March 2021: Women’s History Month

March: Women’s History Month

March 8, 2021: International Women’s Day

It’s the time of year where we make an added effort, allot added time, to recognize the contributions and achievements of women throughout history.

This month I think it’s notable and relevant to discuss how women, always but especially in the time of COVID, have been instrumental leaders, and the backbone of our planet’s survival. Whether they led their country in incredibly successful containment and lockdown efforts–cheers to Taiwan, New Zealand, and more–or their gendered work (childcare, eldercare, sewing, cleaning, etc.) was the very reason we survived, women’s contributions–big and small–their assigned work and the work they chose, has always deserved more than we have given . . . so this month, make sure to add lessons, discussions, and more to the calendar, in honor of Women’s History Month.

March 2021: Welcome Back!

Welcome back??

I have my ears closely in conversations and news segments in California and Nevada, I am always on the lookout for school updates, and it seems that March 2021 is when in-person, of some kind, public schooling will be returning for quite a number of us.

Whether it is one day a week or five days a week, whether it is fully in-person or hybrid, whether it is gradual or immediate, I wish all of you the best of luck. This is the longest any of us has been away from our school routine; so, while it will be exciting and rewarding, it will also be exhausting–and know one can be grateful and tired at the same time.

So I say again: Welcome back 🏫

February 23, 2021: Quote of the Day

“Our nation was born in genocide when it embraced the doctrine that the original American, the Indian, was an inferior race. Even before there were large numbers of Negroes on our shores, the scar of racial hatred had already disfigured colonial society. From the sixteenth century forward, blood flowed in battles of racial supremacy. We are perhaps the only nation which tried as a matter of national policy to wipe out its Indigenous population. Moreover, we elevated that tragic experience into a noble crusade. Indeed, even today we have not permitted ourselves to reject or feel remorse for this shameful episode. Our literature, our films, our drama, our folklore all exalt it.”

-Martin Luther King Jr.

Photo by Woubishet Z. Taffese on Unsplash

This Black History Month make sure to provide more than just happy, and comfortable, quotes for your students . . .

Trending Teacher Topics

I was recently asked to participate on a teacher panel. This opportunity included providing input on the panel topic. Instead of providing topics I could, and would gladly, discuss, I decided to provide a list of topics I am over.

Topics to retire, if only for the next conversation:

Failing Grade(s) Epidemic
Learning Loss (thanks to distance learning)
Motivation (or the lack thereof)
Online Learning Games
Technology in the Classroom
Zoom: Pitfalls or Tips

It’s not that I don’t have first-hand experience, opinions, or things to share about these topics; rather, I feel that given a global pandemic, given the past year, I need space.

I know students are failing, and there is definitely academic loss, but we’re trying to survive a global pandemic that has upended nearly every sector of life. So, if we’re distracted or unmotivated or unable to put forth our regular best, it’s understandable.

I’m happy we’ve had the option and opportunity to have distance learning. It’s not perfect, it was implemented in haste, and even in the best circumstances it may not be suitable for all learners. I have heard and presented, ad nauseam, about online games, technology tools, and all the workings of Zoom. I need time to process, to practice more, to simply keep what I like and forgo anything new for awhile. It’s not that these things aren’t important, it’s just that (I feel) we’ve talked about them enough for now–what do you think?

Interview Time!

Join me Tuesday morning, February 16th, at 10 a.m. PST on the Regional English Language Office (RELO) North Africa Facebook page–normally I present or interview, this time I am the interviewee!