The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were released in 2009. They are now seven years old. I will admit that I was not initially enthusiastic about the English Language Arts literacy standards. I felt they were heavy in non-fiction…(no, wait.. heavy in “informational texts”). The CCSS suggested a typical student should have a reading diet filled with informational texts […]
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Posted inTeacher Leaders
The Transparent Teacher
Michelle* was a beautiful girl with skin the color of onyx. She was smart and funny with a quick wit and an even quicker tongue. She was both fiery and feisty which meant I spent a lot of time coming to her rescue when she got into a bit of verbal sparring with a teacher. […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
The New Segregation
Because of the zoning of schools in Georgia and around the United States, there is a conspicuous homogenizing of students who attend the inner most city schools. Those with eyes on the educational landscape will notice that those students who are born of the city are left to attend the often underfunded and poorly supported schools, […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
The U.S. Secretaries of Education, A History: Part 2
In the previous article, we focused on the first five Secretaries of Education. So far my advanced evalumetrics have rated them the following: 0 Unsatisfactory, 1 Needs Improvement, 3 Proficient, 0 Distinguished, and 1 Incomplete. How will the next 5 Secretaries of Education pan out? Let’s have a look: The 1990s Richard Riley, the sixth […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Rethinking the Literary Canon
There have been countless discussions launched about the need to teach the historically accepted literary pieces included in the canon. Just as controversial as the discussions engendered about the canon, so too is the definition. The “canon” is defined by dictionary.com as “a collection or list of sacred books accepted as genuine.” The very definition […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
The U.S. Secretaries of Education, A History: Part I
As President-Elect Donald Trump has been nominating his Cabinet appointments, plenty of contention and consternation has swarmed and surrounded his selection of Mrs. Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education. While plenty of articles have been written about her, I was curious to learn more about the Secretaries of Education who preceded her. The Department of Education […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Skills for Survival in Dystopia Part 2: Media Literacy
In the wake of Donald Trump’s election, it has become increasingly clear that we are entering an abnormal era of American history. The xenophobia, religious intolerance, and white supremacy, aren’t new to life in America. But, Donald Trump’s presidency has made many of us feel that the “moral arc of the universe” is bending away from […]
Posted inTeacher Leaders
Surviving Teacher Depression
I think I have it figured out! After 22 years of listening to teachers discuss their depression, I just had to ask myself, “Why do teachers suffer from SO much depression?” Every year, teachers by the thousands report symptoms of depression or anxiety. I’ve expressed this many times myself. While clinical depression is caused by […]