On Monday, February 9th, 2015, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner told the Chicago Tribute that he felt “government union bargaining and government union political activity are inextricably linked,” causing him to sign an Executive Order eliminating fair share policies for unions across the state. And for this, he is fundamentally wrong. Let’s explore a few questions to understand […]
Opinion
Posted inFeatured, Opinion
One Day: Imagine If You Could Teach But A Single Day
Imagine if you only had one day with your students: what would you say? What would you teach? Would you simply carry on as if tomorrow were as certain as a sunset, taking attendance, unwrapping lessons, following standards and grading exams? Or, more likely, are there things you want to tell your students that will […]
Posted inFeatured, Opinion
Enough is Enough: How to Know When to Pack it Up & Take a Break
“Are you working, Mommy?” my son asks me when I pull out my laptop. The crate that sits beside the couch has become my mobile office–full of papers to grade, books, data collection, and lesson plan ideas. My routine every weeknight has become this: stay at work until five-thirty, say goodnight to the cleaning lady […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, High School, Literacy, Opinion
The Queasy Mix on Social Media
I uploaded videos of my mother and her sisters to YouTube. Seated together on a sunny summer afternoon, four of seven sisters, they chat about family recipes and stories of their youth. I shared the clip this past summer on the popular video platform so my cousins could also enjoy watching their mothers and aunts. Now, I […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Featured, Opinion
Birth-Order In Our Classrooms: How It Affects Our Students
The other day I ran across a post on social media that read: “First-born: I made the rules. Second-born: I’m the reason there are rules. Third-born: What rules?” I had to laugh because as a mom with three under five years apart, my husband and I always joke about birth order, especially since we are […]
Posted inFeatured, Opinion
Why a Teacher Cannot have a Normal Life…
“Oh, you are a teacher? It must be so nice to have two months off. I have a normal job with only two weeks’ vacation.” We have all heard it. And to be honest, we are sick of it. Sure, we get summers “off.” I do not need to mention the workshops, lesson plans, and […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Opinion
Why Multicultural Education is the Answer
By Guest Writer Jennifer Healey After days of reading and watching various opinions and analyses of the recent attacks in Paris, I have concluded that the American public school system may well be our most important weapon in the fight against terrorism. When students are taught to respect differences and tolerate that which they […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Opinion
Dear Leaders: A Letter from a Teacher
Teachers have an untapped resource we have not been using. We have knowledge and experience and it is our responsibility to voice our concerns with leaders in our community, state and nation. What would happen if every teacher wrote to someone in power? What if you stopped what you were doing right now and wrote […]