Setting the Stage I am in a hotel room with three millennials: Grace, 24, Gabriel, 22, Glorie, 20. An argument is raging: How can I be civil with people who support evil? I know that’s harsh. Is your neighbor who voted for Trump evil? I’ll say no. But these young people are having none of it. […]
Instruction & Curriculum
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
[Opinion] If You Are a Quality Educator, You Can’t Be Pro-Trump
As a mother and a teacher, my job is to educate, care for, and love my kids. I treat my students as I would my own kids, and I expect my daughters’ teachers to do the same. To hear about the 2,000 children who remain separated from their parents, and left in cages and tent […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Why Don’t Students Do Homework? 3 Factors To Consider
When I first started teaching, I would assign homework nearly every night. I remember learning in my undergraduate classes that homework was an extension of what was done in class, and was ultimately important to ensure students had grasped the concepts taught in class that day. So Imagine my naive surprise when only ⅓ of […]
Posted inAdult Learning
The Politics and Pedagogy of Immigration Policy
The national debate over the Trump Administration policy of separating children from their parents at the southern border has reached a fever pitch. Images and audio of crying children, traumatized by the removal of their parents to detention facilities while the children are detained in what amounts to cages, have preoccupied the national media and gripped […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
The Quest for the “Perfect” World Literature Book
I’ve been on summer break for almost three weeks. I’ve done a lot in that time: visited my parents, worked on a county curriculum review, started reading some professional development books, etc. There is still data training looming at the end of my break. Such fun! I only have about four weeks left before pre-planning […]
Posted inAdult Learning
2018: Reflections on a School Year
It’s the Saturday after the last day of school for teachers. I am turning 58 today. I just completed my 34th year as a social studies teacher. Tomorrow is Father’s Day. Looking back over the past year and over the arch of my career, I want to write about the struggles and successes of my […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Great Teachers Eat Apples: Building Relationships
Every year as school days come to a close and summer sets in, I find myself sitting at my teacher desk sifting through tokens of gratitude from students. From flowers and lotions to candies and heartfelt notes, families generously express their appreciation for the hard work and care I have invested in their students’ school […]
Posted inHow to Fix Education
The High Expectations Myth
The high expectations myth is a pernicious, insidious mantra. It is the notion that if I, as a teacher, say and believe I hold high expectations, it is magically true. Examining actual teaching practices is neither necessary nor worthwhile. I have better things to do. Change or growth or flexibility aren’t needed. It is the […]