Yes, the next few months of American education might well go down as the most challenging time in the careers of most classroom teachers. But the waves of change instigated by the Coronavirus crisis should not obscure the real story of American education. It is this story that policy-makers and parents should heed. While the […]
Featured
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
This Year Will Be a Lost School Year
Everyone is anxious about the upcoming school year. Parents need and want their kids in school. Teachers miss the personal interactions that define teaching. Truth be told, I think everyone misses the structure and security of having schools open. But, many people realize we don’t have control of a contagious disease ravaging our communities. Instead […]
Posted inOpinion
Stop Saying, “Of Course We Want to Be Back in Classrooms with Kids…”
Guest Writer: Emma Martin In the past 5 months as a teacher during the COVID-19 pandemic, the public has viewed educators in different ways. First, we were seen as heroes. Champions for students who put on our capes and, in mere days, rescued our kids from quarantine with online activities, social Zoom check-ins, driveway hellos, […]
Posted inCOVID-19
Children Left Behind: Virtual Learning Isn’t the Culprit
Every day there is news about a district extending their remote learning, a company keeping their workers at home for another few months, and more calls for life to start going back to normal despite the bleak situation we find ourselves in. It is understandable to miss “normal” – going shopping could hardly be considered […]
Posted inFeatured
The Importance of Visibility for Queer Educators
Guest Writer: Melissa Roy, Ed.D In a gentle way, you can shake the world. ~Mahatma Gandhi On June 15, 2020, something happened that most of us in the LGBTQ community never thought we would see in our lifetime: the Supreme Court ruled gender identity and sexual orientation are protected characteristics under the Civil Rights Act. […]
Posted inParents
15 Things My 4-Year-Old Taught Me About Education
For the last four years, I’ve been updating this list of lessons that my son has taught me about how to be a better teacher. Here is how he has done that: 1 – Make an assessment of life’s priorities. If COVID-19 has taught us nothing else, it’s really — what are your priorities. For […]
Posted inBack to School
2020: An Educator’s Summer of Waiting on COVID-19
When the 2020 Summer Olympics were postponed, I knew there would be a new event that would test the mettle of educators, students, parents, and other stakeholders in education. It’s trivia-based, and it has only one question. It’s called “What the hell happens in the fall?” COLLEGE What happens in college is as varied as […]
Posted inCOVID-19
A Teacher’s Love-Hate-Love Relationship with Zoom
“Bing Bong.” Thirty years from now when I hear the sound of someone entering a Zoom room, I’ll have vivid memories of just how much I loved, hated, and loved about online learning through this platform. LOVE – Seeing my students Just about every day, I’m checking in with my students and seeing their faces. […]