Florida recently became the first state in the nation to adopt The Phoenix Declaration: An American Vision for Education, a statement of principles for education in America by the conservative think tank, The Heritage Foundation. At first glance this manifesto seems harmless; after all, who doesn’t want access to a “high-quality, content-rich education?” On closer examination, however, […]
Current Events in Education
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Idea Exchange: What is school and how do we “do” school?
Education is one of the largest systems we interact with. Nearly all of us have a formal education background in some way. In other words, we all have experience going to school growing up. So let me pose a few questions, and specifically regarding K-12: I try to be mindful that schools vary. I am […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Finding Peace for immigrant communities in the era of ICE
Unidentified black SUVs swarming the parking lot, strange, official-looking men yet no badges, and a distinct, overwhelming fear. I will never forget my first encounter with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in my school community. It marked the start of an era in our predominantly Latinx neighborhood, a close-knit community of mostly Central Americans fleeing […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
How the Government Shutdown has Triggered my Teacher Shame
Teacher Shame, a term I use to describe the regular intervals at which I am reminded that I chose a low-paying job that seems to be considered unimportant by society. The current government shutdown has triggered me. The first time I felt this shame was when I watched the faces of my college boyfriend’s family […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Colorado voters support measures to feed public schools students by taxing rich
Last night, Colorado voters decided on a pair of measures aimed at bolstering funding for free school meals for all public school students, as well as to mitigate federal cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps, by taxing the wealthy. Proposition MM will increase state income taxes paid by households earning […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Teachers are Lambs to the Slaughter: The Fiction We Teach, The Reality We Live
By Kelsey Trumble We hand students dystopian novels—1984, Fahrenheit 451, The Hunger Games—as warnings about what happens when fear becomes normal, when truth bends, when cruelty turns quiet. But somewhere along the way, the fiction blurred. Now, when another teacher bleeds in a classroom, the outrage burns through feeds faster than facts can catch up. […]
Posted inEnglish Language Learners
Under His Eye: Teaching Under Trump’s Policy
I teach twelfth-grade English at an urban school. The poverty rate here is high. Violent crime is a common occurrence. I’ve devoted my career to serving this population. The work is often difficult, but it’s the most-important work in the world, and I’m all in. When I returned to the classroom in September, to begin […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Dystopian Teacher Tales #7: The educational advocate and her clients
In this scenario, Donald Trump has been elected to a third term, which is something he’s often mentioned during the first portion of his second term. With the complete closure of the federal DOE, something that both Trump and Secretary McMahon have noted as a priority, many Title protections have been returned to states. Similar […]