Every day there is news about a district extending their remote learning, a company keeping their workers at home for another few months, and more calls for life to start going back to normal despite the bleak situation we find ourselves in. It is understandable to miss “normal” – going shopping could hardly be considered […]
Madison Woodward
Madison is a former alternative school teacher now working in the EdTech industry. She remains an advocate for marginalized students and equity in education.
Posted inOpinion
On the Topic of Erasing History: Racist Monuments
As many in our nation call for the removal of confederate monuments in public spaces, there is a loud opposing side saying that to do so would be to erase history. As a high school history teacher who has focused much of her own time and education on the intersection of race, gender, class, and […]
Posted inCOVID-19
They Can’t Fire Us All: Illegal Striking in the Time of COVID-19
All it takes is opening up social media, turning on the news, or checking the headlines to see a parade of opinions about opening up schools in the fall. Unfortunately, the opinion getting the most attention is that teachers should sit down, shut up, and get back in the classroom regardless of the circumstances of […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Blame the Teachers: The White House is Delusional When it Comes to Reopening Schools
Yesterday, the U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy Devos and President Donald Trump took a bold stand against school closures. After conducting decision-making meetings that supposedly included educators, students, and parents from around the country, each leader made their announcement. Devos stressed the idea that schools needed to be “fully operational” in the fall. She did […]
Posted inSocial Justice
Stop Pushing Your Black and Brown Students Out of School
I have always known my place as a white educator – and that place is one of constant growth, reflection, and education. When I was in my teacher prep program, I knew I wanted to teach in a high needs school. Admittedly, I was scared to pursue it immediately even if I knew it was […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Teaching is a Career, Not Your Fallback
If you are a teacher, you have probably had someone (or many someone’s) outside of education at some point in your career say that they thought about becoming a teacher, could be a teacher, maybe a teacher later if their current career does not pan out, or even teach when they retire. With the COVID-19 […]
Posted innews
An Open Letter to White Educators
Trayvon Martin was killed on February 26, 2012. It has been eight years, and nothing has changed. Michael Brown was killed on August 9, 2014, preceding the Ferguson unrest that lasted weeks, and nothing has changed. Alton Sterling was killed on July 5, 2016, and nothing has changed. Stephon Clark was shot and killed on […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Opinion: Red for Ed Has Gone Rotten: School Funding+The Great Recession +COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has been an incredibly stressful and scary time for many, and for teachers, it has been no different. When the pandemic first kicked off many of us felt very grateful because at least we had jobs and could pay our bills when we knew so many in other industries were not as […]