I’m mad. I’m furious. And I feel alone. According to EveryTown for Gun Safety Support Fund, “Since 2013, there have been nearly 300 school shootings.” How did we get here? How did we get to a society which broadcasts more violence and hatred than kindness and generosity? A society where people are more likely to turn […]
Current Events in Education
Posted inConfessions of a Teacher
How My Teachers Saved My Life
I’m a proud graduate of Panther Valley High School, which a website labeled the “6th worst district in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.” Nestled in the brown belt, coal region of our state, it has suffered economic and social turmoil for decades now. That said, I don’t care one bit about what that website says, the […]
Posted inTeacher Leaders
Dear Generation X: It is Now, or Never.
I see us on Facebook. On the soccer field. In the classroom. We are the generation born between 1961–1981. We are now finally of age. We thought adulthood began at 18, but that was just a stepping stone. No, we are now parents, for fuck’s sake. We are in charge. Many of us are educators. […]
Posted inTeacher Leaders
[Opinion] America’s Gun Problem: What Can Teachers Do?
It’s been a tough week. If you are a teacher, student or parent in an American public school, the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida that killed 17 people is just as upsetting as the mass shooting that came before it. Memories of the Las Vegas shooting, the Orlando Pulse shooting, San Bernardino, Virginia Tech, Aurora, […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
Is the “Life-Long” Teacher Becoming Extinct?
Last week, a question was posted on The Educator’s Room Facebook page that got me thinking. The question asked about our goals as teachers and where we see our professional careers going. I scrolled through the comments and saw a lot of different responses. Many responded, but there were few who stated that their career […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Do Black Lives Matter At School?
Hey, teacher: did you know that the week of February 5-10, 2018 has been designated Black Lives Matter At School? Did you know that Black Lives Matter at School is a thing? According to Teaching for Change, an organization dedicated to social justice, the first full week of February promotes three demands: End Zero Tolerance, […]
Posted inSocial Justice
31 Reasons For Black History Month
The captain of the Umoja Step Team popped into my classroom as she is apt to do at least two times a day. As she was leaving, she patted the advertisement posted on my classroom door for the upcoming Black History Celebration, hosted by the team. Turning towards me, she stated: “A girl in my […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
How Gregory Salcido Sullied the Teaching Profession
“We have a bunch of dumb sh**s over there…” California high school teacher Gregory Salcido said, in the midst of his classroom discussion with his teenage students. “They’re not academic people, not intellectual people. They’re the freaking lowest of our low…” The video, recorded by student Victor Q. (who wishes to join the United States […]