At its best, education broadens the way students view the world and their place in it.
Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle, http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Oakland-aims-to-lift-students-who-are-young-male-6671320.php “It’s a very, very dark world, but you can’t be afraid to be a source of light.” These words, spoken by a middle school student in Oakland, California, and quoted in a New York Times article, illuminate the premise of a groundbreaking program now underway in that school district. …
Continue reading "The Value of Classes in Manhood and Heritage"
Photo: http://www.kindnesswyoming.org/ Obviously, school is all about learning, which, to the average person, means academics. However, as educators know, there’s so much more to education. From music and art to physical education and shop classes, electives help to enrich and round out students. Yet even that is not everything. The truth is that the softer …
Continue reading "The Power of Kindness and Other Fine Qualities"
Photo: https://www.therapidian.org/taking-stand-against-racism Immigration, racism, politics—volatile yet unquestionably timely issues, they are so incendiary that they’re usually touched only by teachers of government, civics and other social studies classes. And “touched” is the operative word as not many teachers delve deeply into these quagmires for fear of being consumed by them. What will the principal say? …
Continue reading "Immigration, Racism and DACA: Why Silence is Not an Option for Educators"
Photo: https://thegrio.com/2011/09/28/new-study-shows-teacher-pay-gap-in-black-and-latino-schoolssigni/ Let’s begin with this basic fact: Teachers of color comprise just under 18 percent of all teachers in the United States. However, as of the 2014-2015 school year, students of color are a new majority in public schools, representing approximately 50.3 percent of all students. It’s a glaring disparity. And the repercussions are …
Continue reading "Why All Students Need More Teachers of Color"
Photo: https://cybraryman.com/studentnames.html How many of your elementary school teachers’ names do you remember? Despite the many years that have elapsed, I remember all of mine, from Miss Sanford in kindergarten to Mrs. Maloney in eighth grade. And it’s likely that you do as well. In fact, students usually learn teachers’ names the first day of …
Denise Fawcett Facey 