Amidst the growing mental health crisis engulfing both our students and society, Stephanie Malia Krauss has written the book teachers have been asking for. Whole Child, Whole Life: 10 Ways to Help Kids Live, Learn and Strive is a 296-page mental health toolkit written to help teachers meet the diverse needs of each child. […]
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From Discussion to Instruction: The Mental Health Paradox in Public Education
By Jessica Lyons There seems to be a paradox in public education regarding helping students cope with mental health issues. On the one hand, the federal government is pushing to fund more resources for mental health services. In the past few months, the federal government allocated $188 million to increase access to school-based mental health […]
Teaching Writing to Secondary Students is Hard, But It’s Necessary
During my first year of teaching, I had a brilliant student named Joshua*. Joshua was a Junior who was wise beyond his years. He loved to talk about books. He loved to debate different topics in class. However, it wasn’t until we read the cult favorite, The Color Purple, during the first nine weeks when […]
Want to Keep Special Education Teachers? Try Mentorship
“[O]ne of the most vital ways we sustain ourselves is by building communities of resistance, places where we know we are not alone.” -bell hooks Isolation island seems to be the name of the game when you enter into the special education profession. It’s often a sink or swim mentality which results in teacher retention […]
Why We Need More “Black Ms. Frizzles”
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! When I started teaching in the U.S. in 2018, I had a student, let’s call him ‘Eddie,’ who was unbelievably quirky, to say the least. In class, he always tucked in his shirt, speed-walked everywhere, was always on the […]
I Just Want to Live and Teach
My Colleague and Friend is Immunocompromised Imagine wearing a mask for COVID-19 protection in school when everyone else has decided they are no longer needed. You wear protective latex gloves, your hands are dry, sore, and severely chapped from overwashing, and you fear for your life as you enter the classroom each day. Well, this […]
Be a Teacher Who Votes
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! I recently learned a new statistic that deeply surprised me: In the past three midterm elections, 33% of the teachers in my state’s union did not vote. Although this generally matches or beats the state-wide voter turnout trends – 64% of […]
The Solution to Burnout is Solidarity
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! In Minnesota, nurses recently ended a three-day strike. They’re highly trained professionals, mostly women, who are tired of being underpaid and overworked. Sound familiar? Educators know this experience all too well. In recent weeks, the “teacher shortage crisis” has loomed […]