Running for school board used to be a good way to get your feet wet in the event that you ever wanted to run for a “real” office. Seats, especially in smaller districts were typically relatively easy to win. Parents are notoriously inattentive to their children’s education so if you managed to snag one you…
Author: Andrew Pillow
Having Just One Black Teacher Can Change a Life
Black people are significantly underrepresented in the education profession. Nationally, only about 7% of all public-school teachers are black. This means that a student has a significant chance of going through school without having one at all. I was lucky enough to go to a school where I had a few Black teachers. They weren’t always my…
Fair or Foul: School Mask Mandates
States are seeing a resurgence of COVID-19 specifically the delta variant. Preliminary research indicates that this version of COVID-19 may be even more contagious, so it makes sense that as kids return to school cases would spike. Since returning to remote learning seems unlikely at this point, many people are questioning what to do. As…
Bishop Sycamore Is Actually a Good Representation of High School Athletics
The other night a “school” called Bishop Sycamore played national football powerhouse, IMG Academy. At the time, Bishop Sycamore was claiming to be a big-time football school as well. ESPN televised the game between the two seemingly top tier programs. It has since come out not only is Bishop Sycamore not a “big-time football school”…
COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories Are an Indictment on the US Educational System
As COVID-19 continues to rage on and even evolve so too does the misinformation associated with it. Granted there are still concepts we do not know. However, there is plenty we do know for a fact and in today’s climate even those things are being questioned. I have recently realized that I am on the…
Will Schools Return to Remote Learning?
Coronavirus has not ridden quietly into the sunset as many people had hoped and even predicted. The scourge of 2020 is still alive and kicking in 2021 and appears to be evolving. Some would argue the Delta Variant of COVID-19 is even worse than the original, particularly for children. Early research says this particular brand…
Teachers Have Fallen Behind, Too
The national conversation about coming back from COVID-19 has been dominated by students, and for good reason. Many kids haven’t done any real schoolwork in over a year and a half. That doesn’t even touch on the social aspects that were lost due to distance learning. I have written several pieces about how students aren’t…
Students At My School Aren’t Complaining About Wearing Masks
As the rhetoric around coronavirus grows more partisan, it is easy to start to assume the worst about everything. That is just what I typically do. I haven’t come in contact with many people over the last year for obvious reasons so most of the information that I consume about others comes via social media…
Stop Telling Kids Spelling Doesn’t Matter
The winner of the 93rd Scripps National Spelling Bee, Zaila Avant-garde, is still taking her well deserved victory laps in the media. Winning such a contest is obviously an impressive feat. But even more so these days, because I am sure that Zaila, like most students, has had at least a couple of teachers tell…
Schools Have to Be Patient With Students When They Return
COVID-19 is still a threat but as vaccination levels rise and public perception of the pandemic changes, life is getting slowly back to “normal.” Most school districts are returning to in-person classes when summer break is over. Those who weren’t planning to return are going to be hearing from the Department of Education according to…