Give Me a Lever Long Enough: Friday Reading

Welcome!

Welcome to the blog of Zaq Roberts, Associate Head of School at The Berkeley School in Berkeley, CA. I blog about a wide variety of topics, from classroom moments I witness, to administrative events and conversations, to the educational blogs, videos, and books I am reading and watching, and how they are influencing my thinking. I hope this eclectic approach will give you insight into the many ways that I am engaging in advancing the school and strengthening our program, and I welcome your thoughts and comments!

This blog takes its name from a quotation by Archimedes that reads "Give me a lever long enough, and I can move the world." The TBS mission speaks directly to the need to engage a changing world, while many of the experiences in our program focus on the development of students' agency and authority. TBS is the lever by which we all - administration, faculty, students, and parents - can together move the world to be more humane, compassionate, and responsive. To borrow an important Montessori phrase, it is our way to remake the world.

Here's a collection of articles and videos that I've thought note-worthy in the last few weeks. See if you can guess which ones made laugh, cry, or angry!

Parenting

California Watch: perceptions of kids and digital media

MindShift: can everyone be smart at everything?

Teacher pay

Yahoo! News: merit pay in New Jersey

Wisonson state journal: shifting teacher evaluations

Miami Herald: teacher evaluations are complex

Teaching practices

Southeast Missourian: No-zeros policy

Health and Wellness

WCTV: fighting obesity

On Wall Street: Duncan advocates for financial literacy