The year: 1980 Activists in education are needed now more than ever. I was thirteen years old when I saw this coming. A smug ex-actor with Brylcreemed hair dropped a condescending line in a presidential debate. That isn’t a big deal by itself, especially when you consider how low the presidential decency bar currently is. […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Movies Based on Books, a Help or a Hindrance?
Over spring break, I read an amazing book called Readicide by Kelly Gallagher. We’ve talked about the book on the site before in this excellent article, so I won’t go too in depth here. We do not have reading goals in my classroom, mostly for the reasons that Gallagher outlines. I want my students to read […]
Posted inSocial Justice
The Teacher Wage Penalty
In 1991, I graduated at the top of my high school class. I could have majored in a myriad of topics. I chose the teaching profession. First in my nuclear family to graduate high school with a traditional diploma and one of the few in my extended family to pursue a college degree, I forged […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Teaching Abroad: The Pros and Cons
I’ll never forget the moment I had the idea to teach abroad. I was a stay-at-home mom with my brand new twins, and I wasn’t feeling like my fun, adventurous, extroverted self. As I was scrolling through Facebook, I came across an article about a single mom of three who was living her best life […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Teacher Self-Care Calendar: May 2019
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Posted inMiddle School
Four Minutes: Putting the Passing Period in the Past
To me, the number “four” has always carried special significance. I am the oldest of four siblings and was born in the fourth month of the year. In middle school, two different versions of “4 Minutes,” one a pop song by Madonna feat. Justin Timberlake, the other an R&B song by Avant, earned their positions […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Empathy: The Key to Better Behavior in the Classroom
Empathy, for me, was always one of the best ways to handle classroom behavior. It came to me naturally because of the teachers I had in elementary school. I grew up in a housing project. This living situation was due to the death of my father just before my third birthday. In a time before […]
Posted inParents
Your Children Are Not Your Students
Your Children Are Not Your Students Parent guilt is a beast all by itself. Whenever it can show up, it does. When I want some “me time” after I’ve raised my voice, or when I’ve given them something I know they shouldn’t have, it’s right there waiting. But for me, it’s been showing […]