Ilan Weissman is a nonbinary multimedia artist, educational reformer, teacher, and TGNB (Transgender & Nonbinary) child advocate. For 19 years, Ilan has been a teacher at the Ella Baker School, a progressive school in Manhattan. She is a classically trained musician, a creative technologist, and presently a semifinalist, in the running for the FLAG Award for […]
COVID
Posted inCOVID
What Are Your Qualifications to Be an Educator ?
Well, the time has come for me to emerge from my Hobbit hole and embrace a new adventure come this fall, so I have begun the arduous process of writing resumes, and answering job applications as I move back into the classroom. One such question presented a “what if” scenario that has had me thinking […]
Posted inFeatured
Black Square Boxes: Affirming the Identity of Students During a Pandemic
Michele Lamons-Raiford is a hearing American Sign Language (ASL) teacher at Pinole Valley High School in the West Contra Costa Unified School District. She has been a High School teacher for the past nineteen years, previously teaching all levels of English, as well as an Adjunct English Instructor at Solano Community College for the past […]
Posted inHow to Fix Education
Abusing Teachers is Normal: Normal is the Problem
“When we get back to normal” is the attitude helping people see through the difficulty that has been the COVID-19 pandemic. [bctt tweet=”Abusing teachers is normal. Normal is not a destination worth seeking.” username=””] “Mental health” and “work-life balance” are the in-vogue phrases that are used to tell teachers to take care of themselves. Meanwhile, […]
Posted inHigh School
Pronouns: The Least We Can Do for Students Who Identify As Transgender or Non-Binary
Discomfort For Solidarity In a recent staff equity meeting, the concept of staff responsibility in gender pronouns came up. It seemed that everyone there had at least one student who used pronouns that didn’t necessarily align with the sex they were assigned at birth. And, they all fully supported the importance of honoring student’s pronouns […]
Posted inCOVID
Miguel Cardona’s Letter to Parents and Students: Our Students and Families are Resilient
As the newly confirmed Education of Secretary, Dr. Miguel Cardona, he writes his first Opinion Piece. Read below. For more information, click here. To our Nation’s Parents and Students: I write first, as your new Secretary of Education, to acknowledge the extraordinarily challenging year you’ve endured. Between the health crisis, economic hardship, staunch national division, […]
Posted inCOVID
President Biden Pushes For Teachers To Get Their COVID Vaccine Dose By March
As teachers continue to push to be pushed ahead of the lines for COVID-19 vaccines, President Joe Biden said Tuesday that he wants every teacher, school staff, and child care worker in the United States to get at least one shot in March. This comes amidst more guidance that says the schools can safely reopen […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Opinion: Deliver Us from the Biden Administration’s Focus on Testing During a Pandemic
While working from home, I quite often have Spotify playing in the background when one of my favorite favorites came on — Deliver Us from Prince of Egypt. With the sting of the whip on my shoulder With the salt of my sweat on my brow Elohim, God on high, can you hear your people […]