Brian Francis Smith is an educator, author, podcaster, husband, and father of two middle school-aged daughters. He is in his 19th year of teaching English at Cheltenham High School, a public school outside of Philadelphia. Brian is the author of two novels and has taught creative writing at the Philadelphia Writers’ Conference. He currently teaches […]
Current Events in Education
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 inCOVID-19
Teachers Don’t Get To Turn Off School
Sarah Styf is a 19-year high school English teacher currently on a teaching sabbatical. She lives in the Houston area with her husband and two children. She is passionate about education reform and civic engagement. She can be found on Instagram @sarah.styf and Twitter @sarahstyf. When we experience moments of pause, we are often able to finally see […]
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 […]
Posted inCoronavirus, COVID, COVID-19, Current Events in Education
Opinion: Covid-19 Has Shown Us It is Time for a New Grading System
By: Rachael Rudi The Covid-19 pandemic has opened up the opportunity for change within the education system. From racial justice, to access to an internet connection, to whether or not homework is valid, we are witnessing a shift in how schools operate that will not fully return to “normal” once this pandemic ends. The buzzword […]
Posted inCOVID
Opinion: Insurrection on a Black Educator’s Soul
By Tina Starks, Instructional Coach and policy fellow with Teach Plus CA Just two weeks after the failed coup at the Capitol and added trauma on the souls of Black people, Inauguration Day 2021 symbolized the restoration of hope and possibilities for a different America than what we had experienced for the last four years. […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Today’s Homeschool Struggles Are Yesterday’s In-School Struggles
“Pa-Pa!” my kindergartener yelled out as I taught 10 feet away. “Papa! Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!” I looked up to see my youngest daughter red-faced, panicked, and irritated as her eyes darted from her computer screen to me to the papers scattered around her. “I need Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the […]