AssortedStuff

Jay Mathews and a colleague at the Post are soliciting suggestions for their lists of the ten best education blogs of 2009.

I had the honor of being placed on Uncle Jay’s list of favorites last year, primarily due to my

frequent rants about the pseudo mathematics behind his “challenge” index, with side trips into criticism of his regular AP and KIPP fan club postings.

So, what might the two of them be looking for in their list of the “best”?

Well, Mathews notes that he has a “weak spot for blogs that target me as the spawn of the devil and consign me to a different circle of hell every week”.

Plus he admits that “people with egos as inflated as mine love the idea of being heckled. In our twisted view of reality, it proves we exist”.

Basically, I guess you need to mention him frequently and feature lots of links to his work. :-)

For the record, however, I have never compared Mathews to Satan in this space. And, as for residing in hell, working for the Post is probably close enough for anyone these days.

Anyway, it’s time for some other edubloggers to receive Mathews blessing. Use the comment section on his post to offer your recommendations. Or, if you don’t want to register with the Post, email him directly.

blog, education, jay mathews, washington post

In his Class Struggle column this week, Jay Mathews presents his favorite education blogs of 2008.  And includes this little rantfest on the list!  (look on page 4)

It’s a rather odd mix of professional education pundits, classroom teachers, and those of us somewhere in between.

In his thumbnail sketch, Mathews says I get extra points for “being very hard on me and the Challenge Index”. However, let me say for the record, that I try to restrict any criticism in this space to ideas and not to the people presenting them.

I certainly appreciate the mention, Jay, but does this mean I’m required to be nicer to the “challenge” index in the future? :-)

blog, challenge index, education