Sparking Scientific Curiosity Through Relevance One of the problems with STEM education in the United States is its accessibility. Specifically, the inaccessibility gap between students from well-resourced schools and those without. Having AP course offerings, funding for lab materials, access to structured readiness programs, and even something as simple as an Algebra II class can […]
Opinion
Posted inPedagogy
Hang Up the Tattle Phone
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! We never thought we’d be Instagram teachers. But here we are, watching our ideas spread on online forums. Social media has given educators an accessible and user-friendly platform to share thoughts about all things education. Without proper funding, professional […]
Posted inPedagogy
Why I Threw Out My Science Textbook
Students need access to BIPOC and LGBTQ perspectives across content areas Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! “I wish every month was Black History month.” “Shut up about it already and get over it; it’s over, accept it and move on.” A year later, this […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
What Muslim Students Want Teachers to Know about Ramadan
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 […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
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 […]
Posted inOpinion
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 […]
Posted inOpinion
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 […]
Posted inOpinion
I’m an Education “Nepo Baby”: Nepotism has benefits in Education
Nepotism Has Benefits for Teachers, Students, and Families 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 for. I have spent my entire teaching career in the same district that hired me right […]