On Friday, May 8, 2020, I hit the empty, quarantined streets of my local Atlanta neighborhood and united in solidarity with people around the United States as we ran 2.23 miles in honor of Ahmaud Arbery. It was on February 23 that the unarmed Arbery was shot and killed while jogging in Glynn County, Georgia […]
Instruction & Curriculum
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Schools Are Closed, But Educational Inequality Remains
Inequality in education exists. I have observed it from the beginning of my career in a relatively poor area of Philadelphia. It is real and it has gotten worse over the years. I began teaching about a decade after President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society was implemented. The middle school where I taught had its cornerstone […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Teacher Appreciation Day: How Can Schools Appreciate Teachers Regularly?
Happy Teacher Appreciation Day to every single educator. We at The Educator’s Room are incredibly grateful for how you show up for your students every single day. We believe that you are the experts in education and heroes in your communities. We do not take it for granted that you are doing the work to […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Assessing with Multiple Choices Instead of Multiple Choice: A Way to Transform Education
By Terri Eichholz In the maker space where I previously worked, we required students to get 100% on tool safety tests before they were allowed to use the tools. My colleague had created the tests before I arrived on the scene, but when we received a new CNC machine I volunteered. I put links in […]
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School Closures Are Hitting Preschools Hard
“Ugg. I HATE coronavirus! I just want to go to school and places!” proclaimed fellow TER writer Katie Sluiter’s young daughter. For a preschooler who loves seeing her friends, being with her teachers, gymnastics, and swimming, our current situation is quite the challenge. This is a reality that countless parents of preschool kids are facing […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Teaching During A Pandemic: Where The Grades Don’t Count, And Everything Is Made Up
Teachers on social media are posting inspirational videos. School districts are compassionately giving students food, paper packets, Chrome Books, internet connectivity, and yard signs for seniors. Educators are doing the best they can to make a monumental shift–that may become the norm for the 2020-2021 school year. There is a critical component of school that […]
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I’m a Teacher and a Father,Here Are 10 Things My Younger Son Taught Me About Education
Isaiah, my second son, will celebrate his 2nd birthday on May 4. When he was born and I held him in my arms, I thought about all the things I had learned from his older brother. I went home a few days later and shared my thoughts with you all. Now two years later, a […]
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What I Miss Most:The Sound of Seventh Grade
Guest Writer: Tamara Sloan Ritchie–7th Grade ELA Teacher, Truman Middle School, Tacoma, WA Don’t get me wrong. I’m appreciating the quiet. Just before all this happened, I was starting to feel the crispy edges of burnout taking hold. I’d get to school and take a few deep breaths, clearing the morning fog and steeling myself […]