by Ken Danford | May 26, 2020 | self-directed learning
When I started teaching at Andrew Jackson Middle School in Suitland, MD in 1991, I had visions of Jaime Escalante, featured in the 1988 movie Stand and Deliver, as my inspiration at that time. He had taught his Latino students in Los Angeles to excel on the Advanced...
by Ken Danford | May 11, 2020 | Uncategorized
As a kid, my family, friends, and teachers called me Kenny. I was a bit nerdy, and something of a perfectionist. So when we had to take the annual California Achievement Test, I tried my best to get every answer right. I was annoyed when I didn’t understand the...
by Ken Danford | May 1, 2020 | self-directed learning
Before Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker announced that public schools will be closed for the remainder of this academic year, he stated that he wanted to re-open public schools in May to administer standardized tests that could determine just how much children...
by Ken Danford | Apr 8, 2020 | self-directed learning
North Star is about two weeks into its online efforts. The main lesson: There is a very important reason that North Star is a community center. Our online efforts to support each other have some highlights, but really, we miss being together. For all that we use...
by Ken Danford | Mar 23, 2020 | self-directed learning
No, everyone is not homeschooling now! If an apartment building burns down and the residents have to temporarily live in tents, we don’t say, “Everyone’s camping now!” like it’s some fun, novel activity. The word “homeschooling” is already problematic enough without...
by Ken Danford | Mar 15, 2020 | self-directed learning
Well, this happened fast! Last weekend I was composing a blog about my objections to testing, using a visit to my parents in Florida as the premise. Well, that trip is canceled, and the topic can wait. (No worries, that blog will come out soon as part of a project I...
by Ken Danford | Mar 1, 2020 | self-directed learning
Here is the text of the presentation I made at the AEROx online conference Feb. 22. This presentation was aimed at people interested in alternative models for schools and programs, including many people considering whether to start something new in their...
by Ken Danford | Feb 15, 2020 | self-directed learning
Shawn Achor giving his TED Talk, “The Happy Secret to Better Work” at TEDxBloomington in 2011. Following up on my previous blog about The January Blues, I thought I might share a bit about how we respond at North Star to teens who arrive with low spirits....
by Ken Danford | Feb 1, 2020 | self-directed learning
Full disclosure: before this week, I had never heard of Billie Eilish. In case you missed it, Billie Eilish swept the four major Grammy Awards last week. She is 18 years old, and an unabashed, proud homeschooler. In a video interview with Pitchfork Magazine, she...
