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Star Wars Can Teach History?

x wingIt is one of the most beloved film franchises of all time, and now Star Wars has been examined and presented as a means to teach world history. A new book entitled Star Wars and History claims that the epic space story parallels many earthly historical events. Star Wars creator George Lucas has denied any intentional links to actual events, but admits that due to the films' overall narrative of good vs. evil and war and rebellion, it would be impossible to avoid any similarities.

Nonetheless, authors Nancy Reagin and Janice Liedl have created an interesting way to present world history to students via a pop-culture phenomenon that is almost universally loved. CNet sat down with Liedl for an interesting look behind the making of the book. Read the interview here.

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The Case for School Security Officers

As school safety is paramount on everyone’s mind, especially after what happened in Florida last week, making schools safer with additional and better security is always needed. I have read statistics that there is a campus shooting once a week in America. When I was a principal, we were able to hire school security officers. These men and women were trained (but not deputized) by our district and did not carry weapons. They did wear uniforms so they were easily recognizable by the school...

Tips for the Aspiring Principal

Many assistant principals (although not all) want to be a principal. To be an assistant principal (AP) at any educational level is a very complex, demanding and difficult challenge and always underappreciated. So is the principalship! In most school districts they have three to four times the number of APs as principal’s so the numbers alone may mean that you might never become a principal. Here are some simple strategies that I hope will make those aspiration become reality!

The AP...

Growing Your Own - Preparing for the...

All senior educators are very concerned about the tremendous need for new and better principals. Different strategies are in place to fill vacancies in the principalship. Principals can be developed from the existing ranks of educators, hired from outside the education field or through a combination of both. To meet the immediate needs, most school districts want to grow their own principals. Many districts will hire from outside their districts but there can be a learning curve involved....

Presidents' Day is Coming:...

 
PRESIDENTIAL TRIVIA


1. Dogs, cats and birds have often found a home in the White House. 

2....

Using Morning Procedures to Start the...

Dr. Shipley hears the school bell ring and knows that the children will be entering the classroom soon. Everything is set up, organized, and ready for the day. The room is spacious and quiet, but any minute it will be busy and inhabited by the community members that live there each day. Daily procedures are taught from day one and continue throughout the entire school year. Students know what to expect and what...

Here's What's Missing from...

Examine any standard lesson plan template and you’ll likely to see the same categories and domains: standards, learning objectives, step-by-step plans, accommodations for various student populations, assessment, etc.

Lesson-planning is fundamental to teaching. Working from a well-thought-out plan (while it might and probably should change as you teach and gain more knowledge of your students) is a sound strategy. Some teachers use spartan plans while others utilize long, scripted out...

Why the Art of Visual Writing?

ArtofVisualWriting

Do your students struggle with written or oral expression? Imagine bringing writing to life so every learning style is engaged, enriched, encouraged and expressed. What if writing is more than scratching the surface of a paper with the narrow tip of a pencil, but embellished with the broad strokes of a brush &...

Valentine's Day Fun Facts

 

Valentine’s Day and the...

Around the World in 30 Days – January...

C.M. Rubin’s Global Education Report

Biased algorithms are everywhere, so at a critical moment in the evolution of machine learning and AI, why aren’t we talking about the societal issues this poses?  ...

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