Over the years, a frustration developed: people who have classroom experience and/or have read a great deal about educational issues, or those that know a thing or two about teaching and learning, have little to no control over the conversation. Much is left to legislators, policy-wonks, and administrators.
At the Chalk Face has always been an opportunity for those without millions and high-paid lobbyists to freely offer a voice to the debate, to try to break through, so to speak. The phrase “At the Chalk Face” is a bit old-fashioned, one that is used overseas to refer to a teacher at the front of the room, delivering instruction or a lecture. Perhaps now we should update it to “At the Smart Board.”
Nevertheless, when you read here or listen to the podcast, it’s a learning experience for you and we enjoy offering it. We are reacting in real time to the current conditions on the ground to the impact of the current education reform climate. Folks may not always agree with what is said here, and we try to avoid political dialogue as much as possible. But education and teaching are political, they always have been and always will be. The interesting thing about the debate right now, and for the last several years, is that reforms seem to cross traditional political boundaries. So no one on either side seems to know who is on their side from a customary political perspective.
Be informed, be attentive, you’re at the chalk face.
Sincerely,
Chalk Face, PhD
