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Ian McKeachie is a freckled 15-year-old who "drifted along" in elementary school. Not because he didn't love to learn or because it wasn't a good school, but because he mastered new concepts so quickly that the classroom work presented no challenge. "My teachers would usually use me as a tutor for the other kids," he says, "so I was engaged in school, just not in a way that had me learning."

h/t the Underground Conservativeand Real Debate Wisconsin for bringing this to my attention via Twitter. The teacher is Jack Senzig, music teacher at Gifford Elementary School. Senzig runs a blog for the Gifford choir as well as parents of choir members. The quote and image below are from elementary school music teacher Jack Senzig’s political blog “WI The People.” Not content to spew his hate anonymously, Senzig acknowledges his identity and links the political blog from another blog - his home blog based upon his role as a music teacher and available to his young student

PROVINCETOWN, Mass. (AP) — A new policy in a Massachusetts public school district that makes condoms available to all students, even those in elementary school, is drawing criticism from some who say it goes too far. Provincetown School Board Chairman Peter Grosso says because there is no set age when sexual activity starts, the committee decided not to set an age for condom availability.

This is wrong on so many levels. Anyone who can tell me where this little tyke production was staged gets a limited edition DVD of Scarface, a Tony Montana action figure, and a used coke vial.

McLEAN, Va. — Some northern Virginia elementary school students are getting a time-out from tag. The principal of Kent Gardens Elementary School in McLean told students this month that they are not allowed to play the game of chasing and yelling "You're it!" at recess after determining the playground pastime had gotten out of hand.

Teacher who campaigns for gay rights wins awardAllison Douglas, For the Tribune A gay right’s activist and elementary school teacher from Flagstaff will receive the Arizona Education Association Human and Civil Rights Award this month at a Mesa ceremony. Annie Crego will receive the award April 25 during the Salute to Excellence dinner sponsored by the AEA Foundation for Teaching and Learning at the Phoenix Marriott Mesa hotel ballroom. “I started teaching 34 years ago when no child ever admitted to being gay because they would be beaten or shunned,” Crego said. “Teachers never admitted they were gay, and everything...

No Culture Left Behind? by: Nirmala Punnasami, September 27, 2007 At this stage in the history of education in this country, most education analysts who focus on the federal No Child Left Behind Act prefer to “assess time allocation” and the strengths and weaknesses of this controversial piece of federal legislation, but Terry Stoops , the Education Policy Analyst for the John Locke Foundation, a North Carolina- based “think tank,” compares “course enrollment to student enrollment growth,”referring specifically to what is happening with education in North Carolina. For the academic year 2000 to 2001, North Carolina Public Schools offered students...

As some know, I am a first grade teacher. I got GREAT feedback when I asked people for some great suggestions for books about the military for boys. Now I'm writing along the same lines. I'm asking if anyone knows of some good books on an elementary level about sports heroes, especially baseball, for boys. I would like to introduce next year's class to some. I grew up reading about my favorite baseball heroes like Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Jackie Robinson, Babe Herman (he reminded me of myself), Lou Gehrig, Christy Matthewson, even Ty Cobb. Every...

In a case that put the national spotlight on Cupertino, a federal court ruling Thursday pushed forward a fifth-grade teacher's discrimination lawsuit against the Cupertino Union School District. Stephen J. Williams, a teacher at Stevens Creek Elementary School, filed a lawsuit in November, claiming Principal Patricia Vidmar and other district officials violated his constitutional rights when they restricted his use of excerpts from historical documents that contained references to God. Thursday, U.S. District Judge James Ware denied the district's motion to dismiss the central claim to Williams' case, in which he states he was treated differently because he is a...

Enacted in 2002, NCLB or No Child Left Behind is a law that forces the public schools to implement measures which are intended to eliminate "the bigotry of low expectations" for poor and minority children as a condition of receiving federal money. Although many of the laws' mandates were required in the l994 Elementary and Secondary Education Act, NCLB requires funding recipients to provide proof of accountability by demonstrating progress in eliminating the achievement gap. Stipulations for receiving federal money are imposed on schools and are intended to minimize the achievement gap and ensure that all children be proficient in...

A longtime elementary-school band teacher's arrest on sexual abuse charges--and conflicting accounts from police and school officials about who might have known what and when--has left many in working-class Berwyn wondering what the story really is. As Robert Sperlik Jr., 45, remains held without bail in Cook County Jail, many residents are expressing support for him and questioning the charges, which some believe have been exaggerated. "I am skeptical of this," said Michelle Nafziger, 41, who attended Morton West High School in the late 1970s, when Sperlik was a drummer in the school band. "He's being made out to be...

One California school feels so strongly that religion doesn't belong in the classroom that it has banned all gifts that contain the word 'God,' including Godiva brand chocolates; books, videos, or DVDs of the Godfather; along with images of Godzilla.

Parents of some second-graders at a Mount Pleasant Area elementary school are questioning whether a 10-day ban from school is appropriate punishment for youngsters accused of sexual harassment in the classroom. The suspensions were handed to five second-grade boys at Norvelt Elementary School after four girls accused the boys of touching them inappropriately, according to parents of some of the boys. Daniel Landy, Norvelt Elementary's principal, did not return phone calls seeking comment on Thursday. Superintendent Dr. Donald Tylinski would say only that an investigation is under way. Tylinski declined further comment, citing confidentiality concerns.

For Immediate ReleaseOffice of the Press SecretarySeptember 6, 2003 President's Radio Address      Audio THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This month, as students across the nation are starting a new school year, parents, teachers and principals are starting to notice a difference in America's schools. The No Child Left Behind Act that I signed into law last year is raising standards for student achievement, giving parents more information and more choices, requiring more accountability from schools, and funding education at record levels. The premise of the No Child Left Behind Act is simple: all children can learn, and the only way to...

<p>A fifth-grade pupil's father has filed a complaint against a teacher for slapping the boy.</p> <p>Joseph Glasper, a city police officer, filed a complaint May 20 with the Alexandria Police Department as well as a complaint with the Rapides Parish School Board.</p>

Get real - it's happenning.............

Parents in the high-desert say it's not what they expected their six year old' to learn in school, but police say teachers at Yucca Valley Elementary noticed one of their first graders doing a show-and-tell with marijuana they say he brought to school. The boy's parents are under arrest for child endangerment. In elementary school, kids are thinking about recess and what's for lunch. You don't think drugs are even in the picture. But yesterday, police say drugs were at school, brought there by a first grader. It's not what you'd ever expect a six year old to bring to...

Play nice, kids By Jim Caple Page 2 columnistWe are one step closer toward raising a generation of paste-devouring Ralph Wiggums. Is this what you want, wussies?If you thought some schools went overboard when they banned dodge ball last year, consider this: A Santa Monica elementary school principal recently banned tag, saying the game can only be played under the strict supervision of physical education teachers and not at all during the lunch hour recess. That's due to: one, the risk of injury; and two, a "self-esteem issue," because whoever is "it" could be considered a "victim." "We had some...