Monthly Archives: April 2019

Roy Turrentine on the Long-term Effects of a Good Education and One of the Many Things That Ed Deformers Don’t Understand

Posted on April 14, 2019 by Bob Shepherd

I don’t usually post work by others on my blog, but I loved this piece by ex-farmer and history teacher extraordinaire Roy Turrentine. It’s a comment he left on Diane Ravitch’s wonderful blog. I was very busy yesterday . . … Continue reading →

Posted in Ed Reform, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

What Should Be Taught in an English Teacher Preparation Program?

Posted on April 9, 2019 by Bob Shepherd

Recently, I was teaching in a high school, and a directive came down from our administrators that final exams were to be graded on a curve. In a meeting with the other English teachers in my department, I found that … Continue reading →

Posted in Ed Reform, Teaching Literature and Writing | 4 Comments

A Brief History of England, by Gerald

Posted on April 6, 2019 by Bob Shepherd

OK, in the beginning, there were these islands, and blue people called Brits lived in the South, and red-haired people called Pricks lived in the North, and they used to run around naked and set up big rocks in circles … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

If This Isn’t Nice, What Is?

Posted on April 1, 2019 by Bob Shepherd

Back in 1969, fifty years before this now, Kurt Vonnegut is publishing Slaughterhouse-Five. (How exciting!) In 1984, I am watching the film version with my then girlfriend and wishing that we had our own geodesic dome on Tralfamadore just like … Continue reading →

Posted in Short Stories | 5 Comments