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An Open Letter to Teachers Seeking Balance
Guest Author Dr. Jeff Duncan-AndradeWhen I talk with educators about the intense effort that will be required from them to be successful in our communities, it is nearly always the case that some of them will ask me: How can I do all of this and [...]
Giving Homework in Good Conscience
Two years ago I taught a “Strategic” 10th grade English class. “Strategic” is the No Child Left Behind term for students far below basic. Before that it was called “Sheltered.” A hundred different schools have a hundred different names [...]
Music—Probably the Worst Thing Out There
I was in Argentina for three weeks this year. My wife and I were checking into a hotel, and the young man helping us behind the counter was in his early twenties. There was a radio on behind him, and when a new song began to play, he smiled and [...]
The Myth of the After School Conversation
Six Tips on How to Have the Talk I love it. I love it love it love it when I hear people give their two cents about how we should handle our worst students in our worst public schools.Whether it is idle chat I overhear at Starbucks, or on a [...]
Having a Little Ghetto in You
Honing the Proper Persona for Public School New teachers often express the same sentiments over and over when they take their first public school teaching job:I can’t believe these kids! They don’t care about anything!They are amazed at [...]
The Elephant in the Classroom
When Are We Going to Talk About Poverty? I’m just going to say it, even though in our current educational climate it might at first seem to be unpopular — I just ask that you hear me out to the end:I am getting tired of hearing about Race [...]
You Might As Well Get To Know The Security Staff — You Are One Of Them
How to Work With Security and Administration to Properly Discipline Students I know that some days I feel more like a security guard than a teacher. It seems that in between class I’m pulling kids apart who are trying to beat each other up, and [...]
Teaching For Real
In the first month of my student-teaching, two kids got stabbed right outside of my classroom. The school went on lockdown. The police, fire department, and paramedics were called. My master teacher and I kept teaching as if it was normal. Actually, [...]