Articles and insights From Jeffrey Benson
Filter posts by clicking on the categories below.
Tenure is a Management Issue
Picture a school system with hundreds of teachers. Some of the teachers have been with the system long enough to be eligible for a special benefit: job security (tenure), upon completing 24-60 months of high quality work.
The General’s Masseuse
I wake up at nights, thinking about the General. I light a candle by my bed and watch the shadows grow thick and fuzzy. The wind rattles my window. I pull myself into a fetal position. My thoughts run like squirrels around a tree. Somehow I might have been able to do more with the General, as much as anyone citizen. I remember to breathe deeply, and to let my thoughts stream through the night.
Radical Empathy
My friend is a family therapist. She is intrigued by the ways all the people in a big family work together, given the innumerable conflicts in such a group. She encourages as many family members as possible to come to sessions, so she can see them in action. The more family members in the room, the more likely that they will behave in their typical fashions.
Why Atheists Love the Common Core…
Fiction, Leadership, Satire, SEL
Atheists don’t have faith in a higher power that they cannot see. This lack of faith marks them as historical relics from three hundred years ago, when handfuls of Europeans began to want proof, proof of everything from how the planets move to how snails find mates.
Teenage Boys: How to Support Your Moms, Sisters, and Girlfriends
Women are often pulling for us to say what we feel. When you were a little boy, you had just a few words to say how you felt: mad, glad, sad. But now you probably feel mixtures of feelings–you can be both excited and nervous at the same time, or determined and caring. When the women in your life share their many feelings, you can match them. Better yet: you can share your feelings first.
Be Special, Educator!
Challenging Students, Inclusion, Leadership
I am old enough to have been there at the beginning of special education, and fortunately, I completely missed the euphemism of “special.” I knew schools were filled with students who were disengaged, abused, overwhelmed, scared, with quirky learning difficulties that would not go away simply by avoiding the required reading and writing and math curricula.
Personalized Learning
Our factory model of schooling obscures the fact that all learning is personal. We’ve been forcing too many children at the same time to be presented with the same stimulation in hopes they develop the same understanding.
Book Review: “The Quest for Meaningful Special Education” by Amy Ballin
Let me begin with unequivocal praise: Amy Ballin’s , “The Quest for Meaningful Special Education” (Rowman and Littlefield, 2017) is well written, robustly researched, as often heart-warming as it is heart-wrenching, and laser focused on equity and excellence in our schools—equity and excellence for all students.
Looking Backward and Forward from 100 Repetitions
It’s been years since the publication of “100 Repetitions”—and the need to understand this crucial understanding of how kids learn has never been more necessary.
Small (But Important) Steps to Integrating SEL into Lessons
Social emotional skills (SEL) is not a separate curriculum. Here’s a quick overview of integrating SEL into daily lesson plans—and improving student learning.
When to stop hanging In
Challenging Students, Change Team, Inclusion, Leadership, SEL
After years of helping schools hang in with challenging students, it was time to clarify when to stop hanging in.
I was lucky and determined to keep teaching as a school leader and instructional coach
Many instructional leaders I work with—superintendents, assistant superintendents, curriculum coordinators, principals, assistant principals, instructional coaches—forget how hard it is to teach, even as the system demands more of their teachers. Simply put, distance creates distance.
The overabundance of rules in middle and high schools creates conflict
Change Team, Inclusion, Leadership, Whole Teen
Too much restriction can tamper teens’ individuality and resolve, as well as destroy school staff relationships. Here’s how to pare them down.
When Teacher Self-Care Is Not Enough
We need better structures to sustain teachers who work with students with mental illnesses.
The Power of Positive Regard
Challenging Students, Change Team, Inclusion, Leadership, SEL
Originally titled “Praising and Loving Students,’ this ASCD on-line article asks all of us to recognize and support every student as a member of the community for doing no more than crossing the threshold into the school and the classroom
What does “personalized learning” mean, & what can it look like in the classroom?
Challenging Students, Inclusion, Leadership, SEL
Learning is an accomplishment of attention and effort that can take place in an auditorium filled with 2,000 people, or at a corner table in a library. It takes place with a teacher, or a coach, or with peers, or when you are alone. Learning is always a personal experience for the learner.
How Not To Be A Mountain Troll
Challenging Students, Inclusion, Leadership, SEL
For many troubled students, adults have represented danger and uncertainty. Let’s change that.
That’s Not Mainstreaming!
Challenging Students, Change Team, Inclusion, Leadership, SEL
I am old enough to have been there at the beginning of special education, and fortunately, I completely missed the euphemism of “special.”
No Student is Unreachable
Challenging Students, Change Team, Inclusion, Leadership, SEL
A framework for finding traction with students who may only seem to be totally shut down
A Process for Responding to Your Most Challenging Students
Challenging Students, Change Team, Inclusion, Leadership, SEL
How teams of teachers can work together to identify strengths and share strategies
Tenure is a Management Issue
Picture a school system with hundreds of teachers. Some of the teachers have been with the system long enough to be eligible for a special benefit: job security (tenure), upon completing 24-60 months of high quality work.
The General’s Masseuse
I wake up at nights, thinking about the General. I light a candle by my bed and watch the shadows grow thick and fuzzy. The wind rattles my window. I pull myself into a fetal position. My thoughts run like squirrels around a tree. Somehow I might have been able to do more with the General, as much as anyone citizen. I remember to breathe deeply, and to let my thoughts stream through the night.
Radical Empathy
My friend is a family therapist. She is intrigued by the ways all the people in a big family work together, given the innumerable conflicts in such a group. She encourages as many family members as possible to come to sessions, so she can see them in action. The more family members in the room, the more likely that they will behave in their typical fashions.
Why Atheists Love the Common Core…
Fiction, Leadership, Satire, SEL
Atheists don’t have faith in a higher power that they cannot see. This lack of faith marks them as historical relics from three hundred years ago, when handfuls of Europeans began to want proof, proof of everything from how the planets move to how snails find mates.
Teenage Boys: How to Support Your Moms, Sisters, and Girlfriends
Women are often pulling for us to say what we feel. When you were a little boy, you had just a few words to say how you felt: mad, glad, sad. But now you probably feel mixtures of feelings–you can be both excited and nervous at the same time, or determined and caring. When the women in your life share their many feelings, you can match them. Better yet: you can share your feelings first.
Be Special, Educator!
Challenging Students, Inclusion, Leadership
I am old enough to have been there at the beginning of special education, and fortunately, I completely missed the euphemism of “special.” I knew schools were filled with students who were disengaged, abused, overwhelmed, scared, with quirky learning difficulties that would not go away simply by avoiding the required reading and writing and math curricula.
Personalized Learning
Our factory model of schooling obscures the fact that all learning is personal. We’ve been forcing too many children at the same time to be presented with the same stimulation in hopes they develop the same understanding.
Book Review: “The Quest for Meaningful Special Education” by Amy Ballin
Let me begin with unequivocal praise: Amy Ballin’s , “The Quest for Meaningful Special Education” (Rowman and Littlefield, 2017) is well written, robustly researched, as often heart-warming as it is heart-wrenching, and laser focused on equity and excellence in our schools—equity and excellence for all students.
Looking Backward and Forward from 100 Repetitions
It’s been years since the publication of “100 Repetitions”—and the need to understand this crucial understanding of how kids learn has never been more necessary.
Small (But Important) Steps to Integrating SEL into Lessons
Social emotional skills (SEL) is not a separate curriculum. Here’s a quick overview of integrating SEL into daily lesson plans—and improving student learning.
When to stop hanging In
Challenging Students, Change Team, Inclusion, Leadership, SEL
After years of helping schools hang in with challenging students, it was time to clarify when to stop hanging in.
I was lucky and determined to keep teaching as a school leader and instructional coach
Many instructional leaders I work with—superintendents, assistant superintendents, curriculum coordinators, principals, assistant principals, instructional coaches—forget how hard it is to teach, even as the system demands more of their teachers. Simply put, distance creates distance.
The overabundance of rules in middle and high schools creates conflict
Change Team, Inclusion, Leadership, Whole Teen
Too much restriction can tamper teens’ individuality and resolve, as well as destroy school staff relationships. Here’s how to pare them down.
When Teacher Self-Care Is Not Enough
We need better structures to sustain teachers who work with students with mental illnesses.
The Power of Positive Regard
Challenging Students, Change Team, Inclusion, Leadership, SEL
Originally titled “Praising and Loving Students,’ this ASCD on-line article asks all of us to recognize and support every student as a member of the community for doing no more than crossing the threshold into the school and the classroom
What does “personalized learning” mean, & what can it look like in the classroom?
Challenging Students, Inclusion, Leadership, SEL
Learning is an accomplishment of attention and effort that can take place in an auditorium filled with 2,000 people, or at a corner table in a library. It takes place with a teacher, or a coach, or with peers, or when you are alone. Learning is always a personal experience for the learner.
How Not To Be A Mountain Troll
Challenging Students, Inclusion, Leadership, SEL
For many troubled students, adults have represented danger and uncertainty. Let’s change that.
That’s Not Mainstreaming!
Challenging Students, Change Team, Inclusion, Leadership, SEL
I am old enough to have been there at the beginning of special education, and fortunately, I completely missed the euphemism of “special.”
No Student is Unreachable
Challenging Students, Change Team, Inclusion, Leadership, SEL
A framework for finding traction with students who may only seem to be totally shut down
A Process for Responding to Your Most Challenging Students
Challenging Students, Change Team, Inclusion, Leadership, SEL
How teams of teachers can work together to identify strengths and share strategies
Connect with Jeffrey Benson
Want to learn more about how Jeffrey can support your school or organization? Schedule at time to meet with Jeffrey to learn more about customized workshops and other services.