PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS: Here's a viral video worth watching. Ellie Rubenstein, who has taught elementary school since 1999 in Illinois, just quit and she explains why here. In short: "Everything I loved about teaching is extinct."
To give her teaching spirits more room, Rubenstein has been developing a few music videoswith her students and a colleague. Writing Style does a nifty job of capturing a few core ideas about writing for elementary school students; Scientific Method lays out the gist of setting up an experiment. And Just Behave--well, it might be a bit optimistic but every teacher and parent has got to love the message.
Both kids and teachers have fun in the videos. Chances are after helping make those videos, the students won't soon forget the core ideas. You can't say that about factoids you cram for an exam.
