April is over. However, we acknowledge, celebrate, and honor multilingual and bilingual students and families continues. As we come to the end of another month, some might see it as a couple of months closer to summer break, others as another month closer to the holidays, but some see it as an opportunity to embrace […]
Instruction & Curriculum
Posted inMental Health
From Discussion to Instruction: The Mental Health Paradox in Public Education
By Jessica Lyons There seems to be a paradox in public education regarding helping students cope with mental health issues. On the one hand, the federal government is pushing to fund more resources for mental health services. In the past few months, the federal government allocated $188 million to increase access to school-based mental health […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Teaching Writing to Secondary Students is Hard, But It’s Necessary
During my first year of teaching, I had a brilliant student named Joshua*. Joshua was a Junior who was wise beyond his years. He loved to talk about books. He loved to debate different topics in class. However, it wasn’t until we read the cult favorite, The Color Purple, during the first nine weeks when […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Revolutionize Your Classroom: Why I Ditched Homework for Microlearning
Guest Writer: Jess Lyons After almost 20 years of teaching, I have realized a few things. One, there is no monetary value that anyone can put on treats in the staff breakroom, and two, that traditional homework assignments are about as practical as teaching a cat to fetch. Sure, some students may thrive with homework, […]
Posted inPedagogy
Freshen Up Your National Poetry Month Lessons with These New Releases
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! As an English language arts teacher of many, many years, poetry has always been one of my favorite subjects to teach my students. Poetry brings out the best in students’ language abilities and challenges them to write in a way […]
Posted inOpinion
Native American Deaf History is American Deaf History
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! As we celebrate another Deaf History Month, I am reflecting on the excitement I felt experiencing American Sign Language (ASL) highlighted in Super Bowl LVII. The unique and creative rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner” by Troy Kotsur, the first […]
Posted inPedagogy
Finding Jungles in the City
Sparking Scientific Curiosity Through Relevance One of the problems with STEM education in the United States is its accessibility. Specifically, the inaccessibility gap between students from well-resourced schools and those without. Having AP course offerings, funding for lab materials, access to structured readiness programs, and even something as simple as an Algebra II class can […]
Posted inPedagogy
Why I Threw Out My Science Textbook
Students need access to BIPOC and LGBTQ perspectives across content areas Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! “I wish every month was Black History month.” “Shut up about it already and get over it; it’s over, accept it and move on.” A year later, this […]