Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! I didn’t want to become a runner. Sure, I participated in track for two years in high school. But saying that I ran track would be more than a little generous. It was more like I showed up for […]
effective teaching
Posted inFrom the Front Lines
Teaching Was Never Sustainable
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! I am approaching eight months since my last day as a teacher. I miss the excitement, joy, and challenges of working with young people. But, I’d be lying if I said I have any second thoughts about my decision to leave the classroom. […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Instructional Roadblocks? Shifts in Point-of-View Can Help Reveal Viable Solutions
Lauren Ewe The new year has begun, and we find ourselves gearing up for the second stretch of the school year. Many make resolutions, and educators often think about how to better tackle issues that have emerged since the start of school. January tends to be when teachers look to reel in their students and […]
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 inCurrent Events in Education
What Do We Make of All This? 10 Must-Read Research Articles on COVID & Schools
As we wade in the waters of COVID-19 and reopening our schools, here are some articles that give us evidence on what works and what doesn’t. Trauma: Trauma-Informed School Strategies During COVID-19 We all know schools are on the front lines of dealing with our collective trauma. This thorough guide from the National Child Traumatic […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Teaching with Integrity: “Politics” in English Class.
Reading the News One of the things I love most about teaching English is the broad range of source material I can pull from. I love lesson planning and I dislike being bored, so my teaching is constantly in flux. My students read novels, analyze popular song lyrics, write poetry, watch Ted Talks, and everything […]
Posted inDo The Work
Is it Time to Kill Mockingbird and Embrace Mercy?
Is it Time to Kill Mockingbird? Until recently, To Kill A Mockingbird was one of few classics I actually liked. I’ve usually pushed back against the canon, but I could get behind a story about a precocious young tomboy who helps her father fight against racial injustice. But, as I read it once again with […]
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 […]