What’s getting you through 2020’s chaos? For me, it’s the knowledge that education could change, and not by a little. As with all things education, I’m not alone of course, And many others have come before me. I know because I used the pandemic to read them all. Reardon and Timar. Ravitch and Tatum, Delpit […]
Instruction & Curriculum
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
The Diary of a Wimpy Teacher
Fine, I admit it. I am a wimp. I bite my tongue, swallow my words, and cower behind the mute button in and out of the digital world. I worry more about the consequences of speaking the truth with no filter than I do about letting the truth set me free. I overthink, overanalyze, and […]
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Working to Rule is an Absurd Form of Protest
Working to rule is a form of protest being considered by teachers across the country. The basic tenet is that teachers will not engage in work-related activities outside of their contracted workday. Once they leave for the day, they won’t grade papers. They won’t check or respond to emails. They won’t plan lessons. It’s an […]
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Stop Asian Hate Now: Using the Injustice Against Asian-Americans as a Teaching Movement
Eight dead Americans… yet, again. Six Asian women…someone’s grandmother, mother, aunt, sister. As a Black Female Educator, I found myself remembering stories of Asian hate at my own school. The young female Chinese teacher who had Asian hate speech angrily etched into a desk. The new female Mandarin teacher being Zoom bombed, having to endure […]
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Life Lessons from Mister Rogers and Mrs. Hughes
I can remember it clearly. I was sitting on the floor next to my sisters and watching a small box television mounted on top of a T.V. tray that was not built to hold a T.V. We sat on the floor as we heard that familiar sound of a child’s piano playing. We would get […]
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10 Ways to Teach Like Ted Lasso: Part I
“You know what the happiest animal in the world is?” asks Coach Ted Lasso, star of the eponymous comedy on Apple TV+ to one of his players down in the dumps. “It’s a goldfish. It’s got a 10-second memory. Be a goldfish.” This is just one of the many wit and wisdom combos served to […]
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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 […]
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Always a Scapegoat, Never the G.O.A.T
I learned whose fault the pandemic is. And who’s responsible for the students and their well-being. It’s the teachers. It’s my fault. How do I know this? Because someone told me. Let me rewind a bit…. I’m to Blame During our mid-winter break, I had a scheduled annual EEG appointment for my migraines. This is […]