Dear Madame Secretary DeVos: In response to the recent surge of teacher walkouts, you stated that teachers should “serve the students that are there to be served.” I couldn’t agree more. I also understand why, as the highest-ranking Education official in the nation, you must discourage teacher protests. However, as a veteran public-school educator who […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
The Ins and Outs of Walking Out: Understanding Strike Law
Understanding the legality and process of recent teacher strikes is a daunting task. As a part of the public sector, education protocol is governed by statutory and case law. Since primary control of the public education system is relegated to individual states, school law differs from state to state. This includes laws about teacher unions […]
Posted inInstructional Strategies
The New Teacher Chronicles: The Benefits of Cross-Curricular Education
With the school year beginning to wind down, I’ve been thinking of new ways to improve and update my curriculum for next year. What are some things that worked really well, and what are some things that I want to update? This got me thinking of ways to make my lessons even more hands-on and […]
Posted inFeatured
Why the Teacher-Hero Model of Education is Doomed to Fail
“Show me a hero and I’ll write you a tragedy.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald I’m not a hero. Neither are my colleagues. And here is the really important thing to note: no one should expect us to be. And here is the really, really important thing: the success and failure of modern American education […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
This HS Senior Was Accepted to 149 Colleges. That’s a Problem.
May 1, also known as College Decision Day to Seniors across the country, is right around the corner. This is the day by which Seniors must declare which college they plan to attend next fall. Many students see this day as the culmination of years worth of work, and a significant rite of passage in […]
Posted inHow to Fix Education
And We Will Rise: Day 3 of the Oklahoma Walkout
We are on day three of the Oklahoma Walkout. Our governor made the comment yesterday that we [teachers] were acting like a bunch of spoiled “teenagers who want a better car.” One of our legislatures went Live on Facebook and said we were never going to be happy and that he “wasn’t supporting teachers anymore!” […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
Teaching The Legacy of Dr. King: Fifty Years Later
I sit to write on the waning hours of April 4, 2018, fifty years after the assassination and death of Martin Luther King, Jr. I was seven when we all heard the news of his death. Even at that young age, I knew something had happened that would change the direction of my nation, indeed; […]
Posted inHow to Fix Education
50 Years Later: What Teachers Need to Remember About Dr. King’s Legacy
“Well, I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter with me now. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want […]