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I deal with the most difficult of kids. In all of my years of teaching, I have been called The Pied Piper for Children’s Behavior and a Child Whisperer. But one thing that has never gotten easier is seeing seven, eight and nine-year-old children on medications that can eventually cause more harm than good. Read more here...
I remember leaving my classroom after teaching one of my toughest classes and crying in the bathroom of my placement school during my student teaching practicum. This was something that happened quite often. I constantly felt like I was drowning and I would often question whether teaching, in urban communities, was my calling.…. Read more here.
I came out to my students as both queer and gender nonconforming while working in a district just outside of Portland, OR. I was not prepared for the backlash I faced from colleagues, students, and parents. I thought in the liberal mecca of the Portland metro area that I would be relatively safe, but I wasn’t. To read more, click here.
“Is the faculty meeting in the cafeteria, or the auditorium?” I ask two of my colleagues, who both give me smiles filled with bemusement.”We don’t have an auditorium,” comes the reply followed by a resentful chuckle….Read more.
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The Fallacy of a Picture-Perfect Social Media Life – and Its Effects on Education… or Us All
I don't remember the first time I heard the apocryphal story about Kyle, the nerdy 9th grader who evolved into the handsome, hunky senior who shares a moving story in his valedictorian address. Here he [...]
“They Already Don’t Like Us.”
A fight breaks out near the gym entrance at the large, suburban high school where I teach. I see members of the Step Team that I advise walking from that direction and my heart sinks. [...]
The 10 Car Rider Commandments
When I attended school, I don’t remember that many kids being dropped off in a car. Most students rode the bus or walked to school. Today, some parents arrive at school at least thirty minutes [...]
[Opinion] Grade Inflation is Making Teacher Quit
By: Guest Writer So, I am sitting here in my classroom fretting about the legal and ethical ramifications of grade inflation. You see, in my present school, the administration has insisted that even if a [...]
Microaggressions to Misbehavior: How School to Prison Pipeline Begins
Wow, I'm surprised he did so well on the test. He's not ghetto like those other boys. She's so loud. They don't care. They can't read. They're just lazy. Microaggression: a comment or action that [...]
Dear Principal: Cancel That Honor Roll Assembly!
Remember those bumper stickers that seemed all the rage in the nineties: "My son is an Honor Roll Student at Pleasant Valley Middle School?" Or, maybe you chuckled at the inappropriate bumper sticker that read: [...]
Self-Care Tips for the New Teacher: The Black Immigrant Perspective
Guest Writer: Jheanell Lumsden I remember leaving my classroom after teaching one of my toughest classes and crying in the bathroom of my placement school during my student teaching practicum. This was something that happened [...]
Teaching Through the Grief: Holding it All Together When a Parent Dies
by Alison English It was a Thursday morning, two days before my week-long Thanksgiving break. I was so excited to spend quality time with my family, drink hot cider and eat turkey until I fell [...]
[December] Teacher Self-Care Calendar
Download our December Calendar for teachers to practice Self-Care all month long! Stay tuned for our 12-month calendar being released January 1st! To be the first to know when they're released, please click here to [...]
San Antonio Teacher Self-Care Conference- One Day Institute
For the 2018-2019 school year, we've committed to visiting four cities to bring a truncadated version of the Teacher Self-Care Conference to select cities across America. Back in October we visited Chicago and worked with [...]
My Morning Routine As a Teacher
I recently read Benjamin Spall and Michael Xander's book My Morning Routine, and I was relatively impressed with the content (and recommend reading it - it's an easy read in a couple of hours). The [...]
Let’s Diversify America’s Teaching Staff
Earlier this Spring, the Philadelphia-based education think tank Research for Action held a Twitter chat around the hashtag #4percentchat, which was the number of non-white teachers that we have here in Pennsylvania. Yes, though 18% [...]
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