A neighbor complains every time it snows. It doesn’t matter if it’s a feathery amount or a foot — to him, the impediment of snow is too much to handle. He hates the shoveling. He hates the noise of the snowblowers. He hates driving in it. He hates the cold. He hates teleworking. The list […]
Current Events in Education
Posted inCOVID-19
The Late Work Policy Debate in the Midst of COVID-19
In 1987, my husband and I moved back to our hometown to care for my parents. Long story short, my mom had cancer that kept showing up in different places and eventually she passed away a few weeks after scans revealed cancer had moved to her lungs. I had also returned to school to finish […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
A Canary in the Coal Mine: The Truth We Need to Remember Post-Pandemic About Virtual Schooling
Education these days feels a bit like science fiction, doesn’t it? When I think of my students and my own daughter learning virtually, I wonder if anyone else is remembering Keanu Reeves’ character Neo in The Matrix? If you aren’t much into the science fiction genre, just picture a man plugged into a computer while […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
2020: Reflections of an Educator Working Through a Pandemic
I’m writing this article as I sit in my living room, on the cusp of a new year, thinking about what it means to be moving into a new chapter, a new milestone, etc. However, I spent the better part of my morning scrolling social media and I saw several people reflecting on the highlights […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Weigh in on Cardona? Better to Weigh in on Connecticut
When President-Elect Biden announced his choice for a new secretary for education, a comment was left on the Educator’s Room blog: “Anyone from Connecticut want to weigh in?” Well, I am an educator in Connecticut, but I think weighing in on the nominee Miguel Cardona is premature. Cardona, the Connecticut Commissioner of Education, was appointed […]
Posted inClassroom Management
6 Tips For Teachers Surviving Starting Mid-Year During a Pandemic
Whether you are a new teacher graduating in December, coming back from maternity leave, or making a mid-year move, picking up a teaching position after the school year has begun is challenging. I personally took over a teaching position after the first quarter of a school year, following a parade of substitutes. The previous teacher […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Is Miguel Cardona The Anti-Betsy DeVos?
Miguel Cardona, Commissioner of Education for the State of Connecticut and President-elect Biden’s nomination for Secretary of Education, in many ways, is the polar opposite of current Secretary of Education Betsy Devos. Unlike Devos, Cardona actually attended public schools; including a technical high school. He obtained his degrees (BA, MA, EdD) from state universities in […]
Posted inCOVID-19
How the Expiration of Emergency Paid Leave Will Cripple Schools
There are plenty of things we want to put behind us in 2020: the businesses that have struggled, folks who have lost their jobs, and, most notably, the friends and family we’ve lost in the pandemic. One thing we cannot leave behind in 2020 is emergency paid leave, but that is set to happen when […]