Yesterday, the U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy Devos and President Donald Trump took a bold stand against school closures. After conducting decision-making meetings that supposedly included educators, students, and parents from around the country, each leader made their announcement. Devos stressed the idea that schools needed to be “fully operational” in the fall. She did […]
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Posted inCOVID-19
Everybody Has Lost Their Damn Mind Around the Reopening of Schools
As a teacher, I am expected in less than 16 days to leave my children at home and risk my life to teach high school math to a group of 150+ smiling (and sometimes snarky) 15 year-olds. I’m expected to accommodate students throughout the day in small groups, all while continually assessing their areas of […]
Posted inBack to School
Preparing to Teach in an Upside-down World
Preparing for this coming school year is a daunting task. This past spring was challenging. Many teachers were reminded just why we teach in the classroom, and not online. And while it may seem to be too early to be talking about back to school, I know I can’t be the only teacher who is […]
Posted inBack to School
2020: An Educator’s Summer of Waiting on COVID-19
When the 2020 Summer Olympics were postponed, I knew there would be a new event that would test the mettle of educators, students, parents, and other stakeholders in education. It’s trivia-based, and it has only one question. It’s called “What the hell happens in the fall?” COLLEGE What happens in college is as varied as […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Considering Opening Schools in the Fall? Think Students and Teachers First. Not Adults
What a crazy ride 2020 has been. At the beginning of this school year, I don’t think anyone would have thought that we would end like this. Seniors weren’t afforded the experience of attending prom or graduation. Fifth graders weren’t able to say goodbye to their primary teachers before going off to middle school. Eighth […]
Posted inOpinion
2020: The Year Education (Potentially) Got Better
Guest Writer: Rachel Harvey Recently, I’ve seen a lot of TikTok videos that paint the year 2020 as a sort of apocalypse. Picture this: years from now, when people mention those four digits in tandem, they’ll recall a montage of bad memories set to the sounds of melodramatic shuffle music. The word “moistly” will […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Opinion: Right Now Things Are Hard, But It’s Going to Be Fine
Right now, things are hard. Nothing feels fine, or normal. As we all know, teaching in person is different than teaching online. There are many things that we as educators are dealing with right now. How do we ensure that our students are learning, when there are some students without the ability to attend online […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
School Closures Are Hitting Preschools Hard
“Ugg. I HATE coronavirus! I just want to go to school and places!” proclaimed fellow TER writer Katie Sluiter’s young daughter. For a preschooler who loves seeing her friends, being with her teachers, gymnastics, and swimming, our current situation is quite the challenge. This is a reality that countless parents of preschool kids are facing […]