Director/Actor, Teacher/Principal Husband to a God sent wife and proud father. Winner of the Kennedy Center ACTF Best Design award. National Teacher of the Year
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Joined July 2011
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Robert Baker retweeted
What Trump doesn't seem to know is that every President gets to decorate the @WhiteHouse to their likeness.
Robert Baker retweeted
We keep blaming teachers for declining literacy. But have we stopped to consider how dramatically children's lives have changed?
We're raising a generation surrounded by 15-second videos, endless scrolling, and constant notifications. Many children spend more time swiping through content than sitting down with a book.
Then we expect them to sit for 30 or 60 minutes, read complex passages, make inferences, and demonstrate deep comprehension on standardized tests.
Scrolling is a sprint. Reading is a marathon.
Children are becoming accustomed to information arriving in short bursts. They skim, swipe, and move on to the next thing. And when something doesn't immediately capture their attention, another video or notification is waiting.
But reading requires something different. It takes patience, concentration, imagination, and the ability to stay engaged even when something is challenging.
Those abilities develop through practice and experience.
So if children are spending less time reading outside of school, why are we surprised when they struggle to sustain their attention while reading?
And why is the teacher so often the one held responsible?
Consider how many children grow up hearing bedtime stories, watching adults read, visiting libraries, or having conversations about books. Now consider how many spend those same hours in front of screens.
Those experiences make a difference long before a child ever takes a reading assessment.
Schools can teach children how to read, but they cannot control how children spend the other hours of their lives.
And increasingly, we're asking teachers to compensate for cultural changes they had no part in creating.
We also need to ask ourselves what we're doing inside schools. When we replace opportunities to read, explore, discuss, and enjoy books with more worksheets, test preparation, and assessments, are we actually helping children become better readers?
A child who discovers the joy of reading is far more likely to pick up another book than one who associates reading primarily with answering questions on a test.
Literacy develops through experiences, relationships, conversations, curiosity, and practice. It begins long before a standardized test and extends far beyond the classroom.
Robert Baker retweeted
Walter Koenig, the Russian Crewman Chekov on 'Star Trek,' Dies at 90 hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-β¦
Robert Baker retweeted
Ken Paxtonβs former top cop on why heβs voting for James Talarico:
I spent 2 hours with James Talarico. Number one, I saw no deception. He answered all my difficult questions. He didnβt dodge anything. He hit it head on.
I have been around politicians my entire life. I served 5 governors, Iβve met 4 presidentsβ¦ And James Talarico is so different than other people Iβve encountered.
I think heβs the man who needs to go to Washington DC, and Ken Paxton needs to go home.
Robert Baker retweeted
A 4-day school week for students could be a win for EVERYONE.
TEACHERS could finally use the 5th day to catch up on their insane workload.
STUDENTS could participate in off-campus activities, jobs, appointments, or extracurriculars without living minute-to-minute every day.
And before people object because they view schools as daycares, families would adjustβ¦just like they do for summer break, holidays, snow days, and teacher workdays.
Robert Baker retweeted
Your reputation is shaped partly by conversations you will never hear.
Strong colleagues do more than celebrate your work. They correct misinformation, push back on unfair judgments, protect your integrity, and advocate for you when decisions are being made without you.
That is not networking. That is trust.
