I had Mrs. Goddard in 10th and 12th grade and yesterday she gave the eulogy for her colleague and friend of five decades, Gerry Murphy, who I had for two classes during my senior year. It is hard to put into words what these teachers have meant to so many students—so hard that I’ve been… Continue reading Two of the Best Teachers I Ever Had: Mrs. Goddard Delivers the Eulogy for Mr. Murphy
At what point should we really start working with kids to help them figure out how to know themselves, identify what they love to do, and figure out if that interest or passion could transfer into a skill that could become their life’s work? This is the question that Jean Eddy, CEO of American Student… Continue reading Connecting Kids’ Passions to the Work Force in Middle School? This CEO says Yes.
We are so excited to have Keri back with us for this week’s episode, and she comes back swinging as the Boston Public Schools finds itself in the midst of a giant parental backlash around changes to start/end times at all of their schools. In an effort to adapt high school start times to the… Continue reading Episode 5: Six-Year-Olds At the Bus Stop at 6am and Getting Dismissed at 1:30? We Don’t Think So.
Apparently no one ever taught the librarian at Cambridgeport Elementary School about basic manners and professional etiquette. Instead, upon receiving a box of Dr. Seuss books from First Lady Melania Trump, Liz Phipps Soeiro decided to do exactly the opposite of the right thing, that simple “thank you” we work to teach our children to say… Continue reading The Cat in the Hat Would Have Never Done That
I have the absolute privilege of working alongside some incredibly smart and brave people, people willing to stand up to the power players and put themselves out there because they believe it will help kids and help families. While they don’t all come down on the same side of every issue, they push my thinking… Continue reading When Friends Say it Best: Black Voices on How the NAACP Has Lost its Way
Massachusetts and Rhode Island share a dirty little secret: neither has passed a law that makes it illegal for teachers to have sex with their students. I know. It’s pretty unbelievable. While consent laws theoretically protect all students under sixteen, there is a window of time during which students aren’t protected under the law —basically… Continue reading Rhode Island Lawmakers Still Asleep When it Comes to Protecting Students; MA Waking Up
No one likes to read hit pieces that attack the work and the integrity of the people we care about and it is especially annoying when the attack dogs get their facts wrong and leave out important and relevant information. At the same time, however, these ad hominem pieces are a sign that something is… Continue reading Don’t Get it Twisted, Professor
As educators, we are constantly evolving. -Lyndsa McIntyre and Shannah Varón The Hechinger Report recently published a piece by two Boston school leaders, Lindsa McIntyre and Shannah Varón, in which they share the success of their collaboration. McIntyre is headmaster of the Jeremiah E. Burke High School in Dorchester and Varón is the executive director of… Continue reading A District School and a Charter School Collaborate in Boston and It Works
Beth Anderson is a lifelong Democrat voter, a mom, and the founder and CEO of Phoenix Charter Academy Network, which serves disengaged, off-track youth in urban communities across Massachusetts. Friends, supporters, collaborators and believers – I am writing to you today a little differently – independently as a Democrat voter, a mom and an educator… Continue reading Guest Post: A Letter from Beth
Massachusetts Teachers Association president Barbara Madeloni has her own convenient version of what a democracy is. And she believes that, in the name of democracy, parents zoned to chronically under-performing schools just need to wait for better schools and she said exactly that on WBUR’s Radio Boston on October 19, 2015 in an interview with… Continue reading Madeloni: Democracy Takes Time, Kids. You Poor Black and Brown Kids Are Just Going to Have to Wait
