The common theory is that high achieving students are the students that need the enrichment of gifted education classes. When, in reality, gifted kids come in all varieties. First, a little background: I was a gifted education kid, my daughter is a gifted education kid, and now I’m earning my certification in gifted education. I’ve […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
A Teacher Lost in the Dust
I am sitting in the back of the school bus. Waves rock my body as we navigate the red sandy-washed roads. I’ve been riding in traditional yellow buses just about my whole life as a student, teacher, and chaperone. This time is different. Traditional Navajo songs echo through the bus, intermittent with the news Dine’ […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
10 Books That Changed My Teaching Practice
There’s no shortage of teaching books out there, but here are 10 of my absolute must-reads. While they aren’t all strictly teaching books, that’s by design. The more I’ve learned about history, policy, and the human condition, the better teacher I’ve become. Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain by Zaretta Hammond Why it’s a must-read: […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Opinion: January 6th is Not Up for Debate
Stephen Colbert famously said, “Facts have a well-known liberal bias.” The satirical statement doesn’t feel as funny in the current era of rampant misinformation and The Big Lie. A year ago today, January 6th, a violent attack on the United States Capitol happened. It was a result of a toxic stew cooked up by Donald […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
An Analysis of Why You Should Teach The Deeper the Roots by Michael Tubbs
I first met Michael Tubbs when he was a freshman in college at our annual African American Student Union (AASU) trip to Stanford’s High School Black Student Union (BSU) Conference. His raw, real, and relatable personality, coupled with a clearly home-taught respect, gave me a glimpse into the incredible future he had before him. I had no […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Abbott Elementary: When New Teachers Want to Save the World- Episode 2
We already told you last week how much we love Abbott Elementary after watching their Pilot episode, but this week we think this show can expose the world to the foolishness that happens in schools. This week we meet second-grade teacher, Janine Teagues’ no-good boyfriend, who we see drops her off at school (in her […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Abbott Elementary is the Comedy You Need In Your Life
Abbott Elementary is the Tuesday night comedy that every teacher needs right now. Set in Philadelphia Public Schools and centered around Janine Teagues, a second-grade teacher struggling to find her voice. In a mix of comedic asides and zingy one-liners, the show nails what it’s like to teach in an urban school that is severely […]
Posted inFrom the Front Lines
Teach to the Rest: Three More Ways We Can Use the Pandemic to Transform Schools For the Better- Part 2
By Thomas Courtney Last year, I wrote about the opportunity we had to change the very way in which our schools operated. Twenty years ago, teaching to the test transformed our educational system. To many, the pandemic was simply the last piece of the puzzle that revealed the picture of what our schools had become. […]