Last year I revisited James Baldwin’s “A Talk to Teachers” before starting the school year. I encouraged myself and other teachers committed to social justice to “go for broke.” I did lots of work I felt proud of in our classroom last year, working with our 5th graders to understand, analyze, and combat racism. They culminated […]
Opinion
Posted inOpinion
Teacher Bashers: The Absolute Worst Human Beings on the Planet
“Those who can teach. Those who can’t make laws about teaching.”This is a motto that makes its rounds around social media whenever a politician or philanthropist develops a plan that will not only cure schools of all the social ills in society, but will finally get teachers to do “their job”. As teachers, we chuckle […]
Posted inTeacher Self Care
Social Media: Should You Friend and Follow Your Colleagues?
I’m 35 years old and I have seen social media evolve for better and for worse. Back in the day, my first social media accounts were My Space, Black Planet, and Facebook. I didn’t use My Space or Black Planet long, but Black Planet, a social networking site for black people, served its purpose because […]
Posted inOpinion
The SEVEN SECRETS to a Successful Senior Year
Dear Senior High School Students of America: Congratulations! You made it. You are finally at the top of the heap. Enjoy it because it won’t last long. You will blink and your fall finals will be upon you. You will blink again and you will be sitting in graduation gowns walking across the stage. Blink […]
Posted inHow to Fix Education
Take One For the Team: The Need for Self-Care
In the wee hours of this morning, another of my 24-year-old son’s friends killed himself. I say another because the first one was about a year ago. Two close friends in two years. Here at The Educator’s Room, we constantly talk about self-care. We constantly are saying how important it is to take care of ourselves […]
Posted inAdult Learning
The New Teacher Smell
I love to see new teachers join our ranks. In a profession that is being left behind to make more money working at the local 7-11, it’s still good to see fresh faces believing in what we do. The teachers fresh from student teaching, wearing their classroom key around their neck like a badge of […]
Posted inOpinion
Yes, America: Civic Ignorance & Poisonous Politics Go Hand in Hand
As young Americans start back to school, it is a good time to note that most Americans are largely ignorant—ignorant of their heritage, ignorant of their Constitution, ignorant of what actually “unites” the United States of America. A variety of surveys from the past decade about Americans’ civic knowledge, or lack thereof, acts as a […]
Posted inConfessions of a Teacher
On Being Radicalized: A Teacher’s Struggle
My whole life I have wondered how people become radicalized. What prompts someone to follow what started as logical beliefs to a dangerous extreme? It has always seemed so irrational to me. Now, I think I get it. The current political climate is testing me, radicalizing me, despite my best efforts to the contrary. There […]