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 This blog is no longer being updated.
Teaching
Opinion
Being Ms. Rhames: Reflections From a Substitute Teacher
During my maternity leave from mid-November to early March, Virginia Cutshall served as my substitute teacher. I asked her write an honest depiction of her experience in a guest blog post.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
Dare to Create 'Beloved Community' in Public Schools and Urban Neighborhoods
In this guest blog post, Diane Miller makes a passionate plea for radically changing our cultural definition of "community." If we want the conditions of the world to improve, then those of us who have choice must choose to live differently for the common good of all humanity, especially the children.
Equity & Diversity
Opinion
The Book Club Experiment: Engaging Boys of Color in Reading
Can offering more boy-orientated, relevant texts and freeing up the space for more dialogue and self-expression turn ten boys who are indifferent to school into well-behaved students who do their homework and enjoy reading? That's the experiment.
Education
Opinion
Will Little Sally Go to Yale or to Jail? There's an Algorithm For That
As a reform-minded teacher who has never had an anti-testing stance, I am concerned that the good intentions of the test (i.e. to measure student growth and to hold teachers accountable for a measure of that growth) is quickly becoming something much more than that ... something much scarier.
Teaching
Opinion
In Three Months, I Forgot How to Teach
My first day back at school after a three-month maternity leave revealed just how much I had forgotten about teaching.
Equity & Diversity
Opinion
Black History: How a White University Changed a Poor Black Girl's Life
I got an education in the truest sense of the word while attending a predominantly white university. Persevering through loneliness and being misunderstood at college worked to build my character and identity, as did being exposed to opera, classical music and European travel.
Teaching
Opinion
Questioning Empowers Students, Deepens Their Humanity
The hardest intellectual decision teachers have to make is what content to directly, explicitly teach and what to leave open for students to learn through a process of questioning, dialogue, and self discovery. Finding the perfect balance of direct instruction and student inquiry is a tension that is pulled even tighter by the constraints of time in the school day. But teachers must always leave room for student questioning.
Teaching
Opinion
How to Increase Parental Engagement in Urban Education, Part 2
Dr. Anthony L. Moore, an assistant superintendent of schools in Kansas City, Missouri, writes Part 2 of his guest blog on increasing low parental engagement in urban settings. He challenges schools to roll out the "red carpet" for parents and provides his "Top 10" list of ways parents can elevate their own level of engagement in their child's education.
Teaching
Opinion
How to Increase Parental Engagement in Urban Education, Part 1
Urban schools are notorious for having low parental engagement. In part one of his two-part guest blog, Dr. Anthony L. Moore, a school district leader in Kansas City, Missouri, outlines the difference between parental involvement vs. parental engagement and sets the stage for laying out his specific, practical strategies for increasing parent participation.
Student Well-Being
Opinion
'Breaking Bad': A Cautionary Tale for Teachers in the Wake of Walter White
Guest blogger John Choi was addicted to the hit TV show Breaking Bad. Now that the show has ended, Choi manages his withdrawals by analyzing both the inspirational and more ominous lessons the main character Walter White—meek high school science teacher turned ruthless drug dealer—teaches us.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
TEDx Talk (Video): Finding the Courage to Voice the Taboo
Yes, teachers deserve a seat at the table when systematic reforms are being decided, but the vacuum of teacher voice isn't just in City Hall, the state capitol building, or in the U.S. Department of Education. The true power of teacher voice is local. It's in our schools. If we feel powerless to change our local schools, how will our voices ever effectively reach Washington?
(See TEDx Talk video)
College & Workforce Readiness
Opinion
Professor: Why I Stopped Recruiting Minority Teaching Students
This post is by an anonymous guest blogger. A long-time reader and university professor, the author sent me this post to explain why so many minority teaching candidates are recruited to study education but never actually become certified teachers. One might say they are set up to fail.
Standards
Opinion
It's Time for an 'Education Spring' in American Public Schools
Any efforts to improve and transform public education, like the Common CoreState Standards, will not succeed if we do not engage teachers as the experts and leaders in the process. We need an "Education Spring," in which teachers rise up and take control of the leadership of their profession. Thanks to emerging national teacher voice organizations, we may be on the verge of an exciting new chapter in education reform.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
Forever Educated by 'Nurse Rita' in a Hospital Nursery
I gave birth to a healthy baby boy on Nov. 20, 2013, and a day later I watched a sick baby girl turn blue. 'Nurse Rita' did all she could to save the child's life, and in the process she forever educated me and the dozen parents who were in that hospital nursery. The incident taught me what it looks like to put your whole heart into your profession.