At My Breaking Point: One Educator Reflects This year has pushed so many educators to their breaking points. One of the most passionate, creative, and loving teachers I know very nearly quit her job. She’s an English Language Arts and reading specialist at a Title 1 middle school in a rural, coastal town in Washington. […]
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Posted inDo The Work
Stoicism and Project-Based Learning: How an Ancient Philosophy Changed my Teaching Methods
Brian Francis Smith is an educator, author, podcaster, husband, and father of two middle school-aged daughters. He is in his 19th year of teaching English at Cheltenham High School, a public school outside of Philadelphia. Brian is the author of two novels and has taught creative writing at the Philadelphia Writers’ Conference. He currently teaches […]
Posted inFeatured
Black Square Boxes: Affirming the Identity of Students During a Pandemic
Michele Lamons-Raiford is a hearing American Sign Language (ASL) teacher at Pinole Valley High School in the West Contra Costa Unified School District. She has been a High School teacher for the past nineteen years, previously teaching all levels of English, as well as an Adjunct English Instructor at Solano Community College for the past […]
Posted inHow to Fix Education
Abusing Teachers is Normal: Normal is the Problem
“When we get back to normal” is the attitude helping people see through the difficulty that has been the COVID-19 pandemic. [bctt tweet=”Abusing teachers is normal. Normal is not a destination worth seeking.” username=””] “Mental health” and “work-life balance” are the in-vogue phrases that are used to tell teachers to take care of themselves. Meanwhile, […]
Posted inHigh School
Pronouns: The Least We Can Do for Students Who Identify As Transgender or Non-Binary
Discomfort For Solidarity In a recent staff equity meeting, the concept of staff responsibility in gender pronouns came up. It seemed that everyone there had at least one student who used pronouns that didn’t necessarily align with the sex they were assigned at birth. And, they all fully supported the importance of honoring student’s pronouns […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Sign the Petition to Suspend/Waive Standardized Tests in 2021!
I cannot believe I’m saying this, but teachers have begun proctoring standardized tests, and many more will do so in the coming months. This Presidents’ Day, I am sending this petition to President Joe Biden and other government leaders of education. Please support by signing and sharing with others. American K-12 students should be granted a waiver […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Teachers Gave All They Had And That Wasn’t Enough
Teachers gave you everything they owed you and more. And it wasn’t enough. Many educators will tell you they have a love/hate relationship with their work. We love working with children and helping to shape the next generation. However, being a teacher is, at times, being in a constant state of rage and being gaslit. […]
Posted inCOVID-19
Being There For Our Students During a Pandemic
In 17 years of teaching, I shudder to think of the number of essays, poems, and stories I’ve read or graded. It is part of the territory I suppose. The majority of the time, the pieces are normal. Then, there are those that make one’s blood run cold. I honestly do not remember the topic […]