The silence, pt. 2

I once had a panic attack during silent breakfast. I had experienced panic attacks once or twice before, so I immediately knew what had happened after it passed. But that didn’t make it any less surprising.  It came out of nowhere. The numbness slowly creeping out of the pit of my stomach, spreading to all …

The silence, pt. 1

During my second year at a charter school, I was assigned the responsibility of monitoring the cafeteria during breakfast every morning. I, honestly, was so thrilled, knowing the other morning duty options - standing at the door and shaking students’ hands, monitoring the bathrooms, standing in the hallway. I viewed this as a leadership position …

The moment I knew

I have a love/hate relationship with crowdfunding for the classroom. I love that I can fundraise and buy supplies for my students. I hate that some administrators view crowdfunding as financial absolution for providing the things teachers need to run their classrooms.  For example - during my second year teaching at a charter school, I …

I am unchartered

It started off innocently enough.  I had accepted a job in a large public school, moved across the country, subsequently had a terrible academic year, and then, in what seemed like fate at the time, I was approached by a “high-performing” charter school looking for a teacher. I was drawn in by the clean facilities, …