(Shout out to Tupac for the quote) A few weeks ago, I found myself in yet another frustratingly familiar place. Sick. I hate being sick. Hate with a capital “H” for “Heck no I don’t have time to be at home in recovery. I have too much to do!” If you know me at all, […]
Posted inChild Development
On Being Responsible Adults
I’ve always taught my students that we live in a democracy. We even practice it on a daily basis, voting on anything that needs settling, with a “majority rules” mentality. We also discuss the importance of good sportsmanship- a lot. So suffice it to say that when we have an election, and people begin rioting about […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
No, Blackface is Never ‘Okay.’
Growing up in the south, I have been exposed to a disappointing amount of modern-day racism. I am personally ashamed that this is an issue we are still faced with in our society. I have always felt very inclined to end this ignorance and educate those who act on it. As a white woman, I […]
Posted inCommon Core
Dear President Elect Trump, From Your Teachers
It is American Education week. This event is an honor given to teachers one week a year by the National Education Association since 1921. The message this year is about empowering educators, students, and schools across the nation. Educators have been long ignored as experts in education. Empowerment is a timely message this week as we […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
I Think I Failed You – A Civics Teacher’s Letter to her Former Students
Dear Former Students, I have started this letter a thousand times in my head in the last week. It’s hard to get past the first line: I fear I may have failed you as your Civics teacher. You have probably known me for many years as the one person in your life with unfailing trust […]
Posted inFeatured
15 Things My Toddler Taught Me This Year
A few weeks after my son was born in November 2015, I began waxing nostalgic. I had spent a lifetime and a career working with and teaching other people’s children – and now it was time for me to teach him. Or so I thought. Within a couple of weeks, I had picked up the […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Teaching in the Era of Trump
Why We Need Anti-Bias, Culturally Relevant Teaching Now More Than Ever On Tuesday, November 8th America elected Donald J. Trump, a man who pushed the racist theory that President Obama was born in Kenya, called Mexican immigrants “rapists and drug dealers”, falsely insisted that Muslim citizens were complicit in the San Bernardino terrorist attacks, made countless sexist […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Will President-Elect Trump be Good for Education?
This past Tuesday, America elected a new President to provide leadership, guidance, and safety for our great country. On January 20, President Obama will spend his last day in the White House, and President-Elect Trump will take over as Commander in Chief for the United States. This is big stuff, considering the difficult election Americans […]