Everyone is anxious about the upcoming school year. Parents need and want their kids in school. Teachers miss the personal interactions that define teaching. Truth be told, I think everyone misses the structure and security of having schools open. But, many people realize we don’t have control of a contagious disease ravaging our communities. Instead […]
Instruction & Curriculum
Posted inCOVID-19
Children Left Behind: Virtual Learning Isn’t the Culprit
Every day there is news about a district extending their remote learning, a company keeping their workers at home for another few months, and more calls for life to start going back to normal despite the bleak situation we find ourselves in. It is understandable to miss “normal” – going shopping could hardly be considered […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Opinion: Teachers Are Not Babysitters and I’m Not Returning Back to School
This morning at 6:59 am, I submitted my resignation from teaching in my district on our online portal while I was watching the morning news. Before I hit “submit” I had a moment where I felt guilt over, but three seconds later, it passed and I decided to choose me over my district. After suddenly […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
When Schools Go Virtual: Don’t Blame the Teachers!
School districts across the country are making decisions about whether or not students will be attending classes in person this fall. Last night, my district opted for virtual instruction for the first semester of the school year. Almost immediately after the announcement what was a chorus of praise supporting teachers last spring felt like a […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
The Day of Teacher Self-Care is Happening August 1, 2020
On August 1st, 2020, the Teacher Self-Care Conference is coming back for a day of self-care focused around the theme, “The Radicalization of Telling the Truth”. In the last three months, teachers have felt an insurmountable amount of stress around not only the COVID-19 pandemic, but the thrust into virtual learning, the idea that […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Learning to Love Our Country: The President is Wrong About Teachers
Guest Writer: Julie Letofsky Julie Letofsky has taught young children in Arizona public schools for 33 years. She writes often about the amazing things that occur as she works with children to become readers, writers, problem solvers, and decent people. She is a three-time National Board Certified Teacher, Early Childhood/Generalist. I love teaching social studies. […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
[Opinion] At Least I Didn’t Spill the Coffee: How Secretary Betsy DeVos’s Address to Educators Missed the Mark
The morning started well enough. One fried egg in coconut oil, a cup of hot Café Bustelo, and an open laptop. I was ready to make significant headway on my to-do list and get ahead of the work that quickly mounts when postponed. It was while plowing through my tasks that I saw Vice President […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Wait! Is Your School actually Taking a Stand Against Racial Injustice?
This past week has been a combination of frustrating and strange. For the past month, there have been continuous protests asking for justice for unarmed Black people who have been wrongfully murdered by the police in the United States namely George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, among many many others. One of the […]