On the morning after the unexpected election of Donald Trump in 2016, feeling disoriented and distressed, I laced up my shoes to go for what I thought would be my usual three and a half to four-mile run. Instead of turning left towards home, I turned right towards the coast, adding at least three extra … Read more
5 More Things A Teacher Says Educators (& Others) Should Know is the headline of one of my recent Education Week columns. 5 things a veteran teacher (that’s me!) says educators, researchers, and others should know. About The Author
In the lead-up to this week’s election, California history and social studies teachers have approached covering the presidential campaign with caution and confidence. A recent EdSource survey of these teachers revealed that most included instruction about the presidential election in their courses, despite the challenges of teaching politics in a polarized and misinformation-filled environment. Rachel … Read more
California school board races are gaining more attention in the 2022 election, with the California Teachers Association (CTA) and the California Republican Party actively supporting their preferred candidates. The CTA is working to get local unions more involved in school board elections, with teachers canvassing neighborhoods and rallying support for union-backed candidates. On the other … Read more
(I am republishing some of my top posts from the first half of the year. You can find the complete list here.) Last April, I used the AI tool Poe to create a free chatbot specifically designed to assist English Language Learner teachers. It appeared to function adequately, and I detailed the process of creating … Read more
This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters. As the new school year began in New York, teachers prepared their classrooms by setting up posters, reviewing curriculums, sharpening pencils, and, for the past ten years, charging Chromebooks. Chromebooks have become a common tool in classrooms post-COVID, allowing students to … Read more
Amid a statewide teacher shortage, there is widespread discussion of teachers leaving the profession or not entering it at all. According to a 2022 UCLA study, 1 in 5 California teachers stated they would likely or definitely leave teaching in the next three years due to burnout, low pay, and student apathy and misbehavior. But … Read more
Key points: In my fall 3rd-year “STEM in Early Childhood” class, I noticed a common trend: The pre-service teachers, who were all women, shared a stereotypical belief that they were not math or science people, and therefore not equipped to teach STEAM. I typically assign a hefty 20-page final project in my STEM course, but … Read more