Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! I sat in front of the computer, thinking about what I could come up with to keep my students engaged for this last week of school. The computer screen began to blur reminding me of the metaphorical “blur” of […]
covid teaching
Posted inOpinion
Behind the Mask: Returning to School in the Midst of a Pandemic
We got the kids back. So why is it still so hard to reach them? Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Like many educators, I was excited when we managed to reopen our little Washington DC charter school last August. As middle school principal, I’d […]
Posted inCOVID
What Are Your Qualifications to Be an Educator ?
Well, the time has come for me to emerge from my Hobbit hole and embrace a new adventure come this fall, so I have begun the arduous process of writing resumes, and answering job applications as I move back into the classroom. One such question presented a “what if” scenario that has had me thinking […]
Posted inOpinion
That’s Doctor to You: Toxic Sexism & Dr. Jill Biden
Thank you, Joseph Epstein, and The Wall Street Journal, for reminding us that sexism, elitism, and male mediocrity are alive and well. Just in case we had our heads in the protective sand for a moment, Epstein’s bloviation reminds us that America’s women, education systems, and educators, are devalued at every level. Hey, Dr. Kiddo […]
Posted inConfessions of a Teacher
4 Ways This Teacher Is Thankful
Teachers are constantly pushing. Pushing students to write better. Pushing them to read more challenging materials. Pushing them to make better arguments. Pushing them to practice their music. Then, when students master the task at hand, teachers find something else to improve. It’s implicit in the job. This constant drive to grow and be better […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
So, How Is [COVID] School Going?
I have fielded this question from family, friends, and neighbors. It is a simple question. I have been teaching social studies for over twenty-five years, so I should offer a concise answer. However, the question makes me stammer and equivocate. I find myself thinking and sometimes saying the following: “It’s weird.” “I hate every minute […]
Posted inConfessions of a Teacher
Accountability and Empathy: Where’s the Balance?
Accountability and Empathy: Where’s the Balance? Pandemic Adjustments I went into this year knowing online learning would be tough. I zoomed in with my equity lens and kept it sharply focused, ready to make adjustments wherever necessary to meet students’ needs. 2020 has been a stressful time for all of us and my students are […]
Posted inTeacher Self Care
Smile for the Camera: Adjusting to the New “Normal” in a COVID-19 Classroom
This year, teaching is lonely. Like many other districts across the country, we are teaching and learning online for the foreseeable future. I desperately want to be back in person with my students, but our national leadership is more concerned with political gain than American life. Wearing a mask is a political statement, cases aren’t […]