Amiri Baraka once said, “Hope is delicate suffering.” As educators, we can relate to this all too well. This system seems to be a never-ending road of suffering, constantly finding and losing hope as the pendulum of uncertainty plagues our broken systems. As a Black teacher, this suffering is amplified by the strength and hope […]
Back to School
What do you do to get ready for back-to-school? Do you buy more school supplies? Take a vacation? Or maybe start to decorate your classroom. Articles in this category deal with all the things that parents and teachers do to get ready for back-to-school season.
Using Thrity Umrigar’s novels to tackle summer reading apathy
One way I suggest engaging eleventh and twelfth-grade readers — especially for summer reading assignments — involves assigning modern novels outside of the traditional canon. Two books by Thrity Umrigar, The Space Between Us (2005) and Honor (2022) created a high level of engagement in my AP English Literature students at the onset of the […]
Abbott Elementary season premieres February 7 on ABC
Our favorite comedy, Abbott Elementary, will premiere on February 7 on ABC for a supersized one-hour premiere of Abbott Elementary. With the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike, Quinta Brunson’s hit series captured the hearts of teachers and sitcom fans nationwide as a realistic depiction of what it is like to be a teacher in America. […]
Five Banned Book Week Events to Join This Week
The last few years have seen an unparalleled attack on the right to read and organized campaigns against certain types of literature and programming in public and school libraries. No one person or organization can face this fight alone, and we all need to take direct action to combat censorship. Join author John Green (Looking for Alaska, The […]
5 Important Things To Tell Your Entire Class From Day One
“Just don’t smile until Christmas,” a more veteran colleague once advised me at the start of the school year. It never struck me as particularly wise when teaching a class of students. Having had 23 classes of students since then, I’ve learned a lot about what to do and what not to do long before […]
Transforming the Classroom with Morning Meeting
An inopportune time to learn something new does not exist. You are not too deep (or new!) into your teaching career to implement a fresh technique or strategy. Each wake-up boasts an untouched beginning that you can transform with one small change in your classroom. Let me suggest starting with this: Morning Meeting. I have […]
Five Ways to Increase Parent Involvement in Schools
I am fortunate to be uniquely positioned to be both a parent and a teacher. As a high school and college instructor, the world of elementary education is extremely new to me. I am also a mother who has jumped into the new terrain of raising an elementary-age child with neurodiversity. The boundless questions and […]
Houston ISD to Eliminate or Repurpose Librarians at 28 Schools
In a move that shocked parents and went against previous administrations, Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles announced earlier this summer that librarian and media specialist positions would be eliminated at the 28 underperforming schools being overhauled under his reform program, New Education System (NES). According to the Houston ISD website, The New Education System Schools […]