GothamSchools — daily independent reporting on NYC public schools

I’ve been on a few college tours with middle schools kids over the years, and what sixth graders notice isn’t that different from what one Brooklyn second grader learned on a visit to a CUNY campus:

“They have automatic toilets,” he said enthusiastically. “I like this college because of the bathrooms – and the computer classes.”

The cafeterias and gyms tend to make an impression, too.

My question is, when building college expectations among young children and teenagers, what should educators and tour guides emphasize? Facilities, food, and fun? The nuts-and-bolts of college, like what a major is and the difference between a seminar and a lecture? What they need to do to get in?

What’s right for different grade levels, and how do we help kids envision themselves on the path to college in a way that will actually get them there?

What does NBA player Tim Duncan have to do with teaching? It's all about the poker face, says Jose Vilson.

The start of school is fast-approaching, and teachers around the “edusphere” are offering advice to newbies.

Here in NYC, Jose Vilson writes a sharp, good-humored letter to new Teaching Fellows, advising them to be humble, reflect on their strengths and weaknesses, observe other teachers, keep emotions in check, and stay out of school politics.

Coach Brown, starting his eighth year in California, says it’s all about doing what’s best for kids, and this takes hard work, preparation, finding your own style of teaching, and knowing how to pick your battles. Don’t waste your students’ time, he warns:

Students are some of the best judges of good teaching that exist. 95% of all students actually want to learn. They tell you in means that are not typical but will tell you immediately if you are doing it “wrong”. …However, students will always have a positive response to work they find meaningful.

Jamie Huston, a high school literature teacher in Las Vegas, offers 50 Things New Teachers Need to Know. (more…)