Today, May 3rd, is Teacher Appreciation Day in the U.S. This comes as I’m nearing the end of my 17th year as a substitute teacher after failing to get a permanent position in Social Studies. Well, I was 57 years old at the time and had a master’s degree, so I was too well qualified
Although yesterday was the first day of school, I wasn’t quite ready for my summer to end. But when I saw a friend in community-based learning was going to be out today, it was “Uh-oh, I’d better take this.” Things are closer to what passes for normal this year. We’re back to seven periods a
For over a year now, violence against Asian Americans has been all over the news. I have a particular interest in this topic because members of my family are of Asian descent. Which is why an article entitled “11 Moments From Asian American History That You Should Know” caught my eye. This is another example
This pandemic has been difficult for everyone. We’ve all had to adapt in one way or another. This is especially true in education. Safety protocols have turned everything upside down. For example, students in middle school were forbidden to carry backpacks during the day, because a backpack’s weight could hurt their posture. Now they have
What will be the permanent impact of the pandemic on our education system? It’s still too early to say definitively, but it will probably be significant. I expect it will be the end of snow days. Another impact could also be on how we arrange for tutoring. In that regard, you may be familiar with
Day to day, we use methods that seem to meet our needs perfectly well. Then something upsets our routine and we have to find different ways of operating. And sometimes we realize the new ways are better than the old. Ever since I entered the teaching profession, I’ve been hearing how many elements of our
When I got back from running Thursday afternoon, I had a voice message from the high school. They needed a substitute teacher for special-needs classes. I’ve been so bored I was happy to take the job. The students I had today were functional special needs. They’re attending half-days, one group in the morning and one
I’m halfway through a long-term substitute teaching job with the special-needs kids, and it’s gotten me to thinking about communication. Specifically, how can you communicate with these students when half are confined to wheelchairs and most are non-verbal? I was discussing this recently with a friend, and she suggested pictures. That’s an obvious solution, but
It’s hard to get kids’ attention these days, especially with regard to creative writing. So what if you could use time travel? 826LA (http://826la.org/) is running with that idea. Its mission statement is “a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6 to 18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers
As a (substitute) school teacher, this topic is of special interest to me. What is intelligence? How is IQ calculated? The National Public Radio program Radiolab recently aired a series of six programs entitled “G” that addresses general intelligence. The first program, broadcast on June 7, 2019, is “G: The Miseducation of Larry P” and
