Americans are known throughout the world for being competitive people. We like to win Olympic medals, build the biggest houses, and maintain a superior military force. We have the most… Read more Can You Imagine Schools Without Sports? →
If you’re a black public school student in Chicago, there’s a 70% chance you’re in an intensely segregated school (90%+ minority student body). Similar trends occur for Latino students in… Read more School Segregation Persists, But Not In Louisville →
If you finish your homework, I’ll give you a candy bar. But if you don’t finish your homework, you’ll get timeout. If you be quiet, you’ll get five extra minutes… Read more Don’t Overuse ‘Good Job!” →
You want to live a life that matters. You believe that there is more to life than stuff, spending money and being in debt. You want to live consciously. This means you… Read more We Are Owned By What We Possess →
Imagine a 30 by 30 room, with students sitting silently in rows, ostensibly listening to lectures, text messages covertly being sent inside hoodie pockets, and whispers here and there. Eventually,… Read more Classrooms Without Borders →
I teach English and I write professionally, but I don’t remember how I learned grammar. I’ve always been a reader, and my father is an excellent editor who helped me… Read more Reflections: Is Grammar Worth Teaching? →
“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with” -Jim Rohn Being a teacher, I spend most of my work hours with young people, but… Read more Are We The Average of the Five People We Spend The Most Time With? →
A version of this essay originally appeared in Middle Ground magazine in October, 2008. Don’t smile until after Christmas. I’ve always been puzzled when I overhear talk of this informal… Read more Don’t Smile Until After Christmas? Nonsense! →
Glancing around the room, fiddling with his smart phone, and tapping his pencil, Michael will do anything but write. He’ll scribble a few sentences on the paper, and the chicken… Read more Struggling Writers: Is Personal Expression the Answer? →
Paul Barnwell 