Uncategorized – Page 16 – Josh Stumpenhorst

What Do We Measure?

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Josh Stumpenhorst

Last night I found myself in a conversation on twitter with a handful of individuals in varying roles within education. Our discussion ended up essentially talking about what we measure in schools. Here is a snip of the conversation. I reflected a great deal on this and found myself with a few questions. What do […]

Celebrate the Small Things

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Josh Stumpenhorst

Simple post with a simple idea…celebrate the small things in life and in school. Below is a video of my youngest son demonstrating how he can now zip his coat on his own. They make a big deal about this at his preschool as kids join the official “Zipper Club” after being able to zip […]

Standardized Testing

Posted on November 5, 2011 by Josh Stumpenhorst

I think there are a handful of issues related to public education such as funding, unions, merit based pay, and standardized testing. Many of these issues are hot topics and are being debated from the teacher’s lounge to the halls of Washington DC. For me, the issue I see having the greatest impact on my […]

You Hate Kids?

Posted on October 30, 2011 by Josh Stumpenhorst

I recently had a comment left on a previous post causing me to pause and think. The comment: There was some further conversation within the comments but I stand by my original thoughts that you have to remain centered around kids in everything you do. With that in mind, I don’t think you can be a […]

Does Technology Help?

Posted on October 16, 2011 by Josh Stumpenhorst

I think technology helps kid’s learning experiences in school and helps them in life. The problem is I cannot prove it. Technology in the classroom has gotten some bad press as of late with the recent article in The New York Times. The primary focus of this article is schools where great amounts of money […]

A Simple Phone Call

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Josh Stumpenhorst

Tonight I was driving home from work while talking on the phone with my wife. We were simply rehashing our days when the house phone rings in the background. My wife went over and noticed that it was my son’s school calling and instantly said, “I wonder what he did wrong now.” She then hung […]

Letter to First Year Teacher Me

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Josh Stumpenhorst

By Terabass (Own work) via Wikimedia Commons I am an eternal optimist and truly believe in my heart that time travel will be possible one day. It is with this belief I write this letter that I will one day travel back in time to deliver to “First Year Teacher Me”. Yes, I realize that […]

Painting Pumpkins

Posted on October 8, 2011 by Josh Stumpenhorst

This afternoon my wife and I took our sons to the MortonArboretum in Lisle, IL. We have been members there for a few years and go there on a fairly regular basis. Today happened to be a special occasion of sorts with a scare crow walk, food vendors (including some fine micro-brew), and various crafts […]

Bringing the Dead Alive!

Posted on October 5, 2011 by Josh Stumpenhorst

As many know, I teach social science as well as language arts at the 6th grade level. If you have ever taught in the junior high setting or have a junior high aged child, you know how difficult it can be at times to keep them engaged and excited about a topic. In my language […]

The Little Things

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Josh Stumpenhorst

The little things matter in life and certainly matter in a classroom. It is these little things the speak volumes for who we are as teachers. Often times these are overlooked and can manifest into large and significant problems for teachers. Here is a list of little things that I see daily which send a […]