Most new teachers leave the profession within five years. I’ve been hearing this stat and others like it for what seems like forever. The next logical question for me is, “Why?” The answers is multi-tiered. At the core of this mass exodus are inadequate, irrelevant, and ineffective pre-service experiences, as well as a lack of… Continue reading Informal Mentoring: The Art of Giving Back
Changes in Chicago’s Educational Policy Set Off Alarms For This New York City Public School Teacher!
New York City public high school students recently dodged a policy bullet that just struck Chicago’s public schools. According to the Washington Post, To graduate from a public high school in Chicago, students will soon have to meet a new and unusual requirement: They must show that they’ve secured a job or received a letter of… Continue reading Changes in Chicago’s Educational Policy Set Off Alarms For This New York City Public School Teacher!
It’s summertime and, while teachers need to rest after a long school year, I am gearing up to head back to the classroom to teach summer school. Many of my colleagues and I simply can not afford to be home all summer without earning some extra money. Even if you are not going away for… Continue reading Why Do So Many Teachers Work Second Jobs?
I’ve been blogging now for about 10 months and during that time, I’ve had the opportunity to converse with several people via their written comments about whatever it is I wrote that week. Often the comments are supportive and aligned with my position. There are times, however, when readers of my posts are adamantly opposed… Continue reading Being The Change I Wish To See In Education
I just got a text message telling me that Patrick Ovide (pictured on the left), my student from eighth and ninth grade English class at Eagle Academy for Young Men of Southeast Queens, acknowledged me during his salutatorian graduation speech today as the teacher who instilled a love of reading in him and provided a… Continue reading 15 Ways To Build Meaningful Relationships With Your Students
Recently I’ve been forcing myself to take a news fast but earlier this week, while out socializing with some members of my new education family at the Education Post Blogger Summit, I learned about the murder of a pregnant Black woman in Seattle at the hands of two White police officers in front of her children.… Continue reading The Education Plantation: It’s Time I Move From The Field To The House
“Ms. Dukes, “I hear the tear-riddled voice of the student standing before me say, “I didn’t pass my (fill-in-the-blank) class. I’m not graduating.” NOT graduating? What are you talking about? Your high school graduation is next week! What in the world happened? I can’t help but hide the shock in my voice or the disappointment… Continue reading Senior Blues: Who’s Accountable When High School Students Don’t Graduate On-Time or At All?
I get lots of emails — me and millions of other people. Most of it is trash and I spend way too much of my time cleaning out my inbox to make room to take more pictures or to download a new app (don’t judge me – lol!). So I was pleasantly surprised when, in… Continue reading An Unlikely Yet Welcome Classroom Observation
Many people believe that summer school is a waste of time but I think summer school definitely has its place. However, even given the advancements that Chancellor Carmen Fariña has put into place, there is much room for improvement. One way in which we must improve our system is by abolishing social promotion, which is… Continue reading Summer, Summer, Summer School – Summer School!
How do I begin my quest to express just how amazing Lakisha Odlum truly is? Without a doubt, she is the most dedicated, knowledgeable, highly motivated and highly effective English teacher I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. For four consecutive years I had the privilege of working alongside Lakisha Odlum as a member… Continue reading Shout Out to Pedagogical Powerhouse Lakisha Odlum!
