Don Pogreba is a current writer and retired teacher of English, Social Studies and Debate, and a loyal, if often sad, fan of the San Diego Padres and Portland Timbers. When he is not traveling, he is working on his classroom web site or dreaming about another adventure.
DOES RAISING TEACHER SALARIES IMPROVE PERFORMANCE?–Fifteen years ago, Indonesia embarked on a policy experiment that shed new light on how salaries affect teacher effort. Over the course of 10 years, Indonesia raised salaries by more than a quarter for a subset of teachers. They randomized the roll-out across schools, which allowed...
Slovenia was the entry point for my adventure through the Balkans and one of the loveliest cities I’ve visited. I was fortunate enough to have a few hours to wander the old city center alone one morning and to stumble on a wine festival and street food fair another. When you get to Slovenia, be sure to wander the streets of...
After a brief stop in Mostar and a longer stay in Sarajevo, I would love to find the time for a longer trip to Bosnia-Herzegovina.
I may not have ever managed to take the perfect photo of this incredible spot, but I’ll certainly never forget the experience of hearing the entire city roar when Croatia scored goals in their World Cup match while I visited.
My introduction to Croatia involved an incredibly long bus trip from Ljubljana that passed through Trieste (a city I absolutely hope to visit based on my quick drive through). As a whole, Istria felt much different than the rest of Croatia, with fewer tourists and just an incredible number of roadside stands selling everything from...
Most of the day I spent at Plitvice was overcast and I was certainly under a time crunch because of a somewhat inefficient tour operation, but I’d definitely recommend Plitvice, despite the crowds. I’d recommend it even more if you had your own car and could control the amount of time you got to spend there.
Alfred Hitchcock is reported to have claimed that Zadar, Croatia had the most beautiful sunsets in the world. No word on what he said about the pizza with truffles, but I feel certain he would have been as complimentary about it as well.
The Paranoid Style in American Politics–American politics has often been an arena for angry minds. In recent years we have seen angry minds at work mainly among extreme right-wingers, who have now demonstrated in the Goldwater movement how much political leverage can be got out of the animosities and passions of a small minority...
How Ramona Quimby Helps Kids Make Sense of this Unstable World–Ramona reminds us that many of our adult-constructed rules don’t make much sense. Why would her teacher, who has told the class she cares for them and reinforced the importance of the kindergarten classroom practices, stay home sick and leave them with a stranger as a...