Public school teachers in West Virginia have had enough. All 55 counties across the state of West Virginia have chosen to go on strike – together – to bring awareness and change to teacher’s health insurance benefits and salary. “The strike has put 20,000 teachers and 13,000 school service employees on the picket lines,” according […]
The State of Education
[Opinion] America’s Gun Problem: What Can Teachers Do?
It’s been a tough week. If you are a teacher, student or parent in an American public school, the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida that killed 17 people is just as upsetting as the mass shooting that came before it. Memories of the Las Vegas shooting, the Orlando Pulse shooting, San Bernardino, Virginia Tech, Aurora, […]
I Didn’t Sign Up To Be A Hero
I did not sign up to be a hero. No, that was not part of my plan. At least, not in the way that most people think of heroes. When most of us think of heroes, we think of warriors or people who put their lives on the line on a regular to protect others […]
The Financial Trials and Tribulations of Teaching
The contents of this article may seem obvious, but when I was a new teacher fresh out of college, no one went over the basics of living as an adult with me. My parents passed away shortly after I started my teaching career, and I had to learn these financial survival skills from the school […]
Black History Month and PBL: Ideas for Educators
As we enter February, 2018, schools across America will engage in activities celebrating Black History Month in the United States. There is a strong current in secondary education today where the goal is to move classroom activities away from teacher-centered activities toward “project-based learning” or PBL. This trend has specific criteria that ensure rigorous learning […]
The State of Our Union, The State of Our Schools
Year One. Friday, January 20, 2017, saw the inauguration of the 45th president of the United States of America. On January 25, 2017, I hesitantly pushed the publish button — sharing my thoughts with the internet with my first piece: “I am a Feminist, but I didn’t vote for Hillary Clinton.” Therefore, Trump’s ascendency and […]
The Pastor and the President: Race in the American Classroom Today
I am writing on the eve of Martin Luther King, Jr Day, 2018 not just as a social studies teacher, but as an American citizen. I am a pastor’s kid, so I grew up hearing the Christian message of loving one’s neighbor as oneself and to love mercy, do justice, and to walk humbly with […]
The Importance of Holocaust Education
History and government are central to the curriculum of a liberal education found in K-16 school systems. We teach these subjects to young people so that they can understand the world around them. These are critical disciplines as we prepare students to contribute to society in a meaningful way, and we engage students on these […]