Tag Archives: Life

Pipe Dreams

“The USMNT will be good enough to compete in the World Cup.”

“Soccer will finally take off and become popular in the United States.”

“The Maine Democratic Party won’t shoot itself in the foot this election cycle.”

“Large-scale test results can be used to inform instruction.”

All of the above fit the classic definition of a pipe dream; that is, “an idea plan, or hope that is unrealistic, impractical, or nearly impossible to achieve.” The other critical component of each of those pipe dreams is that we are able to convince ourselves that it is achievable, repeatedly and often in the face of daunting evidence. Education policy, specifically policy related to assessment is rife with such pipe dreams. The questions I ponder this week, as we look to the future of assessment, is the extent to which pipe dreams are a necessary evil and when is it time to let go of them.

How I Spent My Winter Mornings

They say that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but this past winter I decided to try to try my hand at solving the New York Times Crossword, something I had avoided doing to this point in my life. Along the way I acquired a little proficiency in solving crosswords, I remembered some important lessons about teaching and learning new skills, in general. Time will spent.