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 […]
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Posted inBook Review
Poverty by America, An Educator’s Review
The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Evicted, Matthew Desmond, is out with a new book, Poverty by America that speaks to the problem of poverty, the heartbreaking reasons why it persists, and what can be done to solve it. Desmond explains that “Poverty isn’t a line. It’s a tight knot of social maladies. It is connected […]
Posted inOpinion
From Tennessee to Your Classroom, Amplify Student Voices
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Like many, I was captivated by the story of the expulsion of two Democratic lawmakers in Tennessee. I was drawn in by the righteous and justifiable indignation, the engaging call to action, and I listened intently to the powerful voices […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
From the U.S. to Brazil, Educators Must Confront Far-Right Extremism
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! The scenes are familiar – protestors wearing national colors, pushing down barricades, beating police officers. Government buildings broken into, offices ransacked, and national symbols desecrated. It sounds like a scene from the far-right attack on the U.S. Capitol two […]
Posted inOpinion
As Gun Violence, School Shootings, and False Alarms Surge, Here’s What Educators Can Do
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Lockdown My 7th grader hid in her dark science classroom for two hours, huddled together with her friends. Several of them were crying. She was doing her best to console them. She said she heard slamming doors and running […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Why U.S. Students Need to Learn About the Iranian Uprisings
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! On September 16, Iran’s Guidance Patrol (religious morality police) detained 22-year-old Mahsa Amini for wearing her hijab too loosely. Her “improper hijab” violated Islamic mandate and landed her in a police van, where several eyewitnesses say she was severely beaten. She was then […]
Posted inParents
We Need to Talk: Family Communication Strategies for Educators of Color
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Imagine being a Black Teacher of the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing, and a family member of a student walks in distrustful of you – without cause. Immediately they demand to know if you know American Sign Language (ASL), request your […]
Posted inOpinion
School Spirit: The Case for Spiritual Education in Public Schools
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Does Spirituality Belong in Public Schools? In 1993, my high school graduation ceremony took an unexpected turn when our student body president led the football stadium audience in an impromptu prayer to Jesus Christ. This was a public school, […]