It worked for me" is a terrible rationale for educators.

Epistemology is deeply important to educators. It allows them to evaluate practices, adopt and adapt those that are useful, discard those no longer useful, and otherwise refine their craft.

"Action without faith is misguided." Really? I can't imagine a statement that is more misguided than that one.

What do we know? How do we know it? What does it mean to know something?

These questions are important for educators to answer They exert important influences on what we do in classrooms, but we can't let them get in our way of acting.

What does it mean to be "literate" (in anything--reading, writing, math, or any other subject )? Ask a group of adults and you will get very different answers that are both reasonable and mutually exclusive.

One thing I leaned during 35 years in education: students have a low tolerance for dishonesty.

Einstein is supposed to have said "what matters cannot be counted and what can be counted doesn't matter." I am not sure he said it, and I would not take it as accurate just because he said it, but my experience in education sure suggests its true.

When regarding education as a parent, I am not concerned that my children have the chance to learn those particular skills they need to pursue *their* interests.

I'm at that age when I have neither the time nor the inclination to undertake projects that will make leaders look good. I may give it passing effort, but I'll be working on my own things thank you very much.

Nearly half a billion small tech items thrown away https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-67082005

Microsoft in $29bn back taxes dispute in US https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-67085704

Listening to live radio. Reading books. Taking notes. These are all better when using “old” devices.

Someone needs to read this today: Your assumptions… they are all wrong.

Why are we so uncomfortable concluding both sides in a dispute are wrong?

I’ve heard recently of two leaders who lost valuable employees because of the leaders’ direct actions. They expressed surprise when the folks left, and both said both were “unfair” in their reasons for leaving. The lack of empathy by leaders seems to be more obvious since COVID.

I’ve worked in education for decades, I’ve heard “a lot of people are saying” as evidence for all of that time. It sounds particularly vapid now, and is a sure way to convince me to stop listening to you.