One of the pieces of advice I remember from my first year teaching came from a veteran teacher. She told me, “Sweep the snow from your own doorstep, don’t worry about the frost on your neighbor’s roof.” I remember thinking, what the.. huh? It wasn’t until years later that I realized the wisdom behind this […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
The Second Quarter Blues
The weeks between Thanksgiving and the New Year are often cited as the most wonderful time of the year… except when they are the worst. In schools that begin around Labor Day, the Second Quarter – or second grading period – typically stretches from November to January. Due to holidays, concerts, sporting events, interruptions, and the […]
Posted inSocial Justice
Why Join The Teachers’ Union?
For most of my teaching career, I did not belong to a professional organization, such as a teacher’s union. I always rationalized that with a teacher’s salary, I could not afford the dues. So for all those years, I was someone who benefitted from the strength in numbers that the teachers’ union provided, but I […]
Posted inSpecial Education
Related Service Professionals Can Ease Teacher Demands
Related service professionals are a key component to many students’ success in education. For many students who receive special education services, related services, such as occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, or hearing support, are a factor which helps to make his or her educational experiences more meaningful and worthwhile. Despite these opportunities, many teachers […]
Posted inFrom the Front Lines
#MeToo – When Students Sexually Harass Teachers
In 2007, a black woman named Tarana Burke started the original Me Too movement. The Me Too Movement empowers victims of sexual assault and harassment to speak out in solidarity. In 2017, the movement gained steam when prominent white women began tweeting #MeToo and speaking out about their own stories of survival. Time Magazine even […]
Posted inBook Review
Using “Hamilton: The Musical” in the Classroom
Hamilton in the Classroom Unless you have been living under a rock, you have probably heard of the Broadway musical Hamilton, the hip-hop and rap production of the life of Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton, written by an award-winning musical playwright, composer, and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda. Many of your students know the play well. In fact, […]
Posted inFeatured
Mrs. Brown, Should I Become a Teacher?
It is the end of a long school day when two former students enter my classroom smiling. My eyes are burning. When not instructing, I have been reading thematic essays. I probably need new eyeglasses, but my health insurance does not cover much of that expense. I want to keep grading because there is dinner to […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
I Am Not Your Hero: Surviving the Educator’s Savior Complex
I am not Michelle Pfeiffer. I don’t wear leather jackets, and I’m not that thin. I am not Hillary Swank. I do have two jobs, but I don’t wear pearls to school. I am not Morgan Freeman. I’m not patrolling my hallways with a baseball bat and locking the doors to keep out the “bad […]