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 voted against laws restricting the purchase […]
Education
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 down now. I can see […]
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 be counseled to work through […]
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, they ran out the doors […]
Screw You, School Absence Letter!
By Danielle Silverstein of Where the Eff is My Handbook? 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 […]
When Your Child Is Never the Honor Roll or Awards Recipient
By Kristin Eagen It’s the end of the first quarter and all the progress reports are in. All over my social media accounts I see moms and dads saying how proud they are of their children. They post pictures of their children’s progress report and the comments by the teacher about how hard working and […]
When I, the Teacher, Failed to Teach
By Angela Repke My twin brother and I grew up as athletes. In high school, the teenage girls and boys intermingled at the lunch tables during the week and around the kegs on the weekends. My brother tried to puff out his chest and protect me, but sexual harassment was normalcy. And as girls, our only […]
Survey Reports ‘Age of Trump’ Detrimentally Impacting Our Children and Schools
A UCLA survey of 1,535 teachers across the nation reveals startling — yet unsurprising — information about the social and emotional well-being of our nation’s children: they are fearful, anxious, and overly stressed in this, the ‘Age of Trump.’ The teachers, who were not self-selected participants but rather from schools across the nation with demographics […]