The school year is exhausting. Teachers put so much effort into their day to day interactions with students, but also into their PLCs, curriculum, and interactions with administration and parents. When summer break finally rolls around, there are some things we simply do not want to hear until August. “You’re so lucky to ______” This […]
Opinion
Posted inLGBTQ+
Why We Need LGBTQ+ Inclusive Classrooms
The PBS Kids show “Arthur,” which began in 1996, recently aired an episode in which Arthur’s teacher, Mr. Ratburn, marries his partner who turns out to be a man. Although this isn’t the first children’s program with openly gay characters, it got me thinking: if there are increasing numbers of LGBTQ+ characters in children’s television, […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
MCAS Whitehead Test Prompt-What Were They Thinking?
Lawyers often quote the adage, “Never ask a witness a question unless you know the answer.” That wisdom should have been shared with officials from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) who were forced to remove a test prompt question from the 2019 state standardized test because of complaints by Boston school […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
What Teacher Choice in PD Should Look Like
We all know how it feels to attend a half-hearted PD session we don’t think will be useful in our classrooms. Maybe it’s the content that feels irrelevant or the structure of the session. Whatever the cause, teachers are tired of attending PD that doesn’t fit our personal needs or the needs of our school […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
A Delusional Parent Tried to Sue Me
Teachers are well versed in the helicopter parent. The helicopter parent hovers at all times picking at small things, meddling, and is generally over-involved. They will usually try to solve each and every small problem their kid encounters by asking the teacher to get involved or blaming the problem on the teacher. This new type […]
Posted inCollege and Career
Activists Are Needed in Education
The year: 1980 Activists in education are needed now more than ever. I was thirteen years old when I saw this coming. A smug ex-actor with Brylcreemed hair dropped a condescending line in a presidential debate. That isn’t a big deal by itself, especially when you consider how low the presidential decency bar currently is. […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
Your Students and Video Games: Adult Supervision Required
It’s important for students to be well-rested and prepared for each day of learning, but video games and excessive screen time can make getting that rest a challenge. It’s hard to avoid screen time these days. Cell phones and computers are ever more present in our daily routines. Some restaurants even take your order on […]
Posted inCharter Schools
The Importance of Public Schools
Public schools are a cornerstone of our communities, and help to shore up our society as a whole. Public Schools Week 2019 (March 25th to 29th) is seeking to spread that love and say it proudly. The week is almost over, but that’s no reason to either forget how important our schools are or that […]