White Teachers, Our Whiteness Is Getting in Our Way

White Teachers, Our Whiteness Is Getting in Our Way

Since the murder of George Floyd, teacher leaders across America have sought to prove the necessity of antiracism in public education. And rightly so: from

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Why It's Time to Raise Hell About Reopening Schools

Why It’s Time to Raise Hell About Reopening Schools

This week, teachers all over the country are holding demonstrations protesting plans to re-open schools for in-person learning. Obviously, there’s heated d

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Districts Should Partner With Experienced Online Learning Providers and Save Us From a Train Wreck of a School Year

Districts Should Partner With Experienced Online Learning Providers and Save Us From a Train Wreck of a School Year

Last March, when so much of our lives moved from in-person work and learning to digital spaces, one group of students and teachers experienced continuity:

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Some Kids Need a Brick and Mortar School. I Know Because I Was One of Them.

Some Kids Need a Brick and Mortar School. I Know Because I Was One of Them.

The most terrifying and dangerous experiences I had as a child were at home. I am not alone. My mother battled demons and heard voices, including those tel

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No Justice for Kindergartners, Or Any Kids, This Year

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 stakeholde

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What If We Radically Reimagined the New School Year?

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 s

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Today Should Have Been Our First Day of School

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 grad

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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 alread

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Getting Pepper-Sprayed by School Police Shouldn’t Be a Part of My Job

I have only felt the terrible sting and discomfort of pepper spray one time, and that was when I was teaching and coaching teachers in the high school sett

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