“It’s not having what you want,” quips Roslyn Assistant Superintendent Pam Gluckin in her Long Island accent, “it’s wanting what you got.” And what educators got from HBO’s Bad Education was a harrowing detail of a pair of school administrators gone rogue with the school district’s treasury, sacking $11.2 million before they were caught… by […]
Posted inCOVID-19
Dear Teachers of the Arts: The World Still Needs You
Guest Writer: Caitlin Conklin Dear Arts Teachers, At this point in time, my guess is that you’re feeling a bit discouraged by the remote learning experience we are finding ourselves in. For many of us, the magic in our content comes from true human interaction. Art is made for and with others, and, try as […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Urban Districts Warn That 275,000 Teacher Jobs Could Be At Risk Due to COVID-19
In an unprecedented move, the Council of Greater City schools drafted a letter asking Congress for emergency funding of $200+ billion for the upcoming school year. Without this aid, the group says that an estimated 275,000 teachers may lose their jobs due to a combined loss in state and local revenues in large, city school […]
Posted inCOVID-19
Mental Health Support for Remote Teaching and Learning
Part I: Mental Health Support for Educators On March 15th, Mayor de Blasio announced that non-essential businesses and schools in New York City would close. The past month has been surreal, challenging, inspiring, overwhelming as I’ve tried to adapt to remote learning along with 75,000 other adults and more than one million children At some […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
For Students Who Can’t Read, Computers Won’t Help Them- But Teachers Can
Jason in my 2nd-period class can’t read. He decodes one-syllable words alright, but anything more, he won’t get. Maureen in period 10, she can read. Ask her a question about what she just read and she will stare blankly back at you. Javier is in my 5th period, I’m not sure about hi. He has […]
Posted inCoronavirus
The National Coronavirus Recovery Commission’s Voucher Scheme
“The Commission recommends that states help families return to work with access to K–12 education by making existing education funding student-centered and portable.” “Hell, yes!” You can hear parents across the country yell upon reading the quote above, taken from The National Coronavirus Recovery Commission recommendation for k-12 education. For many American parents, this extended experiment […]
Posted inCOVID
Teacher Perspectives of Educating K-12 Students During a Pandemic
Guest Writer: Courtney Mathews States across the country have shut down public and private schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This has resulted in parents having to manage their child’s schoolwork overnight. While the majority of teachers had to shift their instruction to meet distance learning standards. Some districts have been distance learning since the […]
Posted inConfessions of a Teacher
Teachers’ Long Goodbyes…
The internet is full of teacher’s video messages to students. Recently, the English department, at the large suburban high school where I am employed, sent out a beautiful, heartfelt, and funny greeting to our students. Despite the positive messaging, there is a deep sadness that permeates the frames, as if teachers are saying: “This has […]