What a year it has been. Last week made one full year since schools across the country moved to remote learning. As of a month ago, there were half a million lives lost in the nation due to COVID-19. There are many countless Facebook arguments about whether students should be in school. Parents are making […]
Confessions of a Teacher
What are the confessions of a teacher? Read these articles and find out.
Posted inFeatured
Black Square Boxes: Affirming the Identity of Students During a Pandemic
Michele Lamons-Raiford is a hearing American Sign Language (ASL) teacher at Pinole Valley High School in the West Contra Costa Unified School District. She has been a High School teacher for the past nineteen years, previously teaching all levels of English, as well as an Adjunct English Instructor at Solano Community College for the past […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
The Virtual High School Teaching Experience: I Teach to Dots
Guest Writer: Leann Wnuk Ed.S. Leann is currently a high school Special Education teacher with over 10 years of experience in multiple states and grade levels. I have an Ed.S. in Special Education, an M.S. in Special Education, and a B.A. in Middle Grades Language Arts and Social Studies. I show up to the computer, […]
Posted inConfessions of a Teacher
Are Teachers of Color Valued in School Districts?
“I hope I can show The Outsiders movie virtually through zoom this year!” Teacher A remarked at the meeting. “I know, that is the highlight of our kids’ year; they absolutely love reading this book and watching the movie,” Teacher B replied. My two colleagues (white females) discussed a book read by our middle […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
America’s Reckoning: How Will Teachers Go Into Their Classrooms Tomorrow?
“How do we teach kids about this tomorrow?” This seems to be the question every American social studies teacher is asking themselves this evening, clutching the notion of the American republic in their hands like a broken teacup. As America continues to be ripped in two from its seams to its soul, we have, over […]
Posted inResponsive Classroom
Flip That Frown Upside Down – Teaching Like a Stoic
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 […]
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 […]
Posted inConfessions of a Teacher
Beyond George Floyd: Making a Difference—Access, Application, Admonishment
Guest Writer: Archie R. Wortham, Ph.D., Professor of Speech “Equity doesn’t mean equality.” I am the product of a segregated school. I saw people sprayed with fire hoses; removed from lunch counter sit-ins. I used second or third handed textbooks. I was black, back then a Negro, but my ‘negro’ cousins and I went to […]