“Those who can teach. Those who can’t make laws about teaching.”This is a motto that makes its rounds around social media whenever a politician or philanthropist develops a plan that will not only cure schools of all the social ills in society, but will finally get teachers to do “their job”. As teachers, we chuckle […]
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Posted inTeacher Self Care, Teacher Self-Care Conference
More than a Warm Body: You Are Not Replaceable
There have been many, very important, conversations about teacher self-care lately. I am so glad this is happening, because I know I am one who suffers from spreading myself too thin while burning the candle at both ends! However, there is a constant refrain I hear from teachers who are trying to help people who […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
What Teachers Get Versus What They Need
I love being a teacher. I know it is my calling. It can be frustrating when you know what you need to be a successful teacher, but you receive something else. Here are a few things teachers get, versus what they really need. What teachers get: No professional development choice What teachers need: Self-selected professional […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
If You Want to Survive, Find Your Teacher Tribe
When you watch movies about high school, everyone falls into a group or has a label. Me, I was the blerd (black nerd) and the loner. I had a few friends and that was by choice, and most often I preferred to keep to myself and be alone. I maintained this behavior throughout college and […]
Posted inTeacher Self Care
Teachers, Don’t Spend All Summer in PD; Practice Some Self-Care
Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to travel to Atlanta, Georgia for the first time. My boys really love aquariums, so we had planned to travel to Atlanta at some point to visit the Georgia Aquarium. When I heard about the Teacher Self Care Conference taking place in Atlanta, it was an opportunity to […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
A School Boycott Isn’t the Way To End Gun Violence
On this suggested school boycott-let’s be serious. In The Atlantic, former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan suggested a massive nationwide school boycott to pressure our leaders into action to address gun violence. But a boycott of schools is not the way to pressure unwilling establishment leaders for better gun laws, and it is a shame that people considered to […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Turning The Page on Tragedy
My close friend and long-time colleague, Michelle, died three weeks ago. She was only forty years old. We shared thousands and thousands of students together over the past eighteen years. Her classroom is on the same floor as mine, just around the corner. We coached speech and debate together in our early twenties, created an […]
Posted inConfessions of a Teacher
10 Thoughts During a Failed Lesson
Thought 1: “I like this lesson” It might not be my best, but I’m satisfied with it. It’s educational. It’s collaborative. There’s some entertainment value. It certainly is important to their lives and what we’ve been previously talking about. It’ll be successful. Thought 2: “What the h*#%! is going on here?!” It doesn’t seem like […]