Teachers work in many different environments: charter schools, private schools, or public schools. We all have our own opinions about school choice, but my most interesting teaching environment was in the woods. Teaching adjudicated youth in a wilderness therapy center was where I learned more about myself than I ever knew possible, both as a […]
Social Justice
Posted inPodcast, Professional Development, Social Justice
[Podcast S1E25] For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood.. An Interview with Dr. Christopher Emdin
Introduction Welcome to Episode 25 Season one of The Educator’s Room podcast! In this episode, Franchesca interviews, Dr. Christopher Emdin, founder of #hiphoped and #Science Genius. This year we are going around the world to talk to educators who are doing awesome things- just like you. Starting the school year is always tough for teachers to engage in […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, English Language Learners, ESOL, Featured, From the Front Lines, Professional Development, School Improvement, Social Justice, Uncategorized
Hidden Stories of the Average American Classroom
I recently attended a professional development presentation on poverty, and one slide that struck me was the structure of the average American classroom. In fact, I cannot stop thinking about it. Doris Baboian (our presenter and Director of Student Services in my district) noted a 2007 joint study by the U.S. Department of Education and […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Instructional Strategies, Social Justice
Teaching Our Students to Live Well Together in Acrimonious Times
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] As I write this, there has been yet another terrible attack in a European city. Bombs in Brussels, Belgium have killed over 30 people and injured almost 200 (at this writing). […]
Posted inCommon Core, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, Social Justice
Challenging Your Students on Assessments
In a few weeks, students in public schools and charter schools across New York State will take hours of state assessments in English Language Arts and Mathematics. Teachers are nervous, parents are frustrated, and students are indifferent. The students’ indifference is what scares the teachers and administrators of charter schools because our very survival depends […]
Posted inFeatured, Instructional Strategies, Social Justice
5 Ways Teachers Can Fight the Power
Reflections from the annual conference of New York Collective of Radical Educators Before I even sat down for my first workshop at the 2016 New York Collective of Radical Educators (NYCoRE) conference, I knew I would be leaving reinvigorated. The keynote speaker of the seventh annual NYCoRE conference, themed “Fight the Power” was Dr. Bettina […]
Posted inCommon Core, Elementary School, Social Justice
Social Justice Test Prep?
I teach at a school in New York City where approximately 50% of students “opted out” of state exams last year. I’m proud to be a part of a school community where families are using their power to send a message to our state policymakers and lawmakers about the overuse of standardized testing. That said, […]
Posted inSocial Justice, Uncategorized
Why Teach About Social Justice in the Classroom?
Social justice can have a very concrete meaning for young children. To them, it is about what is fair and what is not fair. You can hear it from them when a teacher always allows one or two students to do all of the coveted classroom jobs. To them, that is not fair and the […]