Online all the time?
Online all the time? 2013-07-29 Author: Jennifer VanBuren Last month’s column discussed the Texas Virtual School Network, a specific network of approved online courses that high school students can take as a part of their traditional face-to-face education. Students...
The virtual reality of online education
The virtual reality of online education 2013-06-27 Author: Jennifer VanBuren It may sound like something from a science fiction movie, but virtual schools have been with us in Texas for years. From private and charter schools held almost exclusively online to informal...
Learn to serve, serve to learn!
Learn to serve, serve to learn! 2013-05-29 Author: Jennifer VanBuren Canned food drive! Coat drive! Blue Santa! Students are offered plenty of opportunities to give, but can service be transformed into a more valuable learning experience? In service learning,...
Boys will be boys?
Boys will be boys? 2013-04-30 Author: Jennifer VanBuren Pink or blue booties? Princesses or Power Rangers? Glitter glue or mud pies? While every child is an individual, gender trends remain. Should these differences affect the number on a child’s report card?...
Safe schools
Safe schools 2013-03-26 Author: Jennifer VanBuren This pledge, while written for elementary students, seems like a great idea for people of all ages: “I promise to do my best to treat everyone fairly. I promise to do my best to be kind to everyone - even if they...
Get on board
Get on board 2013-02-26 Author: Jennifer VanBuren School board meetings are usually flooded with public input when discussing the budget, program cuts or boundary issues. However, if you have other concerns not settled at the school level, you may find presenting your...
The ABCs of AYP
The ABCs of AYP 2013-02-01 Author: Jennifer VanBuren In August, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) announced that 44 percent of Texas campuses and 28 percent of Texas districts failed to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) standards in 2012. The previous year, 50...
Schoolhouse social
Schoolhouse social 2013-01-02 Author: Jennifer Van Buren From a quick peek over a child’s shoulder or a scroll across her Facebook page, most parents are, and should be, vigilant when it comes to monitoring their child’s Internet activity. This is especially true when...
Tracing your past
Tracing your past 2012-11-26 Author: Jennifer Van Buren First you hear, “Class, open your history books to page 160,” then comes the more subtle sound of minds disconnecting. There are people who consider sitting down with a history book a hobby: Civil War...
Roll call part II
Roll call part II 2012-10-29 Author: Jennifer Van Buren Respect me for who I am, require me to do my best and give me the help I need to achieve it.” In a series of interviews, high school students, regardless of background or environment, all responded with this same...
Roll call!
Roll call! 2012-09-28 Author: Jennifer VanBuren Raising your hand and saying, “Here!” is as big a part of school history as the little red schoolhouse. But do you know why schools make such a fuss over attendance? What’s the big deal if I take my son out of...
Welcome back to school!
Welcome back to school! 2012-08-28 Author: Jennifer VanBuren 7:00 a.m. Susie tells her mother that today is her turn for show-and-tell. Excited to tell everyone about the cool shell she found on summer break, she pleads, “Mommy, please come see me! Right after lunch!”...
