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What does all this desk and test time mean for the quality of our kids’ lives, now and for their future?

putting in a second shift of homework after seven hours in school does not help my son become a more inquisitive, confident, life-long learner with an intrinsic sense of curiosity and joy in discovery. It does not allow my family to strike a graceful balance between school and home life. It does not leave time for those non-academic pursuits — lying on a blanket under the sky and puzzling out the constellations, peering under rocks, putting a nose in a book for long, lost hours — that can shape a child’s personality, aspirations and dreams.

a growing body of scientific data tells us that a brain under chronic stress is a brain that performs less well.

I really thought about my husband's question—and realized my colleagues and I were missing out on opportunities to improve our practice together. I would love the chance to visit my colleagues' classrooms, to observe firsthand how they managed stations or how they taught writing. But how, when school schedules make it nearly impossible?

We decided to ask each participating teacher to record two lessons: one that he or she was proud of and wanted to share with the group and one that he or she felt needed improvement. We created a recording sheet to focus the group and guide our discussions. Using the sheet, participants took notes on events they noticed while watching the video, key comments made during our discussion, and takeaways for their own classroom.

Sugata Mitra's "Hole in the Wall" experiments have shown that, in the absence of supervision or formal teaching, children can teach themselves and each other, if they're motivated by curiosity and peer interest.