I have fielded this question from family, friends, and neighbors. It is a simple question. I have been teaching social studies for over twenty-five years, so I should offer a concise answer. However, the question makes me stammer and equivocate. I find myself thinking and sometimes saying the following: “It’s weird.” “I hate every minute […]
Laura Brown
The more I teach, the more my compassion for students, parents, and teachers grows. Thank you for reading my thoughts.
Posted inAsk a Teacher
Was Someone Actually High When They Proposed The Hybrid Teaching Model?
The dark circles under my eyes have returned. The fatigue is deep and familiar–it feels like January tired. And, today is only my third day of teaching in the hybrid model! My husband asked me how the first day went. I replied: “It was not my best opening day.” On the first day, I taught sans […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
The American Teacher: Savior or Scapegoat?
Absolutely necessary; extremely important; crucial; necessary; key; vital; indispensable; needed; required; vitally important; critical; life-and-death; imperative; mandatory; compulsory; obligatory; compelling; urgent; pressing; burning; acute; paramount; preeminent;high-priority; significant; consequential. These words describe the word essential. Notice how many words are employed to define a single word. Anthropologists note that the higher a term is valued, the […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
If New York Can’t Open Schools, Nobody Can…
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. [bctt tweet=”However, the question remains, […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
School Reopenings: Let’s Risk it All or Not At All
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 […]
Posted inCoronavirus
Summer 2020 Self-Care Plans? How About Training Chickens?
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 […]
Posted inHistory
I am a White Social Studies Teacher, and I am a Coward
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 […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
Are you in a Relationship with Remote Learning? It’s Complicated.
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 […]