When I was in elementary school, I swear to you, the most work I ever did outside of class was remembering to bring my Valentine’s cards to school on the right day. And I feel like first grade consisted mostly of show and tell and learning to color between the […]
Education
The Funniest Tweets Celebrating National Grammar Day
National Grammar Day is here, also known as the day many people correct their friends and family under the guise of being celebratory. And while most people associate grammar and syntax with standard English, here’s a fun fact: non-standard dialects of English also have their own rules governing usage. (Don’t […]
Run
By Leah Richards “I had my backpack on my back, just in case I got shot in the back, it would go through my bookbag and my books, I just ran…” Masiel Baluja – Student: Stoneman Douglas High School – Source: CNN I will tell him to run. My son. […]
Arming Teachers? Is This an Episode of ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’?
As usual, after another one of our nation’s mass shootings (which seem to occur as frequently as the Kardashians procreate), the debates are fired up again. This time, more than ever, there seems to be a push to arm teachers. And since THE STATE OF FLORIDA just this past week […]
My Kid’s Probably Not Doing That Elementary School Homework, and I’m Not Sorry
Raise your hand if your elementary-aged kids come home with more homework than you ever did as a child. That’s a lot of hands. Now raise your hand if homework completion has become one of the most dreaded times of the evening with your family. OK, you can put them […]
Friends Call BS When School Demands Girl Cover Her Scars
Imagine if you suffered a brutal attack as a young teen. You survived, but you bore scars of your attacker up and down your arms. Perhaps you’d be ashamed or embarrassed. Or perhaps you’d see them as reminders of what you endured. As part of the healing process, you’d likely […]
While We Learned, They Died
While we explored how to analyze and discuss another writer’s argument, their hearts began racing and their fight-or-flight responses kicked in. While we quietly listened to classmates deliver their own presentations about the literature they had just studied, their hallways teemed with chaos. While we moved peacefully about our classroom, […]
Screw You, School Absence Letter!
Every year I face the same challenge as a mom. How do I balance school with everything else that is happening in my child’s life? How do I balance them being intrinsically tired, growing, and emotionally-complicated beings, with the pressures, long hours, and nonstop efforts involved with being a […]