Yesterday our twitter feed was overrun with comments about the release of NCTQ's teacher evaluation paper; Dan Goldhaber and Joe Walch's article on the importance of selectivity in teacher candidate admissions; and the Brookings Institute's paper on Common Core testing. There was another twitter conversation, however, that we just couldn't ignore: the #eduCostumes and #eduhalloween trends. Scary, or just plain nerdy? You tell us:
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You and a friend dress up like a red schoolhouse. Constantly wave at people. You're NCLB Waivers. #eduCostumes -@ChadAldeman
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Constantly hold a marshmallow out in front of you. Don't eat it. You are Grit. #eduCostumes #eduHalloween-@ChadAldeman
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You and a friend buy a bunch of apples, put holes in them, then glue them all over your bodies. You're the Common Core #educostumes - @alexanderrusso
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Go as rising college costs for a terrifying Halloween costume (I'd wear a mortarboard, a graduation gown covered in student loan bills, and a giant version of one of the charts from this recent College Board report- @caitlinzemma and @StephanieSimon_
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A group dresses up in running shorts, headbands and runs on an incline? RTT #eduHalloween-@amylaitinen1
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Make an impenetrable fort out of books, FAFSAs, etc., crawl into it and you're @insidehighered #eduhalloween-@MarkHuelsman
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Dress up as a bean stalk in a lab coat. You are STEM programs. #eduhalloween #eduCostumes- @Wmorrow
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Dress up as a chart and hold a steering wheel: you're data-driven instruction.#eduhalloween- @Wmorrow
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Host a #eduhalloween party. Insist people leave in the reverse order of their arrival. You are LIFO.#eduCostumes - ?@brianwanlass
Or, if you're a reformer, let the ones with the best costumes stay the longest.- @NCTQ
NCTQ office chatter gave way to a few more ideas:
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Dress up as a blender and paste cut-out letters from the alphabet all of over the front. You got it- you are BLENDED LEARNING!
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Make a sign that says feed in big letters. Tape it to your back. You are FEEDBACK!
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Grab a trenchcoat and attach a tape measure, measuring spoons, measuring cups, a thermometer. Carry around a yardstick. You are MULTIPLE MEASURES.
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This one might be a hard one to pull off: Make a paper-mache school desk and chair and put it upside down on your head -- You are a FLIPPED CLASSROOM.
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Dress as a school and twirl, you are a TURNAROUND SCHOOL.
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Connect yourself to a friend or loved one with paper links and walk around reading a book. You're LINKED LEARNING.
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Print out teacher collective bargaining agreements from 114 of the nation's largest school districts, highlight the interesting parts, organize and attach them to yourself. You're the NCTQ TEACHER CONTRACT DATABASE! -- okay, people may not get it, but it's worth a try.
Check out Alexander Russo's blog for even more ideas. Are we missing something? Add them to the comment section below.