<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" ><channel><title>Teach4Real</title> <atom:link href="http://www.teach4real.com/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /><link>http://www.teach4real.com</link> <description>Real Advice for Real Teachers in Our Toughest Schools</description> <lastBuildDate>Mon, 30 Apr 2012 19:33:25 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en</language> <sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency> <generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4</generator> <item><title>STAR Testing: The Farce Begins Anew</title><link>http://www.teach4real.com/2012/04/30/star-testing-the-farce-begins-anew/</link> <comments>http://www.teach4real.com/2012/04/30/star-testing-the-farce-begins-anew/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Mon, 30 Apr 2012 19:27:23 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Matt Amaral</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Matt's Ed Blog]]></category> <category><![CDATA[arne duncan]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Blogs by Teachers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Disciplining Students]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Education Reform]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Inner-City Teaching]]></category> <category><![CDATA[nclb]]></category> <category><![CDATA[New Teachers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[star testing]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Teacher Resources]]></category> <category><![CDATA[The Reality of Education]]></category> <category><![CDATA[yolo]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.teach4real.com/?p=921</guid> <description><![CDATA[Yes, it is that time of the year again where teenagers across the country are subjected to hours of grueling multiple-choice tests they do not want to take. Many of them do their best, many of them do not, and many of them don’t try at all. The insanity of STAR testing truly does capture the ultimate irony of education and teacher accountability: We evaluate students, teachers, schools, administrators, and school districts on a test that means nothing to the students taking it.]]></description> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.teach4real.com/2012/04/30/star-testing-the-farce-begins-anew/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>1</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>An Overdue Letter to Parents</title><link>http://www.teach4real.com/2012/04/18/an-overdue-letter-to-parents/</link> <comments>http://www.teach4real.com/2012/04/18/an-overdue-letter-to-parents/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:23:34 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Matt Amaral</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Matt's Ed Blog]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Blogs by Teachers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Education Blog]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Education Reform]]></category> <category><![CDATA[english teachers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[gangs in school]]></category> <category><![CDATA[help for new teachers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Inner-City Teaching]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Letter to parents]]></category> <category><![CDATA[matt amaral]]></category> <category><![CDATA[New Teachers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[teach4real]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Teacher Resources]]></category> <category><![CDATA[The Reality of Education]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.teach4real.com/?p=917</guid> <description><![CDATA[Dear Parents,We’ve had this conversation before, so this time I wanted to write it down with the hope that next time you have the same question, I can simply refer you to this letter. It is an important letter because it seems to carry in it information vital to your student’s success that has eluded you up until now. Maybe you can put it on the fridge with some of those little magnets shaped like letters.]]></description> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.teach4real.com/2012/04/18/an-overdue-letter-to-parents/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>10</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Grade Inflation: Another Way Our Low-Income Kids Get Left Behind</title><link>http://www.teach4real.com/2012/03/29/another-way-our-low-income-kids-get-left-behind/</link> <comments>http://www.teach4real.com/2012/03/29/another-way-our-low-income-kids-get-left-behind/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Thu, 29 Mar 2012 16:54:39 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Matt Amaral</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Blogs by Teachers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[charter schools]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Education Reform]]></category> <category><![CDATA[grade inflation]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Inner-City Teaching]]></category> <category><![CDATA[matt amaral]]></category> <category><![CDATA[New Teachers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[private schools]]></category> <category><![CDATA[teach 4 real]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Teacher Resources]]></category> <category><![CDATA[The Reality of Education]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.teach4real.com/?p=899</guid> <description><![CDATA[These schools aren’t preparing half their students for college, but are still sending them with sparkling transcripts. If a college asked me to send them a bunch of students who aren’t ready for college, I could do it very easily. The students at my school are just as unprepared for college as those who get in. Trust me. The problem I have is that my students don’t have the grade inflation that makes them competitive.]]></description> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.teach4real.com/2012/03/29/another-way-our-low-income-kids-get-left-behind/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>4</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Are We Value-Adding Non-Students?</title><link>http://www.teach4real.com/2012/03/08/are-we-value-adding-non-students/</link> <comments>http://www.teach4real.com/2012/03/08/are-we-value-adding-non-students/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Thu, 08 Mar 2012 20:59:45 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Matt Amaral</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[For Teachers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Matt's Ed Blog]]></category> <category><![CDATA[REALities]]></category> <category><![CDATA[arne duncan]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Blogs by Teachers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Inner-City Teaching]]></category> <category><![CDATA[la times teacher evals]]></category> <category><![CDATA[New Teachers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[romeo and juliet act iii figurative language]]></category> <category><![CDATA[teacher blogs]]></category> <category><![CDATA[teacher evaluations]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Teacher Resources]]></category> <category><![CDATA[teacher tenure]]></category> <category><![CDATA[value-added]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.teach4real.com/?p=891</guid> <description><![CDATA[The point isn’t that these kids are un-teachable. Evidently we teach them a lot. Many of their teachers are really good, and when they actually show up they learn things. They never do homework though. They are not un-teachable, they are simply non-students.]]></description> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.teach4real.com/2012/03/08/are-we-value-adding-non-students/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>3</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Should English Teachers Get Paid More?</title><link>http://www.teach4real.com/2012/02/23/should-english-teachers-be-paid-more/</link> <comments>http://www.teach4real.com/2012/02/23/should-english-teachers-be-paid-more/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Thu, 23 Feb 2012 22:28:07 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Matt Amaral</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[For Teachers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Matt's Ed Blog]]></category> <category><![CDATA[REALities]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Blogs by Teachers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Disciplining Students]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Education Reform]]></category> <category><![CDATA[english teachers paid more]]></category> <category><![CDATA[evaluating teachers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[gangs in school]]></category> <category><![CDATA[help for new teachers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Inner-City Teaching]]></category> <category><![CDATA[New Teachers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[teacher accountability]]></category> <category><![CDATA[teacher pay]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Teacher Resources]]></category> <category><![CDATA[The Reality of Education]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.teach4real.com/?p=880</guid> <description><![CDATA[I always say as an English teacher I should be giving out a page of writing per day per student at the very least. If I have 130 students, that means I need to read 130 pages of bad writing per day as well as edit them and give feedback. You see my point? Try doing this for a week, and this would probably the only reason you would need to agree with me.]]></description> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.teach4real.com/2012/02/23/should-english-teachers-be-paid-more/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>3</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Where is the Mexican Atticus Finch?</title><link>http://www.teach4real.com/2012/02/08/where-is-the-mexican-atticus-finch/</link> <comments>http://www.teach4real.com/2012/02/08/where-is-the-mexican-atticus-finch/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:00:50 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Matt Amaral</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[For Teachers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Matt's Ed Blog]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Blogs by Teachers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Disciplining Students]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Education Blog]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Education Reform]]></category> <category><![CDATA[english teachers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[gangs in school]]></category> <category><![CDATA[harper lee]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Inner-City Teaching]]></category> <category><![CDATA[matt amaral]]></category> <category><![CDATA[New Teachers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Teacher Resources]]></category> <category><![CDATA[teaching tkam]]></category> <category><![CDATA[teaching to kill a mockingbird]]></category> <category><![CDATA[to kill a mockingbird]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.teach4real.com/?p=873</guid> <description><![CDATA[But right now I am teaching To Kill a Mockingbird, which is about a well-adjusted little white girl with a father who is a moral powerhouse—but this book is GOOD and the kids love it! What I really want to do is teach my Puente class a book like that, starring Mexicans.]]></description> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.teach4real.com/2012/02/08/where-is-the-mexican-atticus-finch/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>2</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Why Do We Always Talk About Teachers, Not Administrators?</title><link>http://www.teach4real.com/2012/02/01/why-do-we-always-talk-about-teachers-not-administrators/</link> <comments>http://www.teach4real.com/2012/02/01/why-do-we-always-talk-about-teachers-not-administrators/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:57:10 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Matt Amaral</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[For Teachers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Matt's Ed Blog]]></category> <category><![CDATA[REALities]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Blogs by Teachers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Education Blog]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Education Reform]]></category> <category><![CDATA[english teachers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[help for public school teachers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Inner-City Teaching]]></category> <category><![CDATA[matt amaral]]></category> <category><![CDATA[overcrowded schools]]></category> <category><![CDATA[romeo and juliet act iii figurative language]]></category> <category><![CDATA[teach4real]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Teacher Resources]]></category> <category><![CDATA[The Reality of Education]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.teach4real.com/?p=867</guid> <description><![CDATA[If we want to address what’s really at the heart of the problems in our public schools, we need to take a long look at how our schools are run. Forget about teachers for one second. We need to look at our districts, district officials, school boards, and superintendents—and at some point we need to turn the scrutiny toward principals.]]></description> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.teach4real.com/2012/02/01/why-do-we-always-talk-about-teachers-not-administrators/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>2</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Should Students Get to Evaluate Teachers? I Think So.</title><link>http://www.teach4real.com/2012/01/24/should-students-get-to-evaluate-teachers-i-think-so/</link> <comments>http://www.teach4real.com/2012/01/24/should-students-get-to-evaluate-teachers-i-think-so/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:11:25 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Matt Amaral</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[For Teachers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Matt's Ed Blog]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Blogs by Teachers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Disciplining Students]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Education Reform]]></category> <category><![CDATA[evaluating teachers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Inner-City Teaching]]></category> <category><![CDATA[New Teachers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[romeo and juliet act iii figurative language]]></category> <category><![CDATA[student evaluations]]></category> <category><![CDATA[teacher evaluations]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Teacher Resources]]></category> <category><![CDATA[The Reality of Education]]></category> <category><![CDATA[value-added evaluations]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.teach4real.com/?p=864</guid> <description><![CDATA[It all comes down to this: I am not afraid of the job I am doing. I am teaching one of the most difficult classes at my school. It is the kind of class some teachers refuse to teach. It is the kind of class others would be afraid of being evaluated for teaching. But I’ll say it again: I am not afraid of the job I am doing, and I am not afraid of what my students think about the job I’m doing.]]></description> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.teach4real.com/2012/01/24/should-students-get-to-evaluate-teachers-i-think-so/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>2</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>All Those Damn Kids Have Cell Phones Though, Don’t They?</title><link>http://www.teach4real.com/2011/12/21/all-those-damn-kids-have-cell-phones-though-don%e2%80%99t-they/</link> <comments>http://www.teach4real.com/2011/12/21/all-those-damn-kids-have-cell-phones-though-don%e2%80%99t-they/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Wed, 21 Dec 2011 20:21:08 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Matt Amaral</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Matt's Ed Blog]]></category> <category><![CDATA[REALities]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <category><![CDATA[50% in poverty]]></category> <category><![CDATA[99% have a refrigerator]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Blogs by Teachers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[edublogger]]></category> <category><![CDATA[edublogging]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Education Blog]]></category> <category><![CDATA[help for new teachers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[help for public school teachers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Inner-City Teaching]]></category> <category><![CDATA[matt amaral]]></category> <category><![CDATA[New Teachers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[teacher blogs]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.teach4real.com/?p=859</guid> <description><![CDATA[What we don’t realize is that with the technology we have today, and the cost of obtaining computers, printers, and an internet connection, our poor kids are being left further and further behind. One in five kids doesn’t have enough to eat, let alone wi-fi at their apartment.]]></description> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.teach4real.com/2011/12/21/all-those-damn-kids-have-cell-phones-though-don%e2%80%99t-they/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>3</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>An Interview with Editor-In-Chief of Red Ochre Lit, Mimi Ferebee, on Matt&#8217;s New Novel &#8220;The Darkness Inside Me is Sparkling&#8221;</title><link>http://www.teach4real.com/2011/12/13/an-interview-with-editor-in-chief-of-red-ochre-lit-mimi-ferebee-on-matts-new-novel-the-darkness-inside-me-is-sparkling/</link> <comments>http://www.teach4real.com/2011/12/13/an-interview-with-editor-in-chief-of-red-ochre-lit-mimi-ferebee-on-matts-new-novel-the-darkness-inside-me-is-sparkling/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Wed, 14 Dec 2011 04:52:11 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Matt Amaral</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Guest Articles]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Matt's Ed Blog]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.teach4real.com/?p=851</guid> <description><![CDATA[Read Matt's interview with Mimi Ferebee, the Editor-In-Chief of the literary journal Red Ochre Lit. In it Matt talks about why he wrote his new novella "The Darkness Inside Me is Sparkling", who he wrote it for, and of course talks about the state of education. You can even read three vignettes from the novel, as well as Red Ochre's published review of Matt's work by their team of editors. ]]></description> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.teach4real.com/2011/12/13/an-interview-with-editor-in-chief-of-red-ochre-lit-mimi-ferebee-on-matts-new-novel-the-darkness-inside-me-is-sparkling/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>1</slash:comments> </item> </channel> </rss>
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