Reflections On Yet Another School Shooting Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Like so many others, I found myself sitting in my car in the school parking lot a few minutes longer than usual Wednesday morning. I didn’t know how to describe what I felt […]
from the front lines
Posted inFrom the Front Lines
Using Rituals to Survive Remote Learning
Early in the pandemic I found myself preparing for Passover at home. I would not be traveling home to celebrate the Jewish festival of freedom with my family this year. I was profoundly sad to celebrate this holiday at home alone. But at the same time I found enormous comfort and strength in preparing to […]
Posted inCOVID-19
The Texas Education Agency: Blood On Their Hands
I really should for my own sanity quit reading the news, but since Google knows my interests: Covid, teaching, and Texas, I receive articles daily on things connected to these areas. So on the morning, I was faced with the headline Texas School Districts Risk State Funding If They Go Remote After Thanksgiving, it made […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Now That Betsy Devos is on Her Way Out, Here Are 7 Picks for Her Replacement
There’s a lot to celebrate with Joe Biden’s election. The glass ceiling shattered when Madame Vice President Kamala Harris stepped onto the acceptance stage in suffragette white. Black women turned out in record numbers, truly changing the trajectory of the election (thanks, Stacey Abrams!) The fear that many of us lived with under Trump is […]
Posted inCOVID-19
Teaching In A Mask: Preparing for Fall 2020
I’ve been thinking about wearing a mask lately. With that, I’ve been thinking about back to school. It’s that time of year for teachers when we’re all thinking even more about the upcoming school year. Rereading our curriculum, getting our classrooms ready…it’s very exciting. But this year, things are different. School districts have begun to […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Opinion: Right Now Things Are Hard, But It’s Going to Be Fine
Right now, things are hard. Nothing feels fine, or normal. As we all know, teaching in person is different than teaching online. There are many things that we as educators are dealing with right now. How do we ensure that our students are learning, when there are some students without the ability to attend online […]
Posted inConfessions of a Teacher
Dear Teacher Friends, It’s Time to Show More Empathy
It’s always wonderful when teachers from different parts of the world can come together and laugh, joke, complain, or cry about the same common things happening in our classrooms. “I’ll Wait.” “Where are all my pencils?” “This PD could’ve been an e-mail!” *Insert teacher on the way to break meme* Yes, we can all agree […]
Posted inConfessions of a Teacher
This is Not the Teacher I Wanted To Be
“This is the not the teacher I wanted to be.” From time to time, I stand in front of my students, eyes filled with tears, while this thought repeats itself over and over again. I’m not sure when I first realized it, but once I did, there was no going back. I wake up every […]