by Ken Danford | Dec 16, 2020 | Uncategorized
This week my daughter Claudia has unceremoniously completed her studies at the University of Vermont, even though we have no graduation gathering to mark the event. She simply turned in her last paper, and that was that. She has written this blog about how she...
by Ken Danford | Dec 1, 2020 | self-directed learning
I dissent from two current headline-making statements about whether schools should be open during this recent Covid-19 surge in November: Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker: (Concerned that too many students are attempting to learn from home) “We all know that...
by Ken Danford | Oct 1, 2020 | self-directed learning
The Glass Is Half-Full When I’m asked how North Star is coming along this fall, I struggle with starting with whether “the glass is half-full” or the “the glass is half-empty.” We have a lot of redeeming and inspiring moments each week, and I think we are making the...
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...