All Blog Posts by Ruiyan Xu

Ruiyan Xu

Ruiyan Xu

Ruiyan grew up in Shanghai and New Jersey and graduated from Brown University with a degree in Modern Culture and Media. Before joining Teach For America as senior web editor, she worked as a web producer for POV, the award-winning independent documentary series on PBS. Her first novel was published in 2010, and she continues to be passionate about telling stories—online, in print, and among friends. Her superpower is being able to out-eat everyone around her.

All Posts by Ruiyan

The Friday Five

August 31, 2012

 

Five links that made us think this week.

What’s the purpose of K-12 education? Over at Impatient Optimists, Irvin Scott argues that primary education should prepare students for colleges and careers, while Anthony Cody says “that’s not enough.”

Who’s the boss in the classroom? It’s Tony Danza, who shares what he learned during the year he spent teaching 10th-graders in Philadelphia.


Promotional image for the A&E television series Teach: Tony Danza

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The Friday Five

July 27, 2012

Five links that made us think this week.

In the wake of the Aurora shootings, Mike Johnston (Colorado state senator and TFA alum) has a message for all of us: Love back.

Teachers are doing it for themselves! Three teachers make a video and get on Kickstarter to fund their dream of touring America’s best classrooms, sharing best practices, and eventually starting their own school.  (Via Good Education)

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The Friday Five

July 20, 2012

Five links that made us think this week.

Can you solve some of the world’s biggest problems through technology? The amazing students at the annual Imagine Cup are coming up with innovative solutions.

Cheating. It happens—even in prestigious magnet schools. Is cheating just a fact of life?

Ew, boys! Do separate classrooms for boys and girls lead to better learning?

We talk a lot about the achievement gap in America here at TFA, but what about the achievement gap between America and the rest of the world?

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The Nuts and Bolts of Pass the Chalk

July 11, 2012

Welcome to Pass the Chalk: The TFA Blog. I'm Ruiyan Xu, senior web editor for Teach For America, and I'm excited to share this blog with you. We hope this blog will contribute to the larger conversation taking place online about education in our country. Pass the Chalk is a work-in-progress, so thanks for your patience.

Photo by Tomas Sienicki (via WikiCommons).

What We'll Talk About
We're here because we believe education is the most pressing issue facing our nation. On the blog, individuals will share their take on education news, discuss and debate various issues, and tell stories from classrooms, schools, and communities around the nation.

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The Friday Five

July 6, 2012

Five links that made us think this week.

Henry V is one of Shakespeare’s most appealing characters. What would he have been like if he went to an American school? David Brooks on the boy crisis in schools.

They’re curing cancer, founding startups, and excelling academically despite being homeless. They’re also teenagers. Meet the kids who are making the rest of us feel bad about ourselves.

Michaela DePrince is one of the most impressive kids in America.

Michaela is one of the most impressive kids in America. Photo from First Position.

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About Us

We believe education is the most pressing issue facing our nation. On Pass the Chalk, we'll share our takes on the issues of the day, join the online conversation about education, and tell stories from classrooms, schools, and communities around the nation.

Learn more about Teach For America. 

Contact

We want to hear from you. If you have a question, a comment, or an idea, please get in touch »

Disclaimer

The thoughts, ideas, and opinions expressed on Pass the Chalk are the responsibility of individual bloggers. Unless explicitly stated, blog posts do not represent the views of Teach For America as an organization. 

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