We need to change our high-school students’ expectations about teacher feedback
At the beginning of the year, my Chicago Public Schools high-school students expressed lots of frustration because I didn’t write any comments on their first major essay. “You need to give us feedback,” they demanded. Some doubted I read their essays because I didn’t make a mark. I explained that one of my goals as…
Asset-Based Grading to Reward Students for What They Know
Teachers can adopt better grading strategies to reward students for the knowledge they’ve gained, instead of penalizing them for what they haven’t yet mastered My son’s first grade teacher told me that he was lucky to have a younger sister. Six-year-olds are not known for their empathy, and part of Mrs. Seabolt’s job was to…
Racism, Privilege and Implicit Bias: One Teacher’s Journey, Part 2
Last week I wrote about my personal journey to a better understanding of my own white privilege and implicit biases. This week, I would like to suggest three concrete steps white teachers like me can take to acknowledge and address issues of systemic racism in our schools. We can actively decide to set aside our…
Racism, Privilege and Implicit Bias: One Teacher’s Journey, Part 1
I can vividly remember the first time I encountered racism. A white student, a senior in high school, had just finished reading Richard Wright’s Native Son. It was, to my knowledge, the first book by an African-American writer that he had ever read. Another white student asked him whether it was difficult to read. “Well,…
Keep on Staying
After a long day at school, I will get on my phone and see what stories are in the news. I read lots of articles about teaching. Recently, I have been reading too many accounts of why teachers have chosen to leave the profession entirely. I find this distressing. Teaching is my second career. My…
Stop Celebrating Teacher Self Sacrifice
“My son’s teacher woke up early to attend his 8am baseball game & cheer him on the sidelines! She makes sure to attend one extracurricular activity for EVERY one of her students. Her love and support is so special.” “Mr. Tom is such a great teacher. He wakes up early every morning to get to…
First Believe, Then Achieve
“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” – Henry Ford I believe Henry Ford’s quote to be particularly true in the realm of education. When teachers and students believe they can learn, they will. But the same is true for the opposite. John Hattie, a professor and researcher in education…
Having Fierce Conversations with Kids Matters
While the term “fierce” may seem a little harsh, it got your attention. I’ve served as a teacher and literacy coach for years — and in those years, I’ve always had engaging and honest conversations with my students. Teachers do that. They care. They talk to their kids. I believe educators should set out to…
When My School Votes…
In the last midterm election, young people voted at record rates, and that is something we should all celebrate. However, even with this historic turnout, two-thirds of young people were missing from the polls. As we work to close opportunity gaps for the most underserved students in our nation, we must also work to close…
