The Chicago Teachers Union’s effort to go remote across the district is rooted in racism. Asking members to force a work stoppage without acknowledging the critical state of our babies is wrong. It ignores the fact that large numbers of children suffered the last time academically, physically and emotionally. Remote learning hurt Black and brown…
“The wolf took one last look at his mother and father…” My son is reading aloud in the other room. I hear his little voice recounting the story of a wolf who became the first wild wolf in California in a very long time. He reads with expression—exclamation points invoke excitement in his voice, question…
You’ll see headline after headline out there telling school districts how they should go about their reopening plans. Many are prudent and thought out by experts, but they’re missing some really important things: parent engagement, input, and approval. The Walton Family Foundation asked parents around the country what their priorities are for reopening schools this…
“I really like paper and pencils,” my son recently told his fourth grade teacher during a Zoom call. He’d asked if he could complete a math worksheet on paper rather than on the computer. Instead of providing a printable worksheet, the teacher offered to guide him through the online process. I was too tired to…
This week’s column has also been cross-posted over at our sister blog, Education Post. One of my favorite Gandhi quotes is, “There is no school equal to a decent home and no teacher equal to a virtuous parent.” I’ve never found a person who disagrees, even among the most ardent believers in the transformative power…