Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Picture this: I once taught at a school that served preschool through fifth grade, including students who were Deaf or Hard of Hearing. But despite our efforts to create an inclusive learning environment, there was a noticeable lack of understanding […]
Felicia Rutledge
Felicia Rutledge, Ph.D. serves as the Director of Nevada Special Education Technology Assistance Project at the University of Nevada, Reno, supporting educators with the implementation of tiered supports. She is a special education consultant & coach. Her leadership began in the classroom over 10 years ago serving students who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing and their families. Dr. Rutledge is an Edu-activist for wellness, Deaf Culture, learners with diverse needs, and healing-centered, culturally affirming, relevant cultures and climates. She is a devoted mother committed to learner achievement, supporting families, human talent development, and the implementation of systems that are rooted in equity, access, joy, brilliance, and liberation. She is also a Teach Plus Nevada Senior Policy Fellow and a Nevada Succeeds InspirEd Global Fellowship Alumna.
Posted inMental Health
Healing Takes Time. Are Schools Ready to Commit It?
After a tragedy, no one is okay. Buffalo, NY is my hometown, and I still have family and friends who reside there. The day of the White supremacist mass shooting in Buffalo, it took two hours to get in touch with my mother. Imagine looking at your social media feed and finding out a grocery […]
Posted inOpinion
Want to Keep Special Education Teachers? Try Mentorship
“[O]ne of the most vital ways we sustain ourselves is by building communities of resistance, places where we know we are not alone.” -bell hooks Isolation island seems to be the name of the game when you enter into the special education profession. It’s often a sink or swim mentality which results in teacher retention […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
50 Years and We Still Aren’t Fully Safe in Our Bodies!
On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court struck down a Texas statute that criminalized abortion except to save the mother’s life. The decision in Roe v. Wade established a woman’s constitutional right to choose whether or not to have an abortion. Yet, here we are in bodies that aren’t fully safe. Before we could reach the 50th […]
Posted inOpinion
Being a Black Woman in Special Education is Traumatic. But We Can Change That
Education: To work in special education is never an easy feat. However, “educating within special education as a Black Woman is downright traumatic.” I thought this recently as I stood in the classroom, recalling countless conversations I’d had with my special education colleagues. Black students are referred and assigned to special education restrictive programming at a […]
Posted inOpinion
Where Are All the Teachers of the Deaf?
Facing a Crisis for Deaf/Hard of Hearing Students and the Profession Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Teachers continue to leave the educational profession at alarming rates – further exacerbating the teaching shortage in schools across the country. Under overwhelming teaching conditions, those who remain […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
I Just Want to Live and Teach
My Colleague and Friend is Immunocompromised Imagine wearing a mask for COVID-19 protection in school when everyone else has decided they are no longer needed. You wear protective latex gloves, your hands are dry, sore, and severely chapped from overwashing, and you fear for your life as you enter the classroom each day. Well, this […]
Posted inParents
We Need to Talk: Family Communication Strategies for Educators of Color
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Imagine being a Black Teacher of the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing, and a family member of a student walks in distrustful of you – without cause. Immediately they demand to know if you know American Sign Language (ASL), request your […]