Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Early in my teaching career, I attended a challenging and eye-opening conference on Holocaust education hosted by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. I had taught Holocaust literature since the beginning of my career, anchoring most of my Holocaust units in […]
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Posted inSocial Studies
Why September 11, 2001 Needs To Be Mandated Curriculum
Many of my current sophomores were not alive on the day the world stopped turning. Most of my students are fifteen-years-old — these adolescents are the post-911 generation. They know no other reality than the war on terror. And yet, they know so little about the events of that tragic day. For example, when asked, […]
Posted inBack to School
Digging Into Learning: Using Archaeology in the Classroom
There are some subjects that fascinate us. Archaeology is one such subject. Archaeology can take us to Egypt and the tombs of the Pharaohs, or unravel the mysteries in our own backyards. Many people go through an archaeology phase, though few become archaeologists. Plus, everyone likes digging in the dirt. The Society for American Archaeology […]
Posted inOpinion
Yes, America: Civic Ignorance & Poisonous Politics Go Hand in Hand
As young Americans start back to school, it is a good time to note that most Americans are largely ignorant—ignorant of their heritage, ignorant of their Constitution, ignorant of what actually “unites” the United States of America. A variety of surveys from the past decade about Americans’ civic knowledge, or lack thereof, acts as a […]
Posted inAdult Learning
Civility in the Classroom and the Rise of American Fascism
Setting the Stage I am in a hotel room with three millennials: Grace, 24, Gabriel, 22, Glorie, 20. An argument is raging: How can I be civil with people who support evil? I know that’s harsh. Is your neighbor who voted for Trump evil? I’ll say no. But these young people are having none of it. […]
Posted inHow to Fix Education
In Defense of Standardized Testing: A Reflection
Standardized testing: just the thought of these assessments strikes terror in the hearts of teachers. If only our students cared as much about how they score on state-mandated tests. Most of the educational literature reflects a negative view of standardized testing, but they serve an important purpose in American education: to indicate teacher effectiveness through […]
Posted inAdult Learning
The Royal Wedding: Why Should We Care? One American Teacher’s Perspective
The news broke this morning: another school shooting, this time in Santa Fe, Texas. I don’t want to think about it. I don’t want to entertain the thought that this most recent massacre is the 22nd school shooting this year. I can’t bear to think that ten more families will be planning funerals and that […]
Posted inHistory
Wolfgang Köhler and the Fight for the Psychological Institute
We see hundreds of struggles in schools today. Some schools do not receive proper or adequate funding. Students are profiled and treated differently based on labels that society or previous teachers give them. Teachers turn to their administrators for help and receive no support. So, what do we do about it? How are we going […]