Teaching
4 Tips for Parents to Get the Most out of Parent-Teacher Conferences
Many schools are preparing for their first conferences with parents. Unlike Back-to-School Night where parents receive general information about the school, a conference with your child’s teacher is...
Parents
These Parent-Teacher Conferences Are Harder to Get Into Than a Jimmy Buffett Concert
First, a 30-minute student-led parent-teacher conference with one child’s homeroom teacher. Then, six five-minute conferences with another son’s individual subject teachers. And lastly, a 10-minute...
Politics
We Can Support Our Teachers and Still Call B.S. on This Chicago Strike
You know what? It’s a real shame that people can’t seem to separate politics from public service. Because if one more person comes on one of my social media pages trying to argue down my stance on...
bias
White Students Can Fight for Racial Justice, But Only If Teachers Are Willing to Give Them the Tools
[pullquote position="right"]Our students want to know more than we are telling them.[/pullquote] I teach a class in which my predominantly White juniors and seniors teach all of the predominantly...
student achievement
As the U.S. Department of Education Turns 40, the Real Battleground for Kids Lies in the States
This week marks the 40th anniversary of President Jimmy Carter signing the legislation that authorized him to create the U.S. Department of Education (ED). In light of this occasion, you might expect...
Teaching
Your Voice Matters. Your Students Need You. Speak Up.
I had a classroom with three walls when I first started teaching. A bookshelf separated my classroom from the neighboring one. My students ranged from 14- to 18-years-old—and I was 21. Things were...