There’s a lot of stink about the Bucks County teacher who wrote crappy things about her students on a blog. Chris L-H has a great response .

As I was thinking about this situation, I was struck by the realization that one of the ways that I’ve always judged my classes is whether or not I’ve had a moment where a student says something that stops me in my tracks. If I’ve set my class up right and I’ve laid the groundwork for a community based on respectful exchange of ideas, then almost every time some student will say or realize something and express their idea in a way I’d never considered before. Every time.

If I were smart or at least more organized, I could have a class blog that documented these insights. Are there kids spacing out, texting, or disengaged? Does my classroom practice have issues? Certainly. But at least one measurement of whether I’m succeeding is the regularity of these moments.