There’s a Lesson for Educators in the Life of DMX - Philly's 7th Ward

There’s a Lesson for Educators in the Life of DMX - Philly's 7th Ward

THERE’S A LESSON FOR EDUCATORS IN THE LIFE OF DMX

Rest in peace to Mr. Earl Simmons, popularly known as DMX. I pray that his soul is at rest.

What fascinates me about the life of a person, particularly artists who become celebrities, are the events and moments that fueled the person they became. When I think of Earl Simmons and his untimely death, I can’t help but think of the adults who failed him.

In a society where personal hardships are blamed on a lack of responsibility; it is easy to blame Earl Simmons for his shortcomings and ultimately his own death. However, as an educator who works with children, I am accustomed to considering the nurture in tandem with the nature.

For me, the art of teaching isn’t only about the content. It is about using who that child is to teach the content. It means, I need to invest in my students; every one of them – even the students are thought to be lost causes by others.

Earl Simmons left us with many memorable songs, stories and prayers. He also left us with a window into his pain to understand the person he became. Sadly, I think back on a podcast where he revealed that he was tricked into a CONTINUE READING: There’s a Lesson for Educators in the Life of DMX - Philly's 7th Ward

Five Key Lessons I’ve Learned About Distance Learning This Semester | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

Five Key Lessons I’ve Learned About Distance Learning This Semester | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

FIVE KEY LESSONS I’VE LEARNED ABOUT DISTANCE LEARNING THIS SEMESTER

I have been regularly documenting what’s been working and what hasn’t been working, along with my fears and concerns for the future.

Now that the semester is ending next week, I thought it would be useful – for both readers and for me – to share some practical reflections.

Before I do that, however, here are some of my past pieces (that have appeared here, at the British Council, and in The Washington Post, in case you’re interested:

Distance learning and English Language Learners

A teacher’s deepest fears about 2021: Students who disappeared, covid-19 myopia and six more

First Quarter Report On What I’m Doing In Full-Time Distance Learning & How It’s Going

I’m Worried About My Students – Very Worried. And Here Is What I’m Planning To Do About It

Personal Reflections On My 2020 Professional Experiences

 

Okay, now for some key recent practical realizations and changes I’ve made related to teaching online:

 

1) Don’t require homework outside of Zoom classroom time.

This has been my policy all year with my English Language Learners classes since I teach them five days a week.  That’s because I voluntarily teach four extra classes each week for no pay.  I point that out not to demonstrate how “wonderful” I am, but to point out how empty much of the rhetoric from our district leadership is about equity and justice.  Our school’s ELLs are thriving with this extra support, and it’s CONTINUE READING: Five Key Lessons I’ve Learned About Distance Learning This Semester | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

The Riot at the Capitol: Classroom Lessons?* | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

The Riot at the Capitol: Classroom Lessons?* | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

The Riot at the Capitol: Classroom Lessons?*

In an earlier post, I pointed out the obvious fact that tax-supported public schools were political institutions. Not in the partisan sense of Republican and Democrat but in serving the community in socializing community values in the next generation including respect for and pride in the nation. When taxpayers want their schools to instill core values in students (e.g., respect for individual, being part of a community, equal treatment) those are political decisions.

In light of January 6, 2020 attack on the Capitol instigated by President Donald Trump and the subsequent riot and destruction that occurred including the loss of five lives, the issue of teaching about this signal event in U.S. history in elementary and secondary classrooms again comes to the attention of teachers and non-teachers.

So should teachers and students deal with the attack upon the Capitol in classroom lessons? Yes, it is controversial and yes, it is highly political in that a Republican President egged on a rally of supporters to march down Pennsylvania Ave. to the Capitol where Democrats CONTINUE READING: The Riot at the Capitol: Classroom Lessons?* | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

How Teachers Across the U.S. Explained the 'Traumatic' Capitol Riots to Their Young Students

How Teachers Across the U.S. Explained the 'Traumatic' Capitol Riots to Their Young Students

How Teachers Across the U.S. Explained the 'Traumatic' Capitol Riots to Their Young Students

What I Told My Students About Yesterday’s Attempted Trump Coup | gadflyonthewallblog - https://wp.me/p4QD1W-3r4 via @StevenSinger3

On Wednesday, violent pro-Donald Trump rioters descended on the U.S. Capitol building while lawmakers were working to count the Electoral College votes certifying President-elect Joe Biden's win over Trump. At least 5, including a Capitol Police officer, were killed and many were injured.

The next day, teachers across the country grappled with how to explain the deadly event — during which nooses hanged in front of the Capitol building, confederate flags were waved in the halls and the mob ransacked offices — to students of every age, with several sharing resources on social media and turning to fellow educators for ideas.

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, posted a Twitter thread with free lesson plans on topics ranging from the foundations of democracy to the nation's history of peaceful transitions of power.

"Students across America are watching," Weingarten wrote. "You don't have to be a civics teacher to know that this moment is going to be very difficult for so many educators across the country."

RELATED: DOJ Announces Federal Charges Against 13 Capitol Rioters as FBI Continues to Investigate

"You can differentiate between peaceful protest and violence," she later advised. "Storming the Capitol and threatening duly elected officials is mob rule not peaceful protest."

Georgia-based teacher Marian Dingle also used Twitter to urge other teachers to take a moment in their classes to acknowledge the events, garnering hundreds of replies and over CONTINUE READING: How Teachers Across the U.S. Explained the 'Traumatic' Capitol Riots to Their Young Students