Jason in my 2nd-period class can’t read. He decodes one-syllable words alright, but anything more, he won’t get. Maureen in period 10, she can read. Ask her a question about what she just read and she will stare blankly back at you. Javier is in my 5th period, I’m not sure about hi. He has […]
Instruction & Curriculum
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Up At Night, Thinking of My Students’ Well-Being – Here’s Why, and What We Can Do About It
I have a confession to make: since school doors have closed and education has moved online, I have slept terribly. Insomnia arouses my slumber around 2 or 3 a.m., and I tend to look at the ceiling for an hour before trodding downstairs for my first cup of coffee. What’s cajoling this 8th-grade teacher into […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
The New Normal: Teaching is as it Should Be
Here we go again. Many people are struggling with the new normal surrounding education and COVID-19. The kids have too much work. The teachers aren’t doing enough. It’s all busywork. Can you believe there are 5 live class meetings each week? Can you believe there is only 1 live meeting a week? How will students […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Teaching with a mask on: How does a corona school function?
25,327 deaths. 579, 005 infections. 16.9 million unemployment claims. $1200 stimulus check. 124,000 schools closed. 55 million students impacted. Thirty-five million COVID-19 tests needed—every day. The numbers are staggering. The grief is real and relentless. Our collective losses, although significant, are dwarfed by a terrible state of limbo. When will the country re-open? How will the country re-open? Of course, […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
New York City Schools Are Closed. Now What?
We pride ourselves on toughness in New York City. Part of this identity has been the rareness of school closures. Arguing with the mayor about snow days we didn’t get is an annual ritual for New York City public school teachers and families (before climate change at least). So, the decision to close our schools […]
Posted inInstructional Strategies
Teaching from Home Part 2: Using Google Classroom to Stay Semi Connected
Less control brings a demand for the extra effort. In Chapter 1 of Teaching from Home imaginary book, I start by saying: Being away from the students has made the job more difficult. Teaching from home pushes challenges that normally exist in the spotlight. How do I reach the hardest to reach students? How do […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
How do we Support Students Who Are At-Risk During COVID-19?
It’s been my first week of teaching online and it’s been an interesting experience. In addition to being stressed out by having to quickly change all my lesson plans, and readjust my overall trajectory for the rest of the school year, I’ve been very anxious for my students. As a 25-year-old-year-old teacher, this has been […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
5 Unexpected Benefits of Remote Teaching
On March 23rd, New York City’s 75,000 teachers and 1 million-plus students embarked on a “Herculean” challenge: remote learning. It has been a difficult experience so far, and one that has shed fresh light on gaping inequities in our city’s school system. Many of my students had no access to the internet for the first […]