By Emily Goldstein One of the hardest things to witness as a teacher, and even more so now that I am a parent of a two-year-old, is seeing young people have their dignity diminished, and their spirits and self-perceptions degraded by adults and teachers in the classroom. Often adults and teachers don’t even realize that […]
Posted inConfessions of a Teacher
Opinion: Not To Be Denied: I Was Denied Inclusion as a K-12 Student, Here’s How I Found My Voice
I loved everything school had to offer me until I walked through the doors of a Black-owned bookstore and discovered I had been denied. From kindergarten to college, I had been denied of who I am and who I could become. It was my last year in college when a professor from my African Thought […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
How to Quit Teaching in 2022 (Part 2)
Part 2: Searching Smarter, Not Harder Is your 2022 new year’s resolution to quit teaching? Congratulations on making this big decision. I know personally that it’s not an easy one. Seven months into my job search, I have been hired for several contract roles as a curriculum designer and adult learning facilitator. But I’m still […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Communication – Simple, Respectful, Can Be the Achilles Heel for Special Needs Parents
“The pen is the tongue of the mind.” – Horace, Roman Poet The power of the pen wields so much more than just getting one’s voice into the world. And we all know how powerful the tongue is. Proverbs 18:21 puts it this way: “The tongue has the power of life and death” (Bible, New International […]
Posted inBack to School
Abbott Elementary: The Dreaded Teacher Wishlist-Episode 3
In tonight’s episode of Abbott Elementary, we learned the lesson that all teachers now- schools are underfunded, and wishlists have the ability to make teachers REALLY happy. Inspired by a TikTok (ish) teacher making a video about what their classrooms need, Janine (the determined new teacher) decides to enlist the help of her colleagues to […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
“This Book Saves Lives!” Why You Should Teach The Stars Beneath Our Feet.
In my eighth-grade English Language Arts classroom, reading was an experience. It was an opportunity to connect, express, discuss, motivate, and debate. No book demonstrated this more than The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barclay Moore. There will be NO spoilers in this piece (well nothing that you can’t find out by reading the […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
How to Quit Teaching in 2022
Part 1: Preparing for Your Search Is quitting teaching one of your new year’s resolutions? You’re not alone. Teacher attrition has always been a problem in education. Now teachers are in the midst of a pandemic and a battle over a historically accurate, anti-racist curriculum. If you’re ready to quit teaching in 2022, I want to […]
Posted inCOVID
We Don’t Want Schools Shut Down, But We Can’t Solve the COVID Pandemic
I’m writing this while sitting up in bed, trying to rest and relax 48 hours after a positive COVID test. Yes, I was vaccinated. Yes, I was boosted. Yes, I wore a mask while out in public most of the time. And no, I probably didn’t get it during the first day of school. Considering […]