I walk up the stairs trying to find the new weight room, the location of our school’s “rapid” Covid-19 testing area. My nose swabbed by a woman donned in full personal protection equipment makes me think of a scene from a dystopian movie. As I exit, I see one of my students arrive with what […]
Pandemic
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
All the Things We Lose to Standardized Testing…Even During a Pandemic
While many debates on whether or not standardized testing should be a part of the 2020-2021 school year, I (and many other educators) are still wondering why it exists at all. Don’t get me wrong, I see value in data and tracking student progress. However, I absolutely do not see value in billion-dollar testing companies, […]
Posted inCOVID-19
It Takes More Than a Pandemic To Stop A Good Teacher
By Courtney Thomas I was once the conductor of an orchestra. The classroom was my concert hall. What I love most about teaching is the shared moment of discovery, especially when it builds into a crescendo. To me, the classroom feels like an orchestra of conversation, motion, and creativity. Maybe it was the fact I […]
Posted inFrom the Front Lines
Before a New School Year Begins, We Must Grieve
I was walking with a teacher friend this weekend and discussing the uncertainty of the next school year. “I want to sit on the rug with all of my students on the first day of school,” I said. “I want to read our first day of school read aloud.” The image practically brought tears to […]
Posted inCOVID-19
Let the Pandemic be the Mother of Innovation in Schools
The school year is winding down and the states are opening up. Some people are wondering how this summer is going to shape up. Will we be traveling? Having backyard barbecues? Going to the beach? Will we see a resurgence of COVID 19? Educators (and parents), however, are looking toward the fall. Will schools reopen? […]
Posted inOpinion
2020: The Year Education (Potentially) Got Better
Guest Writer: Rachel Harvey Recently, I’ve seen a lot of TikTok videos that paint the year 2020 as a sort of apocalypse. Picture this: years from now, when people mention those four digits in tandem, they’ll recall a montage of bad memories set to the sounds of melodramatic shuffle music. The word “moistly” will […]
Posted inCOVID
Teacher Perspectives of Educating K-12 Students During a Pandemic
Guest Writer: Courtney Mathews States across the country have shut down public and private schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This has resulted in parents having to manage their child’s schoolwork overnight. While the majority of teachers had to shift their instruction to meet distance learning standards. Some districts have been distance learning since the […]