Category Archives: politics

What Message the Boston Marathon Bombing Really Sends

Posted on April 16, 2013 by chrisryanwrites

I have been struggling with what to say to my junior and senior students about the Boston Marathon bombings. I hate that this is the “latest terror attack” – the phrase delivers the twin defeats of acknowledging we now have … Continue reading →

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Education Reform Shouldn’t Get The Bum’s Rush

Posted on April 11, 2013 by chrisryanwrites

When is Spring Break not a vacation? When teachers spend it stressed about the future of their profession, their careers, tenure, pension, health benefits, ability to pay their mortgages, send their kids to college, feed them. Yeah, it is that … Continue reading →

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Class Warfare Should be a War on Ignorance

Posted on March 30, 2013 by chrisryanwrites

I would like to comment a bit on a fascinating book I read entitled Class Warfare by Stephen Brill. This nonfiction work chronicles the last few decades in American education battles, focusing on efforts to radically change how American students … Continue reading →

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The Rule of 36

Posted on March 22, 2013 by chrisryanwrites

There was a time in my life when my deeply held beliefs and my passions were misread as anger or being “cranky.” That time was yesterday. In my continuing efforts to communicate ever-more clearly with the rest of the world, … Continue reading →

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Because They Were Kids

Posted on December 17, 2012 by chrisryanwrites

Everything changed on Friday. We didn’t want it to, didn’t plan for it, ask for it, or welcome it. And yes, this wasn’t the first tragic shooting of random Americans. We’ve already seen shootings at a high school, mall, a … Continue reading →

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On Writing: Making it through The Monster of Daily Life

Posted on October 1, 2012 by chrisryanwrites

Where have I been? Away from my blog for too long, and I woke up wondering what could have kept me away. Life. By that I mean wife, sons, death of friends, work, grading papers, writing lesson plans, orienting to … Continue reading →

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The Dark Knight Rises: Huge Plots Hole or Sharp Political Commentary?

Posted on August 1, 2012 by chrisryanwrites

Christopher Nolan’s superb The Dark Knight Rises has been simmering in my brain since watching the trilogy on July 19 and experiencing the final film at midnight, unaware of the tragedy unfolding in Aurora, Colorado. I have held back the … Continue reading →

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