By Nosakhere Griffin-EL, Ph.D. When you turn on television it seems like everyone is being unkind to each other. Politicians are hurling insults, using dehumanizing words to blame “the other side” for government shutdown; sport analysts rant about why a player isn’t living up to his million dollar contract; celebrities trade insults in a never […]
TER Staff
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Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Reclaiming your peace in special education
At the beginning of my teaching career, I benefited from the fierce advocacy of veteran teachers who advocated for students and staff. I was very empowered by their support. As they retired, I often found myself being the only person willing to stand up for our most vulnerable students: students with disabilities and students from […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
The Power of Stories as Bridges: From assumption to understanding
I grew up in 1970s Las Vegas, during the era of school desegregation and redlining, a discriminatory housing practice where banks and the government literally drew red lines around minority neighborhoods, denying families access to fair home loans and shaping inequities in schools and educational opportunities. I didn’t know what redlining was back then. What […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
How the Government Shutdown has Triggered my Teacher Shame
Teacher Shame, a term I use to describe the regular intervals at which I am reminded that I chose a low-paying job that seems to be considered unimportant by society. The current government shutdown has triggered me. The first time I felt this shame was when I watched the faces of my college boyfriend’s family […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Colorado voters support measures to feed public schools students by taxing rich
Last night, Colorado voters decided on a pair of measures aimed at bolstering funding for free school meals for all public school students, as well as to mitigate federal cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps, by taxing the wealthy. Proposition MM will increase state income taxes paid by households earning […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
If You Prick Us: A Plea for Empathy
The Cum Laude Society holds members to high expectations for character. These expectations are embodied in the motto of the Cum Laude Society: arete, dike, time: excellence, justice, honor. That’s a nice motto, but for the world we inhabit today, it strikes me as incomplete. We need to add a fourth concept: empatheia. Empathy. Empathy […]
Posted inEnglish Language Learners
Under His Eye: Teaching Under Trump’s Policy
I teach twelfth-grade English at an urban school. The poverty rate here is high. Violent crime is a common occurrence. I’ve devoted my career to serving this population. The work is often difficult, but it’s the most-important work in the world, and I’m all in. When I returned to the classroom in September, to begin […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
New law changes how California kids learn to read
This story was originally published by EdSource. Sign up for their daily newsletter.” Gov. Gavin Newsom’s approval of Assembly Bill 1454 on Thursday marks the culmination of a five-year campaign to change how California children are taught to read. But education advocates say there is still much the state needs to do to ensure the state literacy plan is […]