As the school year winds to a close, typically educators begin talking about the summer slide and how to prevent it. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, learning loss has become a prominent focus in schools. If we are being real, too many students were behind before the pandemic hit. Then, the pandemic exacerbated and widened…
School nurses have always played a critical role in schools, but their work became more important once the coronavirus pandemic began in 2020. The end of the 2019-2020 school year ended with students learning from home. Then, many schools reopened at the beginning of the 2020-21 school year, reminding us all of the impact of…
I was a childless educator when I entered the profession. Although I did not have children, I believed I was a strong advocate for ensuring children have the proper education and the supports they needed to finish school, become productive citizens, and add value to our society. Once I became a mother, my advocacy accelerated…
It can be easy to get stuck on all the negative aspects of the coronavirus pandemic. There were also some positive developments for some students. Teachers were forced to find new ways or enhance old methods of providing instruction. Some of those students received that instruction remotely, and they thrived. Since the COVID-19 vaccination is…
Earlier this week, I shared that my husband and I had opted our fourth grade twin sons out of ILEARN. Part of the reason I shared my story was so many parents had reached out to me to find out if they could actually opt their children out of testing. Some of the parents, when…
Tuesday, May 4 is Teacher Appreciation Day. One day is not enough to show love toward educators especially when they have had to sacrifice more time and energy to teach during a pandemic. Last year, during the pandemic, teachers did not have to administer standardized tests. This year, on top of doing their jobs, they…
I’m wrapping up year 15 as an educator this school year. Before I moved into the role of a middle school academic dean, I taught English for almost a decade. I had taught a tested content. Although testing time can be stressful, I knew that standardized tests captured a snapshot in time. The data is…
“UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” -”The Lorax” by Dr. Seuss Annually, April 22 is Earth Day. Like any other day it is a time to take a pause on our personal investments for the day and commit to doing better throughout the rest…
On May 25, 2020, we were in the midst of a global pandemic and two incidents took place that held up a mirror to our society. The reflection back was not pretty. Christian Cooper, a Black bird watcher, was in Central Park when he crossed paths with Amy Cooper (no relation) a white woman who…
When students are struggling academically, teachers find ways to help them learn. They might reteach a lesson, provide academic interventions, accommodations, or modifications. When students misbehave, many times, the teacher’s focus is to stop the behavior immediately. This may present itself by the teacher giving the student a verbal command to cease the behavior, the…