Today varied notions of good teaching are mired in fruitless, "cheesy" debates over traditional versus progressive philosophies. On the "Velveeta" side is John Locke, who viewed children as a "tabula rasa" (empty slate). On the brie side is Rousseau, who emphasized freeing the child as "noble savage." The…

Some children learn to read easily with phonics, and some do better with a whole-language approach. Principals should understand both systems and use the best of both, together with other effective reading programs. Teachers should balance their reading programs by providing structure for analytic students, reading to students, and relying on…