Tag Archives: teaching

Scaling back inflated grades: the first step in education reform?

    I teach college classes regularly, and with each passing year I’m feeling more extinct as a result. Part of this has to do with how much has been made over the last generation of the importance of self-esteem versus hard-earned grades – at all levels of our education system. As someone who has […]

Teachers matter: How Mr. Miskell changed the world

One afternoon almost 40 years ago, my ninth grade geometry teacher, Mr. Miskell, stood in front of a chalkboard, paused, and then proceeded to change the world – making it a better place for me, forever. This time of year, around Labor Day, with local schools gearing up for fall, my thoughts always turn to him, […]