Mentoring. Recently, several articles have appeared suggested mentoring may be a way to help with the academic loss that educators are calling the “covid slide”. That’s abuzz too, and for good reason. But I’m just as concerned, if not more so, about Natasha, who even in class is so incredibly shy that she can barely […]
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Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Check on your Immigrant Teacher Friends, We’re Not Ok!
A question that I’m asked every morning by colleagues almost instinctively is “how you doing?” and without giving the question much thought, I always respond with “I’m good!” I know this is a superficial response but that question is a loaded one, and as teachers, we know that we’re all struggling right now. It is […]
Posted inCOVID
Remote Elementary Teaching Sucks. Get Over It and Prepare for Survival
This remote teaching thing sucks, but I realize it’s not about me. What am I going to do about it? I have no magic wand to wave to make COVID go away or to have students do school the way they should be able to without all the social distancing and with all the snack-sharing, […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
So, How Is [COVID] School Going?
I have fielded this question from family, friends, and neighbors. It is a simple question. I have been teaching social studies for over twenty-five years, so I should offer a concise answer. However, the question makes me stammer and equivocate. I find myself thinking and sometimes saying the following: “It’s weird.” “I hate every minute […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
Was Someone Actually High When They Proposed The Hybrid Teaching Model?
The dark circles under my eyes have returned. The fatigue is deep and familiar–it feels like January tired. And, today is only my third day of teaching in the hybrid model! My husband asked me how the first day went. I replied: “It was not my best opening day.” On the first day, I taught sans […]
Posted inPodcast
Podcast Review: Nice White Parents
Since teachers listen to plenty of podcasts, we are going to start to review them. One of our firsts is Nice White Parents from the New York Times. Judging a podcast by its cover, the title certainly produces both evocative and provocative responses. All teachers and schools most certainly want to work with “nice parents” […]
Posted inHow to Fix Education
How School Boards Became the Most Important People You Never Voted For
There’s a number I can’t get out of my head: 20%. As folks affix their Trump and Biden signs in their yards and argue precipitously over politics with their neighbors, claiming how this is the “most important election of their lives” and how the other guy will “ruin America,” I’m still thinking about that number. […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
The American Teacher: Savior or Scapegoat?
Absolutely necessary; extremely important; crucial; necessary; key; vital; indispensable; needed; required; vitally important; critical; life-and-death; imperative; mandatory; compulsory; obligatory; compelling; urgent; pressing; burning; acute; paramount; preeminent;high-priority; significant; consequential. These words describe the word essential. Notice how many words are employed to define a single word. Anthropologists note that the higher a term is valued, the […]