American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten delivered a sweeping address at the National Press Club, outlining a 10-point plan to limit student screen time and student-facing artificial intelligence in schools, arguing that the rapid expansion of classroom technology has caused measurable harm to children’s learning, attention, and well-being. The speech, titled “Devices Down, Eyes […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Kimi Waite: Pioneering Environmental Justice and Climate Education in Classrooms and Beyond
Dr. Kimi Waite’s journey in education is a story of courage, creativity, and commitment to equity. As an award-winning Asian American scholar-activist, author, and innovation leader, Waite has dedicated her career to ensuring that classrooms are spaces of inclusion, inspiration, and global awareness. As a Top 50 Educator, her work is particularly focused on climate […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Students Are Not Lazy. They Are Cognitively Exhausted
The Look Teachers Know By the middle of the school day, I can usually tell when a class has hit its limit. It is not always loud. It is not always disruptive. Sometimes it is the opposite. Students sit quietly, stare at their screens, reread the same direction three times, click between tabs without purpose, […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Curriculum Associates, Maker of I-Ready, Responds to Lawsuit
Curriculum Associates, the education technology company behind the widely used I-Ready learning platform, is facing a civil lawsuit over its handling of student data — a legal challenge the company is firmly pushing back against. The lawsuit is one of several similar actions filed against education technology providers in recent months. Curriculum Associates maintains that […]
Posted inConfessions of a Teacher
Anne: The Hardest Child to Love
For twenty-seven years, I stood at the front of a classroom believing two things could change a child’s life: love and expectations. My classroom was not easy. We worked hard there. We learned manners there. We respected one another there. We looked adults in the eye, said “yes ma’am,” and learned that teamwork mattered. Some […]
Posted inHigh School
Gratitude Tour: Diane Haertel
As mentioned in my tribute to Bishop Joel Konzen, I learned of an English position at Marist School in Dunwoody, GA, in 1982, after teaching one year in the DeKalb County School system. It would mark a turning point of sorts for me. I attended public schools my entire life. My first two teaching positions […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
The Journey to the Ouibette: My New Promotion
If you have read me, or have been reading me, or if this is the first time you’re reading me, then you have/or now will see that I can be deeply cynical, sardonic, and throw jokes under the radar that you might not catch unless you’re listening. One thing that is not any of those […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
How Schools Can Rebuild Student Belonging: Strategies That Improve Engagement, Mental Health, and Academic Success
There is a crisis of student disengagement. Many students feel disconnected from peers, teachers, and their school community. Elevated rates of absenteeism, depression/anxiety, and loneliness among students worries teachers, administrators, and parents. Students spend a large portion of their time in schools. Students learn best when they feel seen, valued, and connected. Teachers and administrators […]