Share I, like most teachers I know, was very heavily influenced by the educators in my life. I have been lucky to have a great number of quality teachers while in school. However, I didn’t just draw inspiration from my own educational experience, or even real life. I was also inspired by a variety of…
Author: Andrew Pillow
Older Students Need Recess Too
Share My first year teaching, I really struggled a lot. Obviously, there are important skills a rookie teacher has to master, like pedagogy and behavior management, but it was also my first real, full-time job period and I found the general day to day to be a difficult transition. This was compounded by the…
The Summer Slide and How to Avoid It
It’s late June and by now most schools are out. For many students and families, this means a long break until the next school year begins. While that may sound like a good idea for homework weary students, that plan can cause adverse effects most notably, the summer slide. The summer slide “is the tendency…
Calling Students by Their Preferred Name Is Not Violating Your Freedom of Religion
There have been several high-profile conflicts between the LGBT community and the religious right. Whether it’s a religious baker refusing to create a cake for a gay wedding or a state clerk refusing to issue a marriage license for a gay couple, many people have taken issue with accommodating the rights of the LGBT community…
Getting Rid of Standardized Tests Is a Bad Idea
If you are a student in the American public-school system, then you have become familiar with the typical school year format. You learn as much as you can from August to April, then May is reserved for whatever that state’s particular standardized test is. Because of the accountability aspect of No Child Left Behind, there…
Betsy DeVos: Trump’s School Safety Commission Won’t Examine Role of Guns
So far in 2018, there have been 23 school shootings. That averages out to about one shooting every week. That number will likely remain stagnant as summer break approaches. However, the political pressure and movement to tackle the school violence issue once and for all has already begun with the catalyst being the Parkland, Florida…
IPS Leaders Reduce Referendum Ask from $200 to $52 Million
Three months ago, Indianapolis Public Schools made headlines by announcing their intention to ask taxpayers for $200 million. The potential referendum was met with skepticism and controversy. Today, IPS leaders are revising their initial request. Indianapolis Public Schools’ leadership has now significantly reduced their request to only $52 million. The money would come from a…
Betsy DeVos Somehow Addresses School Shootings Without Mentioning Guns
The country is coming off yet another school shooting. This time in Santa Fe, Texas where ten people were killed by a lone gunman with a shotgun and a revolver. That brings the country to a total of 23 school shootings in 2018, which is a little more than one per week. At the center…
Study: Students Learn Less When Their Teachers are Antagonistic or Mean
When you get a group of teachers together for a happy hour after work, the conversation inevitably turns into a contest of war stories and anecdotes. Many teachers pride themselves on “snappy comebacks” or “telling students off.” We typically justify these interactions with students as “giving them a taste of their own medicine” or “telling…
Star Athletes Leaving College Early Is Just Fine
The NFL draft has just past, and the NBA Draft deadline is approaching. Around this time of year, we typically see a deluge of think-pieces bemoaning the fact that superstar college football and basketball players decide to declare for the draft and leave school early. Hundreds of thousands of people feel the need and…