“I know nothing about Project 2025. I have no idea who is behind it.” Those are the words from former president Donald Trump last month. Like so many other lies he tells, I didn’t personally believe him. For me, Donald Trump has made it clear where he stands on the notion of many things, like […]
Instruction & Curriculum
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Gov. Gavin Newsom signs sweeping legislation to ban legacy admissions
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed AB 1780, a new law prohibiting private nonprofit colleges in California from considering legacy and donor preferences in their admissions processes. This move aligns private institutions with the University of California system, which eliminated legacy preferences in 1998. The legislation, authored by Assemblymember Phil Ting, aims to ensure admissions […]
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The Nightmare of Initiatives in Public Education
“I think the task of philosophy is not to provide answers but to show how the way we perceive a problem can be itself part of the problem” – Slavoj Zizek. I’ve probably asked my coworkers 1000 times if they’ve seen Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Not just because it’s a great movie but […]
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Banned Books Week 2024: The preliminary research and the titles
In anticipation of Banned Books Week this week (September 22-28, 2024); the American Library Association has released preliminary data documenting attempts to censor books and materials in public, school, and academic libraries during the first eight months of 2024. Between January 1 and August 31, 2024, ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 414 attempts to censor library materials and […]
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Don’t Skimp on Social Studies! Write to Learn in History Class!
By Rhonda van Bergen In many elementary classrooms today, literacy has taken center stage as new standards in reading and writing are implemented. Teachers spend significant time teaching English Language Arts (ELA) skills and strategies to prepare students for high-stakes testing in those areas. Unfortunately, content area instruction in science and social studies often takes […]
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How to Run a Fantastic Back-to-School Night
Back to school night. It comes every year, and it comes fast. It’s often the first chance you have to meet parents, share your vision of the year with them, and to open up your class showcasing the miracles you perform on a daily basis. It’s also stressful as all get out. But it doesn’t […]
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Middle School is Like This
Everything is already over before, while, during, or after it’s already begun. Nothing in middle school lasts. Failure, success, shame, anxiety—all of it is over as quickly as it has happened. This is sometimes a curse. You may succeed during your two classes in the morning but still have abysmal failures in lessons, classroom management, […]
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Good-Bye Biden: The impact on America’s educators
Joe Biden removing himself from the 2024 bid for the President of the United States will come with cheers and jeers. Some people will look at his decision’s global political implications. Others will look at the more intricate issues impacting everyday Americans with this political move. I look well beyond that as a former teacher […]