Paul Cancellieri·Jun 22, 2021What did my students think of Remote Learning? Let’s ask them.Every year I ask my middle school students to complete a comprehensive survey to finish out the year. “It’s anonymous,” I explain to them, “because I want your honest opinions.” Yes, this means I am forced to filter out spam from those who take advantage of the anonymity to give…Student Survey5 min read
Paul Cancellieri·Apr 2, 2020The Pandemic happened. And what will happen next?The Pandemic happened. And what will happen next? The Pandemic happened. And we stayed home and focused on learning that mattered. We stripped away the learning goals that were reviewed later. We filtered out the minutiae. We took what was left and dove deep. . The Pandemic happened. And we…Teaching2 min read
Paul Cancellieri·Dec 17, 2019Five Things You Need To Go GradelessEarlier this year, I wrote about the reasons that I had become disillusioned with traditional grading and assessment. In the intervening months, my team and I have created a much more effective and sensible system that has met with tremendous success. This article is one of three that share my…Education8 min read
Paul Cancellieri·Apr 6, 2019The Moment That I Began To Hate Grades“I just really need to get an A.” That was her only defense, not that there was much else she could have said. I had just caught her with her science notebook in her lap while she was supposed to be taking the chemistry unit test. Up until that point…Education7 min read
Paul Cancellieri·Nov 24, 2018The gradeless journey begins…This week marks the beginning of a critical journey for my students, my teammate, and me. In my Science class and the Social Studies class, students will be learning about the Gradeless Classroom format that we will be employing when the second semester starts on January 2. The kickoff this…Education1 min read
Paul Cancellieri·Jul 4, 2018What Did My Students Think Of This Year? (2017–18 Edition)As I prepare to start a new year of school (#yearroundschools), it’s time again to look back on the year that has just ended. Every year I follow in the footsteps of one of my edu-idols, Larry Ferlazzo, surveying my students about the things that worked and didn’t. I promise…Education2 min read
Paul Cancellieri·May 16, 2018Why I’m NOT Marching for #NCEducation TodayAll across North Carolina today, including in my huge school district, teachers have taken personal days to attend a rally at the state legislature. The goal is to advocate for public education in the state — better teacher salaries, more per-pupil spending, smaller class sizes — at the opening of…Politics4 min read
