COVID-19
Today Should Have Been Our First Day of School
For 14 years I have taught math at the same high school. The entirety of my career—three thousand students, eighty classes, 13 preps, five rooms, four grade levels, two different buildings even—all...
COVID-19
What If We Radically Reimagined the New School Year?
Monday night I sat on my back patio staring up into a rare, starry Chicago night. I squinted and made out each point of The Big Dipper and then turned to see what I decided was Mars, twinkling in the...
equity
No Justice for Kindergartners, Or Any Kids, This Year
Cheltenham School District just released a letter to the community confirming that after months of internal and external discussions, surveys of stakeholders, and feedback from the board, this fall...
opportunity gap
Teachers, If You Haven't Been Giving a Damn About Your Students, We Definitely Don't Need You Now
Before I stroll into my routine of being a habitual line stepper, let me state my usual disclaimer. Educators, I love and appreciate y’all. I think you have one of the most difficult jobs in the...
activism
This Is a Perfect Time to Talk With Our Students About Social Injustice
The COVID-19 pandemic offers teachers a unique opportunity to capitalize on student empathy. Before the pandemic hit, millions of U.S. students were already in our classrooms experiencing challenges...
equity
It Will Take More Than a Name Change to Rid Your School of White Supremacy
There is a myriad of disparities and gaps that exist in our society, placing people of color at a disadvantage. We are seeing this play out in real-time with the COVID-19 pandemic, as the coronavirus...