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 […]
teacher effectiveness
Support in Schools is a Circle
There is a lot going on right now. Protests, a pandemic, and so much uncertainty. In the midst of everything, we are also finishing up a school year. A school year that highlighted how necessary the internet is for everyone. And has been full of uncertainty. For students, parents, and teachers, this spring has been […]
Opinion: Right Now Things Are Hard, But It’s Going to Be Fine
Right now, things are hard. Nothing feels fine, or normal. As we all know, teaching in person is different than teaching online. There are many things that we as educators are dealing with right now. How do we ensure that our students are learning, when there are some students without the ability to attend online […]
Dear Teacher Friends, It’s Time to Show More Empathy
It’s always wonderful when teachers from different parts of the world can come together and laugh, joke, complain, or cry about the same common things happening in our classrooms. “I’ll Wait.” “Where are all my pencils?” “This PD could’ve been an e-mail!” *Insert teacher on the way to break meme* Yes, we can all agree […]
This is Not the Teacher I Wanted To Be
“This is the not the teacher I wanted to be.” From time to time, I stand in front of my students, eyes filled with tears, while this thought repeats itself over and over again. I’m not sure when I first realized it, but once I did, there was no going back. I wake up every […]
Survival Mode on Auto Pilot
We’ve all been there. Survival Mode on Auto-Pilot. At some point in every teacher’s career, they experience a school district, school, or classroom that they realize isn’t going to change. They’ve made complaints, documented, changed classroom management systems, altered and differentiated the curriculum, and scheduled meeting after meeting, after meeting… yet nothing changes. It’s at […]
“Why Didn’t Anyone Help Me?” The Truth Behind Abused Teachers Who Took Matters Into Their Own Hands
When the articles pop up on my timeline, I’m quick to click the link to each and every article that looks or sounds like this: “Teacher assaults student” “Educator and student fights” “Teacher fired after brawl with student” What I find to be interesting is that many, if not all of the teachers involved in […]
#RealTalk Why We Haven’t Quit Teaching
Quit teaching: The past few articles I’ve written have been controversial. The craziest response I’ve received has been, “Wow! Can tell you are young and have a long way to go! In fact get out now! Your students and parents deserve it…” When I first read this response, my “irritated, frustrated, and over it” reaction […]