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, […]
Instruction & Curriculum
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 […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
5 Free Reading Apps for Parents to Utilize
Reading is fundamental-especially in the middle of a pandemic! We all know the importance of reading. With schools transitioning to virtual learning and public libraries being closed, it is critical to keep our students reading and knowing the tools we can use to help them stay engaged. Here are some apps and websites students can […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
The Case for Graphic Novels in the Classroom
Right now, the world is flooded with articles about teaching at home and adjusting to teaching during this global pandemic. This is not going to be one of those articles. Instead, this article is going to focus on graphic novels and their place in the classroom. To clarify, when I say “graphic novels,” I’m specifically […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Opinion
Take time for Yourself During Self-Isolation for COVID-19
In addition to being an educator, I am a poet. I started writing poetry over the last 2 years and I used it as a means of emotional survival; it’s a means of expressing myself, particularly during difficult moments. However, within the past year, my writing has become sporadic; I’ve found it more difficult to […]