I Thought Watching Another Teacher Get Right What I Got Wrong Would Hurt. Instead, It Inspired.

A couple weeks ago, I had one of those days. After writing a whole post about how nice my room is, a post that included…

First-Year Teaching Doesn’t Have to Be Terrible, Here Are Three Things That Can Help

My first year of teaching was exactly what I was told it would be: the single most difficult year of my life. Dread-filled mornings. Sleepless,…

Yet Another White Family Leaves the City for the Suburbs

Well, we did it. Like millions of White, relatively affluent Americans before us, my wife and I moved with our two boys out of the…

When Students Aren’t Proficient in Reading or Math, It Isn’t a Shame, It’s Violence

I’ve written about teacher accountability before, but I recently read a few things that got me thinking. The first was a report out of Los…

A Union That Has to Earn Its Members and Their Money Is a Union I Can Support

It’s been quite a few days for the Supreme Court. First, they sided with anti-abortion right advocates in NIFLA v. Becerra. Then they upheld Trump’s…

After 14 Years of Teaching, I’m Packing Up Room 103 for the Last Time

It’s June. The classroom walls are bare. The grit outlined empty spaces left behind by charts, posters, reading lists and student work jut out starkly…

School Shootings Aren’t the Only Things School Police Officers Need to Train For

In light of recent school shootings, one of the proposed solutions has been to put more school police officers in schools. In the last 30…

All This Integration Talk Is Distracting Us From Giving Black Families Better Schools

Last week the Journey for Justice Alliance released a report called “Failing Brown v. Board.” The report is a direct attack on public charter schools…

Philadelphia’s Great Unless You’re a Sick Student at a School Filled With Asbestos and Lead

Philadelphia’s on the rise! The Eagles won the Super Bowl. Michelle Obama led an all star cast of celebrities to celebrate thousands of graduating high…

I Love College Signing Day But I Hate Seeing My Students Hit With Tuitions They Can’t Afford

Today is College Signing Day, the day when high school seniors all across America commit to their choice college or university. Here in Philadelphia, none…