There is a lot going on right now. Protests, a pandemic, and so much uncertainty. In the midst of everything, we are also finishing up a school year. A school year that highlighted how necessary the internet is for everyone. And has been full of uncertainty. For students, parents, and teachers, this spring has been […]
High School
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Opinion: Right Now Things Are Hard, But It’s Going to Be Fine
Right now, things are hard. Nothing feels fine, or normal. As we all know, teaching in person is different than teaching online. There are many things that we as educators are dealing with right now. How do we ensure that our students are learning, when there are some students without the ability to attend online […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
Teacher, Suspended.
My classroom is now the kitchen table that I share with my eleven-year-old daughter. She is efficient in her work, completing it all before lunch and enjoying the remainder of her day. I, on the other hand, never stop. My days consist of running in place. The emails, the Facebook posts, the Remind texts, and […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
TED Talks All Students Should See
I have lost many hours to the “suggested for you” videos listed on the right side of ted.com. There are times that I believe that their algorithm is broken . . . Really? Do you think I would be interested in “How I became part sea urchin”? More often, however, they nail it. Why, yes, […]
Posted inSocial Studies
Teaching in a Time of Coronavirus Anxiety
Every day I cover at least one current event topic with my sophomore Global History and Geography classes. Recently, only one issue dominates the coronavirus. We began our discussions a month ago by looking at China and predicting the impact on the economy. As the days progressed, we viewed pictures taken by NASA showing diminishing […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Reflections on my 3rd Black History Month Celebration…
I have been teaching social studies for twenty-five years, eight of which I focused on United States History, but February 11, 2020, was my third celebration of black history. Although I am a veteran educator, I am a novice historian. I am a rookie at social justice, and my students are my mentors. My third […]
Posted inHigh School
The Importance of Addressing “I’m so bored” Comments
This past semester I was in the midst of teaching one of my favorite units that I’ve ever taught in my career thus far. My students read a play about characters who are a part of a First Nations community in British Columbia, Canada. The play, titled Where the Blood Mixes, deals with tragedy and […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Mrs. Brown, is this World War 3?
After the holiday break, my students entered the classroom well-rested and eager to discuss current events. I had jokingly declared that we would start a war after the break, with the understanding before the events of the assassination of the Iranian general, Qasem Soleimani, that the war we would “start” would be world war one. […]