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It is that time of year. Letters of intent are being secured and contracts for the upcoming school year are being handed out. Read more here...
I remember my first year teaching….I was having difficulty with a few of my 6th-grade students. They were male and Hispanic. I wasn’t sure what the gap was but they ignored me when I spoke, they made rude comments and made it quite clear they weren’t going to do anything that I asked (including their homework). To read more, click here.
Please allow me to write an open letter to you. We face the possibility that March 13, 2020 (or earlier) was the last time we will see our students during the 2019-2020 school year. I walked out of school on Monday, March 16, 2020, with a fellow teacher who told me: “Laura, this is not how I want to leave.” Her words have remained in my head like a thought bubble.…Read more.
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Take time for Yourself During Self-Isolation for COVID-19
In addition to being an educator, I am a poet. I started writing poetry over the last 2 years and I used it as a means of emotional survival; it’s a means of expressing myself, [...]
Teacher, Suspended.
My classroom is now the kitchen table that I share with my eleven-year-old daughter. She is efficient in her work, completing it all before lunch and enjoying the remainder of her day. I, on the [...]
Teaching in a Post-COVID-19 World: 8 Bold Statements
I recently read an article on Politico where a group of "30 smart macro thinkers" recently contemplated how the Coronavirus will change the world. While many of their thoughts are far too Shangri-La and delusionally [...]
Teaching in a Post-COVID-19 World: 8 Big Questions
I recently read an article on Politico where a group of "30 smart macro thinkers" recently contemplated how the Coronavirus will change the world. While many of their thoughts are far too Shangri-La and delusionally [...]
The Ideal School Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic
What would an ideal school look like? My wife and I, like many educators and parents, have had this question thrust to the forefront as part of the COVID-19 crisis. Overnight, my wife and I--both [...]
Teaching from Home: Tips for Focusing on Results- One Teacher’s Reflection
I am now past ten days of teaching from home. Being away from the students has made the job more difficult. Teaching from home pushes challenges that normally exist in the spotlight. How do I [...]
Teacher Professional Development and Training is Ridiculously Out of Touch
Guest Writer: Jill Jackson About a year ago, I was sitting in a hotel lobby with a group of very smart, talented and super motivated leaders from a district I know well. They know what’s [...]
The Heart of a Teacher is Consistent
Guest Writer: Melissa Kloeckner Educators have gone and done it again. Despite the short notice, FAPE law restrictions, and the varying home resources and needs of students, they have stepped up to the plate and [...]
The Instructional Programs and Curriculum are Fatally Flawed
By Guest Writer: Jill Jackson Imagine this: You are a teacher who shows up to professional development at the beginning of the school year and are told that the district has chosen the new English [...]
Coronavirus: The Impact of School Closures
Since the coronavirus has landed in the United States difficult decisions have had to be made. One such decision whether or not to have schools remain open has caused more than half of states to [...]
TED Talks All Students Should See
I have lost many hours to the "suggested for you" videos listed on the right side of ted.com. There are times that I believe that their algorithm is broken . . . Really? Do you [...]
A Pandemic Brings Opportunity to Rethink Standardized Testing
Coronavirus-canceled testing brings an opportunity. As a teacher and parent in the state of New York, news that standardized testing might be canceled this year brings mixed emotions. I suspected the closures due to COVID-19 [...]
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