Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism!It’s no surprise that teachers are burnt out. The only word that comes to mind is, “Duh.” Recently, I have been thinking about teaching, pandemic notwithstanding, and how it got this way. How has this profession normalized working well after […]
High School
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Students Deserve the Right to Fail
Jonah Simcha Chaim Muskat-Brown, MSW The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines the word failure in 3 ways: A lack of success in some effort; A situation or occurrence in which something does not work as it should; An occurrence in which someone does not do something that should be done. A quick Google search revealed other […]
Posted inCulturally Responsive Teaching
Teaching Truth: Teachers shouldn’t have to compromise on issues of hatred, racism, or prejudice
Monkey” Trial of 1925, the battles over integration after the 1954 landmark Supreme Court ruling Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.
Posted inSocial Justice
Really, Though, Why Do We Say The Pledge of Allegiance?
The Resurgence of the Pledge In the past, my school has been inconsistent about saying the pledge of allegiance. We’ve had it as a part of our video announcements with limited fidelity, and definitely not daily. I have only hazy memories of saying it as a student, perhaps on occasion in elementary school. This year, […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Anniversaries are Testimony: One Year of Pandemic Teaching and Learning
One year. Just one. And yet, a year feels like a pivot point. So much sacrificed, rearranged. Discussing the turning point battles of the second world war with my students had me analyzing the impact of specific dates. I informed my classes: ‘”My grandparents want you to know the importance of December 7, 1941. Your […]
Posted inHigh School
Pronouns: The Least We Can Do for Students Who Identify As Transgender or Non-Binary
Discomfort For Solidarity In a recent staff equity meeting, the concept of staff responsibility in gender pronouns came up. It seemed that everyone there had at least one student who used pronouns that didn’t necessarily align with the sex they were assigned at birth. And, they all fully supported the importance of honoring student’s pronouns […]
Posted inCOVID-19
Opinion: The Teacher Stories We Tell Ourselves: Let’s Assume the Best
We (yep, all of us) are stressed. Students are swamped with work and desperate loneliness. Parents are at their wits’ end trying to keep their jobs, kids, and sanity afloat. Teachers are exhausted from the literal and emotional headache of online learning. Administrators are trying to balance the needs of their staff and students […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Nobody Trusts Teachers
Nobody trusts teachers. Imagine a snowy Wednesday morning in February–a scheduled remote teaching day and a day following an actual, old-school type of snow day. [bctt tweet=”Now imagine teachers driving on those snow-covered roads to teach via Google Meets in empty classrooms. ” username=””] Picture many of those same teachers scrambling for child care because the […]