By Diane Landis On the western edge of the San Joachin Valley lies the town of Cantua Creek. Its residents are Mexican farm laborers who live in camps. Their children are brought by bus to Cantua Creek Elementary School. Teaching second grade at Cantua Elementary was my first teaching job. […]
Education
Teacher’s Viral Note About Homework Has Parents Rethinking Tradition
Teacher Brandy Young’s students got a pleasant surprise this week when she posted a new policy about homework: As stated, Mrs. Young questions the value in sending kids home with worksheets. Instead, she encourages families to engage in nurturing activities which have been proven to boost academic performance. The response […]
School Policy Tells Parents Kids Must ‘Problem Solve’ On Their Own
A Catholic high school in Little Rock, Arkansas made waves when they posted a seemingly simple picture on their Facebook page. But it wasn’t the image itself which stirred up controversy; it was the image’s implied message. If your kid forgets something at home, tough freakin’ luck, because kids gotta […]
Summer Break? Not When Teachers Pile On Homework.
By Michele Fallon of My Ball of Wax Upon our return from a two-week Ireland vacation, I was greeted with a smiling sister-in-law, an excited dog and an enormous pile of mail. As I rummaged through the heap of advertisements, I came across a letter from my daughter’s middle school. […]
QUIZ: Are You Ready to Welcome Your Son Home from His First Year at College?
By Pam Lobley of pamlobley.com QUIZ: Are You Ready to Welcome Your Son Home from His First Year at College? You’ve missed him so much, and he’s had a great year. Now he’s coming home. Are you ready? You may think you are, but surprises lurk! Test your knowledge here. […]
Teacher vs. Stay-at-Home Mom: How Teaching and Parenting Are Alike
By Tiffany Sedberry of Write Handed Woman I’ve had several jobs in my time. None of them were as difficult as teaching or staying at home with my son. How can that be when teachers have a room full of kids and SAHMs may only have one? Going from the […]
Thank You: An Open Letter to My Children’s Teachers
By Gina Stout of Stage Too Every year I go through the same thing: excitement, worry, and hopefulness about the new school year. As the year goes on, I grow more and more attached as I learn more about those in the classroom. Then, as the school year comes to […]
25 Spanish Phrases My Duolingo App Thinks I Need
Learning a new language can be confusing. For example, I think there’s a conversation to be had about the fact that, in Spanish, estoy cansada means “I am tired” and estoy casada means “I am married.” I don’t know what the divorce rate is in Latin America, but I feel […]