by Jeannette Odom Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Research on the effects of COVID-19 on adolescent brains is at the forefront of education today. A study from Stanford University suggests that the pandemic has physically altered adolescents’ brains, making their brains appear several years older than […]
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Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
I’m an Educator in Canada and I want the COVID-19 Vaccine
I’m sitting in my office at home, after a day of teaching online, and I just tried to book my vaccine appointment, only to realize that since I don’t live in a hotspot, I’m not eligible. However, I want the vaccine. I have wanted it for months, and I knew that as soon as they […]
Posted inCOVID
It’s Worth A Shot: A Teacher Reflects on Mandatory Covid-19 Vaccines
When I began my teaching career, I had to follow several routine requirements to proceed: fingerprinting, background checks, and vaccinations. These are the basic required vaccinations: Varicella-zoster; MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella); Seasonal influenza; Human papillomaviruses (HPV) (eleven through twenty-six years of age); Others as determined by the ACIP and state and local public health […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Hate Raging in Virtual Realms During COVID-19
February 24, 2021, will forever be etched in my memory. We were nearly an hour into the ninety-minute presentation when I began to see the trolls. There were so many coming at once that I couldn’t keep up. I will never forget the first appearance of the bright red Swastika. The words “Fuck Niggers” slowly […]
Posted inCoronavirus, COVID, COVID-19, Current Events in Education
Opinion: Covid-19 Has Shown Us It is Time for a New Grading System
By: Rachael Rudi The Covid-19 pandemic has opened up the opportunity for change within the education system. From racial justice, to access to an internet connection, to whether or not homework is valid, we are witnessing a shift in how schools operate that will not fully return to “normal” once this pandemic ends. The buzzword […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
How Covid-19 Has Changed Public Education Forever, But Not Everyone Has Gotten the Memo
There was no way to know precisely how the world would change when the novel virus Covid-19 began to take hold globally. Economies were shut down, many people lost their jobs, people got sick, people died, national lockdowns went into effect, and schools closed three months early in March 2020. Common Core is no Longer […]
Posted inCOVID-19
The Late Work Policy Debate in the Midst of COVID-19
In 1987, my husband and I moved back to our hometown to care for my parents. Long story short, my mom had cancer that kept showing up in different places and eventually she passed away a few weeks after scans revealed cancer had moved to her lungs. I had also returned to school to finish […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Rebranding the Dreaded Essay: How to Demystify Essays and Make Them Meaningful During COVID-19
Whenever students hear the word “essay,” they groan, eye roll, and plead for something, anything else. Similarly, most adults I know remember high school or college essays they grudgingly finished just under the wire; late-night coffee, obsessive word counting, and a fair amount of teacher-specific bs-ing. It’s clear “The Essay” gets a bad rap, and […]