On Friday, August 7, 2020, Governor Cuomo greenlighted the over 700 New York State School Districts’ plans for the 2020-2021 school year. His message is clear: New York is tough; it has the lowest numbers in the country, and if New York can’t reopen, then no schools can safely reopen. [bctt tweet=”However, the question remains, […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
It’s Time to take Social Studies Seriously in Schools
Quick request: Raise your hand if you took a Social Studies course in high school. Next, think about whether it was a required course or an elective. On June 1st, 2020, The Educators Room Instagram Account (@theeducatorsroom) reposted a post from Rachel (Goan) Turner’s Twitter account (@ChattanoogaChat) who tweeted about the future of Social Studies […]
Posted inCOVID-19
Teaching In A Mask: Preparing for Fall 2020
I’ve been thinking about wearing a mask lately. With that, I’ve been thinking about back to school. It’s that time of year for teachers when we’re all thinking even more about the upcoming school year. Rereading our curriculum, getting our classrooms ready…it’s very exciting. But this year, things are different. School districts have begun to […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
This Year Will Be a Lost School Year
Everyone is anxious about the upcoming school year. Parents need and want their kids in school. Teachers miss the personal interactions that define teaching. Truth be told, I think everyone misses the structure and security of having schools open. But, many people realize we don’t have control of a contagious disease ravaging our communities. Instead […]
Posted inFrom the Front Lines
Ending White Supremacy is a White Educators’ Fight
Imagine walking into your classroom and seeing something completely different. Every child has been fed, is well-rested, and wearing clean clothes. Your classroom is stocked with all the materials you and your students need. As you move through your day there is plenty of time for art, music, science, and history. There is no standardized […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Universities Collaborate on the Biggest Experiment in Higher Ed: Reopening
By Kate Brennan This fall universities across the nation will collaborate on Higher Ed’s largest experiment: opening their doors during a worldwide pandemic. Wittingly or not, faculty and students have been enlisted as the test subjects. Even with coronavirus cases spiking nationally, with proof that individuals of all ages – including children – can die from this highly communicable disease, […]
Posted inOpinion
Stop Saying, “Of Course We Want to Be Back in Classrooms with Kids…”
Guest Writer: Emma Martin In the past 5 months as a teacher during the COVID-19 pandemic, the public has viewed educators in different ways. First, we were seen as heroes. Champions for students who put on our capes and, in mere days, rescued our kids from quarantine with online activities, social Zoom check-ins, driveway hellos, […]
Posted inCOVID-19
Children Left Behind: Virtual Learning Isn’t the Culprit
Every day there is news about a district extending their remote learning, a company keeping their workers at home for another few months, and more calls for life to start going back to normal despite the bleak situation we find ourselves in. It is understandable to miss “normal” – going shopping could hardly be considered […]