The U.S. Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos, and I do not see the world the same way. She is interested in privatizing education to support an agenda where parents can use public monies to attend private (mostly religious, mostly Christian) schools. DeVos and her allies have supported charter schools, which have diverted much-needed resources from public […]
Laura Brown
The more I teach, the more my compassion for students, parents, and teachers grows. Thank you for reading my thoughts.
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
It’s Time to Spill The Tea About Education…
“Spilling the tea” is teenage slang that this history teacher can appreciate. Like those 342 rebels that protested taxation without representation on December 16, 1773, in Boston harbor, it is time for educators (teachers and administrators) to become revolutionaries. Although the slang of the terms is typically about gossip, the “T” in tea is also […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
To Donald Trump,Jr.- A Message From Teachers
Twitter feeds have been lit up with criticism of Donald Trump Jr.’s latest comment at a political rally in El Paso, Texas on February 11, 2019. “You know what I love? I love seeing some young conservatives, ‘cuz I know it’s not easy. Keep up that fight, bring it to your schools. You don’t have […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Cory Booker Is No Friend Of Public Education
The field of Democratic presidential candidates is wide open. Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Senator Cory Booker, and Senator Kamala Harris have all dipped their toes in the chilly water that is the 2020 election. Choices are usually positive in most things, except when it comes to school choice. Of all the politicians mentioned above, Cory […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Dear Verizon: You Have Been Schooled!
#ReverseTheFee! Remind.com recently announced that beginning on January 28, 2019, seven million Verizon customers would no longer receive texts from a free and beneficial education app known as Remind.  You may have been one of the millions of people who received the following email message from Remind.com:  Hi Laura, We’re sorry to write with […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
5 Things We Need to Know About The L.A. Teacher’s Strike
______________________________________________________________________ Due to the actions of teachers across the country last year, especially in Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Kentucky, many have called 2018 “The Year Of The Teacher.” But 2019 might just see a wave of “Red For Ed,” as teachers in one of the largest school districts stage a significant strike involving over […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
America Already has a wall, it’s made up of teachers.
I debated whether to encourage my sophomore Global History students to watch President Trump’s address on Tuesday, January 8, 2019. Since 2016, it has been difficult to navigate how to incorporate civics and current events into my social studies classroom. I desire student awareness, but I am concerned that any discussion of his speech, or […]
Posted inSocial Justice
10 Teacher Resolutions for 2019
Happy 2019! I know that for most teachers the “new year” begins on the first day of teaching in either August or September. However, the calendar does not lie–2018 is history–it’s January 2019, the midpoint of the teaching year, which offers an opportunity for reflection. In my school district the year 2020 is the focus year […]