Michele Lamons-Raiford is a hearing American Sign Language (ASL) teacher at Pinole Valley High School in the West Contra Costa Unified School District. She has been a High School teacher for the past nineteen years, as well as an Adjunct Instructor at Solano Community College for the past fourteen years. She has a BA and […]
Posted inAdult Learning
The Day a School’s Mental Health Professional Needed a Mental Health Day
Guest Writer: Kendra Fogarty Kendra Fogarty is a school counselor whose greatest accomplishment in life has been raising a Gemini toddler. She is also a content crafter who typically writes by moonlight to harness that insomniac midnight magic. Her soul is fueled anytime she gets lost in the woods, nails a dessert recipe, spins a […]
Posted inCOVID
Evaluating Teachers During a Pandemic Is Ridiculous
I am that person who enjoys the app Timehop and On This Day on Facebook where it gathers pictures, quotes, or status from the past. This morning reminded me of one of my most dramatic mornings as a teacher. So I slept through my alarm this morning. The cat awakens me screaming to be let […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Nobody Trusts Teachers
Nobody trusts teachers. Imagine a snowy Wednesday morning in February–a scheduled remote teaching day and a day following an actual, old-school type of snow day. [bctt tweet=”Now imagine teachers driving on those snow-covered roads to teach via Google Meets in empty classrooms. ” username=””] Picture many of those same teachers scrambling for child care because the […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
What Does It Take To Keep A Republic?
After months of their own false accusations about voter fraud, many GOP leaders hid under the pews during the insurrection. Afterward, with public pressure mounting, some changed their votes to certify the election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Just like that. And as I was considering their quick change of mind, I listened to […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Marjorie Taylor Greene: A Disastrous Decision for Education and Labor Committee
Marjorie Taylor Greene (Rep) was recently elected to Congress in November 2020. Mrs. Greene is a well-known QAnon supporter and has been vocal in her support of the False Flag theories. Mrs. Greene posted in 2018 on her Facebook that the Parkland massacre that killed 17 students was a “false flag.” In a recent YouTube […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Teaching in a Pandemic: Help Teachers, Help You
Currently, I have twelve 9th graders failing and twelve 11th graders failing. I am still taking late work through tomorrow at midnight. I am taking ANY assignment, even from November. I have allowed them to redo any writing assignment as often as they would like for a higher grade. I have offered tutoring after […]
Posted inTeacher Self Care
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teachers: Habit 1 – Be Proactive
In the children’s book Alexander and the Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, author Judith Viorst’s protagonist Alexander continually falls victim to an awful 24-hour period, saying things like: “I fell asleep with gum in my mouth and now there’s gum in my hair,” “All the other kids had cupcakes, Hershey bars, and other desserts, […]