Like many states around the country, Maryland has struggled with the decisions about how and when to reopen schools. Last Thursday, January 21st, Maryland’s Governor Larry Hogan made clear that schools in Maryland would reopen by March 1st. Like a playground bully, Hogan threatened anyone seeking to resist his orders. He implied a willingness to […]
COVID-19
Posted inCOVID-19
Mrs. Kramer’s 1970’s Childhood Challenge
Guest Writer: Kristina Kramer After 30 years of teaching and 14 years of being a parent, it wasn’t the books, the courses, or the counseling that would so clearly encapsulate the purpose of my job as an educator and mom. It would be a 30-second video clip of a 10-year-old boy on a bike that […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
How Covid-19 Has Changed Public Education Forever, But Not Everyone Has Gotten the Memo
There was no way to know precisely how the world would change when the novel virus Covid-19 began to take hold globally. Economies were shut down, many people lost their jobs, people got sick, people died, national lockdowns went into effect, and schools closed three months early in March 2020. Common Core is no Longer […]
Posted inFrom the Front Lines
Using Rituals to Survive Remote Learning
Early in the pandemic I found myself preparing for Passover at home. I would not be traveling home to celebrate the Jewish festival of freedom with my family this year. I was profoundly sad to celebrate this holiday at home alone. But at the same time I found enormous comfort and strength in preparing to […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Teaching During a Global Pandemic: Addressing Hunger, Homelessness, Abuse, Neglect, and Equity in Education.
Never before has education been so uncertain and inconsistent in the states. Schools have always varied in their effectiveness, equity, and opportunity in every state and every county. This year, however, every school experience will look different, and every child will struggle with different things. Pressure mounts for parents to provide their child with expensive […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
America’s Reckoning: How Will Teachers Go Into Their Classrooms Tomorrow?
“How do we teach kids about this tomorrow?” This seems to be the question every American social studies teacher is asking themselves this evening, clutching the notion of the American republic in their hands like a broken teacup. As America continues to be ripped in two from its seams to its soul, we have, over […]
Posted inResponsive Classroom
Flip That Frown Upside Down – Teaching Like a Stoic
A neighbor complains every time it snows. It doesn’t matter if it’s a feathery amount or a foot — to him, the impediment of snow is too much to handle. He hates the shoveling. He hates the noise of the snowblowers. He hates driving in it. He hates the cold. He hates teleworking. The list […]
Posted inCOVID-19
The Late Work Policy Debate in the Midst of COVID-19
In 1987, my husband and I moved back to our hometown to care for my parents. Long story short, my mom had cancer that kept showing up in different places and eventually she passed away a few weeks after scans revealed cancer had moved to her lungs. I had also returned to school to finish […]