Aleksey Vayner To Close Achievement Gap With His Bare Hands
When it comes to fixing public education, ideas abound. Standardized testing. Charter schools. KIPP-like behavioral reform. But these supposed solutions pale when set against the latest pedagogical theory to hit America’s public schools: “Impossible is Nothing.”
We know, we know, it’s dead. Which is probably why one first-year Teach for America corps member thought it safe to turn would-be i-banker Aleksey Vayner’s ubiquitous maxim (well, technically Adidas had it first) into classroom philosophy. A poster in a New York TFA office reads as follows, according to a tipster:
NYC Corps Members are Building the Movement
Sean Reidy, TFA ’06, 7th grade math, Bronx
Sean is building the movement by investing his students in his class motto, “Impossible is nothing.” Students believe they can and will succeed in math class. They dress up on test days and have learned what it means to dress for success. Almost two thirds of Seans’ seventh grade students joined the Mathletes, an after school club where students can compete against each other in challenging math questions.
For the record: Anything remotely connected to Vayner that also involves “dress up” is highly suspect. But who knows, maybe Vayner will get the last laugh after patching up our nation’s troubled education system. Whether that happens before or after the inevitable daytime talk show “Aleksey!”, we can’t say.
December 18th, 2006 at 1:48 pm
this sounds like “stand and deliver,” that movie with edward james olmos.
December 18th, 2006 at 9:48 am
this sounds like “stand and deliver,” that movie with edward james olmos.
December 18th, 2006 at 2:01 pm
The uniform:
http://store.cottonfactory.com/cf-202.html
December 18th, 2006 at 10:01 am
The uniform:
http://store.cottonfactory.com/cf-202.html
December 18th, 2006 at 5:07 pm
I could almost swear that in Intro Psych, I was shown studies that found children with the most confidence about their math abilities (US children, mainly) tended to do the worse on international math exams. On the other hand, those who doubted their abilities tended to do the best (read: Asians). Someone google that; I’m too lazy to even cut and paste.
December 18th, 2006 at 1:07 pm
I could almost swear that in Intro Psych, I was shown studies that found children with the most confidence about their math abilities (US children, mainly) tended to do the worse on international math exams. On the other hand, those who doubted their abilities tended to do the best (read: Asians). Someone google that; I’m too lazy to even cut and paste.
December 18th, 2006 at 5:36 pm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/17/AR2006101701298.html
December 18th, 2006 at 1:36 pm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/17/AR2006101701298.html
December 18th, 2006 at 6:05 pm
Jesus christ, let it go.
December 18th, 2006 at 2:05 pm
Jesus christ, let it go.
December 19th, 2006 at 1:04 pm
Unforunately, it may be too late to reach “Teen Talk Barbie” (of “math is hard” fame)
December 19th, 2006 at 9:04 am
Unforunately, it may be too late to reach “Teen Talk Barbie” (of “math is hard” fame)
December 19th, 2006 at 1:23 pm
This is great, I have been using this line for a while, in a semi-joking manner.
December 19th, 2006 at 9:23 am
This is great, I have been using this line for a while, in a semi-joking manner.
December 19th, 2006 at 2:15 pm
. . . i.e., Underarmor.
December 19th, 2006 at 10:15 am
. . . i.e., Underarmor.
December 19th, 2006 at 4:33 pm
Yeah, Saatchi and Saatchi started using “Nothing is Impossible” as a company motto in the late 90s. Switching words around, woo hoo! Now THAT is copywriting talent.
December 19th, 2006 at 12:33 pm
Yeah, Saatchi and Saatchi started using “Nothing is Impossible” as a company motto in the late 90s. Switching words around, woo hoo! Now THAT is copywriting talent.
December 19th, 2006 at 10:02 pm
Hey this is a story NPR did about video resumé’s and our golden boy is featured. Check it out:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6631326&ft=1&f=4569077
December 19th, 2006 at 6:02 pm
Hey this is a story NPR did about video resumé’s and our golden boy is featured. Check it out:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6631326&ft=1&f=4569077