A former writing teacher, Marilyn Anderson Rhames was the Manager of Alumni Relations at a charter school in Chicago. She holds master’s degrees in education and journalism, is a former Teach Plus</a> policy fellow, and a founder of the nonprofit Teachers Who Pray. In 2013, Rhames received the Educator’s Voice Award for her blog and was also named “Commentator/Blogger of the Year” by the Bammy Awards. Follow her on Twitter @MarilynRhames. This blog is no longer being updated.
Education
Opinion
Working-Mother-Wife-Teacher Syndrome
I went to bed last night at 9:30 and I woke up at 1:30 in the morning. As hard as I tried, I couldn't go back to sleep. I suffer from a condition called Working-Mother-Wife-Teacher Syndrome. Here were some of the thoughts that kept me awake:
Equity & Diversity
Opinion
Losing Naomi While Finding a Vital Missing Link to Save Others
A friend named Mick sent me an email last week about what happened to his friend Christopher's three-year-old daughter. The child got very sick, but he couldn't take her to the doctor immediately because he didn't have the money. Where he lives, the doctors require their basic examination fee paid in full up front, and Christopher had less than a dollar to his name.
School & District Management
Opinion
Chicago Public Schools: Change We Can't Believe In
Change is hard, especially for the Chicago Public Schools. We have had five CEOs of the school system in the past four years. Arne Duncan. Ron Huberman. Terry Mazany. Jean-Claude Brizard. And now, Barbara Byrd-Bennett, or B3 as her nickname goes.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
Things Middle Schoolers Have Taught Me About Sex
If you hang around middle schoolers long enough, you can learn a lot—even a few things about sex.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
At-Risk Teachers: Before You Quit, Try Blogging
I'm still in bed
The small hum of my husband's car backing down the driveway
The small hum of my husband's car backing down the driveway
Student Well-Being & Movement
Opinion
I Am Not a Cannibal, But I Teach "Yo Mama" Jokes on Occasion
Every now and then, I have students who are uncomfortable around me, like they are scared. During a teacher-student conference I have to ask them to pull their chair up to my desk a little closer.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
Chicago Teacher Strike Over, But Bigger Problems Persist
I would be hard pressed to find someone in Chicago who isn't relieved that the teacher strike ended on Tuesday night. After months of contentious negotiations and a seven-day walk-out, the spirit of old fashioned compromise finally set in. The Chicago Public Schools got a few reforms it wanted and the Chicago Teachers Union got a few policies it championed.
Teaching
Opinion
Honk If You Don't Support A Teacher Strike in Chicago
For the past three days my morning drive to work has become a bit awkward at two stop signs. As I inch closer to the intersections near two different schools, I am beckoned by a throng of teachers in red shirts holding picket signs, chanting, and banging on the metal guard rails that line the sidewalk. They peer into my vehicle, smiling, asking me to honk if I support a teachers strike.
Education
Opinion
Chicago Teachers Are Now On Strike
After months of negotiations and threats, Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis announced that teachers will be striking on Monday.
School Choice & Charters
Opinion
As Chicago Teacher Strike Looms, I Celebrate a Great Lesson
I did it. Yesterday I publicly revealed my blog to my students. I set up the LCD projector and taught the Smiley-Face Trick of "Repetition for Effect" using my post about my second-grade Ms. White, who wrote me off.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
Do You Like the Sound of Your (Teacher) Voice?
In August 2011, shortly after I had written my first blog, I was asked to do a radio interview on teacher voice. Rae Pica of the BAM! Network, an online radio station devoted to education, contacted me saying she loved my post and thought I could offer listeners a valuable perspective on teachers speaking up in their schools.
Student Well-Being & Movement
Opinion
Thank You, Ms. White, For Writing Me Off
Most lovers of children's literature know the tear-jerking, classic teacher-student memoir by Patricia Polacco entitled Thank You, Mr. Falker. It's tells of Polacco's battle with low self-esteem because at age nine she still could not read, and the persistent teacher who diagnosed her dyslexia.
Teaching
Opinion
I'm Back at School and Already on Vacation
I probably look like a terrible teacher. I took three days off work on the first week of school (for teachers) to go on vacation in Cancun, Mexico. Not to mention, I left my husband and two children at home.
Equity & Diversity
Opinion
Reforming the 'Myth' of America's Failing Schools (It's Actually True)
I recently read a Salon article by Michael Lind stating that the failure of the American public school system is just a myth perpetrated by education reformers to justify school vouchers and charter schools. I laughed—before realizing he was serious.