Ramadan Mubarak! The holy month of Ramadan begins in the next two weeks and lasts 30 days. During this month, which celebrates when the Quran was given to the Prophet and the people, devout Muslims refrain from eating, drinking water, and other activities from sunrise to sunset. At the high school I teach in, about a […]
Opinion
Struggling to Learn: How Decreasing SNAP Benefits Will Hurt Students
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! In the state that I teach in, one in three students depend on SNAP benefits for food. More than half of my state’s students come from low-income households. On a single teacher’s salary, my two children qualify for free […]
What COVID Could Have Taught Us
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! The three-year anniversary of the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic coincides with my birthday. I remember having a school potluck on that Friday, not knowing the very next day that we would be informed that we would not be […]
A Case for Memorization
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! The False Dichotomy of Memorization and “Higher-level Learning” I’ve noticed a trend in recent professional development sessions I’ve attended. There’s an uptick in the use of phrases like “higher-level learning” and “productive struggle.” Of course, all teachers want to […]
I’m an Education “Nepo Baby”
Nepotism Has Benefits for Teachers, Students, and Families Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! I’m in my 18th year of teaching. But I don’t know if I would be here without nepotism. It’s given me advantages in my educational career that I am so thankful […]
Healing Takes Time. Are Schools Ready to Commit It?
After a tragedy, no one is okay. Buffalo, NY is my hometown, and I still have family and friends who reside there. The day of the White supremacist mass shooting in Buffalo, it took two hours to get in touch with my mother. Imagine looking at your social media feed and finding out a grocery […]
Honor Mother Languages in Your Classroom
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! As a young girl, newly immigrated from Guatemala, I wondered whether my new teachers and classmates saw the real me -an individual with diverse thoughts, ideas, language, and culture. I felt alone and scared as I tried to overcome […]
Why Every Teacher Should Play De La Soul for Their Students
What De La Soul can teach Black students (and teachers) about breaking the status quo Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! I grew up listening to De La Soul. They are part of the landscape of my adolescence and young adult development. The trio from […]