Teacher’s Corner

Good things about students being the center of the universe:

• Students seeing themselves in the center of the world at large means there is no limit to the wonder and possibilities the world can offer them.  It can feed their imaginations. It can offer unlimited mysteries and puzzles to solve. It can offer unlimited wishes and dreams to reach for.

• Students seeing themselves in the center of a small universe like their school means they can feel safe. Their world is small enough that they can explore it completely with confidence and make discovery after discovery.

• Students living in a universe in which they are the apple of someone’s eye like a school adult means they will feel respected and appreciated. This world can teach them they can trust the world they live in, other people, and themselves.

1. For middle or high school parenting or child development courses:
   • Use the blog for discussion topics
   • Require students to research the topics and agree or disagree with what the blog is suggesting.
2. For all courses, especially English Language Arts:

• Use the blog for writing prompts for paragraphs, theme papers, journal entries, class starters, etc. Have students read the blog and respond to:
• Do you agree with what is being said about kids? Do kids really act, think or feel that way?
• Do you agree with what is being said about parents, grandparents, teachers and child caregivers? Do or should they act, think or feel that way?
• What would be your advice on this topic?
• What was left out of this article?
• If you were a parent, would you use any of this information? How?

Why can this blog be a useful teaching tool?

• Students that see connections between their coursework and their lives do better in school.
• Most students will either be parents one day or have children in their lives that they care about, so the topical information can help them build their knowledge about children and parenting and develop a positive image of the type of parenting they want to do.
• The new core literacy standards adopted by most states call for frequent writing in all courses.
• Newly developed end-of-course assessments to be used by many states will require that students demonstrate that they can think critically. These prompts help students practice critical thinking.
• Newly developed end-of-course assessments to be used by many states will require that students demonstrate that they can analyze what they read. These prompts help students practice analysis.