The end of Ronald McDonald; hopes for the new school year; and, yes, Miley Cyrus—here’s what you might have missed this week in news and thoughts related to student engagement, school climate, and the world that affects them.
1. “Compliance and order are not equivalent to learning, however, no matter how reassured your principal feels as she observes your quiet classroom.”
—Nancy Flanagan, on establishing law and order in the classroom on the first day of school
2. “My dream is that the poor black and brown children of Chicago will get an equal chance at obtaining a quality education this year—not just at the ‘welcoming’ schools but in the ordinary, less politicized neighborhood schools.”
—Chicago teacher Marilyn Rhames, on her hopes for the new school year in a district hit by severe budget cuts over the past year
3. “In fact, after the age of 20, I’ve never had a conversation with other men that included any of these questions: ‘Did you do her?’ ‘I wonder what she’s like in bed?’ or ‘You’re not a virgin, are you?’”
—Pastor Casey Thompson, on how to talk with boys about Robin Thicke’s hit song “Blurred Lines,” especially in the context of Miley Cyrus’s performance at MTV’s Video Music Awards last Sunday
4. “If other fast-food chains can figure out how to be successful without adding made-in-China pieces of plastic to their meals, then so can the industry leader.”
—Michele Simon on why McDonald’s should give up on marketing to children
5. “There are no words to describe how much Advice to Little Girls makes my heart sing—let’s make a choir.”
—Blogger Maria Popova, on Mark Twain’s little known but easy-to-love book
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