On Friday, August 7, 2020, Governor Cuomo greenlighted the over 700 New York State School Districts' plans for the 2020-2021 school year. His message is clear: New York is tough; it has the lowest numbers in the country, and if New York can't reopen, then no schools can safely reopen. What is safe? [...]
The speculation from politicians, colleagues, parents, and relatives about schools reopening is exhausting. No one with authority seems to have a plan and no procedures are standardized. I am sick of politicians like Florida's governor, Rick DeSantis, comparing going to Walmart and Home Depot for twenty minutes once a month to educating hundreds of children [...]
I am not going to lie. 2020 broke me. I am sure you can relate. Adjusting to the seismic shift in life caused by the virus, the economic upheaval, and the significant attention paid to systemic racism has created a weariness. And what will the future hold? Teachers, planners by design, are being asked to [...]
For three consecutive Black History Months, I have picked up and then quickly put down the Black Lives Matter at Schools resources. Why? Because I was scared. I was worried that my white colleagues might think of me as radical. I was concerned that white students would grow uncomfortable and declare "that all lives mattered." I fretted over the [...]
As I plan out three more weeks of instruction and online work, I am also reflecting on my relationship with remote learning. Do I like it? Do I hate it? It's complicated. I am fortunate to teach in a large suburban district slightly northwest of Syracuse, NY. The school leaders invested in one to one [...]