Posted inCurrent Events in Education, High School, Instructional Strategies

Biggie Give Me One More Chance…Incorporating Pop Culture in the English/ Language Arts Urban Classroom

Yesterday was the 18th anniversary of the untimely death of Hip Hop Giant Notorious B.I.G. Looking back at this moment in pop history, I still remember what it was like in 1997 when I was a senior in high school learning that one of my favorite rappers was dead. My  AP Literature class was abuzz […]

Posted inCurrent Events in Education, High School, Professional Development, Teacher Branding

Teacher Branding Advice for School Districts: Make Your Teachers Happy

Once upon a time in a land far, far away, I worked in a district where the majority of teachers were unhappy-unhappy to the point of downright disgust. Almost every employee  I saw walk into a school building there was a smirk followed by a frown and immediately followed up with a collective eye roll. Teachers […]

Posted inCurrent Events in Education, High School, Uncategorized

The Looking Glass of the School to Prison Pipeline: Why Reading Abilities Matter

“Mrs. Warren, I love you!”  Andrew (one of my students) yelled  as I gave him a high five after connecting the events to the story in A Lesson Before Dying and the trial of Troy Davis. The other kids laughed at his outburst, but  we kept moving so that we could finish the discussion and […]

Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Middle School, Social Justice, Uncategorized

NPR Blogger Accidentally Exposes an Underlining Issue in Education 'Reform'

This morning I opened my Twitter account to catch up on all of the education news across the country when in the middle of my computer screen I saw this tweet from NPR’s Lead Education Blogger, Anya Kamenetz.   The first time I read it, I thought I had misread it, but after looking at all […]