Oh July! How I love thee! The previous school year is in the rear-view mirror and thankfully getting smaller by the day. The next school year feels far off and gleefully removed; after all, a school year only becomes real when it has long enough tentacles to plant the birth pangs of stress in my […]
classroom
Advice For ESOL Teachers: Professional Development with "Speaking In Tongues"
The 2009 documentary Speaking In Tongues is a fascinating look at three bilingual programs in the San Francisco area school system. The film itself depicts the effects of learning and losing language for a variety of families over several generations. Although the film is six years old, the issues it raises are definitely still […]
Job Insecurity in Education
I have been teaching in a district that I love for twelve years, following two years doing long-term substituting and my student teaching. It was my first choice for where I wanted to get a contract. At the time, the high school I taught in was small enough that I easily knew all the kids in […]
What I Fear For my Students
We live a great nation. A nation where you can be whatever you want to be. I preach the American Dream in my classroom, I have to because I am an American Literature teacher. I love and believe in this country, but we are a country with problems. I teach at a poor, rural school […]
The Art of Teaching
Is teaching a science, a system, an art, or all of these? There are many pundits who will say it is a system and anyone who follows it can teach. As a former student of mine would say, “BZZZZZZ! Wrong answer!” A whabam system is only as good as the person who applies it and […]
Elementary Educators Can (and Should!) Celebrate LGBT Pride Month
June isn’t just the last month of school for many of us. It is also Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month. While teachers know teaching about diverse histories, cultures and identities should never be relegated to one month, I still welcome Hispanic Heritage Month, Black History Month, Women’s History Month and Asian and Pacific […]
A Letter To Educator's Friends & Family
Dear Spouse, Child, Parent, Grandparent, Family Member, Friend, and / or Neighbor, I wanted to thank you. Thank you for allowing us to borrow this awesome member of our community. They have a difficult job. They know that. I know that. I’m sure they’ve told you about it. The challenges. The frustrations. The students. The […]
What I Miss Over the Summer
At the end of the year, we are all “done.” Done with the kids, the administration, the testing, and even each other. The kids pushed us to a breaking point and we not only crossed it, but are holding on to the branch with only one hand. End of the year evaluations are coming in […]