Thank you to the Huffington Post for sharing my story: Why So Many of America’s Teachers Are Leaving The Profession John Owens in his book, Confessions of a Bad Teacher, shares that “America’s public school teachers are being loudly and unfairly blamed for the failure of our nation’s public schools.” As a 2012 nominee for the … Continued
Wondering what to read this summer? “Five hundred primary and secondary teachers were asked by TES to name their 10 favorite books. Their responses were compiled into a list of the top 100 books among teaching staff. The results are, possibly predictably, as eclectic as the average staffroom.” From TES UK: Think, Educate, Share Thank you to … Continued
BOOK REVIEW: May This Be The Best Year of Your Life Sandra Bornstein faces choices: Will she stay in her home in Colorado alone or find a new job on another continent? Her husband’s new job requires him to live part time in India. She must make a decision that might rattle the rest of … Continued
“I’ve always said I didn’t want kids because I wanted to travel and adventure… but meeting you guys has blown that argument out of the water…” I laughed over my wine glass as our backpacker guest of the evening proceeded to ask a million questions about “How we do it” with four kids, and expressed … Continued
As a University of Pennsylvania Quaker, I feel a special kinship for Benjamin Franklin. I am impressed by all he did for our country in so many different realms. He was a true renaissance man. Here is one of my favorite quotes by him: “Hide not your talents, they were made for use. What’s a … Continued
Thank you to Amy Sommer for her article in Westside Today! I will be on NATIONAL TELEVISION on Saturday September 29 on KTLA’s Career Day. The article begins: On Saturday, September 29, 2012 KTLA’s “Career Day” will invite viewers in to science teacher Lisa Niver Rajna’s classroom and see first hand how she inspires her … Continued
My article appeared in the Huffington Post Education section last week. “Teachers Need a Village” is about the support that Educators need to do an excellent job. When I started a new job which required teaching seven grade levels, I created my own science teacher network in Los Angeles. As I said in the article, … Continued
Book Review: I’d Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had, by Tony Danza “Never smile before Christmas…They will eat you alive.” This advice, given to countless new teachers for decades, is given to Tony Danza as he starts his next adventure as an educator. Danza’s warm banter makes me feel I have a … Continued
So often when people travel for short trips to a specific city, it is the city they tend to explore and nothing more. They pull out their city maps, with all the hot spots highlighted and listed alphabetically, and plan walking or bus routes to see what they can see. And there’s nothing wrong with … Continued
Congratulations on your nomination for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. I understand you were nominated because of your mastery of the subjects, instructional methods, leadership in education and dedication to improving student learning. I am pleased to have this opportunity to join your colleagues, family and friends in offering my … Continued