Working in public schools is hard work. Almost every day, headlines about the failures of public schools and the demoralization of teachers fill my news feed. In a time when teacher and substitute shortages mean that every day begins with the challenge of simply staffing each classroom, how can I or any of the other... Continue Reading →
In this post I chronicle my winding research path to support teachers who want to make learning relevant to their students. So my answer to the question, "Can theories be practical?" is yes—but only if the person engaging with the theory also has or is willing to seek or create practical strategies.
I haven't written more than a few sentences in draft form since the public school year started again. Understandable, and to be expected, to be sure. All part of my professional hybrid plan: write in the summer, teach a graduate course for the first eight weeks of the school year while working full-time in a... Continue Reading →
Since the pandemic started in March of 2020, I've been watching and reading a lot of science fiction during the pandemic. I often like to say flippantly that it's because I'd really like to escape this planet. The problems and politics of fictional space worlds are much more appealing than the ones we're all entrenched... Continue Reading →
When I drafted an article to submit to an academic journal in early summer, I ran out of time. So I decided to take the 6 hours I had before the deadline and do as much as possible and then force myself to submit it, even if that meant what I submitted wasn't going to... Continue Reading →
In a previous post, I used the phrase "scripted curriculum" to describe EL and Odell, two literacy curricula that have been adopted for English language arts courses at all levels in the district where I live and work. When I've used the phrase in conversation with some educators, they've protested: "It's not a script." So... Continue Reading →
This summer, colleagues in my district were offered a choice of four books that the district would purchase for us to read. I chose Street Data: A Next Generation Model for Equity, Pedagogy, and School Transformation by Shane Safir and Jamila Dugan, and on my own I purchased another of the choices, Rachetdemic: Reimagining Academic... Continue Reading →
As I'm diving into the world of blogging again, I've been thinking a lot about my past life as a blogger for the American Library Association's Intellectual Freedom Blog. This time around, I'm writing blog posts as a professional wellness practice: it's a way to flesh out my questions, frustrations, and ideas, and I hope... Continue Reading →
“Don’t be patient. Don’t ever be. This is the way a new world begins.” When I read this quote near the conclusion of N.K. Jemisin's amazing Broken Earth trilogy this year, it spoke to me: Yes, change happens when we're not static, complacent, or passive. And sometimes that requires a certain relentlessness that can be...a... Continue Reading →
Every February, I fall into a slump with most of my other education colleagues, yet somehow it takes me off guard every time. This winter has been rough both personally and professionally, as it has for many people in this third COVID year, and between illnesses, surgeries, subbing, and the sluggish weather, it's easier to... Continue Reading →
Kate Lechtenberg, PhD 