American democracy is at a crossroads. In November of this year, the American electorate will go to the polls to decide which party should control the Congress of the United States and set policy on the federal level. Majorities in many state legislatures and governorships across the nation will also be decided. As it stands […]
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Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Diverse Books to Read For Women’s History Month (K-5 Edition)
In 1987, Congress declared March as National Women’s History Month with loads of fanfare and every year since a special Presidential Proclamation is issued which honors the extraordinary achievements of women. However, how does that look in our classrooms? What books can we use to teach students about the extraordinary contributions of women in […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Barbie Doll Teachers: Is That What We Want?
Should teachers be politically androgynous? Barbie Dolls, besides lacking correct anatomy and proportions, perpetually smile-at everything. Their vapid expressions often connote brainlessness or at least ignorance. In essence, Barbie Dolls are passive, happy toys. For some Americans, the ideal image of a teacher is similar to that of a Barbie Doll: pleasant, non-confrontational, amusing, and […]
Posted inOpinion
Is The Moment of Death Different For a Teacher?
Some day—barring an unforeseen accident or circumstances beyond my comprehension—I will lay dying in my deathbed. I think about this a lot, probably too much. And I know it is macabre and slightly ghoulish to reflect on it as often as I do. I don’t mention this habit to my wife or friends. After all, […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
A Talk To Teachers: This School Year, Let’s “Go for Broke”
“We are in a revolutionary situation, no matter how unpopular that word has become in this country. The society in which we live is desperately menaced, not by Khrushchev, but from within. So any citizen of this country who figures himself as responsible-and particularly those of you who deal with the minds and hearts of […]
Posted inConfessions of a Teacher
Race-Based Silence is Violence
Look around your school. Who would be the person to talk to your students about race and how it affects minorities? Who would start the conversation about Alton Sterling or Philando Castille? If you cannot think of anyone, there is an issue. If you don’t think children need to discuss racially charged incidents, there is an […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
4 Unusual Gift Ideas For Teacher Appreciation Week
I walked into my classroom the first morning of Teacher Appreciation Week a bit groggy and bleary-eyed from a terrific weekend – a weekend not spent grading or lesson planning, but instead, spent taking long walks, baking, and digging in my garden. There’s nothing easy about teaching first period English in junior high school – […]
Posted inFeatured, Instructional Strategies, Social Justice
5 Ways Teachers Can Fight the Power
Reflections from the annual conference of New York Collective of Radical Educators Before I even sat down for my first workshop at the 2016 New York Collective of Radical Educators (NYCoRE) conference, I knew I would be leaving reinvigorated. The keynote speaker of the seventh annual NYCoRE conference, themed “Fight the Power” was Dr. Bettina […]