Mr. Vilson

These posts are focused on the more professional side of my writing. They include tips, resources, and stories from the classroom.

Then You’ll Really Know What It’s Like [featuring Xian Barrett]

August 7, 2012 Mr. Vilson

Xian Barrett has been one of my favorite education commenters in the last year or so. His commentary can simultaneously crack you up and crack your jaw, swelling and opening eyes unflinchingly. Today, CNN’s School of Thought asked him to contribute to their blog. Good on you, CNN. Observe: Most Chicago teachers give our all [...]

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Measuring My Teacher Effectiveness In Buckets

July 31, 2012 Mr. Vilson

Yesterday, I had an interesting conversation with my brother Ralf, and a couple of burgeoning entrepreneurs about the teaching profession. They called it the most important profession there is, and one of their sisters was a public school teacher in Trenton. We laughed as the one guy told us about how his sister loved the [...]

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Great. Another Non-Math Person Complaining About Algebra.

July 30, 2012 Mr. Vilson

Holy cow, Andrew Hacker. Shut up! OK, that was a bit harsh. Warranted, but harsh. Say what you want to, but lower your voice a few decibels. Frankly, I didn’t care much for your rhetorical question, but you had to write it in the New York Times, adding a semblance of legitimacy (if not outrage) [...]

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How Many Houses Have You Built? [On The Future of Teaching Blog]

July 24, 2012 Guest Posts

Excerpt: However, I can’t help but feel some sort of way about the risk / reward dynamic that’s played itself out when it comes to advocacy. As professionals, how long can teachers wait until our profession gets completely stripped away from us? How much will we tolerate policy committees and education panels without so much [...]

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On My Two Recommendations for Gregory Michie and Daniel Willingham

July 22, 2012 Mr. Vilson

Here’s my first big confession of 2012: I’ve been reading a lot. You’d think, Vilson, that’s not a big deal for you. I’d reply, “As a matter of fact, yes it is.” Huge. Not just my monthly GQ / Wired fix, either (with dabbles of Men’s Health). In the last few months, I’ve read about [...]

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In The End, The Love You Take Is Equal To The Love You Make [Class of 2012]

June 26, 2012 Mr. Vilson

On The Future of Teaching blog, I made a list of the five things I learned this year, a standard writing prompt for writers who can’t for the life of them get a word out about the whirlwind named “The End of the Year.” Every year spins out of control right around the last two [...]

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The Not-So-Secret Secret [A Piece of My Manuscript] [Middleweb]

June 19, 2012 Guest Posts

For a while, you’ve been told of this magical manuscript in the works now for the last two years. If you’re still here after waiting that long, congratulations. As a gift for your perseverance and dedication, I present to you an excerpt of said manuscript, sponsored by Middleweb.com: One time I kept the kids after [...]

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A Short Note on Educational Leadership

June 5, 2012 Mr. Vilson

Last night, after talking with my life partner about educational structures, I came to the realization that education leaders actually need to care about kids. Any school leader worth their weight in pencils has some dimension of caring about kids that they can handle. If their forte is instruction, then I expect for them to [...]

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I Don’t Win Unless You Win, Kid

May 30, 2012 Mr. Vilson

“It doesn’t matter anyway because y’all gonna win before 2:20 anyways.” The three adults stare at each other in frustration. “It’s true, y’all do.” This was one of those times that truly tested this patience thing everyone says I have. It’s the word of a student who’s devolved into playing defense where there are no [...]

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An Open Letter To NYS Education Commissioner John B. King [Testing Isn't Natural]

May 29, 2012 Mr. Vilson

Dear John B. King, Let me just get this out of the way: testing is not natural. Recently, the Wall Street Journal reported that parents have gotten fed up with the abundance of testing placed upon their kids, and the continual dependence on standardized testing as a measure of actual student learning. The facts are [...]

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