With the school year beginning in most parts of the US, there are some great examples on the web of teachers and others writing about education issues.

First stop is the Education Wonks for the latest edition of the Carnival of Education. While you’re there, also take a look at the first day of school post by the head wonk.

In it he writes of overloaded classrooms, "underpaid" (and overworked) administrators, and the cluelessness of the superintendent, Dr. Evil. Despite all the obstacles, Wonk, as with all good teachers, remains optimistic for what can be accomplished in the classroom this year.

Then head on over to Shut Up and Teach where Joe has another edition of the Advocate Weekly. In his contribution, Joe spotlights a speech by a professor who says that educational reformers tend to ignore poverty as a major cause of our problems, what he calls the "the 600 pound gorilla in the classroom". Powerful stuff.