The speculation from politicians, colleagues, parents, and relatives about schools reopening is exhausting. No one with authority seems to have a plan and no procedures are standardized. I am sick of politicians like Florida's governor, Rick DeSantis, comparing going to Walmart and Home Depot for twenty minutes once a month to educating hundreds of children [...]
For the last four years, I’ve been updating this list of lessons that my son has taught me about how to be a better teacher. Here is how he has done that: 1 – Make an assessment of life’s priorities. If COVID-19 has taught us nothing else, it's really -- what are your priorities. For [...]
When the 2020 Summer Olympics were postponed, I knew there would be a new event that would test the mettle of educators, students, parents, and other stakeholders in education. It's trivia-based, and it has only one question. It's called "What the hell happens in the fall?" COLLEGE What happens in college is as varied as [...]
As I plan out three more weeks of instruction and online work, I am also reflecting on my relationship with remote learning. Do I like it? Do I hate it? It's complicated. I am fortunate to teach in a large suburban district slightly northwest of Syracuse, NY. The school leaders invested in one to one [...]
Teachers on social media are posting inspirational videos. School districts are compassionately giving students food, paper packets, Chrome Books, internet connectivity, and yard signs for seniors. Educators are doing the best they can to make a monumental shift--that may become the norm for the 2020-2021 school year. There is a critical component of school that [...]