In the last few weeks, a colleague and I have been discussing some recent feelings of burnout and exhaustion that we both share. As we delved deeper, we both came to the conclusion that in our personal and professional lives, at the moment, we’ve “bitten off more than we could chew”. We have taken on […]
Haylee Massaro
Haylee Massaro has been an education professional in the field of English Language Arts for 7 years, and she has gained experience teaching in both brick-and-mortar schools and online. She currently works as an educator both for secondary and for higher education. She holds a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Pittsburgh as well as an M.S.Ed. from Duquesne University.
Teachers: Partners in Suicide Prevention
On Friday morning, I turned on my computer and awoke to horrible news, that the beloved writer, chef, television persona, and person, Anthony Bourdain, had died of an apparent suicide. Coming just days after the suicide of 55 year-old iconic fashion designer, Kate Spade. Since the early 2000’s, I watched Bourdain. First, in “A Cook’s […]
The Dangers of For-Profit Education
Betsy DeVos, the current education secretary, has made headlines again regarding investigations of fraudulent for-profit colleges. On May 13 2018, The New York Times reported that investigations on several for-profit colleges had “ground to a halt”. Many of the team members appointed by DeVos were former employees at those entities being investigated, most notably, Julian […]
Support Student Voices: March for Our Lives
Since the tragic Parkland, FL school shooting on February 14th, a movement has been brewing. The United States has seen gun violence in schools, in movie theaters, in airports, in churches, at concerts, and in many more places. Since Columbine, gun violence, specifically in schools has been a topic of concern. Typically, though, there is […]
Teacher Preparedness and Prohibitive Costs
Last month, I wrote an article for TER which explained proposed budget cuts to education. One area that suffered, in particular, was teacher preparedness programs. Like with all certifications, whether you’re a nurse or a real estate agent, you must keep your certificate current by completing continuing education credits. On the surface, this doesn’t seem […]
Writing in Action: When Students Step Up
In years past, I assigned the following essay topic to some of my junior high students: Can your voice make a difference? I’ve read dozens of essays by students on this topic, and many seem to agree, that alone, one cannot impart change, but together things can be accomplished. Some students cited community efforts led by […]
Is the “Life-Long” Teacher Becoming Extinct?
Last week, a question was posted on The Educator’s Room Facebook page that got me thinking. The question asked about our goals as teachers and where we see our professional careers going. I scrolled through the comments and saw a lot of different responses. Many responded, but there were few who stated that their career […]
Understanding the Proposed Education Budget for 2018
In the Spring of 2017, shortly after taking office, Donald Trump proposed an updated budget that could potentially cut education spending by about 13%. With Secretary of Education appointee, Betsy DeVos, along with statements about the Common Core and the budget proposal, many educators and districts are left wondering how these proposed changes will affect […]