It’s a funny appeal that lacks this basic knowledge. No one makes a bi-weekly donation directly to FEA. So why does the email target FEA and not the locals?
Read MoreAfter 18 months of a pandemic, even when they aren’t infected with disease, children still are suffering tremendously from the effects of Covid-19.
Adolescents are dealing with higher rates of anxiety, depression, stress, and addictive internet behaviors.
Several billionaires have been spending large amounts of money for three decades to advance the growth of charter schools in America. Today, fortunately, they are seeing some resistance to the non-stop expansion.
Read MoreThroughout the years I have taught my kids to advocate for what is important to them and has made a difference in their lives. DE and Intro students are family. We are a unique community. We have the commonality of being challenged and coming out the other side as winners. We make a difference.
Read MoreBut right now, it would really help it the parents and community would understand that teachers are not your enemy. We are here for our students. Work with us. Not against us. Quit assuming things. Talk to us.
Read MoreOne little girl broke my heart to pieces today with her response when she realized she was singing and shouldn’t be. Isn’t that just absolutely backwards?!! The shock in her eyes as she realized, stopped singing and began humming was simply and beautifully painful for me to witness.
Read MoreUse your voice, teacher friends. Ask questions. Be a pain in the ass. Don't go along with unrealistic or unneccessary rules from your district. And for the love of everything, DON'T WORK OUTSIDE OF CONTRACTUAL HOURS. If you can't get something done in the time you've been paid to do it, then what they are asking of you is unrealistic or unfair, and they're abusing you. Don't be afraid to say as much.
Read MoreThe hype of computer-based education is that it can customize its offerings to every child, assessing their unique needs and delivering exactly what they need to maintain their educational progress.
Read MoreThis past week, GOT has been involved in putting students through a retake test for Algebra 1, for which students must earn a pass or they will not receive a diploma. As usually happens, someone decided right before this crucial computer test to change something. The software broke and chaos ensued as we spent hours reconnecting student laptops to all the needed networks so they could access the testing platform.
Read MoreLesson plans are a complete waste of time. There. I said it. Few demands get under the skin of classroom teachers more than being told to hand in detailed lesson plans. It’s not that teachers don’t need to plan. Planning is an essential part of the job.
Read MoreWhile Florida has yet not put all their effort into raising test scores (they probably don’t have to–read on,) GOT knows that the test grind goes on, hand-in-hand with the pandemic and, unlike past years, there will be no waivers.
Read MoreVanderbilt Professor Joanne Golann recently published Scripting the Moves. It is a book which expands on her research into no-excuses charter schools. Beginning in March of 2012, Golann spent 18-months doing an ethnographic study of a representative school employing the no-excuses approach. She discovered many unintended consequences.
The federal government has not taken enough action to keep people safe. State governments have not taken enough action – and some have even taken action to prevent safety.
Read MoreSeen is the debut novel by Julie Delegal, a well-known writer and social justice advocate who lives in Jacksonville, Florida.
Read MoreThe school where I teach has hardly any social distancing, and frankly we can’t have in-person school without more classrooms, more teachers, more space.
Read MoreSchools should provide meals for all children. The wealthy, those with high incomes, can do their part by paying more taxes to support schools. Postscript: As an added bonus, the pandemic-brought federal funding of a free lunch for any child who needs or wants one has brought the end of lunch-shaming. Isn’t that a good thing?
Read MoreCritical Analysis can influence how teachers and policy makers choose what they teach and how they teach it, or determine what policies are most fair, but it is not a good choice for direct K-12 instruction because it requires understanding words like structural determinism, epistemology, and deconstructionism- among a lot of other philosophical and critical analysis terms.
Read MoreThe August 19th headline in the Saint-Louis Post Dispatch reported a new plan “sparks school board outrage.”The board accused Better Futures STL of trying to usurp its role. Better Futures soon cancelled the launch of its new program and Superintendent Kelvin Adams apologized for not sharing the extent of his involvement in a plan described as “a new St. Louis education blueprint that serves all children.”
Read MoreIt’s not like we’re talking about two equal sides here. This is people who believe the overwhelming scientific majority vs. those who get their answers from YouTube videos and political figures. It’s doctors, researchers and immunologists vs. conspiracy theorists, internet trolls and the MyPillow guy.
Until we can vaccinate all students and school staff, prudence says conduct on-line school. Even with the delta variant younger children appear not to be quite as susceptible, it might be safe to bring them into schools if everyone is masked and ventilation is up to par. Until we get all students over 12 and all staff vaccinated, we must use common sense which means stop face to face school.