Teachers around the world are missing their students. We miss being in the classroom and getting to connect with real students in real-time. Every district has its own plan for when they will return to classes and some are even going back sooner rather than later. But what do we do during this time to […]
COVID-19
Posted inCOVID-19
Dear Teachers of the Arts: The World Still Needs You
Guest Writer: Caitlin Conklin Dear Arts Teachers, At this point in time, my guess is that you’re feeling a bit discouraged by the remote learning experience we are finding ourselves in. For many of us, the magic in our content comes from true human interaction. Art is made for and with others, and, try as […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Urban Districts Warn That 275,000 Teacher Jobs Could Be At Risk Due to COVID-19
In an unprecedented move, the Council of Greater City schools drafted a letter asking Congress for emergency funding of $200+ billion for the upcoming school year. Without this aid, the group says that an estimated 275,000 teachers may lose their jobs due to a combined loss in state and local revenues in large, city school […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Up At Night, Thinking of My Students’ Well-Being – Here’s Why, and What We Can Do About It
I have a confession to make: since school doors have closed and education has moved online, I have slept terribly. Insomnia arouses my slumber around 2 or 3 a.m., and I tend to look at the ceiling for an hour before trodding downstairs for my first cup of coffee. What’s cajoling this 8th-grade teacher into […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
The New Normal: Teaching is as it Should Be
Here we go again. Many people are struggling with the new normal surrounding education and COVID-19. The kids have too much work. The teachers aren’t doing enough. It’s all busywork. Can you believe there are 5 live class meetings each week? Can you believe there is only 1 live meeting a week? How will students […]
Posted inOpinion
Education is Political and Governor DeSantis Is Playing a Dangerous Game
Guest Writer: Tamara Russell Education is political. This is an inescapable fact. Here in Florida, we are seeing a resurgence of public interest in how decisions get made around education. Let me tell you who is not getting asked about a darn thing: teachers. No one asked us if we thought it would be ‘normal’ […]
Posted inInstructional Strategies
Teaching from Home Part 2: Using Google Classroom to Stay Semi Connected
Less control brings a demand for the extra effort. In Chapter 1 of Teaching from Home imaginary book, I start by saying: Being away from the students has made the job more difficult. Teaching from home pushes challenges that normally exist in the spotlight. How do I reach the hardest to reach students? How do […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
How do we Support Students Who Are At-Risk During COVID-19?
It’s been my first week of teaching online and it’s been an interesting experience. In addition to being stressed out by having to quickly change all my lesson plans, and readjust my overall trajectory for the rest of the school year, I’ve been very anxious for my students. As a 25-year-old-year-old teacher, this has been […]