You are sitting at your desk after a long Thursday, drinking your cold coffee. No, it’s not iced coffee; it’s just left over from this morning. You open your email and your stomach turns over. The subject line of the email says Parent Conference Scheduled, and it’s from your principal.” The email tells you that you […]
Opinion
Posted inOpinion
10 Things You Can Do Now that It’s Summer Break
Man, being a teacher is such a sweet gig. I mean, we get out of school at three o’clock every day, have our weekends free, have super-long vacations, and we get the summer off? Okay, so maybe all of that’s not true (most of that’s not true), but unless you’re at a year-round school, you still […]
Posted inFeatured
Damn You, Kid, For Making Me Cry
When the end of the year comes around, we teachers like to take that last snapshot of our classroom and the wonderful contents in it. Sometimes we get more than we bargain for; sometimes tears are shed. This is their story. And damn them for making me cry. [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” […]
Posted inOpinion
Take the Sham out of VAM
The selective and convenient use of VAM (valued added measures) by reform advocates, along with other statistics lingo, has helped to frost over the veritable turd cake of ill-conceived reform efforts and the lack of accountability in areas it’s sorely needed. It’s true that there is no excuse for giving up on the obligation to help children […]
Posted inOpinion
A Letter to First Day Families
You’ve enrolled at a new school! Excitement, nervousness, and anxiety towards the unknown start to kick in. Questions are filling your mind as you and your little one are headed to your first day of preschool. Stop, take a deep breath, and relax. For some, the transition to a new school is easy and takes little time at […]
Posted inHigh School, Interviews, Opinion, Principals' Corner, The Unemployed Teacher
Transition Time: Finding the Right School Fit Over Summer
Summer means leaving a school for greener pastures for many educators, but how is one to know if the new school is going to be better? Here’s a brief checklist I’ve used during interviews in years past to figure out whether a school is a possible home or a major flop: 1. Outlook and attitude […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
The Bathroom Battle Is Coming to Your School – Are You Ready?
When the U.S. Dept. of Education issued its “Dear Colleague Letter on Transgender Students,” it essentially asserted that transgender bathroom rights will be an issue that schools are expected to solve. This upcoming fall will no doubt make school bathrooms a boiling issue. Will you be ready for it? Schools have not been asked to take up a rights’ issue of this magnitude since Brown […]
Posted inOpinion
The Bathroom Issue– Me, Oh, My, What Shall We Do?
I have been an educator for over 20 years, but, first and foremost, I am a mother of two daughters. While they are grown now, heaven knows I still think of them as my little girls. As they were growing up, I always had a fear that someone would hurt them while my back was turned. […]