Public school teachers in West Virginia have had enough. All 55 counties across the state of West Virginia have chosen to go on strike – together – to bring awareness and change to teacher’s health insurance benefits and salary. “The strike has put 20,000 teachers and 13,000 school service employees on the picket lines,” according […]
History
Posted inTeacher Leaders
[Opinion] America’s Gun Problem: What Can Teachers Do?
It’s been a tough week. If you are a teacher, student or parent in an American public school, the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida that killed 17 people is just as upsetting as the mass shooting that came before it. Memories of the Las Vegas shooting, the Orlando Pulse shooting, San Bernardino, Virginia Tech, Aurora, […]
Posted inHistory
Wolfgang Köhler and the Fight for the Psychological Institute
We see hundreds of struggles in schools today. Some schools do not receive proper or adequate funding. Students are profiled and treated differently based on labels that society or previous teachers give them. Teachers turn to their administrators for help and receive no support. So, what do we do about it? How are we going […]
Posted inSocial Justice
31 Reasons For Black History Month
The captain of the Umoja Step Team popped into my classroom as she is apt to do at least two times a day. As she was leaving, she patted the advertisement posted on my classroom door for the upcoming Black History Celebration, hosted by the team. Turning towards me, she stated: “A girl in my […]
Posted inElectives & Special Areas
Black History Month and PBL: Ideas for Educators
As we enter February, 2018, schools across America will engage in activities celebrating Black History Month in the United States. There is a strong current in secondary education today where the goal is to move classroom activities away from teacher-centered activities toward “project-based learning” or PBL. This trend has specific criteria that ensure rigorous learning […]
Posted inTeacher Leaders
Messages from the Marches: Teaching Students Objectively
January 20, 2018, brought America the first anniversary of the inauguration of President Donald Trump. The day after his inauguration, January 21, 2017, millions of women and their male allies took to the streets to protest the things they object about Donald Trump. His campaign seemed to be filled with racism, misogyny, and vitriol. These […]
Posted inTeacher Leaders
Commentary: I am Wasting my Time Teaching about “Shithole” Countries!
From The Washington Post… “Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?” Trump said, according to these people, referring to countries mentioned by the lawmakers. Trump then suggested that the United States should instead bring more people from countries such as Norway, whose prime minister he met with Wednesday. The president, […]
Posted inTeacher Leaders
The Pastor and the President: Race in the American Classroom Today
I am writing on the eve of Martin Luther King, Jr Day, 2018 not just as a social studies teacher, but as an American citizen. I am a pastor’s kid, so I grew up hearing the Christian message of loving one’s neighbor as oneself and to love mercy, do justice, and to walk humbly with […]